The Off Topic Topic

[garbon]

No shit.  Thought people graduated college to get away from that bullshit.

Not in the new economy. Well so I have heard.

[Valmy]

Unless you do couch-surfing, which is probably just as alien to derspiess, you'll not meet very many locals with other types of accomodation either in my experience.

Well yeah I tended to travel to places where I knew people, even if I didn't stay at their place I would stay at someplace nearby and spend my time with them and their friends. If I didn't I would try to stay at a bnb or someplace small run by locals.

But this was all back in 1997-2000 when I was regularly traveling to Europe.

[Liep]

Oh sure you meet lots of interesting people but my thing was: I came to Spain to see Spain and talk to Spaniards. Hardly any Spaniards in the hostel just lots of Germans, Brits, and people from Tennessee excited to tell you about their time at Memphis State. Why would I want to use my once in a lifetime trip to Spain talking to those people?

And of course being a Texan I would occasionally get the 'Aggies Aggies in SPAIN WHOOOP IN YUR FACE t.u.!!!!111' treatment. So great to get all the charm from home abroad.

Yeah, I can see that. But as Zanza said, when you can travel 8 weeks a year in Europe you tend to just take it as it comes.

Unless you do couch-surfing, which is probably just as alien to derspiess, you'll not meet very many locals with other types of accomodation either in my experience. Tourist hotels are full of tourists, staying in rented holiday cottages often also means you only have tourists as neighbours. Airbnb can be close to couch-surfing, but is usually very commercial these days, business hotels might have locals, but not the ones interested in talking to you. Hostels in my experience will always have some young locals as well (EDIT: in Western countries, not in Asia).

The hostel staff is usually also local, but couch-surfing is definitely the best way to meet up with locals.

[Jacob]

Can't imagine I'd have gone for that in my younger years, either.

The illusion of the adventurous derspiess open to the world and new experiences has now been shattered

[Zanza]

Well yeah I tended to travel to places where I knew people, even if I didn't stay at their place I would stay at someplace nearby and spend my time with them and their friends. If I didn't I would try to stay at a bnb or someplace small run by locals.

But this was all back in 1997-2000 when I was regularly traveling to Europe.

If I would limit myself to travelling to places where I know people, I would have missed a lot of awesome experiences. Not sure what the difference between a BnB and a hostel run by locals is. The former is a bit more comfy for a higher price.

[derspiess]

Unless you do couch-surfing, which is probably just as alien to derspiess, you'll not meet very many locals with other types of accomodation either in my experience.

Well yeah I tended to travel to places where I knew people, even if I didn't stay at their place I would stay at someplace nearby and spend my time with them and their friends. If I didn't I would try to stay at a bnb or someplace small run by locals.

But this was all back in 1997-2000 when I was regularly traveling to Europe.

If I know people I don't mind staying at their house, even if I have to sleep on the couch.  But strangers?  No thanks.

[Valmy]

If I would limit myself to travelling to places where I know people, I would have missed a lot of awesome experiences.

If I limited myself to the tourist traps and NOT visited the towns my friends lived I would have missed a lot of awesome experiences. So stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

Not sure what the difference between a BnB and a hostel run by locals is. The former is a bit more comfy for a higher price.

One I actually got what I fucking paid for. The other I didn't

[derspiess]

The illusion of the adventurous derspiess open to the world and new experiences has now been shattered

  Touche.  Now honestly I've always wanted to travel the world; I just wouldn't want to do it alone and I'd like to have my own quiet, private space to sleep in while I'm doing it.  When I'm in Argentina I clear out my own space in the in-law's house to use as my temporary Man Cave.

[Valmy]

Well fortunately for you very few of us will ever be able to travel across the European Continent for 8 weeks at a time without losing our jobs. So you can probably afford to stay in hotels if you are only going to be there a week or so.

[Zanza]

If I limited myself to the tourist traps and NOT visited the towns my friends lived I would have missed a lot of awesome experiences. So stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

Oh sure. If I know people somewhere I try to meet them as well as the local take is always more interesting than what you find yourself.

I even met some of the Languishites on my travels. 

[Jacob]

The illusion of the adventurous derspiess open to the world and new experiences has now been shattered

  Touche.  Now honestly I've always wanted to travel the world; I just wouldn't want to do it alone and I'd like to have my own quiet, private space to sleep in while I'm doing it.  When I'm in Argentina I clear out my own space in the in-law's house to use as my temporary Man Cave.

To be fair, at this point in my life I'm pretty much done with adventurous or uncomfortable travel so I'm right there with you on the "maximize comfort" most of the time.

[Valmy]

Oh sure. If I know people somewhere I try to meet them as well as the local take is always more interesting than what you find yourself.

I just remember staying with some friends in Franconia, Ansbach to be exact (they were working with the military base there), and we were talking with the locals and I was shocked at how Hank Hill everybody was. It was like Texas, Germany. They were even all bitching about the government.

Anyway I have never gone anywhere in the US or Latin America or Europe where there have not been tons of Germans there. You people travel everywhere it is a wonder there is anybody left in Germany.

[Zanza]

You can't seem to go anywhere in the world without meeting lots and lots of German tourists. 

[derspiess]

To be fair, at this point in my life I'm pretty much done with adventurous or uncomfortable travel so I'm right there with you on the "maximize comfort" most of the time.

My sister in law keeps inviting us down to stay with her in her hippie village in Costa Rica.  It's a nice beach but, uh, no.  I may at some point consider staying at the hotel 10 miles away, as long as it's not downwind of the hippies.

[derspiess]

You can't seem to go anywhere in the world without meeting lots and lots of German tourists. 

On a Caribbean cruise ship we ate breakfast with an older German couple, who seemed pleasant until they couldn't get the right cream for their coffee.  Dude literally said "VEE ARE GERMAN.  VEE NEED PROPER CREAM."