Hi and welcome to another episode of the Traveling Fool . My name is Bob Bales , your host . You know people have been doing theme travel for years and in many cases they never call it that , but there's something to be said for it .
This week , we're going to talk about how to get more out of your trips by having a theme , and you might be doing it without even realizing it . Listen to the end for this week's travel tip and how to save money on some road trips , and don't forget to hit that subscribe button .
It seems every year or two there's the next big thing in how people travel , and I'm sure you've heard a few of them . It could be wellness travel , culinary travel or one of the many others .
Now , I don't know whether or not they're really hot trends or just some made-up list by somebody , but the fact is , by having a theme around your travels , you might find your trips a lot more enjoyable . So what am I talking about when I say theme travel ?
Well , I have a couple of themes , but if you've listened to previous podcasts or read articles on thetravelingfoolcom , you will know I love history and historic locations , and when I tell people this , they always say we have a great museum you'll love and sometimes I do but it's a lot more than just visiting museums .
There are almost always historic locations , no matter where in the world I've traveled to , and whenever I do travel to a destination , I always seek out those historic locations , and to me that means somewhere where something interesting happened or there's a story behind it , and I'll give you a couple of examples .
When I visited the Philippines , I visited a place called the Prison Without Walls on the island of Palawan , where I spoke to some of the inmates and I toured the prison grounds and the facilities . Now , why in the world would I visit a prison ?
Well , because it sits across the bay from the location of a World War II Japanese POW camp where Allied prisoners were murdered en masse , and the handful of prisoners that did manage to escape the slaughter swam across the bay and were rescued by the prisoners , where they were assisted in getting back to the Allied lines . So I love military history .
I love visiting out-of of the way places tourists don't go or just don't know about , and this place fulfilled both , and it doesn't have to be a big destination either . I live in Texas . There's a town called Victoria , texas , and it's a fairly small town a couple of hours southwest of Houston .
However , it is only a few miles from the towns of Goliad and Gonzales , both of which played important roles in Texas independence , and there are some old Spanish missions , battlegrounds and just lots of cool things to see and do there .
But Victoria Texas also has the oldest operating delicatessen in Texas , fosati's Deli , which opened in 1882 and is still owned and operated by the same family . Plus , the food there is fantastic . So of course I had to visit the oldest deli in Texas .
So my main theme is history , and over the years I've visited the Pueblo cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde , colorado , world War II tunnels in Germany , taken a walking tour of where Jack the Ripper committed his crimes in London . I've visited battlefields , historical forts , historic hotels and just a whole lot more . And I do have a couple of secondary themes .
Whenever I visit somewhere , I like to check out the breweries and distilleries , as well as locally owned cigar shops , because I do love a good cigar , and by doing so I've met some really amazing people , got to hear their stories and heard about their history , of where they came from and how they started .
Now some people want to visit US or state parks , some like culinary travel , some adventure travel or where they can play golf at a famous golf course .
So having a theme , that doesn't mean that that's the only thing you travel for , but it is something that you can incorporate into your trips and you might find it opens up a whole bunch of locations that you never even thought of , and you can make a travel theme out of just about anything . So what do you enjoy doing or what are your hobbies ?
Do you like wine , whiskey or beer ? Well then , before you travel to a destination , do a search of wineries , breweries and distilleries in the area and , while you're there , take a tour . Buy a couple of souvenir bottles to take home . Are you interested in the paranormal ?
Well then , do a search for haunted hotels and other places and plan to stay there or take a tour of the facilities . Are you an adrenaline junkie ? Well then , check out the destination you're visiting and see if it offers things like whitewater rafting or skydiving or cave diving , for example .
People love visiting Thailand and the beautiful beaches around Krabi , but they also have a climbing school there that caters to all levels , so you can enjoy the beaches and the nightlife , but do a little mountain climbing as well .
Now there is a trend that seems to be going around again , because it seems to pop up every year or two , where people are traveling to dangerous countries just for the thrill of it . For some reason , people want to travel to countries that are actively engaged in hostilities or where there's travel advisories telling you use extreme caution or do not travel here .
Now , having met a few of these people over the years , all I can tell you is that they are delusional To think you can travel to somewhere , and just because you put out positive vibes and tell them you're a citizen of the world , well , that doesn't mean that you have a real good chance of that being the last place you visit .
So don't just don't find you another theme , and there's no law saying that you can't have more than one theme . Heck , I do . I mean , after all , we're just talking about what your interests are or what your hobby is , and incorporating that into your travels .
So whether you're headed to a Caribbean beach , a European city or road tripping through your home state , chances are you'll be able to find places that fit your theme through your home state . Chances are you'll be able to find places that fit your theme , and there's nothing wrong with doing other things on your vacation , other than your theme or your trip .
But you can still find time to fit your interests in . I mean , after all these years , I can recall all the places I traveled to that fit my themes , even though the rest of the trip might have been fun , but nothing really that memorable .
But when I think back on some of the best trips I've had , I always remember the things that fit my theme as the highlight of those trips . So do you travel with a theme in mind ? If not , what are your hobbies and interests ? And start incorporating them into your travels and drop me an email and let me hear from you .
I would be very interested to hear what your theme is . Heck , I might find a new one myself . Okay , that's it . We try and keep them short and sweet . So for this week's travel tip , the last couple of podcasts , I told you how to save money when booking flights to anywhere in the world .
Now , this week I'm going to give you two apps that you can download to your phone that will save you money on road trips . Now , I love road trips why ? Well , because I can take my time . I can stop along the way to check things out and explore a little bit and find new things .
Now , when I'm home , I always know the best places to gas up and get the best price on gas , but where are the best prices on gas ? On the road ? Well , who knows ? Now that's where this little app comes in handy . It's called Gas Buddy G-A-S-B-U-D-D-Y , it's available as an app for either your iPhone or your Android , and it can really come in handy .
Gas Buddy is a search tool that allows you to find the cheapest prices on gas by providing real-time gas price information at 150,000 plus stations , and it also offers cash back rewards on purchases with their brand partners . Now , it's really simple to use and , with the prices of gas the way they are , you might as well get the best price possible .
I have the app . I use it a lot . They also have a free card that links to your bank account and that gives you a discount of up to 25 cents , and you can save up to five times more than just using the app .
Plus , they offer a credit card that gives you cash back on purchases , and if you want to pay $10 a month , you can go the premium route , which offers even larger discounts and roadside services . Now , I just used the free version .
But , trust me , download the app on Google Play or the Apple App Store , or whatever they call it on Apple , and you won't be disappointed , because it's a fantastic little tool to use anytime you're driving around . Now the next one . It kind of plays into the theme travel that we just talked about . It is called Get your Guide .
It's an app available both for iPhone and Android , and they have a website you can use as well . Get your Guide is a place where you can book tours and experiences . Now , in a lot of cases , these are cheaper than if you just went to the location and did it yourself . Plus , it's a great way to explore things to do at various locations around the world .
If you like fishing , well , then book a fishing charter . If you like paranormal activities , well , book a ghost tour . I looked on there at San Diego , california . They have numerous tours and experiences there , including the USS Midway , a two-hour kayak tour in La Jolla , a food tour , the San Diego Zoo and just a whole lot more .
You headed to Daytona Beach , florida . Well , you can book cruises , dive , bar crawls and dinner shows . Headed to Amsterdam , well , you can take a World War II walking tour , a pub crawl with unlimited shots , or you can even take a walking tour of the Red Light District with a former prostitute as your guide .
Hey , who am I to judge what your travel theme is ? But the point is you can find all kinds of unique things to do , and they're mostly in large cities and the surrounding areas , but they're worth taking a look at . Go to Get your Guide , check them out . Chances are you're going to find something interesting to do . Your guide , check them out .
Chances are you're going to find something interesting to do . So that's it for this week . Don't forget to hit the like button and , if you get a chance , head over to thetravelingfoolcom , read a few of the articles and sign up for the newsletter .
The newsletter gets you all kinds of information the latest news in travel , what's going on , travel contests , a little information . I only send them out a couple of times a month . Hope you enjoy it . Until next time , safe travels , thank you , you .