1 . For most people traveling abroad, their first choice is probably to make a beeline for (直奔) tourist sights. For me, I find lots of joy in grocery (食品杂货店) shopping on holiday.

As a vegetarian (素食主义者), finding restaurants that meet my needs is not always easy abroad.     1     The first thing I do, after dropping my bags off, is to go to a grocery store. That enables me to cook breakfast in the morning without walking around for hours trying to find “vegan breakfast” near me.

The variety of foods attracts me every time I travel somewhere new. In Malta, I found the most delicious chocolate-filled cakes, a product I would struggle to find even in the UK.     2     I was so delighted that I could enjoy such an unexpected treat. Another surprise was their selection of ice cream available even in the smallest grocery stores.

    3     Looking for smoked tofu and corn pancakes turns into quite a mission whenever I visit Cluj-Napoca in Romania. There is usually only one variety of smoked tofu, sold in a very small tub (食品盒) and only in the cafeteria section.     4     That is because they are never available at the smaller ones.

Grocery shopping on holiday sounds unusual. But it means being involved in the day-to-day lives of a country’s citizens. I can pretend I am a local and put myself in their shoes. I can watch kids begging their parents for sweets, an international experience that needs no language, or watch couples pick up snacks and drinks for a party on a Friday night.     5    

2 . I wanted the pleasure of being in Africa again. Feeling that the place was so large that it contained many untold tales and some hope and comedy and sweetness too, I aimed to reinsert myself in the bundy, as we used to call the bush, and to wander around. There I had lived and worked, happily, almost forty years ago, in the heart of the greenest continent.

In those old undramatic days of my school teaching in the bundu, folks lived their lives on bush paths at the end of unpaved roads of red clay, in villages of grass-roofed huts. They had a new national flag, they had just gotten the vote, some had bikes, many talked about buying their first pair of shoes. They were hopeful, and, so was I, a schoolteacher living near a settlement of mud-huts among trees and fields—children shouting at play; and women bent double—most with infants on their backs—hoeing(锄地) the corn beans; and the men sitting in the shade.

The Swahili word safari means “journey”, it has nothing to do with animals, someone “on safari” is just away and unobtainable and out of touch. Out of touch in Africa was where I wanted to be. The wish to disappear sends many travellers away. If you are thoroughly sick of being kept waiting at home or at work, travel is perfect: let other people wait for a change. Travel is a sort of revenge(报复) for having been put on hold, or having to leave messages on answering machines, not knowing your party’s extension, being kept waiting all your working life. But also being kept waiting is the human condition.

Travel in the African bush can also be a sort of revenge on mobile phones and email, on telephones and the daily paper, on the aspects of globalization that allow anyone who chooses to get their hands on you. I desired to be unobtainable. I was going to Africa for the best of reasons—in a spirit of discovery—simply to disappear, to light out, with a suggestion of I dare you to try to find me.

Home had become a routine, and routine made time pass quickly. I was a sitting duck in this predictable routine: people knew when to call me, they knew when I would be at my desk. I was in such regular touch that it was like having a job, a mode of life I hated. I was sick of being called up and asked for favors, hit up for money. You stick around too long and people begin to impose their own deadlines on you.

5 . The Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM), located in the West Kowloon Cultural District of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, was established on June 22 and is scheduled to open to the public on July 2. More than 40,000 tickets were sold or reserved within eight hours on the first day of public sale, and all free visits on Wednesdays in July were fully booked.

The HKPM, not only adds to cultural atmosphere in the city, but also provides a new site for local residents and visitors to learn about the development of Chinese civilization and culture. More than 900 pieces of treasures from the collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing will be put on display at the opening exhibitions. From paintings to ancient architectures, the exhibits span the 5,000-year history of Chinese civilization, covering all categories of the collection of the Palace Museum, including 166 pieces of first-class cultural relics of the country. This will be the largest and highest-level cultural heritage exhibitions of the Palace Museum outside of the mainland since its establishment in 1925.

Prepare work for the exhibitions began in 2018, with the Palace Museum fielding a team of leading experts and scholars, associated with the manage team of the HKPM.

“It is a great thing to display the pieces of cultural relics in Hong Kong, which reflects the central government’s support to the development of Hong Kong’s cultural projects,” said Ng, adding that the exhibits from the Palace Museum will present a cultural feast to Hong Kong residents by telling them about the motherland’s long history and splendid culture.

“Promoting traditional Chinese culture is one of our important tasks,” said Betty Fung, chief executive officer of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority. She said the HKPM will actively push ahead with the publicity of the motherland’s culture and history after its opening, enhancing Hong Kong residents’ cultural confidence in the country, especially among youths.

Fung said that the HKPM will actively enhance cooperation with international museums, telling the world the stories of China, including the stories of Hong Kong.

6 . Getting off the train and stepping into the places will make your trip a more memorable one than simply admiring the scenery from the window. Check out some of the can't-miss destinations along the Chinese section of the China-Laos railway.

Fuxian Lake in Yuxi

What makes the lake attractive is the possibility that a city lived under its quiet and calm surface. In the 1990s, a large number of stone remains were fond in the lake, which led to a series of underwater research. Traces (踪迹) of ancient constructions were discovered, but their origins are still unknown.

Sun-River National Park in Pu'er

The word "Pu'er" may remind many of the famous tea from Yunnan Province. Back in ancient China, this region also served as an important stop along the trade route-Tea Horse Road. This has much to do with its location. The Sun-River National Park here is highly recommended if you are looking for some fresh air and a close encounter with nature. The rainforests in the park provide habitats for over 800 animal species and 2,000 different plants.

Wild Elephant Valley in Xishuangbanna

For those wishing to interact with the giant creatures themselves, the Wild Elephant Valley is a must-visit. It will take three hours to get to Xishuangbanna from Kunming once the China-Laos railway becomes operational, and a new train station has been set up near the nature reserve, offering more accessible journeys. Extra effort has been made by the government to reduce the effect of railway construction on the local environment.

Starlight Night Market in Xishuangbanna

The Starlight Night Market, as the name suggests, offers a colorful nightlife experience. It is the best place to get to know local people's lives. The market features local food, various activities, and creative art of works by the young. This is also an area for hanging out with other travelers for shopping.

7 . Travel allows us to experience the world. But as we travel, we are also leaving our footprint on every place we visit. This is why culturally immersive (沉浸) travel is so important. Because the wrong kind of travel negatively affects the world. One of the reasons we started this blog was to help others travel better and feel comfortable getting off the beaten path, interacting with locals, and take you “Beyond the traditional Bucketlist”, if you will.

People who only get 2-weeks off per year are often just looking for an easy destination with a beach to relax on. This isn’t travel. This is a vacation. But “Immersive Travel” or “Cultural Travel” is an entirely new type of trip. It is about experiencing and preserving the various traditions around the world. It’s about being open to new experiences and willing to step into another’s shoes. Cultural travel is jumping in with both feet and leaving your idea about what your trip should be behind you. It’s eating local dishes and sleeping in guesthouses. It’s building genuine connections with locals. It’s learning about the history of a country and leaving your trip with a greater understanding of the place you came to see and the people who live there.

Often times in today’s age, “travelers” will visit a country just to snap some photos of the famous sights to post on Instagram or to drink the night away, or even just to relax on a tropical beach. But that kind of vacation can be harmful to the very communities you’re traveling to.

Beyond supporting the local communities and the preservation of local customs and traditions, you’ll also experience some personal benefits through cultural travels. There’s simply no way to travel this way with a closed mind. You’ll get to know different cultures intimately and understand them a lot better. You’ll also become less judgmental of others the more you travel.

8 . Lots of people dream of a beach vacation, but hesitate to take one because they don't want to leave a pet behind.     1     You can enjoy some fun in the sun on a beach vacation with your pet. It is easier than ever to find a beach that welcome your pets, and a little extra planning and preparation is all that is required to have a wonderful time on vacation with your pet.

    2     Use the Internet to determine whether a beach is pet friendly. You can look at a beach's website, lists of pet-friendly beaches where you will be traveling. They will tell you about any rules on pets at the local beaches.

Find a hotel that is pet-friendly. Most hotels that accept pets will advertise themselves as pet-friendly on their websites.     3     It's better to know if your pet will be welcome before you make an order.

Clean up after your pet. When vacationing with your pet it doesn't mean that all responsibility is gone. Picking up after it, whether that is when it goes to the bathroom or it makes a mess with its food, is still your responsibility.     4    

Be considerate of others.     5     Some people are scared of animals, especially children, so just be aware of other animals and people on the beach and keep your pet away from them if necessary.

9 . My husband and I just spent a week in Paris.    1    So the first thing we did was rent a fantastically expensive sixth-floor apartment the size of a cupboard. It was so tiny that we had to leave our suitcases in the hallway.

The place wasn’t entirely authentic, though. Unlike a normal Parisian apartment, the plumbing (水管) worked.     2    Our building even had a tiny lift with a female voice that said, “Ouverture des portes,” in perfect French. That is the only French phrase I mastered, and it’s a shame I don’t have much use for it.

Parisians are different from you and me. They never look lazy or untidy. As someone noted in this paper a couple of weeks ago, they eat great food and never gain weight.     3     French strawberries do not taste like cardboard. Instead, they explode in your mouth like little flavor bombs.

    4     On our first morning in Paris, I went around the corner to the food market to pick up some groceries. I bought a handful of perfectly ripe small strawberries and a little sweet melon. My husband and I agreed they were the best fruit we had ever eaten. But they cost $18!

In France, quality of life is much more important than efficiency.

You can tell this by cafés life. French cafés are always crowded.    5    When do these people work? The French take their 35-hour workweek seriously — so seriously that some labor unions recently struck a deal with a group of companies limiting the number of hours that independent contractors can be on call.