We travel a lot. More than most of our friends. Frequently, we return to our favorite spots. We go to Puerto Vallarta often and so know the names of the servers in our favorite restaurants, the place to find the best guacamole, and where to get a slice and beer. But we also like to see new things and so we are often in places where we don’t have that local knowledge.
Currently we are on the east coast in both Boston and New York. We have been in New York before and have a couple of places to revisit, but there is so much to see so we took in new places. Boston, on the other hand, is brand new to us. So, beyond some elementary school history lessons, we weren’t sure where to go. If you end up in a similar situation, here are a couple of things to do to get the most out of your trip.
Someone That Lives There
Local knowledge is a wonderful thing. People that live in the area (and who also have similar tastes to yours) can be a great source of information about what to see when traveling. They may know the best local restaurants, the best times/days to visit an attraction, or the best way to get tickets. But don’t be surprised if that person says something like, “You know, I’ve lived here for years and never made it over here.”
When I was younger and still traveling with my family, this exact thing happened. Our relatives took us to see a local attraction less than 10 miles from their home. They had lived there for their entire lives but never been to see this unique house.
Friends and family can be a good place to start, but don’t stop there. Next are some other options.
Travel Websites
There are some travel websites that can give you some suggestions about what to see. One of the most common, but not the only one, is Tripadvisor. Tripadvisor offers many services, including travel bookings. The section I want to highlight is the one that has traveler “reviews” of different places and attractions. To use this feature, enter the location you want to visit, look at the possible attractions, select one you are interested in, and click on reviews.
As with everything on the Internet, take the reviews with a grain of salt. It is possible some of the reviews were written by someone trying to promote a tour or attraction. Yes, they have been on that tour but may have some affinity for. Tripadvisor does check to avoid this, but things can slip through. At the other end of the spectrum, a review may have been written by someone having a bad day, so that review is unfairly bad. Remember that people and attractions can have both good and bad days. Any of these things could be reflected in the reviews. Don’t go to a place expecting it to be exactly what a review said.
Bottom line on travel website: keep an open mind when visiting places and attractions based on something you read online.
City Pass
If you kind of have some ideas of what you want to do, you might try City Pass. City Pass can help you book tours in thousands of cities around the world. Generally, the pricing for a bundle of tours is less than purchasing admission for each attractions individually.
Be sure you choose the correct day if your passes need a specific date you want to visit. Another thing you need to watch is whether the attraction you have selected requires you to schedule times. Recently we went to the Empire State Building, and we had to reserve times ahead of the actual visit. Also make sure you read about the requirements for the tour because there may be some restrictions on what you can take or what you should wear. We have been on some that said no backpacks or others where we needed to wear comfortable