How to travel like an outsider (not a local) [VIDEO]

Did you know the New York Times has never printed the phrase “travel like a local”? Not once. That surprised me a bit, considering you can’t go far reading magazines, press releases, Twitter or those captioned inspirational photos on Instagram without hearing “travel like a local” touted as the next big thing.

Locals are great, of course. Travel’s greatest highlight. But still, all that buzz is kind of a lie.

Locals complain about traffic and get stuck in routines. Often the main attractions of a place are something they’ve not seen since a school trip in seventh grade. Almost without exception, I hear from locals about things I observe in their hometowns, “hmm, I never thought of that.” Frequently locals need outsiders to really see where they’re from.

I never forget I’m an outsider when I travel away from home. This new episode of the 76-Second Travel Show explains why that’s a good thing.

Also: see my top three travel destinations for 2015. (Spoiler: I have no idea.)

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That shot above is from when I tried out with the Mounties.

 

 

 

About Robert Reid

Robert Reid is a travel writer (Lonely Planet, New York Times, ESPN), travel expert (Today Show, CNN's Headline News), travel videographer (76-Second Travel Show) and travel artist (don't ask).
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