Today's Annoyance: People who eat at chain restaurants when they travelMantra of the Day: When in Rome, don't go to McDonalds!
A couple of my favorite things to do when I travel to a new city are trying the local cuisine and attending cultural events. First off, I am a confessed foodie (however, not to the extent that I'll eat bugs or anything!). What really blows my skirt up is when I see tourists flocking to fast food restaurants from their home country. So like, what's the point in traveling? If they're parents traveling with kids, they're basically hostages and I can almost see it. I guess I'm just amazed at how many people travel like lemmings.
These same people are probably being herded around on a tour with dozens of other tourists, going to same old points of interests. (Ew!) I'm not saying that people shouldn't see Gaudi's Sagrada Familiar in Barcelona, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the pyramids in Egypt, or the Great Wall in China. Definitely go. But, to truly embrace the culture, talk to the locals and ask for places off the beaten path. Find out what their local leisure time activities are. I have found some of the best restaurants and some of the most interesting places and activities by doing this.
A cool site to check out for good restaurants and interesting things to do is Things You Should Do. While you're there, you can check out my article on things to do in Monaco.
[IMAGE: Courtesy of Getty Images]
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