Avoid Travel Guides
“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” ― Laozi
Writers and artists are always looking for new material, and travel is certainly one of the easiest ways to find it. Perhaps that is why so many of them live such peripatetic lives.
However, you won’t find much that is new at traditional tourist sites. Signing up for an organized tour only really gives you the opportunity to see already familiar places in 3-D—and then only briefly. The interesting places are off the beaten path.
And travelling with enough money to stay at familiar and comfortable hotels works against new experiences. The great experiences are to be had at cheap pensiones and rooms rented in private residences.
Food and drink are important parts of everyday life everywhere. These days it is easy to find familiar (and boring) food venues just about anywhere. (MacDonald’s, for example, has invaded the most distant places.) But the most novel and exciting food is street food or what is served at local inexpensive restaurants.
