The route taken through a country has a tremendous impact on the final, overall impression of that country. Picking the wrong entry point or gateway city, may create poor first impression that remains for the entire time in that country. Pick the right starting point to begin a love affair that lasts for the duration and beyond.
When entering a country, you could start at an obvious entry point, a capital or major city, or take a different approach and arrive in a less-visited area first. I think if you visit the major cities first, that the initial impression of that city tends to become the lasting impression of that country. Those gateway, world-renowned cities and destinations don’t always meet expectations. Consider a U.S. travel experience with which you should have some familiarity. If you start a trip to America in New York City or Los Angeles it will skew your view of the rest of the U.S. Those cities have such a large “personality” that you will invariably view the rest of the U.S. through that initial prism. For better or worse you’ll be comparing each subsequent city to New York City or Los Angeles.
New York City doesn’t seem to “work”, especially compared to the rest of the world. It’s noisier, dirtier, and the infrastructure appears broken. Look no further than the city’s aged subway system. You’ll wonder how a city this wealthy could have such poor public infrastructure. Then you’ll visit the rest of the U.S., realize how difficult it is to move around without a car, and wonder how a country this wealthy has such poor public infrastructure. What’s wrong with the U.S. may be your focus instead of focusing on what the U.S. does well and what makes the country unique.
An alternative approach to starting a trip in the gateway city is to travel a country in reserve order. Instead of starting in New York City or Los Angeles, start a U.S. trip in Chicago or San Francisco or Seattle or Boston or Denver or Dallas or Houston or Atlanta. If you are heading to Japan from South Korea, take a ferry to Shimonoseki instead of flying into Tokyo or Osaka. Start Thailand in Chiang Mai. Start France in Marseilles. Start Europe in Sofia. If you are heading to China start in Guangzhou or another southern city instead of navigating the madness of Beijing or Shanghai. I met people in Shanghai who had arrived in China a few days earlier, had not yet left Shanghai, and already didn’t like China. All they saw were people spitting.
It’s not always the major cities that could create the initial and lasting impression. If a country has an attraction that pulls tourists instead of a capital, save that location for later. I feel confident stating that you will have a much better appreciation for Cambodia if you visit Phnom Penh first rather than fly straight into Siem Reap to visit Angkor Wat. Tourists flock to Siem Reap over Phnom Penh. Phnom Penh combines colonial era architecture with a modern rush of activity. It’s worth visiting Cambodia simply to walk the streets of Phnom Penh. Then head to the beaches. Crash for a couple days in Sihanoukville and Kep, eat some pepper crabs, and by the time you reach Siem Reap you are in love with Cambodia and could care less about all the tourists climbing over Angkor Wat.
You also need to determine whether you enjoy the major cities or the second-tier cities or the small villages. This can be a difficult determination, because not all major cities are the same. I love Los Angeles and Hong Kong for the beach side and nature escapes. I do not like New York City and Shanghai for their subway congestion. Other times I altered my travel route and approach. I was in China and India for two months each, and rather than use Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou and Mumbai, Delhi, and Calcutta, as bases, respectively, I moved every few days to the second-tier cities. I enjoyed visiting the Harbins and Tianjins and Qingdaos and the smaller citiees of India because I prefer the slightly slower pace and ability to explore without other tourists around. I live in Philadelphia, a second-tier city, and grew up in a small town—I am constantly drawn to similar types of locations when I travel. I’m always trying to find my hometown equivalent in a foreign country.
The U.S. has phenomenal second-tier cities. Austin. Baltimore. Pittsburgh. Portland. All are great cities. These cities are second-tier in population size only. When you visit New York City you’ll be running around trying a bunch of restaurants all over the city. Between meals you will be trying to visit every site. A Baltimore visit? It’s simple. Eat crabs. Drink beer. Repeat. Portland? Its top destination is a bookstore, Powell’s City of Books. Stop at Stumptown Coffee and Voodoo Doughnut in the morning then create a self-guided circuit to microbreweries in the afternoon. It’s a perfect weekend trip. In sticking to the smaller cities, you have more time to see the U.S. rather than racing around to see attractions in a large city. In smaller cities you can dine at the best restaurants and drink at the best bars—and you know what? Those restaurants are as good as the best restaurants in New York City at a fraction of the price and pretentiousness.
A word of caution on the second-tier city and small-town approach—it could be tricky at first. You will have misses. Some small towns aren’t worth visiting. It also takes time acclimating yourself to a foreign country. You wouldn’t want to visit Shenyang on your second day in China. After the second week? No problem.
Whatever your strategy, experiment early. You are traveling for a long time so find an approach that you like. Occasionally mix it up to check that your preferences remain intact.
New York City doesn’t seem to “work”, especially compared to the rest of the world. It’s noisier, dirtier, and the infrastructure appears broken. Look no further than the city’s aged subway system. You’ll wonder how a city this wealthy could have such poor public infrastructure. Then you’ll visit the rest of the U.S., realize how difficult it is to move around without a car, and wonder how a country this wealthy has such poor public infrastructure. What’s wrong with the U.S. may be your focus instead of focusing on what the U.S. does well and what makes the country unique.
An alternative approach to starting a trip in the gateway city is to travel a country in reserve order. Instead of starting in New York City or Los Angeles, start a U.S. trip in Chicago or San Francisco or Seattle or Boston or Denver or Dallas or Houston or Atlanta. If you are heading to Japan from South Korea, take a ferry to Shimonoseki instead of flying into Tokyo or Osaka. Start Thailand in Chiang Mai. Start France in Marseilles. Start Europe in Sofia. If you are heading to China start in Guangzhou or another southern city instead of navigating the madness of Beijing or Shanghai. I met people in Shanghai who had arrived in China a few days earlier, had not yet left Shanghai, and already didn’t like China. All they saw were people spitting.
It’s not always the major cities that could create the initial and lasting impression. If a country has an attraction that pulls tourists instead of a capital, save that location for later. I feel confident stating that you will have a much better appreciation for Cambodia if you visit Phnom Penh first rather than fly straight into Siem Reap to visit Angkor Wat. Tourists flock to Siem Reap over Phnom Penh. Phnom Penh combines colonial era architecture with a modern rush of activity. It’s worth visiting Cambodia simply to walk the streets of Phnom Penh. Then head to the beaches. Crash for a couple days in Sihanoukville and Kep, eat some pepper crabs, and by the time you reach Siem Reap you are in love with Cambodia and could care less about all the tourists climbing over Angkor Wat.
You also need to determine whether you enjoy the major cities or the second-tier cities or the small villages. This can be a difficult determination, because not all major cities are the same. I love Los Angeles and Hong Kong for the beach side and nature escapes. I do not like New York City and Shanghai for their subway congestion. Other times I altered my travel route and approach. I was in China and India for two months each, and rather than use Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou and Mumbai, Delhi, and Calcutta, as bases, respectively, I moved every few days to the second-tier cities. I enjoyed visiting the Harbins and Tianjins and Qingdaos and the smaller citiees of India because I prefer the slightly slower pace and ability to explore without other tourists around. I live in Philadelphia, a second-tier city, and grew up in a small town—I am constantly drawn to similar types of locations when I travel. I’m always trying to find my hometown equivalent in a foreign country.
The U.S. has phenomenal second-tier cities. Austin. Baltimore. Pittsburgh. Portland. All are great cities. These cities are second-tier in population size only. When you visit New York City you’ll be running around trying a bunch of restaurants all over the city. Between meals you will be trying to visit every site. A Baltimore visit? It’s simple. Eat crabs. Drink beer. Repeat. Portland? Its top destination is a bookstore, Powell’s City of Books. Stop at Stumptown Coffee and Voodoo Doughnut in the morning then create a self-guided circuit to microbreweries in the afternoon. It’s a perfect weekend trip. In sticking to the smaller cities, you have more time to see the U.S. rather than racing around to see attractions in a large city. In smaller cities you can dine at the best restaurants and drink at the best bars—and you know what? Those restaurants are as good as the best restaurants in New York City at a fraction of the price and pretentiousness.
A word of caution on the second-tier city and small-town approach—it could be tricky at first. You will have misses. Some small towns aren’t worth visiting. It also takes time acclimating yourself to a foreign country. You wouldn’t want to visit Shenyang on your second day in China. After the second week? No problem.
Whatever your strategy, experiment early. You are traveling for a long time so find an approach that you like. Occasionally mix it up to check that your preferences remain intact.