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Whether you are on holiday or planning to move to a new city, it is critical to know how to explore a new place with or without an itinerary. The thrill of discovering unfamiliar territories without losing your sense of orientation is an art easily mastered by knowing how to handle yourself. To help you out, here are seven tips for exploring a city.
1. Skip the taxis
Unless necessary, always avoid taking taxis when exploring a city and settle for public transportation. This is the best way to see more of a city and have the opportunity to discover neighborhoods and sites that you had not thought about. However, since many people rely on public transportation, you must never carry many items with you, and the safest option is to store your luggage at secure locations. This will make it easy for you to hop on that bus, tram, or train without lugging around your things and risking losing valuables.
2. Eat at local restaurants
Choose to have an authentic experience when visiting a city by eating at local restaurants and spending time at their favorite hangout spots. Not only will you enjoy the unique dishes and drinks served, but you are guaranteed to have the raw feel of what living in the city is like. The best part is you will get an opportunity to interact with the locals and learn more about the city’s best-kept secrets.
3. Avoid dressing like a typical tourist
A costly mistake that most people make when exploring a city is showing everyone around them the vacation badge by dressing like a tourist. Unfortunately, this will only attract the wrong attention, as people will assume you have a lot of money to spend. Avoid looking like a tourist by dressing appropriately and dropping branded items.
4. Interact and stay with the locals
Make your stay in a new city exciting by choosing to rent an apartment in a local area. This will make it easier to interact with the locals and have a chance to explore the city’s neighborhoods. However, there are several travel dangers to beware of, such as dangerous areas and opportunistic individuals who might steal from you. To be safe, you should always research a neighborhood before staying there and strictly book apartments using trusted platforms that offer reviews from past clients.
5. Allow yourself to get lost
There is no better way to explore a city than by choosing to find spots that are hardly ever highlighted on those travel guidebooks or sites. Opt to take a walk or ride gravel bikes under 1000 and get out of those crowded areas that attract thousands of tourists for a chance to discover those little-known gems. The only rule to abide by is to have the local map of the city downloaded and saved on your phone for ease in finding your way back after those exciting hours.
Endnote
Exploring a new city does not have to be demanding when there is lots of room for endless fun and authentic discoveries, all without stressing yourself.