How to See More of Your Holiday Destinations

Do you ever return home from a holiday and feel like you never really got the chance to properly explore your destination? Perhaps you were staying in a resort where everything you needed was within easy reach, or you’d already planned a busy itinerary that didn’t leave much room for wandering around.

Seeing and experiencing all aspects of a location often means that you feel more connected to your holiday destination, especially when you discover what feels like a ‘hidden gem’ or follow local recommendations to spots that feel particularly authentic. But sometimes it can be hard to know how to maximize these opportunities, especially if you’re visiting somewhere for the first time.

In this article, we share some of the best suggestions to help you see more of your holiday destinations and enjoy a much more fulfilling travel experience. 

Embrace Public Transport

Our first suggestion for seeing as much of a destination as possible is to travel on public transport. The kind of experience available will depend on the infrastructure of where you’re visiting, but in many cases, things like buses, trains and trams can be a brilliant way to easily get around.

While this kind of travel isn’t typically the most direct, it allows you to see more of a destination because you’ll be stopping off along the way. Train and bus journeys can take you along incredibly scenic routes, and also often allow you to visit more suburban areas, which offer a glimpse into real, local life.

You’ll want to do your research on what the public transport system is like before your holiday and check what your options are, especially if you’re going to be navigating in a different language. Larger places and cities in particular are usually much better connected, but you’d also be surprised at the rural public transport options that can be ideal for all kinds of day trips.

Travel Via Waterways

Leading on from the idea of journeys being a part of the holiday experience, if you opt for a holiday on a boat, then you’ll get a unique perspective of your chosen destination by travelling on its waterways. Instead of simply landing at an airport and then travelling to a base location, your trip will consist of smoothly sailing along routes that have been carved into the landscape for decades.

One of the best options for a waterway holiday is a narrowboat trip, where you can enjoy the ultimate slow travel experience on your very own canal barge. This is a very popular way to enjoy the UK countryside, whether you explore Cambridgeshire with Ely narrowboat hire or cruise the Yorkshire Dales along the Leeds and Liverpool canal, but there are also great narrowboat holiday opportunities in France and the Netherlands as well.

You can also enjoy a river cruise, which is a great way to visit lots of different places as part of an organised holiday itinerary. These kinds of trips have a reputation for being geared towards older travellers, but that’s certainly not the case for a lot of tour packages, which have the added benefit of your accommodation, catering and activities all included in the price.

Book Guided Tours

Another suggestion for making sure that you see more of wherever you’re staying on holiday is to book a place on a guided tour. Whether this simply takes you around a city or town on foot or involves a day of trips to different places on a minibus, it’s a brilliant way to discover some of the most interesting parts of a location without having to do any of the research yourself.

We recommend looking for tours that are led by locals and have a particular angle that makes them more interesting and informative. This also means that you can tailor the tour experience to your interests, such as opting for a historic guided walk, a street food tour or a wildlife-themed excursion along the coast or into the mountains.

Get on Your Bike

If you’re itching to get out and out when you’re on holiday but don’t want someone else dictating the pace of your adventure and where you travel, a brilliant option is to hire a bike and set out onto the open road. It’s also a fantastic way to explore when you’re staying somewhere rural, as you’ll be able to nip around quiet roads very easily on two wheels.

Cycling around a destination allows you to explore it at a faster pace than walking but also ensures that you’re still fully immersed in your surroundings, which is ideal when you’re out in the countryside or cycling alongside some spectacular views. Hiring a bike is pretty easy in the majority of holiday destinations, and many providers will also be happy to share recommendations for where you can cycle to enjoy seeing more of the place you’re staying.

The good news is that cycling is an activity suitable for a wide range of different destinations, whether you’re just looking to visit the next town over or you’re more serious about traversing the terrain. France and Italy bike tours are great if you’re a more serious cyclist who’s ready to tackle climbs and switchbacks, the UK is home to a wide range of family-friendly cycle routes, and islands in Croatia or Greece are brilliant places to gently discover by bike.

Live Like a Digital Nomad

Our final suggestion for seeing more of the destinations you visit on holiday won’t be possible for everyone. But if you’re able to work remotely, then we really recommend hopping on one of the latest travel trends and extending your trip so that you’re working during the day but able to get out and explore as soon as you clock off.

Being a digital nomad means that you can do your job from anywhere, and usually, you tend to take this opportunity to travel as much as possible whilst still delivering what’s expected. If you’re self-employed, then this is a great approach, but many jobs offer remote opportunities for employees that mean you can spend a couple of extra days on holiday.

Working on your holiday, especially for an extended period, allows you to live more like a local, so you’re naturally going to start discovering more about wherever you’re staying once you’ve got settled. Once you’ve stepped out of the tourist headspace, there’s so much more to discover.

Unless your only intention on your holiday is to relax and do absolutely nothing, we really recommend making the effort to explore further than a 5-minute walk from wherever you’re visiting. Not only can it help you to learn more about your chosen destination, but it often presents opportunities to make some of your best travel memories.