Ok fine, traveling has many great, and not-so-great attributes to it.
A long plane ride could be an opportunity to make a friend or to read a new book. But you could also get stuck next to a middle-aged fat man who throws a temper tantrum about not being able to sit in the large fire exit seats even though he did not reserve those seats.
All in all, there is one attribute that reignes superior to all of the others…….
The locals.
They give you the fastest and some accurate insights into the secrets of the area.
Secrets like if the area is friendly and low crime, or where the best skiing spots are, or how to navigate through the city affordably and effectively -- while still hitting the best restaurants.
And the best part about the good locals?!?
They want to talk to you too. Damn do I Loooove talking to strangers from different areas.
With just a few probing questions and a massive smile, you can learn about the area deeper than any google search, and have a newfound friend to shoot the shit with.
On the flip side, if most of the locals are assholes and come off as sketchy, the area is probably not safe!
You cannot have every location you travel to be a paradise, so quickly learning which areas are a paradise can save you a ton of time (and money).
Making even bad locals the best part about traveling, because they can save your time.
Sure traveling has many other great attributes about it, seeing the foreign countryside, trying authentic food, renting snowmobiles to charge around on, and too many other things to list here.
But my absolute favorite part about traveling is talking to the locals and viewing the area from their perspective.