People love to travel to get away from home, see the sights, relax and be alone. But to make your trip most memorable, why not spice things up by interacting with others, mixing with the locals a bit? Here are some ideas:

Talk to people in airports and on airplanes. I was sandwiched between two burley men, who did know each other, on a flight to San Juan from Miami. We sat for a long time before deplaning due to engine trouble. Rather than complain, I had a great chat with the men who were overlapping in my seat. The guy on my left worked for Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones for years, organizing local labor when the artists were touring. You can imagine how fascinating that guy’s stories were, whether or not they were true. The scruffy looking, yet friendly guy on my right was an engineer who fixed structural problems on mega ships and barges. When he was not traveling for his professional work, he was busy giving tours and running his own sprawling banana plantation in the Puerto Rican Rain Forest. He was one of the friendliest and most intriguing people I’ve ever met.

Dutch people talking on the streets. Photo Wikimedia Commons: J van der Kasteele

Eavesdrop and join in on conversations. People don’t really mind. My brother, my daughter and I were sitting on the boardwalk on South Beach about 2 weeks ago, next to a guy who was selling coconuts. We heard him talking on his cell phone. “No man, you cannot use the word ‘cornucopia’ like that. A cornucopia is a basket you put on the table at Thanksgiving time, overflowing with grapes and gourds and stuff like that. Trust me on this one, bro. I know what I’m talking about.” We all laughed, despite the coconut seller’s frustration. It was April, and he was talking about Thanksgiving cornucopias.

The coconut seller told us that his friend, who is trying to self-educate and impress others by using big vocabulary words (often incorrectly) said, “Well, the cornucopia of the situation is …” (He likely meant the crux of the situation.) He later called back to tell the coconut seller he looked up the word in the dictionary and was indeed wrong. He wanted to apologize for arguing with him.

How odd and entertaining was that conversation? I’m glad I was there to be a part of it so I can now use the (albeit incorrect) phrase “The cornucopia of the situation is …”

Be curious. My old boss, Mike traveled to Budapest with a friend many years ago. They were enticed by the smells wafting out of a tiny grocery store located in a basement on a side street. Mike asked a woman inside the store about the unusual items she was buying, and she just happened to be able to speak English. Long story short, Mike and his friend were invited to a Jewish Orthodox Passover Seder at this woman’s apartment, hidden in an historic courtyard overflowing with a bountiful flower garden. He said it was the most educational experience of his life as he learned about the family’s religious traditions and their culture and shared many American traditions with them as well. He kept in touch with the family for many years and invited them over to the US. Mike’s curiosity resulted in a totally unique and unexpected travel experience.

Seek Expert Advice, or let it find you. Don’t ask the concierge of your hotel where to eat diner. Ask a local person you meet on the street, a shop owner or another hotel guest. You’ll get a much better recommendation that way. It will not likely be the most popular place, rather an out-of-the way hole in the wall with the best food in town, featuring local cuisine. While my family was walking down the street in Boston’s North End a man literally pulled my arm and asked me to eat lunch in his tiny restaurant. We were reluctant but felt obligated to give it a try. Hands down, it was the best Italian food I’ve ever had, and I have not only returned but also recommended that place to dozens of other people.

Bayou Conversation. Bayou St. John, New Orleans. Photo Wikimedia Commons: Bart Everson

Scope out activities locals do, rather than those tourists do. While staying at a B&B in Washington, GA, we read an article in the local paper about Cattle Auction Wednesdays. We asked our B&B host about it, and she instructed us to go to the barn early to eat a home-cooked fried chicken lunch with biscuits and sip some Southern Iced Tea with the locals. It was delicious! Then we went into the auction with all the farmers, and it was fascinating to watch them auction off the heifers. When we returned home from the trip, we wrote a letter to the editor of the local paper, mentioning how memorable our experience was there. He published our letter along with our photos in his paper. We then got a subscription to that tiny paper and virtually “got to know” everyone in that tiny town. Also, the B&B owner became a good friend of ours, just from that visit.

So no matter where you travel, near or far, be open for new experiences by reaching out to local people. Ask questions. Be friendly. They may enrich your lives, and you just may enrich theirs. There’ll be plenty of time for solitude. Just remember, it’s the people you  meet along the way, in every aspect of your life, who you’ll remember most.

Elderly Bhutanese man and woman. Photo Wikimedia Commons: Steve Evans from Citizen of the World

Debbie Glade is the Geography Awareness Editor for Wandering Educators.