Confessions of an introverted traveler
http://www.worldhum.com/features/speakers-corner/confessions-of-an-introverte...
As a person who needs solitude more than I need friends, and loves to travel, I related to this article but, and a big but: the most memorable moments of my travels have come from accidental meetings with warm and interesting people.
While travelling in the US a decade ago I stayed in about 10 B&Bs and would have continued that way if it wasn’t becoming too expensive and a problem to book in the high season. Off hand, I think of the coy gay couples I met in Denver, the music nuts who ran a very friendly house in Albuquerque, the traditional-style womb-like house I was given in Taos (skylights, no windows; loved it), and the couple who made staying in a place as dull and unpeopled (after 5pm on a Friday) as Amarillo interesting. The places I remember most vividly in most of my travels are those where I did engage with people. If out sightseeing all day it is sweet to go to a place that resembles home at night — that’s exactly what young travellers love about backpacker digs and hostels. My worst experience — cos I followed the wrong advice — was finding myself (on Corfu) miles from anywhere with only American college students for company and a very aggressive social program: don’t dress up in a toga or whatever, don’t eat. (The Pink Palace is legendary for its “parties” and either loved or hated). Then, I have stayed in scores of dingy hotels and motels that were so nondescript they never registered in my memory. Quite likely the towns and cities I was visiting didn’t register much either unless i had gone to see something special — cos memory is largely visual: we remember beautiful, interesting and unique places, and people, and forget the rest. I must add that B&B would be the only way to go in New Zealand if you are older, have never been there and can afford a little luxury. NZ is about human warmth as much as it is about distinctive scenery and adventure tourism. If you stayed at B&Bs — and there are hundreds now — you would feel as though you’ve been taken into NZ’s bosom.;=)
