I don't know if I'm going out for fun or torturing myself!

The article by Mr. Do Giang, 62 years old, was posted on Toutiao (Chinese social network). After being posted, her story received a lot of sympathy.

My name is Do Giang, I am 62 years old, I like to travel . However, because I was working before, I could only arrange to travel during holidays, usually the places are very crowded, the cost is expensive.

After retirement, my wife and I were able to enjoy life and travel to many places. We tried almost all forms of travel, but honestly, group trips and self-driving are not suitable for the elderly.

Tour travel

After retiring, my wife and I chose to go on a tour because it was both cost-effective and less stressful, especially suitable for those who are new to traveling and not familiar with everything.

My husband and I just need to pay and follow the tour guide. Because there are many people on the tour, usually from 15 to 50 people, we can take care of and support each other. You don't have to worry about booking hotels or travel routes. You can also talk to the members of the tour to get more useful knowledge.

We went to many places with tour groups such as Guilin, Hong Kong, Shanghai,... and experienced many beautiful scenes. But this way of traveling only lasted for 2 years and we were extremely tired. We realized that this method was not suitable for us and had many limitations such as:

1. The tight schedule, short stays at scenic spots, and too many unspectacular destinations make the tour boring.

2. Dissatisfied with group meals and accommodation,... because of not to taste and cramped space, not clean.

3. To save money, most tourists take the bus, so it is normal for tourists to have to go to the toilet on the road.

4. During the tour, tour guides often take tourists to shopping spots. If they do not buy anything, the tour guide may show an unhappy, annoyed attitude. The items for sale may also be of poor quality, not yet safety tested, causing harm to users.

When traveling on a tour, my husband and I also encountered a few members who were slow and not punctual. Sometimes the whole group had to wait for those people for half an hour, causing inconvenience and wasting time. Or traveling on a tour with too many people will lack private space. Sometimes I wanted to rest quietly on the bus, but another group wanted to chat and sing.

Self-organized group travel

Seeing that traveling in a tour has many disadvantages, I invited some friends to form a group to travel together. I think that this form will help us to be proactive in time, location and have more freedom and comfort.

Some experienced friends will be in charge of organizing the route and arranging food and accommodation. Those who are not experienced can just go with the group, this will save trouble.

The initial plan was quite good because the group of friends already knew each other and were comfortable going together. But the reality was not so favorable. For example, when my husband and I wanted to go to a place but the members of the group did not want to, it led to conflicts. We also did not like the taste of the food. I remember one time in Sichuan, they wanted to eat hot pot, my husband and I were afraid of spicy food so we refused, but later because we wanted to keep the happy atmosphere together, we still ate. My husband and I could only eat a few bites and later bought bread to eat.

In addition, group travel also requires consistency in terms of time, otherwise everything will be delayed. After the group trip, we were no longer as close as before and of course there was no next trip.

Self drive travel

Later, my wife and I decided to travel by car. After all, we had accumulated a lot of experience and skills in traveling. I thought this way would be comfortable and convenient, just me and my wife traveling together, without anyone bothering us.

But after experiencing it, I realized: Even though we were free to drive, finding directions, looking at maps, and arranging schedules were not easy. All of that made my husband and I tired, uninspired, and sometimes even frustrated.

Moreover, the cost of traveling by car is not small. This is really a big burden for our low pension. In the past, when traveling in a large group, you could negotiate with the hotel to get a discount when traveling in a large group. But for a 2-day trip, the hotel room is quite expensive.

Besides, my wife doesn't know how to drive, so I had to drive the whole way, so I was quite tired. My wife also couldn't rest because she had to talk to me, afraid that I would fall asleep while driving. After the trip, both my wife and I were exhausted and had no interest in traveling anymore.

Ung Ha Chi

Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/62-tuoi-vo-chong-toi-di-du-lich-khap-noi-cang-ngay-cang-run-so-khong-hieu-dang-di-choi-hay-di-hanh-xac-172240523154159207.htm