Traveling or just touring?

A lot of us want to travel but not as a tourist. Huh? I think what we really don't want is to slog through a foreign spot going, "If it's Tuesday this must be Belgium." We want to experience the place first hand. We want to eat where the locals eat. Did it ever occur to you that the locals know how to avoid eating where the tourists eat?

In terms of travel adventure versus safety there's a continuum with a cruise ship on one end and hiking boots plus a backpack on the other. I don't like cruise ships much. They're like floating hotels. "If it's Tuesday, this must be . . . water." Yet few of us have the guts to strike out on our own through the forests of Transylvania or the sands of the Sahara. Here's the best thing to do: Find a tour (yes, even a bus tour) that takes you where you want to go and then adapt it to what you want. You're an adult. You aren't handcuffed to your guide. Almost all tours contain plenty of unscheduled time and, except for time en route, you don't have to do the scheduled things either, if you don't want to.

Most tours have a bunch of "optional excursions" for extra money. Is it really what you want to do? If not, go somewhere else. European tours can be ABC tours--Another Bloody Cathedral. In Turkey, I ODed on Roman/Greek amphitheatres, amazing as they are, and took off on my own for other things I'd rather see.

Of course, you need to use common sense. There are places you really shouldn't go alone, especially if you're a woman with limited martial arts skills. But you can tour without being just a tourist.

Cara Black's advice for those traveling in France who don't want to look like the Ugly American: "Don't wear baseball caps or tennis shoes." Also: Riverboat cruises are not like ocean cruises at all. They are a great way to see Egypt and parts of Europe. Aegean/Mediterranean cruises are also nice because your days are mostly spent exploring islands and you have the luxury of packing/unpacking only once.