Are you wasting time on vacation?

There's an ABBA museum? (forehead slap) Mama mia!

And why not? Most Unfriendly Countries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sudL0M1WRA

Sounds like an old guy talking about travel. :)

Anyone else notice Wolter is using Rick Steves colors for the text things that pop up during the video? The font is pretty close, too. Hmmmmmmm.

This was entertaining, thank you! I agree with all of it. I traveled with a friend once and did not realize that she thought vacation meant sleeping until noon and spending as little as humanly possibly on everything. My idea of sleeping in is until 7am. So now I am very choosey on who I will travel with. I leave in about a week to go with another friend, but we have traveled together before and know it will be good.

The "nobody cares" comments should be posted everywhere:)

I too would visit the ABBA museum, absolutely!

I traveled with a friend once and did not realize that she thought vacation meant sleeping until noon and spending as little as humanly possibly on everything. My idea of sleeping in is until 7am.

Haha, we're on the same clock, mikliz97!

Like the YouTuber said, if your vacation is to relax, that's one thing. I go on vacation to Florida every winter to visit my brother and sister-in-law, and it's always very leisurely. Hanging out, chatting, walking on the beach, shopping and so on. But when I go someplace I've never been (or someplace I have but still need to explore), I'm not going to waste my time in bed!

Marrdee--Same! I can do that at home if I want and it won't cost me anything. When I am on vacation, I want to go, go, go. This same person went to London for a week with her son and they ate food from mini marts the entire time and she was so proud of not spending much money. I am glad I was not on that trip! I don't need fine dining, but I am not scrimping either. The friend I am headed out with soon is super low key, and we have had the best time planning the trip together. Plus she has paid me immediately every time I booked something. I have known her for 40 years. I will have to do a trip report solely for the "traveling with a friend" aspect, lol.

Cheesy as it may end up being, yes, I'd go to the ABBA Museum.

Yes to 7am, however that is sleeping in to me, so maybe earlier. If it's a day trip somewhere, we tend to get the first bus/boat/train to maximize our day.

Wolter mentioned how travelling with friends can be a time waster, and I'm stressed over that one. It's 2 weeks until we meet good friends in Portugal. I love them to death but I've learned during the planning process that they're uninterested in planning. My head may explode.

Allan--Good luck! My friend that I am traveling with has been part of the planning process the entire time. We live in different towns, so when I went to her place a couple months ago, when I arrived she had all the planning stuff spread on the table and we got to work. I think it makes a big difference with everyone is involved with the planning.

I'm resolutely in my 50's now, but in Ibiza in the 90's 7am wasn't even close to bedtime. On the third or fourth day of "enjoying myself" I've found myself wandering the streets of San Antonio. "Hmmm... did that cat just say "Hola! Que tal?" to me?" Time I got some sleep.

I loved the ABBA Museum. I particularly liked the interactive ”try out” for ABBA where you got to sing your favorite ABBA song and you could listen to your recording online (objectively, I wouldn’t have made the band).

That video would have been a waste of my time had it not been filmed in Stockholm.

ABBA is never a waste of time!

Dave, I thought the video creator was using blue and yellow for the text captions to reflect the colors of Sweden's flag.

Sounds like an old guy talking about travel. :)

Anyone else notice Wolter is using Rick Steves colors for the text
things that pop up during the video? The font is pretty close, too.
Hmmmmmmm.

Not really that old- his bio says he was born in 1976. And he's been making travel videos for about 15 years. I've found his videos to be generally informative and helpful, and are geared to newer travellers, or at least new to the area visited in that video, for those that are focused on a particular area.

Speaking of particular areas, I'm pretty sure the color scheme for his pop-ups had more to do with being in Sweden than anything else. It's not as if all his videos use the same color scheme, or even fonts.

As a chronic night owl and insomniac, I struggle with early rises when on trips focused on touring and exploring. It's not something that comes naturally to me. Which is why we try to schedule a down day every week or so, to just sleep in and relax.

And I would visit the ABBA museum, too :)

Yes to ABBA museum!
The last piece of advice is so true. My sister and her husband want to go to Germany. They want to go with us and have us plan it all. Been there, done that. She likes to sleep late, miss breakfast then need to find something to eat. So far I have her put off till 2026 but I’m thinking just say no. Besides, we’ve been to Germany 2x already.

If you're going to spend the holiday getting up early to do busy work - ticking off stuff you've vaguely heard of, but have no real interest in - then you might as well stay at home and grout the bathroom.

First, Nick, ANYTHING would be preferable to grouting the bathroom! :-D
Second, who said I have no real interest in what I see? I spend months researching places I visit and almost always love what I see.
Third, it's not a hardship for me to get up early in the morning. That's when I have the most energy and I like waking up early and getting on the move.
Last, I do relax in the evening as that is my down time. I'm happy to sit in a square doing some people watching, or enjoying a leisurely late dinner, or a stroll through the park.

It's not always about dashing around "seeing" things. Sometimes it's just about leisurely enjoying the experience. But you can't get any of that laying in bed. :-)

Isn't wasting your time pretty much the whole point of going away on holiday? If you're going to spend the holiday getting up early to do busy work - ticking off stuff you've vaguely heard of, but have no real interest in - then you might as well stay at home and grout the bathroom.

Absolutely spot on, Nick! Hahahaa! I am not actually on vacation - I am living my life in a different country. So if I waste time at home, I can do it in Vilnius, too, and it’s just fine. Ha!

I didnt last long with that guy. He's the same one that says American wear baggy clothes. My informal poll, here in Europe revealed that along with Americans a great many tourist from Spain, Germany, Greece, Romania, Austria, France and Italy also wear baggy clothes.

Now he is saying you are wasting your vacation unless you share my life values? He needs to find a new job.

Laura, keep hope alive. Maybe, just maybe, the band gets back together but one of the ladies decides she's not going to do it, and that's when Bjorn thinks, "Remember Laura, who sang so beautifully at the museum? Let's give her a call."

Next thing you know you're on a world tour!

I'm with Mardee in that evenings are the best time to relax, maybe with a walk and a drink. I can sleep in some other time. Too much to see and do while traveling.

BigMike, ABBA decided to go with the holograms instead :). Clearly after hearing all the sad voices from people belting out ”Dancing Queen” at the ABBA Museum, they realized that they could do better with technology.

He says I am wasting my vacation time unless I share his life values? If so, does he have a problem with that?

Hey! Don't be so down on Mark Wolters. I think he makes incredibly entertaining travel videos, usually with some very sound information. He has to dumb it down a little for the algorithm, but that's why he's so successful with many millions of views under his generously sized belt. I bet he'd be a super nice guy to have a pint with off camera and a superb raconteur. I like his enthusiasm and he's not afraid to be a little self deprecating at times.

Last fall the 2 weeks I spent in Prague and Budapest were pretty amazing and busy and when I got to Vienna for week 3 I was tired. I instituted the no setting an alarm policy and would then drink my first cup of tea in my jammies. Then the day of touring could commence! Never slept late enough to matter but sometimes you do need a break!

Anyone else notice Wolter is using Rick Steves colors for the text things that pop up during the video? The font is pretty close, too. Hmmmmmmm.

Anyone recall what the flag of Sweden looks like?..............hmmmmm

HAHA, great thread!

I am not actually on vacation - I am living my life in a different country. So if I waste time at home, I can do it in Vilnius, too, and it’s just fine!

Well said TTM!! I completely agree. and for me, 'traveling' is different from 'vacationing'. Going to the beach in CA is one type of trip I would never plan, but when I'm in Europe there's so much to do & it is living my life in another place. And I kinda like Walter, don't watch him myself but when I meet new travelers trying to figure out how / where to go, I think he can be reassuring. HMMM he's clearly a morning person, but not everyone is so I bet that could be irritating. Would it have been fun to grow up as one of his kids?? Maybe, maybe not.

Anyone recall what the flag of Sweden looks like?..............hmmmmm

You mean the Sweeds are guilty of RS copy right infringment? Thats terrible. They should be made to change their flag

Daggone it I'll tell you what wastes time! Jet lag. I only pretend to sleep on international flights and envy you "special people" who can. Shame on you for rubbing my nose in it. But seriously my friends, it's a bit frustrating walking around in a fog upon day of arrival, reading a sign in a museum for 10 minutes because your reading comprehension is zero, and then finding a bench to rest and promptly falling asleep because reading that sign was the last straw because there are no more synapses firing in your brain. None. And then the grumpiness leads to petty little arguments with Mary, which causes the situation to deteriorate.

If we're lucky enough to check-in at 1500 or so, a short nap and a shower is incredibly rejuvenating. For awhile. And then by around 2100 we hit the wall, do a little lovin' and go to sleep.

Barbara, could you just do your own thing in the mornings and then join your friend later when she's ready? That seems a bit unappealing I guess.

Laura, crazier things have happened. Remember when Journey found a new lead singer from a YouTube video of some Average Joe Blow singing at Home Depot or something like that. You could be that Average Jane Blow!

I sense you would do better with a slow burner like "Name of the Game." Maybe Waterloo or Fernando.

Now I would like to go to the ABBA museum and belt out a song in privacy, but I rather doubt I could ever listen to it without severe embarrassment. Like a red-faced school kid who just stole a piece of candy from the teacher's desk.

Amazing Big Mike West By God Virginia,you just described us last Wednesday after getting in Frankfurt airport! By some miracle our hotel had our room ready at 10, and we napped for 2 hours. It was so good. Then we got up walked around, and by seven we were ready to sack out once more. Vacation time is for whatever you need it for. We always save some time at the end for my husbands numerous family who live in Germany. Keep on traveling and enjoying you time the way that feels good to you.

I didn't pay attention to where he was. :)

But I'm pretty sure there is some kind of conspiracy going on here.

Also... outside the age demographic for ABBA museum... so wouldn't go.

Also... some say I have an odd sense of humor.

Sometimes it's fun to play the stupid guy... like in another Big Mike post a few years ago about pet names when I wrote...

At my local Mexican restaurant, everyone gets called amigo. They have
a special name for me, though — pendejo. Don’t know what it means, but
it makes me happy that they smile so big when they say it.

One kind soul was concerned that I got called that. One person took delight in it. And then good ol' acraven commented that they were pretty sure I was pulling the proverbial leg.

We really enjoyed the ABBA museum*.

*Full disclosure: we entered it only to use the WC after getting off the ferry. No paid tickets. We can't stand their stuff.

Why waste time going to the WC. Use some pampers. Or better yet, why vacation at all. What’s the point. Everyone is there at the same time and you need a ticket. Better to stay home. And why hate ABBA? Why would you waste time listening to their music only to hate it?

Dave--What is that age demographic?

Am I wasting time on vacation?

Why yes, I am.

I should be at work.

I should be at home cleaning my house.

I should be . . .

Nah!

Too much more to life than that.