50 beans | a better way to travel

As the summer months are approaching and I begin contemplating summer and fall vacation plans, websites like Travelocity, Wikipedia, and other travel-guide-type sites will often top my history log. A while back, the Dear Coffee, I Love You blog made a compelling argument for coffee tasting as an travel format. The writer lays out the benefits of viewing a city through coffee goggles and encourages the reader to café crawl as the preferred way to travel. The benefits of embarking on a coffee tour of a city are:

Unexpected Places – Many of the independent third-wave coffee shops are not located in large tourist areas, rather, opting to open in art districts and up-and-coming areas around the city, as rent is considerably cheaper. While visiting such cafés will detour you from the typical “must see” landmarks, you’ll get a more localized perspective of the city through an “off the beaten path” approach.

Barista’s Recommendations – Often, if you strike up a conversation with a barista, they will recommend some things to do around town that a traditional tour wouldn’t take you to, such as a local art gallery opening, or a concert in the park, or the best hole-in-the-wall food places.

Energy – Surprise! Coffee keeps you energized! I know, that’s almost a no-brainer, but I’ve discovered that when I travel, I often consume just as much coffee as when I’m in my cubicle slaving away (granted, recently my travels have often included my coffee buddies). The cafés along the way can provide a much needed break, while allowing you to sample the local brew, pick up a snack, share instagram photos via the wifi (or check your email), or even just to relax for a few minutes and people watch.

See Locals – Locals usually stay away from the super-touristy areas, so one of the best ways to get an authentic insight into a place is to see locals going about their daily lives (i.e. enjoying a cup of coffee).

Personally, I would use this only for certain cities where independent and progressive coffee shops have flourished. Often these places are hipster havens, cities like Portland and SF. NYC is also a big coffee town, but the city is so massive that you’ll most likely end up with only a tour of Brooklyn if you follow the coffee roaster trail. This year’s potential trips may not take me to those cities, so I’m still not sure if I’ll get a chance to try this out yet. Maybe in Boston or DC the next time I’m in the area.