Spending less than 2 weeks in a city while working or in my
case, taking Spanish lessons means you don’t have a lot of time to explore.
I’ve done a bit of traveling and have found a few good ways to make the most of
my time, hopefully they can help you as well!
1. WALK.
And walk everywhere. If it’s a walkable city (sidewalks, not too spread
out, some semblance of order, etc.) forget taking the bus or the metro.
You will be able to acclimate in a few days and get a decent sense of
direction if you walk everywhere. In Córdoba, walking provided several
perks including finding the hole in the wall post office that no one I
talked to knew about where I could send my stockpile of postcards home as
well as some great small shops and out of the way parks and local hangouts
I wouldn’t have known about. This has worked for me in every city I’ve
visited. It’s also a great tool for rationalizing why you need to order
the massive scoop of gelato rather than a sample size. Or maybe that’s
just me.
2. Lonely
Planet. I’ve had conversations with people that loathe these books because
it turns a trip into a “tourists only” view of a city. There is definitely
truth to that and that’s where my #3 will come in but these books have
made_______ filthy rich for a reason. When you have limited time in a
city, you have to accept the fact you’re not going to ‘live like a local’
and you don’t want to do all that walking to check out the suburbs…the
guidebook points you in the right directions to the gorgeous architecture,
delicious food stalls and fantastic tango spots! It also gives you some
very interesting information you probably wouldn’t find otherwise; did you know Casa Rosada, the presidential house gets it's salmon pink color because it was painted with bovine blood? Ew.
3. If you
want the real experience, creep the locals. By creep, I mean watch what
they do and see what they’re up to in their free time! If there is a long
line and you have no idea what it’s for, go up and ask! If a place looks
busy, poke your head in to see why. You’ll be surprised at what you
discover!
4. Sign
up for a class, group or tour if you can. I had Spanish class and tango lessons (thanks
World Nomads!) that I took in Buenos Aires and helped me encounter ‘la
cultura de Argentina’ very quickly. Language class is a great way to make
friends and learn more about the people and place you are visiting. If you
want less of a time commitment and are in a country that doesn’t speak
English, use google or grab the local English newspapers/magazines (almost
every place has at least one) to give you some suggestions of things going
on in the area.
5. Eat on the streets! This one is a no-brainer to me since I plan
days around going to certain restaurants or locations to try specific
things but if food does not make your world go round, it’s worth
mentioning. Some of my favorite foods EVER come from carts on random
streets sold by locals hoping to make a few dollars a day. I’m normally a
pescatarian (it’s ok to roll your eyes) but when I go to other countries I
make an effort to try new things, especially the unknowns from the street!
Rolexes from Uganda and fresh squeezed orange juice from the streets of
Buenos Aires are two of my favorites; once you find a favorite, it's to
strike up a conversation and learn more about the country, their personal experiences and usually a
dose of politics and opinions about your country, requested or not!
These are things I’ve done and strongly believe made short
visits much better than had I not. There are a few other ideas I think would
ultimately make your richer (couchsurfing comes to mind) if you’re truly into
getting to know the culture and locals in a short period of time but since I
haven’t done the couchsurfing deal yet, I won’t personally recommend it.
Obviously there are people who won’t be able to do one or all of these but it makes the experience so much richer and you leave with a sense that you had an experience, not just a holiday.
