Beyond the Tourist Traps: Experience Iconic Destinations Without the Crowds

What do the Statue of Liberty, Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu, and the Eiffel Tower have in common? They've all become part of the global tourist trap circuit—places that promise unforgettable experiences but often deliver crowds, inflated prices, and a distinctly inauthentic atmosphere.

I've traveled to numerous destinations on those viral "must-see before you die" lists, and while these iconic landmarks certainly have their merits, the experience of visiting them doesn't always match our expectations. The good news? There are practical strategies to transform even the most clichéd tourist destinations into meaningful, authentic adventures.

Timing makes all the difference. Visiting Italy in November rather than July means fewer crowds, lower prices, and more available accommodations. Yes, you'll need an extra layer or two, but you'll gain a more intimate experience with the destination. Similarly, seeking out alternative experiences—like Iceland's lesser-known Glacier Lagoon instead of the crowded Blue Lagoon—provides comparable beauty without the overwhelming tourist presence.

For truly immersive experiences, consider staying with locals outside tourist districts. When visiting Machu Picchu, some travelers spend days living with families in rural areas outside Cusco, gaining invaluable cultural insights before seeing the famous ruins. Even in major cities like Paris, exploring lesser-known arrondissements beyond the central tourist areas reveals authentic slices of local life most visitors never experience.

The value of travel isn't about checking items off standardized bucket lists but creating meaningful connections with the places we visit. Whether you're an introvert seeking quiet experiences or simply tired of fighting crowds for the perfect photo, these strategies will help you discover the authentic heart of your destination. What's on your travel list? And more importantly—how will you experience it differently?

Join our Facebook community "Solo Travel for Women Over 50" to share your own strategies for authentic travel experiences and connect with fellow adventure seekers who understand the balance between seeing iconic landmarks and discovering hidden gems.

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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-travel-adventures-safe-travel-for-women-preparing-for-a-trip-overcoming-fear-travel-tips/id1650161410

Chapters

• 0:24 Tourist Trap Bucket Lists
• 2:50 What Makes a Tourist Trap
• 4:42 Traveling in Off-Season
• 6:27 Finding Lesser-Known Alternatives
• 8:10 Living Like a Local
• 10:50 Final Thoughts on Iconic Destinations

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Have you ever seen those lists where they ask you how many places have you traveled to, for example? Maybe the list is like these top 20 places to see before you die, or I bet you haven't visited more than five of these places. So I've seen those circulating and, being a world traveler, I do score a little higher than most people. For example, there's a US one that's specifically for US destinations or landmarks and I've been to almost all of them, missing a handful. But examples like Statue of Liberty, grand Canyon, walt Disney World, zion National Park, space Needle, hollywood Sign, las Vegas Strip, times Square, yellowstone, everglades, pikes Peak, chicago River, washington Monument, mount Rushmore, french Quarter, golden Gate Bridge, riverwalk, niagara Falls, mall of America, gateway Arch, umpire State Building, road to Hanna, fort Sumterter, the alamo wright brothers memorial, the white house, yosemite national park, liberty bell, central park, south beach, arlington cemetery, saint augustine, lake, tahoe and alcatraz that's an american version, um, and then the one that I'm not going to read. Them all but examples of like these world places. They they'd say oh, you need to go to these places before you die. And you know, you look at them and go. Oh my gosh, I haven't been to any of these, or maybe I've only been to one and I'm really missing out. A couple examples would be, you know, iconic places like the wall of China, machu Picchu, pyramids of Gaza, taj Mahal, blue Lagoon in Iceland, grand Canyon, again, eiffel Tower in Paris, stonehenge, times Square, dubai, big Ben, london and Chichen Itzu. In Mexico, it's the Mayan City and Galapagos Islands are some of the list. I don't know how many have you been to, but my question to you is what do all these places have in common? Well, today I will share with you how to avoid these tourist traps locations. Welcome to Solo Travel Adventures. I'm Cheryl Esch.

Speaker 1: 2:26

So how do you avoid these what I consider tourist trap, or these very popular destinations that tend to be overcrowded and even sometimes rather expensive because of that? Well, what is a tourist trap? Obviously it's going to be someplace that is got high volume of tourists, um, that you know attract a lot of people. It gets really crowded and locals or just business people in general, take advantage of that situation and so, um, they might scam you. Uh, they're definitely going to be peddling, you know, some souvenirs or some goods, uh, while you're in the area, to try to attract you and you and entice you in to buy things, uh, while you are there. But I guess one way to really um turn these attractions maybe, uh, into something more, you know, just distinguish itself and make it more.

Speaker 1: 3:31

Avoiding of the tourists, of the traps, is one thing you can do. I have a couple suggestions. One is definitely consider, when you travel so often, many of these places are very busy during the summer months, or what they call that country's high season, so you want to potentially avoid that time, for example uh, I forgot to mention the Colosseum in Rome, which I'm sure is on one of those lists. Right To see that. And Italy I like to use Italy as an example because it just seems to always be the hopping place, especially in the summer months, and because it's so popular. Things are a little more expensive in the summer, especially accommodations. They know they can get the price they're asking. So consider traveling on the off season I'm talking off off season, shoulder season. You're still going to run into some tourists. You're still going to run into a mediocre pricing. It's still not going to drop. For example, if you would go to Italy, say, in November, you're going to find your price is going to drop. You're going to have more available accommodations. You're not going to run into a whole lot of tourists. And I will also just say another example.

Speaker 1: 4:55

Petra is also on that list that I didn't quite finish. But for example, right now, although it really depends on sort of um, how you feel about traveling in this day and age right now, but uh, for example, petra is um almost empty right now because of what is going on in you know sort of over there in the Middle East with some controversy and you know local civil war kind of things going on. But anyways, I did see recently just some journalist was over there and at Petra and he said pretty dead I don't know if it's still that way now, but things like that how depending on how comfortable you feel about traveling during some of those times. So that would be one way to sort of avoid sort of all the tourist people around. Another way that we could avoid tourist traps is we can consider places that might be similar but less visited. For example, I'll use Blue Lagoon, since I'm actually going there I've given into the hype and going there but there's also a lesser lagoon, it's called Glacier Lagoon in Iceland, and then there's also a secret hot springs which I'm hoping to find, and once I find it, I will share where that is in Iceland.

Speaker 1: 6:29

So these are going to be two places that are going to be less crowded. There's not going to be the enticement to buy a package or buy things, upgrade, do anything like that while you are there. Do anything like that while you are there. Um, things like you know you could see a, say you want to go to a big city, maybe, um, berlin, for example, just a big city. You can find a similar city that has the same feel as, say, you know, berlin. It would just be a smaller town. So it may require you to go outside of that, that box. And you know, just try to look outside the box. Look maybe outside of that city for other smaller town experiences that still are going to provide you with a similar experience.

Speaker 1: 7:24

So the other thing you could do is to have a more authentic experience when you're at a certain place is to live among the locals or stay among the locals and truly get ingrained in that authentic culture and immerse yourself in that new city. And one way to do that is that. My example is when I did Machu Picchu, we did join a tour group, and when we were leaving Cusco and headed out to Machu Picchu to do the hike, and we were picking up two other people to join us, and what they had done was phenomenal. I hadn't even I mean, this is back in 2018. So I hadn't even heard of this until then is that those folks? They actually stayed with locals outside, in a very rural area outside of Cusco, and they stayed with them a few days to really see, uh, what living was like, and it gave them a really authentic experience. Um, they still got to experience, uh, machu Picchu, uh, through the hike, but something like that could certainly bring a different level of appreciation, uh, for whatever place you are going, um.

Speaker 1: 8:47

Next thing is you can seek out new neighborhoods that are maybe nearby. As I mentioned before, and even though you might be going, for example, going to see the Eiffel Tower in Paris, there are plenty of smaller little cities and side roads of Paris. Paris is just so many arrondissements that you could explore that are not as crowded as, say, sort of in that central area of the first, second, third and fourth arrondissement, they seem to be more densely populated, so you can certainly navigate outside of that. Now, I mean, I'm not saying avoid these places, but if that you know, you have this on your list you want to go. Maybe you're planning to go to Dubai and that's been on your list, then you know, go. But, um, you know, just expect that there will be lots of tourists.

Speaker 1: 9:46

If you're okay with crowds, or consider, as I mentioned before, go on an off season Now check the country you're okay with crowds? Or consider, as I mentioned before, go on an off season Now check the country you're going to because, um, their seasons may be different, their high season may be different than where you're coming from. Um, and also, you know, pay attention to the weather, of course. Uh, cause if you plan to go to maybe you know Italy, like I mentioned in November or December, it's going to be a little chillier, uh, than you know. If you plan to go to maybe you know Italy, like I mentioned, in November or December, it's going to be a little chillier than you know if you went in the summer, but then you wouldn't have to deal with the heat. So I don't know which one is better. You know the heat and crowns, or do I want to have to wear layers and still see Italy? But it'll be a little chillier weather, I don't know. Um, I'm on the fence cause I do.

Speaker 1: 10:33

I do love to get to a lot of these places and you know, kind of say, I've been there cause they are very iconic. But if that is something that does not entice you you could be, uh, an introvert or you don't like crowds then these places may not be your cup of tea and you will need to think outside the box and finding other places that might be reminiscent of of these iconic landmarks or places, but offer you the same feel. So, what is on your list? What have you done at that quick list that I just rumbled on, like, what have you done? That quick list that I just rambled on, like, what have you done? Have you hit any of those worldly places that I mentioned? Where do you stand on that? And then, if you're from the US, how many of those US locations have you been to? Just a question Doesn't mean you need to check them off, any kind of bucket list, but just a thought.

Speaker 1: 11:34

All right, sister travelers, get out there and have that adventure. And if you want to join my Facebook group just to see what others are doing, get some ideas, you're welcome to join. My Facebook name is Solo Travel for Women Over 50. So if you just Google that in Facebook, you will find it. It is a private group, so we can feel safe as women being on there together. All right, let's do this, get out there and have that adventure.