__________ is/are underrated.

[JayhawkCO]

Booking a trip, even if you might have to cancel it later.

[Rothman]

Booking a trip, even if you might have to cancel it later.

How is that underrated?

[JayhawkCO]

Booking a trip, even if you might have to cancel it later.

How is that underrated?

Some people get stressed out by booking things or just find it transactional. I get a little dopamine rush. Just booked a trip to Scotland, Greece, and Albania for next summer.

[Rothman]

Booking a trip, even if you might have to cancel it later.

How is that underrated?

Some people get stressed out by booking things or just find it transactional. I get a little dopamine rush. Just booked a trip to Scotland, Greece, and Albania for next summer.

Huh.  I'd think most people would get excited, despite the stress.

[kkt]

Very exciting, and an interesting combination!

[jeffandnicole]

Booking a trip, even if you might have to cancel it later.

How is that underrated?

Some people get stressed out by booking things or just find it transactional. I get a little dopamine rush. Just booked a trip to Scotland, Greece, and Albania for next summer.

Huh.  I'd think most people would get excited, despite the stress.

I can see it being stressful if you are travelling internationally and never travelled internationally before - making sure you have a valid passport, a passport that doesn't expire within 6 months, do you need a visa, a language barrier, figuring out how to get around, etc.

The first time I went to Punta Cana I didn't know what to expect.  We made 2 other trips in fairly quick succession because it was enjoyable to do so once we were used to it.

[JayhawkCO]

Booking a trip, even if you might have to cancel it later.

How is that underrated?

Some people get stressed out by booking things or just find it transactional. I get a little dopamine rush. Just booked a trip to Scotland, Greece, and Albania for next summer.

Huh.  I'd think most people would get excited, despite the stress.

I can see it being stressful if you are travelling internationally and never travelled internationally before - making sure you have a valid passport, a passport that doesn't expire within 6 months, do you need a visa, a language barrier, figuring out how to get around, etc.

The first time I went to Punta Cana I didn't know what to expect.  We made 2 other trips in fairly quick succession because it was enjoyable to do so once we were used to it.

I guess a similar situation to me with regards to traveling alone. I think I had been to 10 countries or so before I decided I really wanted to travel and then I went to Istanbul and Hong Kong by myself within a month and then I knew I had to make international travel more a focus of my life.

[Takumi]

Booking a trip, even if you might have to cancel it later.

How is that underrated?

Some people get stressed out by booking things or just find it transactional. I get a little dopamine rush. Just booked a trip to Scotland, Greece, and Albania for next summer.

Huh.  I'd think most people would get excited, despite the stress.

I can see it being stressful if you are travelling internationally and never travelled internationally before - making sure you have a valid passport, a passport that doesn't expire within 6 months, do you need a visa, a language barrier, figuring out how to get around, etc.

The first time I went to Punta Cana I didn't know what to expect.  We made 2 other trips in fairly quick succession because it was enjoyable to do so once we were used to it.

I'm currently on my first international trip. Planning everything was nerve wracking, but it all went smoothly ahead of time.

[ibthebigd]

San Diego as a tourist destination

SM-G996U

[Max Rockatansky]

San Diego as a tourist destination

SM-G996U

Was anyone rating San Diego at the top of their list for  California cities to visit?  I would place it above Los Angeles given it is way easier to get around the San Diego area and arguably has more attractive options for things to do.  Balboa Park and Point Loma certainly would be highlights for me.  Probably helps in my case that I occasionally travel to North Island for work and stay right next door to the Hotel Del Coronado.

Los Angeles on the other hand is highly overrated to visit.  The tourist areas generally are dirty, beat up and largely difficult to access.  Los Angeles does have good hiking trails but usually you have to fight a mob of locals to get a good parking spot.

[bulldog1979]

San Diego as a tourist destination

SM-G996U

Was anyone rating San Diego at the top of their list for  California cities to visit?  I would place it above Los Angeles given it is way easier to get around the San Diego area and arguably has more attractive options for things to do.  Balboa Park and Point Loma certainly would be highlights for me.  Probably helps in my case that I occasionally travel to North Island for work and stay right next door to the Hotel Del Coronado.

Los Angeles on the other hand is highly overrated to visit.  The tourist areas generally are dirty, beat up and largely difficult to access.  Los Angeles does have good hiking trails but usually you have to fight a mob of locals to get a good parking spot.

I've traveled to California four times now on vacation. The first time as a kid, my parents and I flew into Santa Barbara stayed with family in Lompoc, exploring that area before doing a weekend trip to Anaheim for Disneyland. The second time as a kid, we flew into San Francisco and spent time in the Bay Area before heading south to Lompoc another weekend in Anaheim and a day at Universal. After we finished our time in SoCal, we ventured back to San Francisco for a last full day before flying out.

The third trip, this time as an adult, I flew into San Diego for a conference and made a brief side trip into Tijuana one morning. The final trip was last year when I took the California Zephyr into the state and visited the Bay Area for a few days with a side trip to see my family, now in Los Banos.

As for rating further return trips, the Bay Area for me comes first, especially with a side trip to see the family, but San Diego is high on my list to revisit. For me, the only compelling reason to visit LA again would be Disney and secondarily Universal Studios.

[webny99]

I think there's plenty of people out there who would rate San Diego above LA. From what I understand, it has similar vibes, just on a smaller scale, with less traffic and slightly warmer weather. That sounds pretty good to me, especially if you've already been to LA.

[Max Rockatansky]

I think there's plenty of people out there who would rate San Diego above LA. From what I understand, it has similar vibes, just on a smaller scale, with less traffic and slightly warmer weather. That sounds pretty good to me, especially if you've already been to LA.

I've always found San Diego to have a much different character to Los Angeles.  Much of San Diego is more mountainous and has newer areas of growth than Los Angeles.  Probably the most striking difference for me is the large military presence that is still in San Diego.  Los Angeles was probably a much closer analog in the past when Terminal Island had a bigger Navy presence.  Really if you need to go visit a big city in California, I would tell you to see San Francisco first and probably San Diego well before Los Angeles.  Either way, IMO visiting big cities in California is kind of missing the point about the best things the state has to offer.

[webny99]

I think there's plenty of people out there who would rate San Diego above LA. From what I understand, it has similar vibes, just on a smaller scale, with less traffic and slightly warmer weather. That sounds pretty good to me, especially if you've already been to LA.

I've always found San Diego to have a much different character to Los Angeles.  Much of San Diego is more mountainous and has newer areas of growth than Los Angeles.  ...

That's fair. However, to an outsider like me, "mountainous with newer areas of growth" sounds a lot like LA, too. So I guess it's all relative.

[Max Rockatansky]

I think there's plenty of people out there who would rate San Diego above LA. From what I understand, it has similar vibes, just on a smaller scale, with less traffic and slightly warmer weather. That sounds pretty good to me, especially if you've already been to LA.

I've always found San Diego to have a much different character to Los Angeles.  Much of San Diego is more mountainous and has newer areas of growth than Los Angeles.  ...

That's fair. However, to an outsider like me, "mountainous with newer areas of growth" sounds a lot like LA, too. So I guess it's all relative.

Hence why I added that visiting large California cities is kind of missing the best stuff the state has to offer anyway.  Either way, much of Los Angeles is older than you probably are assuming. 

[webny99]

I think there's plenty of people out there who would rate San Diego above LA. From what I understand, it has similar vibes, just on a smaller scale, with less traffic and slightly warmer weather. That sounds pretty good to me, especially if you've already been to LA.

I've always found San Diego to have a much different character to Los Angeles.  Much of San Diego is more mountainous and has newer areas of growth than Los Angeles.  ...

That's fair. However, to an outsider like me, "mountainous with newer areas of growth" sounds a lot like LA, too. So I guess it's all relative.

Hence why I added that visiting large California cities is kind of missing the best stuff the state has to offer anyway.  Either way, much of Los Angeles is older than you probably are assuming.

I'm thinking "new" relative to what I'm used to in New England, the Rust Belt, etc. No doubt it is probably older by California standards.

[kirbykart]

Indianapolis is underrated.

[zachary_amaryllis]

Shroom Ridge from Mario Kart DS.

as a (now on leave of absence) pizza driver, I approve. I think pizza driving would be soooo much more fun if I could throw turtles at the idiot(s) in front of me.

[kphoger]

making sure you have ... a passport that doesn't expire within 6 months

Do airlines require that?  Not all countries have that requirement.

I once crossed by land into Mexico with a young lady who had 8 days left on her passport.  We requested 7-day tourist cards, and the INM agent didn't even bat an eye.

[Max Rockatansky]

making sure you have ... a passport that doesn't expire within 6 months

Do airlines require that?  Not all countries have that requirement.

I once crossed by land into Mexico with a young lady who had 8 days left on her passport.  We requested 7-day tourist cards, and the INM agent didn't even bat an eye.

The issue I've run into is that some airlines (not sure if all) will not let you check in online if you are less than six months from passport expiration. 

[1995hoo]

Frosted Flakes without milk are underrated.

[wanderer2575]

making sure you have ... a passport that doesn't expire within 6 months

Do airlines require that?  Not all countries have that requirement.

I once crossed by land into Mexico with a young lady who had 8 days left on her passport.  We requested 7-day tourist cards, and the INM agent didn't even bat an eye.

The cruise line I frequent (Royal Caribbean) requires that.  Probably other cruise lines as well.

[Bruce]

National forests are underrated.

While not as well developed or advertised as national parks, they are usually less crowded and don't have an entry fee (usually just a flat rate for parking). A little research is required to find really good trails, but the payoff is pretty good and you can be in-and-out in a fraction of the time.

[CtrlAltDel]

National forests are underrated.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Don't tell anyone!

[Rothman]

National forests are underrated.

While not as well developed or advertised as national parks, they are usually less crowded and don't have an entry fee (usually just a flat rate for parking). A little research is required to find really good trails, but the payoff is pretty good and you can be in-and-out in a fraction of the time.

They're agricultural sites.