Sometimes you can’t help but enter into a new place cold turkey. You’re driving across states on your way to a wedding, and you happen to be passing through a city that you’ve always wanted to visit. You haven’t taken the time to read up on all of the hot places to go and to stay away from, so you’re left in the dark, meandering through streets and picking the restaurant that appeals to you in that moment.Sometimes we travel on a whim without any planning and fail to do these three basic things first travel to a new place.
Photo by: Joseph De Palma
That’s all good an well, but you are definitely missing out on the best things a place has to offer when you operate like that. Thanks to technology, satellite internet and smartphones, information is never too far away. When you’re entering a new city, there are things that are good for you to know for your own safety, as well as for your own enjoyment. Here are some of those things:
Things to Know About Place when You First Travel to It
The Bad Areas of Town
Every city has an area that’s not known to be the safest or most desirable, especially at night. When you’re coming into a city you’ve never visited, you don’t know where those places are. What you need to do is look it up on your handy dandy mobile device.
You’ll usually find information on a general vicinity of town where people tell you to steer clear. This will help you not get jumped, robbed, or have your car get broken into while you eat at the sketchy diner that was the only place open around.
Hours of Operation
Speaking of places being open, it’s very helpful to you to know when things are open and how close they are to your current location. If you’re driving and you realize you need something from the grocery store or you need a Costco to pick up some contact lenses, the last thing you want to do is drive to a place that is closed or doesn’t have what you’re looking for.
Use the resources that allow you to get what you need. They’re available to you, so it’s foolish to not take advantage.
The Good Eats
There is mediocre food available everywhere. Why settle for less when you can have the best of the best? Skip the chains during your travels and ask locals where the best food is located. If you don’t have many locals around to ask, do a check on Yelp. The internet is your most valuable resource to finding out info about the town you’re visiting on a whim.
If you have a connection, there’s no reason to float about like you have no idea what you’re doing or where you’re going. Knowing where to go and where not to go is made easy. To make the most out of your impromptu travels, embrace the technology and enjoy the experience.
