Beer Travel Rocks the Experience Scale

I love beer. There, I said it. But when I love beer most, is when I travel. There’s a sense of being connected to people and places that only sharing their beer can give you. First of all, in order to sample a local beer you have two basic choices: you must either visit a drinking establishment to partake or pop into a store to purchase one. Either of these is often an experience all by itself– one you aren’t likely to have if you choose only to drink onboard your cruise ship or in your hotel bar.

Beer travel

Sipping a beer on an Athens sidewalk turned out to be a more rewarding experience than hiking up to the Parthenon.

Here’s an example: as much as seeing the Parthenon was an experience of a lifetime when we recently cruised with Silversea onboard theĀ Silver Spirit, enjoying the view of the iconic architecture from a streetside taverna while sipping a cold beer was more to my liking. (And definitely more to Gary’s liking.) We watched people, chatted with our waiter, and experienced more authentic Athens during that beer than during the entire hike up the hill with thousands of other tourists.

 

Beer travel doesn’t have to be complicated

There’s no need to be a beer snob to rock this experience. It’s okay if you aren’t a connoisseur. Don’t feel like you have to study up in advance. You don’t have to know the difference between a lager and porter. It’s just beer. Drink enough and you’ll learn what you like, but the point of this experience is to drink what the locals drink. I’d forgo a fancy craft beer any day to share an honest moment and a cheap brew with the locals.

Obviously, there are times when what the locals drink IS craft beer. Such is the case in brewery hot spots around the U.S. I recently covered this topic for Yahoo Travel. Here’s that story:

Drink Up! The 50 Best Breweries in America