Get to the core of a place with help from a local

I’ve been to Paris a few times and loved it. But it wasn’t until a trip there a few years back, when a friend and I fell in with a Parisian businessman for a night on the town, that I felt like I’d really gotten under its skin. Now I’m convinced that while you can have a valuable travel experience exploring on your own, there’s no better way to see a place than by tagging along with a local.

Just talking to people, of course, is the best way to make friends when you travel. But if you’re shy, or worried about language barriers, consider a shortcut with a service like San Francisco’s Chinatown Alleyway Tours.

Alleyway Tours are led by locals who work to get you past Chinatown’s touristy veneer and inside the living history of one of America’s most historic neighborhoods. From a recent AP report:

“I’d written Chinatown off as touristy stuff,” said Robert Solomon of Princeton, N.J. who was visiting with his wife to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. “I didn’t realize what a strong community it was.”

This type of realization can be harder to come by without that initial contact with a local, so considering this type of angle in your travels — no matter where you are — can often end up enriching your experience while on the road and get you closer to the true essence of a place.

Posted by | Comments Off on Get to the core of a place with help from a local  | February 9, 2007
Category: Notes from the collective travel mind

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