🤗 5 fun & free things you can do nearly anywhere
Keep your wallet and memory bank full. Plus: Swedish trolls, AAPI Heritage Month, and Tim Burton
What’s one of the biggest myths about traveling?
That it’s impossible to do fun things for free!
Incorrect! ❌
The first thing I search for when I’m about to set foot into a new place is:
“Free things to do in (insert city name)”
This usually gives me some unique and often fun ideas.
Also, here are five easy things to do just about anywhere without spending a dime:
•📍 Public libraries: Libraries are like the nose of every city: They all have one (maybe a few!). Some are modern, enormous, and take hours to explore. Others are historic and feel like stepping into a time capsule. You will likely discover more cool things in a library than expected. Of course, certain services at libraries may cost money.
📍Markets: Grocery stores in a foreign country are surprisingly interesting. You get a taste (pun intended) of what people eat and have fun figuring out how to pay in a different language. Farmer’s, antique, and night markets can also be a party for your senses.
📍 Free walking tours: My friend
shared this idea in our interview last year. Although you should tip the tour guide, this is a free way to learn about the city while making friends with fellow travelers.📍 City Hall:
recently wrote a post about Barcelona’s City Hall. He made a great point: This is one of the most underrated spaces in a city. You usually get a slice of history, art, and culture whenever you visit.📍 Natural landmarks: Everywhere you go, it’s very likely there will be a main park, plaza, bay, river, or hill that invites people to take a break and enjoy the day. These locations are gold for budget travelers.
🎁 Bonus: Free events: Many towns and cities have seasonal free events. For instance, my hometown of Sausalito has Jazz in the Park every summer. Other cities may have free outdoor movie nights, concert series, or interesting community events.
👌 The odds a pretty darn good you can do at least three of these things anywhere you visit, no matter the time of year.
🚀 Travel Quote of the Week
“Travel is about the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown.”
-Anthony Bourdain
🤲 Did You Know?
There are 30 national parks in Sweden. The first nine were created in 1909, making Sweden the first country in Europe to establish a national park system.
These spaces offer plenty of inspiration to all sorts of visitors. If you’re lucky, you may even find gold! According to legend, there’s a hidden rock chamber inside Trollberget (Troll Mountain) located in Åsnen National Park.
It’s believed trolls live in this mountain and they celebrate Christmas there.
🎏 Culture Corner
As I write this post, it’s the last week of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. Each May, the US pays tribute to its Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.
According to Wikipedia, the first documented Asians to arrive in the US were Filipinos reaching California in 1587.
Since then, immigrants from Asian countries around the world have become part of the fabric of the United States.
I’m late to the party in mentioning AAPI Heritage Month, but it’s always a good time to recognize and honor Asian culture.
Culture website Articulate has a few to celebrate:
🌍 Learn about APPI Culture & History
-The Smithsonian offers a free virtual gallery tour of works from Asian American artists. Also, this month is an invitation to learn a new skill inspired by APPI culture.
🌍 Support AAPI-Owned Businesses
- You might have one (or a few) right around the corner!
🌍 Learn about prominent AAPI leaders in different fields.
-Example: Computer architect Ajay Bhatt created technology we ALL use: The USB (Universal Serial Bus)
So my friend, how have you (or plan on) celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month?
🌆 A random thing to do in Mexico City..
If you’re a fan of Tim Burton movies, then head to Mexico City. Starting June 26, 2025, you can explore Burton’s creative world in an immersive art exhibit called the Tim Burton Laberynth.
More than 200 different objects from his movies will be featured and each room is like stepping into one of his iconic movies like Beetlejuice.
The experience is located at the event space Casino del Bosque.
Ok my friend, that’s it for this week. Thanks for being here. Another Itchy Feet is coming next week!
Much love,
-Daniel
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Instagram / Bluesky / Travel Coaching / LinkedIn / Buy me a Coffee
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Related posts:
• 🏡 See the world one house-sit at a time!
• 💰 How to save up for a dream trip
• 🌍 3 simple ways to improve your vacation
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Thank you for the restack @Gabi of Journey Jots!
Absolutely love going to grocery stores when traveling. They're really fun and i often pick up some really neat stuff, for myself and even small gifts. Plus neat to compare prices.