This Post Started as a HubPages Question

What do you seek when you visit other countries?

Baudelaire wrote of escaping "anywhere out of this world" and Proust pondered our longing to get out of our own lives, frustrated by discovery that they follow us wherever we go like our shadows. Enlightenment travelers are less concerned with the experience there are having than with understanding the places and people they visit, but it takes time and patience and modern tourists are short of both.

Asked by Beata Stasak.

I Like to Travel for Culture and History

I like to find the atmosphere of the place. I'm not a social butterfly, but I push myself a bit and talk to people when I travel. I ask about things that interest me. Sometimes I find out about a great place to visit while I'm there. Sometimes they tell me about a local group I could join in with. Often I get a new perspective on my old, taken for granted ideas.

I like finding culture and history. I will go to things like local museums and flea markets and those farmer's markets where they really do still have produce as well as crafts and such for sale.

One thing I always do it get out very, very early so I can be out people watching as the town/ city wakes up for the working day. I like to see the place start fresh and come alive around me.

There is something special about getting away. First you have that flash of horror at being adrift in a new place. But, once you get over that the adventure starts. It's only when you travel that you can really be free, reinvent yourself, try something new and waste a day doing nothing, guilt free.

How to Enjoy the Trip

Remember you're a tourist and take the day (or week, however long you are away) off.

Write about your adventures. Draw, doodle and illustrate if you can. Add postcards if you can't draw anything at all. Save ticket stubs and other bits of things which you can add to your travel journal.

Have one planned destination each day. Maybe a tourist spot, maybe a restaurant that sounded too good to pass up, or a place you planned to see long before you left home even. Don't plan every step of your day. Give yourself room for unplanned adventures, changing your mind and wandering.

Talk to people. Even if you don't usually talk to anyone, put forth a little effort and talk to a couple of people each day. A real conversation. See if you can get past the regular small talk about the weather.

Take photos, lots of photographs. We are past the days when you had to pay for photofinishing and film. Now, the digital camera sets you free to make a fool of yourself being a tourist with a loaded camera. Go all out and put your thumb in a few pictures too, it's traditional.

Take the time to send postcards while you are still away from home. Write them with a new pen while you enjoy coffee, tea or something else in a lovely location with a great view.

The hotel, motel, bed & breakfast, or hostel you are staying at is a good (easy to find) source for great places to see, what to eat and things to do.

Do some of the things you like to do when you're home. I like browsing at bookstores. It's a great way to spend an afternoon when I'm in another town, another city, province (state), or country. I look for second hand bookstores too, not just retail.

Do something you don't make time for when you are home and busy or just don't have the energy. It might be something like getting a pedicure for the first time ever. You might get tickets and go to a live theatre performance, evening or matinee. Be open to new experiences.

A day trip is simple, just the one day away. You don't need to put in a lot of serious planning, you don't need heavy duty packing. If you leave something undone at home - you will be back later the same day to finish it up. Just make sure you leave your home safe - turn things off and lock it up!

A day trip can be something you decide to do just because you want a change of scenery, feel frustrated or need to recharge your creative energies.

I really enjoy a day trip. Day trips can be impulsive or planned in advance. Either way, you don't need to bring a lot with you or plan your life around the one day you're taking off.

Where to Go on a Day Trip

• Visit friends or family who live in another city or town.
• Pick a restaurant you wanted to try.
• Take the bus or train and go into the city for the museum, art gallery, etc.
• Take the bus or drive out into the country, be rural for the day.
• Travel around and try farmer's markets on a weekend day.
• Look for local events like seasonal fairs and festivals.
• Pick a town you heard something interesting about and go there.
• Go to the beach. In winter it's cold but still nice to hear the waves.
• Look into short excursions like ferry boat tours and ghost/ haunted walks.
• Pamper yourself by going to a spa or enjoying some other luxury.

Check the Weather

Check the weather expected at your planned destination and along the route you plan to take there and back. You can expect seasonal weather but you might want to see if you're heading into a humid or rainy day or a day where the winter is going to dump a few inches of snow. This is also good to know for the driving conditions, if you are driving rather than taking a bus, train or plane.

Pack for the Activities Planned

If you know what you will be doing, make a list of everything you will need. Do this ahead of time so you can add items to the list as you think of them. Trying to think of everything last minute can leave you with something important forgotten at home. You really don't want to be the one person who forgot to pack a swimsuit for the beach.

If you are going to be active (swimming, hiking, etc.) you might want to pack your own shampoo, even though you only plan to be away for the day. Chances are you will find some where to have a quick shower to freshen up before heading home again.

Think of the little things which you may not need but could really wish you had packed, if you had planned ahead. If you don't end up using everything, then just bring it home.

Light Travel Links

• Well Designed Travel: How to Pack Lightly | Apartment Therapy

• One Bag - The Art and Science of Travelling Light

• How to Prepare Your Day Pack | Festival Survival Guide

What to Pack

Don't use a huge suitcase or massive luggage for a day trip. You're just going to be stuck carrying around a huge bag when you could be carrying everything much more easily and with less weight to haul around. Your actual bag to be packed should be light weight, as with any luggage.

• Any tickets, documentation, government or insurance papers you need.
• Any medicines and toiletries (shampoo, hairbrush, toothbrush, etc.) you need. Pack these as if you were planning the trip for an overnight stay, just in case plans change. Stash a light nightgown and a change of underwear too.
• ID, money, wallet, credit or debit cards. Keep some cash handy too. One of the best things is stopping for farm fresh produce at the roadside stands.
• A good book, possibly pens and paper too to keep yourself amused should you end up waiting for someone or something. (I'm into bookpacking myself.)
• Your electronics of choice: camera, mobile phone, tablet, mini laptop, etc. Pack the chargers too if you haven't already charged the electronics at home.
• Maps! If you are driving look for maps showing the back roads. Get driving directions if you need them.
• Something to drink should you be in for a long drive. Stop for coffee if you want to but keep something with you in case you don't find a good coffee place.
• If you are going anywhere fancy pack an extra set of clothes to wear so you aren't wearing the same travel clothes.
• Consider items for first aid or wardrobe malfunctions.
• Consider a sturdy pair of boots if you are the type to stop for interesting detours along the way.
• Pack sunglasses for warm travel and warm socks for cold travel.

Of course, you won't need all of this for a day trip. Skip whatever you don't want to pack or carry around. If you can't fit more into your light backpack or travel bag then re-plan how much you are taking and leave some of it behind. The theme of the day is to keep it light. As long as you have the basic ingredients you can usually grab anything else you need along the way. Day trips, after all, are not that far from home.

Get away from the usual distractions, the every day stress and take a road trip with the one you love. Bring romance back into your relationship with some time alone, some snacks, a road map and a vehicle for two.

Share a few adventures. Make a plan but be prepared to stray from the plan. Try a road just because it caught your eye. Maybe the name of the street was unusual or reminded you of something. Or, it might be a road leading to a beach, an old mill, something for you to discover together. Don't worry about getting lost. That's just part of the adventure. Together, with the map, you can figure it all out. Besides, you can't really be too lost when you're together.

If you can spend some extra money rent a fancy car for the trip. Plan a great place to stay overnight too, a romantic bed and breakfast or a luxurious hotel.

Leave children at home for this trip. This is grown ups only. If you have children get a babysitter who can stay late, even over night if you can manage to splurge on a hotel or a bed and breakfast. There are all kinds of games, not all of them are for the road.

Get Lost Together

People seem to think there is something wrong with being lost. I know people who will never leave the main road because they fear getting lost. It's actually not so easy to get lost when you have a good map. Find a map of your area which shows the back roads. You might bring along a compass to give you the extra direction for north, south, east and west. Between the map, the compass and your own common sense you can find your way into a town or back to the busier roads. So don't let a simple thing like getting lost stop you from having an adventure off the every day route and roadways.

Do Things Together

Leave the mobile phones and other communication devices at home. But bring your camera. Read the settings so you can set the timer and snap photographs of yourselves, together. Or ask other people you come across to take the photos for you. Make sure you have several photos where one of you isn't hidden behind the camera.

Stop for a lunch or dinner (a breakfast if you are out there and on the road early) but don't go to a restaurant. Pick a grocery store, or a farmer's market or roadside stand and gather your goodies. If the weather is good have your own picnic outdoors. If the weather is snowy or wet and cold eat in the vehicle. (Most of us have gone through the drive through at some fast food place and eaten in the car when we are alone).

If you see something interesting like a roadside attraction, a local fair or festival take a break from the driving and explore together. Buy baked goods, fresh produce, arts and crafts or buy nothing at all. The only thing that matters is that you stick together and talk about the things you see.

Play Road Games

Don't laugh or think the old road games are too silly or just for children. Any little game to help pass the time will also give you something to talk about, something to laugh about too. What games did you play on family trips when you were a kid: I Spy, Licence Plate Bingo, memory games and finding the alphabet.

Bring along a good book and read to each other. Try romantic poetry if that suits your style.

Don't forget music. Pull off to the side of the road, turn up the car radio and dance together. See if you can work your way up to a cuddly slow dance.

If you can't dance then sing together. Put on the old familiar tunes and see who can remember most of the words and who has the most creative wrong words.

Share the back seat. Cuddle, make out or just curl up and have a nap together.

At the End of the Day

Use souvenirs, mementos, the photos you took to create a scrapbook from the trip. You don't need to be a scrapbooker, just make something out of all the photos which you can pull out later to remember the trip. Use the collection you create to tell the story of the trip. It will also work great when you're planning the next road trip romance.

Get away from the usual distractions, the every day stress and take a road trip with the one you love. Bring romance back into your relationship with some time alone, some snacks, a road map and a vehicle for two.

Share a few adventures. Make a plan but be prepared to stray from the plan. Try a road just because it caught your eye. Maybe the name of the street was unusual or reminded you of something. Or, it might be a road leading to a beach, an old mill, something for you to discover together. Don't worry about getting lost. That's just part of the adventure. Together, with the map, you can figure it all out. Besides, you can't really be too lost when you're together.

If you can spend some extra money rent a fancy car for the trip. Plan a great place to stay overnight too, a romantic bed and breakfast or a luxurious hotel.

Leave children at home for this trip. This is grown ups only. If you have children get a babysitter who can stay late, even over night if you can manage to splurge on a hotel or a bed and breakfast. There are all kinds of games, not all of them are for the road.

Get Lost Together

People seem to think there is something wrong with being lost. I know people who will never leave the main road because they fear getting lost. It's actually not so easy to get lost when you have a good map. Find a map of your area which shows the back roads. You might bring along a compass to give you the extra direction for north, south, east and west. Between the map, the compass and your own common sense you can find your way into a town or back to the busier roads. So don't let a simple thing like getting lost stop you from having an adventure off the every day route and roadways.

Do Things Together

Leave the mobile phones and other communication devices at home. But bring your camera. Read the settings so you can set the timer and snap photographs of yourselves, together. Or ask other people you come across to take the photos for you. Make sure you have several photos where one of you isn't hidden behind the camera.

Stop for a lunch or dinner (a breakfast if you are out there and on the road early) but don't go to a restaurant. Pick a grocery store, or a farmer's market or roadside stand and gather your goodies. If the weather is good have your own picnic outdoors. If the weather is snowy or wet and cold eat in the vehicle. (Most of us have gone through the drive through at some fast food place and eaten in the car when we are alone).

If you see something interesting like a roadside attraction, a local fair or festival take a break from the driving and explore together. Buy baked goods, fresh produce, arts and crafts or buy nothing at all. The only thing that matters is that you stick together and talk about the things you see.

Play Road Games

Don't laugh or think the old road games are too silly or just for children. Any little game to help pass the time will also give you something to talk about, something to laugh about too. What games did you play on family trips when you were a kid: I Spy, Licence Plate Bingo, memory games and finding the alphabet.

Bring along a good book and read to each other. Try romantic poetry if that suits your style.

Don't forget music. Pull off to the side of the road, turn up the car radio and dance together. See if you can work your way up to a cuddly slow dance.

If you can't dance then sing together. Put on the old familiar tunes and see who can remember most of the words and who has the most creative wrong words.

Share the back seat. Cuddle, make out or just curl up and have a nap together.

At the End of the Day

Use souvenirs, mementos, the photos you took to create a scrapbook from the trip. You don't need to be a scrapbooker, just make something out of all the photos which you can pull out later to remember the trip. Use the collection you create to tell the story of the trip. It will also work great when you're planning the next road trip romance.

Don't litter.

You can at least control the trash and waste you create yourself. In Ontario we used to have "Keep Ontario Beautiful" on vehicle license plates. I miss seeing it there. But, the slogan was all about appreciating what we have and keeping it clean and looked after.

Reuse plastic bags, they are great for repacking when you have dirty clothes and your walking shoes.

Walk.

You see more when you walk anyway. But, you also make a much smaller carbon footprint. For an adventure explore other ways of getting around that don't rely on fossil fuels. Other places have different situations and weather conditions, you could have a great day exploring on horseback, renting a bike, or even taking the local bus (at least you're not consuming extra fuel resources that way).

Eat In.

Shop at the local stores and pick up whatever fresh food you can find. Fresh food will have less packaging and create less garbage.

If that isn't practical you can still buy food from the grocery store and have a picnic outside or bring it back to your hotel and eat indoors. Give support to the local economy, save yourself some money and don't eat food that has been imported from "back home" when you aren't at home.

Power Off and Save Water.

Energy and water are world wide problems. Be energy and water conscious even when you aren't at home and won't see the bill at the end of the month.

Take Tour.

Being in a new place can be intimidating. Make sure you get out, take a tour recommended by your hotel, site outside somewhere and people watch, go for a walk. Make sure you see more than your hotel before you head home.

Pick up a map and find local attractions, historical places, art galleries. Some museums and galleries will have free admission days during the week.

Be Careful What You Buy.

Chances are any natural exotic product is going to be a problem when you cross the border going home. Exotic animals and plants are a big NO, even if they are no longer alive. Understand the rules before you start spending your money.