Travel Ideas: Smart Ways to Visit Historical Places on Your Vacation
If you’re a history lover, you probably have a long list of places you want to see. You might even plan your vacations around historical moments and locations. The following will explore a few travel tips and ideas that can help you make the most of your visits to historical places.
Research The Location Before You Go
All too often, travelers discover fascinating details about a given historical site that makes them wish they’d planned their trip a little differently. To avoid this mayhem and disappointment, take the time to read about historical events and locations while you’re planning your trip. Sometimes something like a random well doesn’t seem interesting when you’re looking at travel blogs, but then when you learn about the spectacular mythology surrounding the well (and the supposed wishes it grants to those who visit it), you might wish you’d included the time to see it on your trip.
Bring A Notebook
When you’re in a place where massive, world-altering things went down, there’s an ineffable feeling that can take over. It’s sort of like awe, but it also includes an awareness of the smallness of people and the vastness of existence and time. Because of this feeling, it’s not uncommon for travelers to feel heightened senses or to find themselves thinking new thoughts. Bringing a thin, light notebook with you and a pencil or pen, so you can jot down ideas, poems, stories, sketches, or anything else you think of can be a wonderful way to stay in that heightened state. It can also be the beginning of a fantastic work of art if you let it. If you’re at all creatively inclined, this step is a must.
Research Tours Ahead Of Time
Most historical sites have a variety of tours available each day. Taking a few extra moments to read reviews and tour guide qualifications can help you snag a tour that fills your mind with intrigue as you learn. According to a provider of Stonehenge tours, paying attention to tour tickets that allow you to skip the line can help make your entire trip smoother. In popular historical sites, lineups can be several hours long. That’s precious daylight you could be wasting.
Think About Your Dates
When it comes to ideal times of day for photography (sunrise and sunset), historically significant dates, spiritually significant dates, or culturally significant dates, it’s a good idea to book early. These times and days can quickly become fully booked months or even years in advance. If you’re planning on seeing something in particular, like an astrological event from the site of the venue, be prepared to book well in advance.
Charge Your Phone And Clear Up Space
You don’t want to be exploring some spectacular ruin or historical monument only to discover that your phone is dead or that it’s full of photographs and videos, and you need to delete things before you can carry on capturing the magic. To avoid this, make sure your phone is charged and clear up lots of space before you arrive. Be cognizant of the things you can do to keep your phone battery in good condition. You might even want to carry a portable phone charger, especially if you’re using your phone to translate conversations or to figure out transportation options.
Be Respectful
Historical sites are one-of-a-kind. They’re often delicate, having lived through the weather, trials, and tribulations of many eras. They’re completely irreplaceable. Given this, it’s a good idea to follow the guidelines and precautions presented by staff. Taking photos with flash, for instance, can speed up the degradation of artifacts or artworks. The rules are in place for a reason. Don’t risk a historical artifact because you want a cool selfie.
Be Wary Of FOMO
The fear of missing out (FOMO) can be really uncomfortable. Before taking a trip, it’s important to acknowledge that you’re not going to be able to see everything. There’s no way to fully capture the history of a single object in an entire lifetime of study, and there’s absolutely no way you can see it all and learn it all in the time it takes to have a vacation. Given this, it’s important not to put pressure on yourself to see literally everything. Take your time and go first to the things that call to you. All too often, travelers beat themselves up overseeing a temple that they didn’t even know existed before they went on vacation. If you lived your whole life until now without seeing it, you can bet that you’ll be able to live the rest of your life without seeing it too.
The above information should help you plan stellar vacations to historical sites. It’s a good idea to research cultural norms and expectations before leaving your hotel for the day. Some sites have strict requirements for attire, for instance. You don’t want to be turned away from a site because you’re wearing short shorts.
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