Travel Tip Tuesdays: How to Explore a City

Yes, I am aware that today is Wednesday. I just managed to forget that yesterday was Tuesday. So, a bit late, the travel advice of the day!

“What’s the best way to explore a city?”

Wandering around a city looking at the buildings gets tiresome really fast. That’s why it’s important to find out a bit about the place you’re visiting, such as the best place to eat breakfast, an interesting museum to spend the afternoon, or a local festival to visit. You might find yourself, say, breaking tile to help make a mosaic outside a building in Colorado Springs as part of a community art project. Taking some time to get involved in a city is one of the best ways to explore it. Here are five ways to get started.

It's also important to take dramatic pictures at every opportunity.

Make a plan, but also be open to spontaneous decisions. Yes, if you’re in San Diego you might plan on visiting SeaWorld and the Zoo, but don’t turn down an opportunity that you just learned about to explore the tide pools in La Jolla. A mixture of planning and spontaneity is ideal.

Take advantage of the World Wide Web. Yes, the Internet is still the best place for doing this kind of research— nearly every city has a calendar of events, and a simple Google search can give you a lot of information on where to go and what to do. 

Join a traveler’s network such as Couchsurfing. You can ask locals to meet up with you and show you around, and find out about events, such as bar hopping, potlucks, and karaoke, you can participate in.

Talk to people as you walk around. People walking dogs are often a good bet— they’re local, generally friendly, and love it when somebody compliments their pet. Ask about the best restaurants and museums. In general, locals love to be helpful to tourists.

Don’t even try to see it all. In big cities, it’s better to see a couple things rather than wearing yourself out trying to get around to every museum, restaurant, and site. Enjoy what you’re seeing rather than worrying about having time to visit such-and-such. This will make your day a lot more relaxed… and your trip a lot more fun.

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