Vacation itineraries are task lists of tourist sites you already know about — no matter how many you check off, they leave you frazzled and empty. Throw your itinerary away. Explore something unexpected. Try thematic routes, instead, guaranteed to get you off the beaten track and feeling renewed and refreshed.
Itineraries are work in disguise
I enjoy travel writing about Chicago, my hometown. I recently read a hack piece that crisscrossed the city in a frantic bid to get it all in. From the museum campus to the zoo, brunch in the west loop to shopping up north: it was a monstrous task list of “been there, done that” that no local would ever consider. Not fun.
Routes are paths to discovery
Routes are mapped locations of places bound by a theme. When you stumble into a route, there’s no expectation that you’d visit them all. There’s no sequence, no right or wrong. Routes are the best way to discover something new along the way. They point to neighborhoods off the tourist hits, where half the fun is stumbling across a hidden park, a local shop, a neighborhood cafe. I’ve seen routes of art installations, architecture, the birthplaces of famous authors, bridges. In San Francisco, there are routes to discover hidden stairways. Turin, Italy, has a route of Christmas light installations. Brussels has a comic book route that highlights murals of beloved comic characters.
How to find or build a route
In Europe, I’ve often seen routes posted, with permanent signs, maps, and details: find one, and it’s the gateway for all the others. Tourism organizations have begun offering booklets for visitors interested in history, beer, or public sculpture; pre-trip research might uncover these. If you can’t find an ‘official’ route, make your own. Link your favorite things — parks, taco stands, gardens — and favorite them in your digital map. GPS can help guide you from point to point. Alternatively, make a route to find something slightly impossible: a natural wooden brush, for example. Unless you’re in southern Germany, such a mini-quest can lead you to far-flung shops, pharmacies, and hardware stores.
So try a route: you’ll get off the beaten track and make stories worth retelling.
