It's easy to idealize travel based on tales, magazine spreads, and what we see other people posting on social media, but the reality is that travel will always have its ups and downs. Even if you avoid the most disappointing tourist attractions in the world based on reviews, you're bound to eventually end up with some travel experiences that don't quite meet your expectations. No one knows this better than travel expert Rick Steves, who wrote on his website that "travel, like the world, is a series
of hills and valleys." But the trick for when you feel stuck in one of those spirit-sapping valleys is something fundamental to Steves' travel philosophy: to go "through the back door," as the title of his first book puts it.
At its core, the Steves creed is about merging into a new culture, rather than waiting for it to entertain you. "If you don't enjoy a place, maybe you don't know enough about it. Seek the truth. Recognize tourist traps. Give a culture the benefit of your open mind," Steves says. Going in with the open mind that he advocates for might mean going out of your way to talk to a local stranger, venturing into a neighborhood you don't know much about, or stepping into interesting-looking buildings that aren't listed in your guidebook. That attitude forms a two-way connection: Opening yourself to the world invites the world to open you, too. As Steves puts it, "Travel changes people. It broadens perspectives and teaches new ways to measure quality of life."
Read more: Rick Steves Says To Always Do These Things Before Traveling
How To Curb Disappointment In Popular Destinations
Across Rick Steves' travelogues, he gives tips for getting into a destination through the back door, for skipping the disappointing sites choked by tourism in favor of the authentic, surprising layers a place has to offer. In one article, Steves nods at a reason travelers might feel disappointed with Prague, for example: "Many people jockey themselves into the most crowded spot of the most crowded city in the most crowded month (Old Town Square, Prague, July)." Today, Prague is a graceful capital but often considered crowded and wildly overtouristed. Steves offers an alternative way to experience the city: "Old Town Square may be a mob scene, but six blocks away you'll find fewer crowds and eateries full of happy Czechs."
In an interview with The New York Times, the travel guru spotlighted another potential source of disappointment: places being dulled by social media hype. Steves pointed out the Instagram-driven frenzy around the Matterhorn, which he refers to as "the Stonehenge of Switzerland," as an example. While people swarm the most-posted spots in Zermatt for their selfies with the iconic mountain, there's a way to experience it, too, through the back door and discover a new way of seeing that can undercut disappointment. From Zermatt, "it's an easy ride (or doable walk) up out of the valley to lost-in-time villages and scenic hikes that are made all the more magical with that iconic triangular mountain nodding its white head in the background," Steves writes on his website. Keeping that advice in mind, you'll find that most places have a quieter trail, a less obvious vantage point, or a neighboring site that lets you find something surprising that hasn't been sterilized by superficial expectations.
Ready to discover more hidden gems and expert travel tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter for access to the world's best-kept travel secrets.
Read the original article on Islands.
