Small Town vs. Big City

When you travel, do you prefer to stay off the beaten path or get lost in a crowd? Although I'm not a country girl, I feel most at home in smaller, isolated hamlets (think the lesser-known Greek Islands) rather than big bustling metropolises (think Los Angeles or Buenos Aires).

Big City Pros:

- Always a hostel or place to stay. Plus you never have problems finding anything that you might need to buy.

- Excellent transportation options; larger cities are the hubs for long-distance train, plane, and bus travel, as well as car and bike rental.

- Public transportation: cheap "getting around" options allow you to see more of the city than if you were limited by two feet. Too bad they're not all as comprehensive as the New York subway.

- Plenty of crazy tourist attractions. Big cities have both well-established destinations, many of them free, and some more esoteric ones as well. There's space to find entertainment no matter what your palate.

- Jobs. If you're a long-term vagabonder, it's a lot easier to find steady work in a large city; particularly if you're working without a visa (shhh).

Small Town Pros:

- Easier to meet people and make friends. In small towns, everyone congregates at one or two places, which makes it easy to locate people to hang out with. They're often friendlier to you, too.

- Beautiful landscape and countryside. You can see the stars!

- Peace and quiet reduces stress. Traveling is stressful enough: figuring out how to navigate potentially distressing traffic patterns is a lot of work! Hanging out in smaller places is like a breath of (literally) fresh air.

- Finding off-the-beaten-path things to see and do; many locals know of the best swimming holes, ice cream parlours, or what-have-you that never appear in a Lonely Planet guidebook. If they don't see too many tourists, they're often pretty happy to share.

- Some employment can only happen in more rural areas; think fruit-picking in Australia or teaching skiing in Switzerland.