Touring Done Right-10 Tips from An Avid Traveler (Guest Blogger)

I've invited my first guest blogger to my site, Jennifer, of My Fabulous Code. She and I both love to travel and we were recently talking tours. Are they worth it? I asked her to share her wisdom on the subject.

To Tour or Not to Tour

I’m Jennifer Jane a fellow blogger at My Fabulous CODE (http://myfabulouscode.com) and I’m also an avid traveler.  I wanted to lend my perspective on Kandice’s latest topic:  should you take a tour? Well first let’s define tour since there are so many different types of tours designed to serve a myriad of purposes. I will discuss the types of tours that are familiar to me.

Travel Group Tours

There are travel group tours where you book your entire trip around an agenda put together by the tour organizer. These travel groups are generally made up of several people who may or may not know each other. I think these are great if you’re traveling solo or internationally to a destination you’ve never visited, or have visited but still not totally familiar. On the flip side they can be limiting and not customized to the degree that it will suit everyone’s needs and desires. For this reason, travel groups don’t always suit me. I know I can be particular about where I sleep, where I eat, what I eat, where I go, what activities I participate in and what experiences I hope to gain. In addition, I may not want to be tethered to the same group of people for the duration of my vacation. I think getting out and meeting the locals is necessary for a fulfilling vacation (especially when traveling internationally). Funny enough, I consider myself a go-with-the-flow kind of girl, but I have to approve of the flow.

Activity Based Tours

Activity based excursions can include restaurant, shopping, clubbing, wine tasting and more! Now these I like! Because they are restricted to a window of time, you are only committing a portion of your day to the tour. In addition, it’s usually a native to the land who organizes the tour so you learn about the little hidden neighborhood gems you may have otherwise overlooked.  I really like these because they are specific to the experiences I want to have. For example, I probably would not select a tour aimed at fishing or hunting, but I would totally take a wine tasting tour. 

While on a recent vacation in Madrid, Spain, I participated in a fantastic tapas tour. For $65 each, my boyfriend and I along with four other tourists met up with our local tour guide, Ishmael, who prearranged for us a sampling of popular tapas dishes at five different restaurants in Madrid’s town square. It was one of our favorite experiences in Madrid.  Oh, I forgot to mention the tour also included wine at every stop!

SightSeeing Tours

This is a great way to learn the city you’re visiting. Neighborhood tours, architecture tours, museum and park tours are just a few that give you a real inside look into the history and evolution of a city. I prefer walking tours over bus tours because I like to get close and personal with my surroundings, after all that’s what I came for. I still take advantage of the bus tours because it covers a greater distance and so I get to see more of the city.     

Here are my rules for tours when I’m on vacation:

1.       I schedule tours the first couple days of my vacation so I can get a lay of the land and decide which places and activities I want to incorporate into my itinerary.

2.       I schedule tours early in the day so I can see everything in the day light. The exceptions to this rule would include dinner or clubbing tours.

3.       I confirm tour details the day before.

4.       I print off any tour or confirmation documentation.

5.       I always talk to the tour organizer to get recommendations on where to hang out, shop, eat, party, etc.

6.       I don’t select tours that take up more than half of my day.

7.       I have a backup plan in case I need to abort a tour gone awry.

8.       I always carry my own map for jotting down places I want to return to later.

9.       I tip the tour guide especially if they have given me a great experience and some recommendations to check out.

10.   Always leave with a great story to tell.

Chicago's State Street: Downtown's Sexy Main Street

State Street from above the L Stop

I remember going downtown during high school and feel scared and shaky walking down dark, garbage lined streets. In the 80's and 90's, downtown Chicago was downright depressing. It looked like the street Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall moved to in the movie "Coming To America".  Well....(Insert banal quote) "we've come a seriously long way, baby". State Street is no longer the ugly stepsister of Michigan Ave. You can find great shopping, decent food, and fun sight seeing walking down State St. in the heart of the Loop.

Getting To State Street.

The Red Line, Green Line, Brown, and Orange Line "L" trains all make stops on State Street. The State & Lake stop is by far the best stop to exit the train and begin an excursion down State St. into the Loop.

Shopping: For many years there wasn't any great stores on State Street. besides Marshall Fields and Carson's. In the late 90's and throughout many well recognized retailers have made their way to State Street. The great thing is that they have taken up residence within wonderfully historic building such as the few I've listed below.

The Controversial Macy's. The Marshall Field sign remains.

Target:  The retail giant moved into the gorgeous building that used to be home to Carson Pirie Scott on State Street. With great food offerings and a large selection of apparel handpicked for Loop dwellers, this Target has a great urban sophisticated vibe that makes it way cooler than the others.

Target- I love this building's design

I still love the old Marshall Field's Clock

Macy's vs. Marshall Field's: Many Chicagoan's still haven't gotten over Macy's purchasing our beloved Marshall Field's. Remember the petition? I, for one, signed it. But, the good thing is that the building's exterior and interior is still beautiful and ornate. Funny enough, there is actually still a group fighting to bring Marshall Field's back! I think we've lost guys....

Block Thirty Seven-Shops on State: You know how Michigan Ave has the Water Tower? Well, here's State Street's equivalent and it's pretty good. Block Thirty Seven has a list of impressive stores like Eileen Fisher, Akira, Anthropologie, Zara, and Sephora to name a few. Not bad, right? Plus, you can head to Magnolia Bakery for a cupcake while shopping.

Style aficionados won't be disappointed in here

Movies & Theatre

Gene Siskel Film Center: Film lovers may want to go and pay homage to a legendary film critic, Gene Siskel, by catching an international or independent film at the Gene Siskel Film Center. 

Broadway in Chicago-Book of Mormon, Wicked, and more all come for long runs at the Bank of America and Oriental Theaters.

Dining

Here's where I often find myself a little conflicted and in need of some help. I don't tend to find great dining in the heart of the Loop and definitely not on State Street.  You can certainly find great chain options like Potbelly's Chick-Fil-A, and Jamba Juice on this stretch of block. Or, you can head up to the Walnut Room on the top floor of Macy's for standard fare. So, I say head further north on State Street. or to Michigan Avenue.

Travel Interrupted: What To Do?

I'm a bit heartbroken. I had hoped to take another exciting trip abroad, but real life squelched my plans. Traveling is so fun and reinvigorating for me that I truly considered ignoring my responsibilities in favor of my heart's desire: to go back to Europe for an extended visit. It took me a couple of weeks and some quiet reflection to accept that it wouldn't be best for my long-term goals. Oh, what are the goals?  To travel more in the future. Yep, it always come back to my travels.

To satisfy my wander lust this year I've decided to explore the many neighborhoods and events in Chicago. As a native of the Windy City, I tend to take its' virtues for granted and constantly dream of Some Place Else when I'm looking for excitement. It's kind of weird that I do that because this city is home to Lollapalooza, the Ravinia Festival, and to many Olympian level chefs and culinary delights (Hello, "Girl and The Goat"). What can I say? I'm not known for being the sharpest knife in the drawer. As an apology to the city I will begin my jaunts in the spring (I need to let the mean winter hawk retreat) to see what the word is on the streets and to tell you where to beat a path to when you're here.

Can't afford a dream trip this year either, or don't have the vacation time to leave for an extended period? Well, join me in exploring your own city starting in the Spring. Once I get started, I'll starting asking people to holler back about what they uncovered in their own hometown and we can build own own travel book (oh gosh, we could be rich)! 

I'm excited to challenge myself to get out around the city. If you live in Chicago and have a great recommendation for me, then post it in the comments section or shoot me an email at passionatekidd@gmail.com. I'll check it out.