Stuck at home during the second wave of COVID-19, you are probably desperate to go anywhere and do anything — so why not start planning a weed-cation? More and more states and countries are loosening cannabis regulations and encouraging residents and visitors alike to get stoned, and with the costs of tourism plummeting in coronavirus’s wake, there is no better time to arrange a travel itinerary centered on a pot for late 2020 or 2021.
Even though there are dozens of weed dispensaries near me, I love devoting some of my PTO to traveling the world to find out how other cultures view and experience marijuana. Here are a few of what I consider to be the best reasons to travel for cannabis now and into the future.
Learn More About Cannabis
You know how to tell the difference between bud and oregano — but that doesn’t make you a ganja genius. Cannabis has a long, storied history with the human race, and traveling could help you learn a lot more about the drug’s past, present, and future.
A good way to learn is to book a dispensary tour during your trip. Often, organized tours put you into contact with masters of cannabis, who have a deeper understanding of the plant and the drug. You can learn more about grow operations, strain science, and more merely by interacting with cannabis farmers, dispensary owners, and other industry experts during your tour.
Yet, one of the best ways to learn about cannabis is to choose a destination that has long appreciated the good green herb. For example, Amsterdam is home to the world’s first and best Cannabis Museum, which boasts interactive exhibits dedicated to various applications for the plant through time as well as information about laws surrounding the drug and evolving cultural perspectives. When smoking in one of Amsterdam’s “coffee shops” after visiting the Cannabis Museum, I felt more knowledgeable about the plant and more secure in my convictions about it.
Try Different Types of Cannabis
Traveling has a way of breaking out of my comfort zone, of disrupting my routine and forcing me to try things I might be averse to in normal circumstances. At my regular dispensary, I always purchase the same quantity of the same strain from the same grower. However, when I travel, I feel compelled to try new things, and not just because my product isn’t always available at dispensaries in other cities and countries. Often, the strains I try compel me to find comparable strains at home, thus diversifying my typical weed experience.
It is all well and good to love the products you always buy, but sometimes, it is worthwhile to branch out. By traveling, you will sample new types of cannabis and see what the wide and weird world of weed has to offer.
Experience a Different Cannabis Culture
It is a mistake to believe that everyone around the world experiences weed the same way. American weed culture is different from the Dutch weed culture, which is different from the Rasta weed culture, which is different from the Hindu weed culture. Participating in a weed culture that is different from your own is a good way to gain new insight into the herb and others who use it.
For example, I am an adult woman who uses marijuana recreationally, to have fun and relax in an informal way. However, on a vacation to Jamaica, I gained exposure to the Rastafarian religion, which considers cannabis to be a sacred herb and using it to be a holy sacrament. During the ritual of Rastafari, practitioners use cannabis to discover their inner divinity. This has allowed me to expand my emotional and spiritual experience when using marijuana, forever altering the experience of getting high.
Gain a New Perspective on an Old Destination
Even if you choose to travel someplace you have been before, like California or Colorado, weed can give the trip a special spin. Walking around a well-trod tourist district while high is a much different experience to slogging through it sober. A search for legal weed in an area you have previously visited might help you find new and exciting corners of the city or countryside, helping you to appreciate and come to know a new place.
Planning a vacation centered on weed is much easier than you might expect, and as more states and countries open up to legal cannabis regulation, the opportunities for travel will increase exponentially. The sooner you start sampling the world of weed, the more you will enjoy the cannabis you have at home.