Blending in, Learning Lots

Just because you’re visiting an unfamiliar place doesn’t mean you can’t explore with confidence. Take a few lessons from the locals and make yourself at home…

Eat Locally - Visit the farmer’s market for tasty treats and a healthy dose of the local flavor. Home grown food, and the people who sell it, are perhaps the best ways to truly come to know a region’s secrets.

Read Up - Be the woman with the plan by picking up a local newspaper or daily to get a feel for where you are; restaurant reviews, music listings and noteworthy events are tidbits waiting to be added to your mental itinerary.

Investigate - Get the inside scoop from someone who knows their stuff; the owner of your vacation rental, a shopkeeper, a taxi driver or the savvy-looking hipsters camped out at the corner coffee house could all be excellent sources of information.

Choose Lodgings That Make You Feel at Home – Emerging from an apartment in the heart of Montreal for a day of sightseeing or settling into a friendly cabin in coastal Maine will truly make you feel that you belong. Elevators, endless hallways and noisy next door neighbors are the typical side effects of overnight travel; you’re doing things a little differently.

Embrace Public Transit – Cab drivers can be informative, but nothing acquaints you with the nitty gritty of a city like navigating the trains and buses. Packed into a subway at rush hour will show you the real deal, and it’s probably the most efficient way of getting where you need to go.

Consult with Friends – usually you dread a full inbox, but if it’s packed with hot tips and personal recommendations from all of your most well-traveled pals, then you’re probably happy to sort through a few emails. Send out a call to the right people and you’ll find yourself walking through unfamiliar streets with confidence, visiting places you’ve never been as if you’ve always known they existed.

Eye the Clientele – When it comes to chowing down, head to a place that looks popular with the locals, even if it appears to be a hole in the wall. Chain restaurants might be safe, but you’re here for an adventure, right?

Get Lost – With a map in your back pocket just in case, see what it feels like to wander a bit. Follow your instincts and don’t fear the unknown; you could end up discovering a great view, scrumptious street food or something else the tour books forgot to mention thanks to the hands of fate and just a little luck.

Dress the Part – There’s no shame in being a tourist, but try not to shout it from the rooftops. Adapt your style to local standards by avoiding shorts, fanny packs and a camera dangling from your neck; dress for comfort while being culturally sensitive, opt for classic simplicity, and if want to do things right, pick up a piece of local jewelry or an accessory or two as you stroll the streets to fit in with panache. As if you needed an excuse to shop…