What place actually stayed with you and why?
From 2013 to 2020 I worked on cruise ships and visited around 95 countries, and I noticed something. The places I expected the most from often felt just okay. And some random places with no hype ended up staying in my head way longer.
Not because they were perfect. But because something about them felt real. The people, the moment, the timing, something just clicked.
I think we focus too much on where to go and not enough on what we actually experience there.
What’s a place that stayed with you, not because it was famous, but because it hit different?
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I’ll answer based on my experience, no sugarcoating.
Wow! Would definitely love to hear more. Where was your favorite hidden gem, worst tourist trap, and what did you do on the cruise ships?
Tende, a small mountain village near Nice, France. There’s nothing special about Tende, but we never felt so calm, peaceful and at ease.
That’s exactly the kind of place I mean. Nothing special on paper, but the feeling sticks. Was it the place or your vibe and company you had at the time?
Maybe it was everything at once? We both needed a break from everything. Nice, the place where we stayed, offered that, but Tende offered a peace and quiet we hadn't yet experienced, which we apparently needed at that very moment.
Yeah, looks like it really all lined up
I totally agree with you, I don't really have connections to places - like I grew up in NYC, but meh. Whenever I traveled, it's always been about the people I met along the way and the experience.
Connecting with a teacher on a tour of the Forbidden city, chatting with my tour guide and learning about their lives and local culture etc.
Yeah, I get that. NYC is crazy on paper, but without the right people or moment it can feel pretty flat.
For me, some of the best “hidden gems” were small islands places in the Caribbean and parts of Greece. No hype, no pressure, just simple life and real interactions. That’s where things felt the most authentic.
Worst tourist traps were usually the super hyped spots where everything feels staged and overpriced. You can feel you’re just part of a system, not actually experiencing anything.
On the ships I was running retail, so I saw both sides. Tourists coming in for a few hours vs crew living a completely different reality behind it.
What about you, any place that surprised you in a good way?