I just can't help but smile...Travel differently perhaps?

Bumped into a friend who visited Maroc (Morocco) alone as did I. And naturally, we spoke about Maroc fondly. I couldn't help but smile; thinking of the deserts, meeting people in oasis villages, fending off hasslers in the most amiable way possible in Marrakech and Fes...I can't help but smile.

Its not just Maroc. If you spoke to me about New York, I'll smile like a gleeful child talking about his 'special' role he got in the school play. Even Corsica. Perhaps its just the joy I derive from traveling to foreign cities/countries, and get to know them till some form of relationship is formed. No, not a relationship you build by visiting a place for 2 days, tick the checklist of attractions seen and move on. Its a relationship built by trying your earnest best in learning about the nation, about its peoples.

Are you satisfied with saying that you've visited 878,743 cities (this is a random number; don't crack your head thinking about it) rather than say you've got to know perhaps 3 cities very well? Well, if you are of the first kind, you might not want to read on. Because as the summer draws near, some of us may be traveling. I urge us all to get to know a place well before leaving it; and you won't know a place well enough to take away deep lasting memories if you spend 1-2 days.

I am not saying 1-2 days in a city is bad. I'm just urging you to move beyond a superficial tourist visit but stay a little longer to get at least a traveler's view; be welcomed into a local's home/shop/regular hang-out. If you have that urge to move from tourist to traveler, it takes guts. To get to know a city/place, you've got to open yourself up, be vulnerable, but in a sensible way. Only when you open up can the cultures and histories of the land you travel to touch you.

Think about it, even just for abit. As you plan your holidays/travels, think about:
- stay at a city longer
- staying where locals stay
- eating where locals eat
- travel alone
- get a local guide
- hitch-hike, even if its for a short distance
- anything else you can think of to get yourself out of your comfort zone, and closer to local-life.

That's just my view, but I believe a view worth considering. Do.

Uncle T