Green Alaska and Other Travel Surprises

Alaska is … green? Are you kidding me?

Yes, it’s true. Recently I took my first cruise to Alaska, only to discover that much of it is green, not covered in ice and snow. I was flabbergasted.

Maybe others know pretty much what to expect when arriving at their destination, but man, was I taken back. I had expected glorious white topography. Not a rain forest.

“You idiot,” some might say. “It’s summer.”

Sigh. Now I know.

It would be one thing if this was the first time this had happened to me. Sadly, my list below shows eight times I was caught off guard when arriving in a new place. Some surprises were bonuses; others were just plain weird. One day I’ll learn about this thing called the Internet and do more research.

Or maybe that surprised feeling is just the reason I love to travel!

8 Travel Surprises

1. Dominican Republic: I expected paradise. I found a handful of near-death experiences. (Santo Domingo is a very frightening place to be lost. See Drama in the DR: Lessons from a Series of Unfortunate Events for more on this topic.)

2. Chicago: I expected a city, not a beach. Bonus!

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3. New York: I expected world-class shopping and dining. I smelled like kabobs and roasted nuts by the time I found either of these things.

4. Aruba: I expected tropical. I found a desert — except for the lawn-watering resorts.

5. Seattle: I expected Pearl Jam. I found sushi.

6. New Orleans: I don’t know what I expected, but not that smell. Bourbon Street at night puts the smelliest college parties to shame.

7. Boston: I expected chowdah. I found food trucks! (Don’t miss the SoWa food trucks in the South End throughout the non-frigid months.)

8. Vancouver: I expected outdoorsy attractions. I found crazy hockey fans.

As I came up with this list, I started to wonder how many other travelers have gone somewhere only to find out their expectations came from the ether. How many knew that the star-studded sidewalk in Hollywood would be lined with shady characters selling some really weird swag? How many expected to be able to buy a T-shirt while checking out the Sphinx? Share your story of mistaken expectations in the comments!

— written by Matt Leonard