When planning an international trip, or even a domestic holiday, how much time is enough to really experience that place? I absolutely hate asking people on my favorite online forums, because whether I am going to another country or city anywhere from 8 hours to 1 month, I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS get the response "That's not enough time!!!". Well guess what? Like many other people, I have a full time job, I have a personal training business, I have a mortgage to pay, and I don't have unlimited money or unlimited holiday leave.
Especially as an American we do not get anywhere near the amount of holiday/vacation leave as our European friends. So instead of asking yourself how much is enough time to see a country, ask yourself, how much is enough time for me to see this country? Here's a brief list of places I have done trips to using a layover vacation. The cost of the layover being built into the flight meant that it was little to no added cost to leave the airport and see some places that I had been to before or never had been to in my life, where other people may have said, "But that's not enough time!!!!!!"
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- New York City
- Amsterdam
- Miami
- London
- Stockholm
- Fiji
- Los Angeles
- Atlanta
- Las Vegas
Now that's using layover vacations. What about actually visiting somewhere? I was only in New Zealand for 4 days... If money was no object I would live there tomorrow. Was that enough time? No, I didn't see enough, but do I regret it? Hellz no!!!! I am so glad I got to be there for those 4 days, and can't wait to go back! I was only in Japan for 6 days, all I saw was Tokyo, while it was enough time to see Tokyo, it wasn't enough time to see Japan, no big deal, I'll go back. To me, a short trip, is better than no trip.
There are certain places on my list that I will wait till I have enough time to experience more, such as India, and South East Asia. But there are other places that if a good deal pops up such as Iceland or Egypt, I'm not going to think twice about doing it for a brief time, rather then never doing it at all! Be it a lay over vacation, or a short trip, it is better than no trip. Make every effort to travel, and see as much as you can. You never know what will happen in the future with life. If a brief time is all you have now, ideally later in life you can go back and see more if that brief time touched you. But if things happen in life that you can't go back, I have absolutely no doubt you will be glad you got to see some of what you saw in the little time that you made the most of. If you only have 1-14 days to see somewhere, yes, you may not get to experience every single aspect of that city or country, but it's better to get a glimpse of those sights, a brief taste of the foods, a conversation with a local, smell the air, walk the streets, and feel the culture for a few days, then to never see it all.
Choose the continent!!!!
OR...
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