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Anthony Bourdain knows a thing or two about travel. The chef-turned Parts Unknown star spends 250 days a year traveling the globe, so when it comes to imparting sound travel advice, his information is invaluable.
In a recent interview with Money magazine, Bourdain revealed how he likes to travel – where he splurges and where he saves – and for those of us looking to schedule every minute of a trip and cram in as much sightseeing as possible, he says forget it!
“I want to wander in one city, one town,” Bourdain told Money. “The sort of frenzied compression of time needed to take the tour, to see the sights, keep you in a bubble that prevents you from having magic happen to you. Nothing unexpected, or wonderful is likely to happen if you have an itinerary in Paris filled with the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower.”
When it comes to picking his destination, Bourdain typically likes to choose less-traveled places, telling Money, “There are places around the world that are relatively under-visited, where you can have an amazing experience for relatively little money.”
The one thing Bourdain does splurge on? His hotel, which he always books first.
“I want to find a hotel in a neighborhood that has charm and character – the sort of place where I can walk to a café, sit down and feel the place,” Bourdain revealed.
Bourdain steers clears of resorts, instead opting to spend a good part of his travel budget on hotels with a unique look that are situated right in the heart of a bustling, local neighborhood. It allows the Parts Unknown host to get a real feel of the place he is visiting.
“If I have a good base of operations, it will be someplace I can wander from, someplace I can walk around in a neighborhood that I like,” Bourdain told Money.