I really pride myself on being an independent traveler. Some call in indie travel, some vagabonding. This simply means that you do all the legwork yourself. You don’t use travel agents or take tours. You often don’t go to mainstream destinations. There is also a budget component, you usually stay in hostels, couchsurf or stay in cheap hotels. Buses, trains and hitchhiking are the norm for the vagabonder. On the menu is street food and cooking at the hostel. I’ve even taken food from other tables when they left the restaurant, I call it tablesurfing.

Tallinn, Estonia

Something I’ve heard on this trip is comparing types of travelers. My favorite is, “I’m not a tourist, I’m a traveler.” As if there is really a difference. There is even infighting among groups, “I’m a real backpacker because I only hitchhike.” Or, “I’m a real traveler because I eat <insert exotic food>.” I’m sure the first class type of traveler looks at us all as dirty hippies.

I try not to judge, if you have the means for the Marriott and five-star restaurants that is awesome. If you are the headphone wearing, double-decker hop on, hop off bus tour kinda person, great. Even if I had lots of money, I would still travel in much the same way. I love vagabonding.

Helsinki, Finland

So you can imagine my internal struggle when my Mom said she was going to come visit me in Europe and the idea of a cruise came up. I hate tours and being herded like cattle. I hate such a set schedule when on the road. I hate the ridiculous prices. However, Mom was helping with the finances, I do love the sea, it would be nice to have a real bed, and the food is unlimited and so good. Okay, I can set my indie travel manifesto aside for a minute.

Copenhagen, Denmark

The cruise turned out to be amazing! It started and ended in Copenhagen, Denmark and had stops in Rostock, Germany, Tallinn, Estonia, St. Petersburg, Russia, Helsinki, Finland, and Stockholm, Sweden.

St. Petersburg, Russia

We took tours in St. Petersburg and Helsinki and I tried to enjoy it, I did like certain parts. The food and room didn’t disappoint, I think I gained close to 10 pounds.

After the trip we stopped by London and Copenhagen and I could show my Mom my “travel skills.” I could be the guide in London as I’ve been so many times.

It was a really great trip. (Although the customer service of NCL was awful.) I’d do it all over again. If that makes me less of a “real” traveler, so be it.

Copenhagen, Denmark

I’ve been to Amsterdam twice now, but I really visited two different cities. How is that possible? I first visited Amsterdam in my 20s and then again in my 30s. Let me explain:

Amsterdam in my 20s

The Netherlands was the first non-English speaking country I visited. (I’m not counting all inclusive Mexican resorts full of English speakers). I was sweating bullets when the plane landed from London. I was meeting a former college roommate who is German, and doesn’t speak Dutch, but somehow I thought that would help. After taking the wrong train from the airport to somewhere in the countryside I eventually met him in the city. Turns out I was worried about nothing, as is often the case in travel, everyone speaks quality English in Amsterdam.

The other language they speak in Amsterdam is party. That is not a commentary on the locals as most I’ve met in my travels are quite reserved. But for the tourist, it is a one stop shop for all the party supplies you want…and some you don’t. My friend and I had a list of all the attractions that we wanted to see. Then we fell into an Amsterdam wormhole and the next thing we knew three days had passed. We left the city with doing absolutely nothing save a cattle drive of a canal cruise that neither of us enjoyed.

Of course we did things, we walked all over the city, tried lots of different foods (I distinctly remember an Iraqi restaurant that I really liked) and met other cool travelers from the world over. We accomplish nothing on our list of “must sees” but still had a good time.

Amsterdam in my 30s

On this trip I stayed with a friend and former Hawaii Pacific University Women’s Basketball player who was getting her master’s degree in Amsterdam. Staying with a resident gave it more of a local flavor although most of her roommates and friends were from somewhere else.

Yes, we partied too but I attacked this second crack at Amsterdam with fervor. I really enjoyed the Van Gogh Museum, which, you guessed it, tells the story of Vincent van Gogh. This is my favorite art museum to date because it is all about one person and you can follow his story all the way through. For a art newb like me the great museums of the world (that I have been to) like the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) in New York City, The Louvre and Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Museu de Arte de São Paulo in Brazil and the like are all great but much too big for me to follow for long.

I went to the Heineken Experience which is less typical brewery tour (beer is no longer brewed on site) and more museum of one of the world’s more recognizable beer brands. Heineken is not my beer of choice but as a armchair beer expert I really enjoyed the overall visit.

Speaking of Art I also visited the Rijksmuseum which is the Dutch art and history museum that gave me a better understanding of the place in bygone years. Encouraged by the Van Gogh Museum experience I also toured the Rembrandt House Museum which was a museum dedicated to Rembrandt van Rijn that is set in his old house where he lived for 20 years.

As luck would have it I was in town for Koningsdag or King’s Day. It is a national holiday that celebrates the birth of of King Willem-Alexander. In practice it means everyone takes to the streets wearing bright orange (the national color). My friend and her social circle organized a private canal cruise and we saw the city in full celebration from the water and had a ton of fun.

Yes, you can do things in Amsterdam that will earn you a death sentence in other parts of the world but it is really so much more. I had a great time on both my visits but if I had to pick, I’d redo the trip in the 30s.

In my 20s I was just starting to discover Europe, I knew virtually nothing. I asked people about various destinations, whenever the conversation shifted to Paris a similar refrain was recited. “The problem with Paris is they don’t like Americans there. The people don’t know English and even if they do they won’t speak to you if you don’t speak French with them first.” Even a guy who was born and raised in Paris flat out told me, “Don’t come here unless you can speak French.”

All these people certainly couldn’t be wrong so on my first three trips to Europe I stayed away. If they didn’t want me there, then I didn’t want to be there!  I surrounded France with multiple trips to England, Germany and Italy and single visits to Belgium and Spain.

During this around-the-world trip I decided that even if it was an awful experience I at least wanted to see some of the world class attractions that Paris has to offer. As I have found too many times during my wanderings, the perception of the place didn’t match what I found once my feet were on the ground.

It really would have been difficult for the people to greet me any more warmly. Almost immediately I met a girl on the train who sorted me out and took me to an art museum (Musée d’Orsay). I was hosted by a Couchsurfer who opened her home and, more importantly, her life to me. We spent the evenings with wine, cheese and her photo albums. A friend of a friend took me to the Eiffel Tower and explored more of the city. A guy who I hosted in Hawaii took me to the restaurant he owns and I tried my first vegan burger. It was actually good. Who knew? If you visit Paris make sure you visit: Hank Vegan Burger

Yes, not every person I met on the street or shop owner knew English but even they greeted me with the international language: a smile. The cold and impersonal Paris was not what I found. It has inspired to me visit more of France in the future and speak positively when people ask me about it.

More often than not, places are not what you think they are going to be. I think that is what always keeps me going to the next place, you never know what awaits you. The real problem with Paris was I didn’t visit years ago.