Authored by Rebecca Crawford

It’s one thing to go sightseeing, visit a couple of museums and take a guided tour when you’re in a new city, but that only gives you a glimpse of a place.

When it comes to learning everything about the cities you visit, and truly immersing yourself in a new place, you have to do much more research.

How to Learn Everything About the Cities You Visit

Drive Around

Driving can tell you a lot about the traffic. You can find out how polite people are by how much they swear when they driving, or how impulsive they are by how they’re trying to get away from a traffic jam.

If there’s little traffic, then the authorities are doing their job. Good roads mean the country is investing its money wisely. A decent-looking, clean and fast public transportation means the citizens are treated fairly.

We recently visited Spain, and just catching a taxi from Madrid airport to city center was a great opportunity to chat with our driver, and get a first impression of the city from a ground level.

Walk the Streets

Walking the streets by foot will give you tons of info too. You can look at the buildings, get to the bad side of town, or look at the rich part of the city.

You can analyze the discrepancy between these, visit the shops and check out the merchandise, but the advantage is you’ll get a better clue about how people are living. Don’t forget to bring the best monocular for the money, it can really help you scouring the surroundings.

Talk to Locals

If you can learn a few words in their native tongue, you’ll have the upper hand. People are generally more willing to open themselves to someone who gives the impression they care.

You can even share things about your country. But the advantage here is that you can specifically ask for interesting stories, cool places to go, hidden “gems” in terms of the local history.

And if you’ve taken our previous advice, you can ask them about the traffic or about how the people behave. Not to mention you’ll find out where all the bargains are.

But the best thing about talking to the people is finding out their opinion about the current political events, as well as about their historical past. You might find they’ve been taught different things in school, which explains their mindset.

Watch the News

The first thing you can do is read the news about that country or city. You’ll see an official perspective on their economy and politics, as well as how they are viewed throughout the world.

But once you get there, it’s good to watch the local news too. That will tell you what events are important for the local people. After that, you can compare and contrast with what you’ve learned about them.

Visit the Touristic Objectives

Sightseeing can’t be neglected because it’s the official, objective perspective about the local accomplishments. Besides, it will help you understand the culture too.

What are the more prominent sights? Old monasteries and cathedrals? Then the place is rich in spirituality, but it might also be prone to superstitions.

Are there more museums with paintings and sculptures? Then the city you’re visiting has art on a pedestal. That might even be obvious in how the new buildings look, how the parks are decorated or how the people behave.

A city filled with ancient temples or other archaeological sites will give out a mysterious vibe. You’ll find its people are more prone to share stories too, even if not all are true.

Eat the Local Food

That’s definitely something worth doing for many reasons. If the ingredients are simple, without anything fancy, you’ll know that the local cuisine has developed from the eating habits of the majority.

Spices are another good clue about the historical background. If there are lots of spices used, you’ll know the cuisine has been modeled by different civilizations. Same goes for a wide variety of cooking methods or very different meals.

The cooking methods themselves will tell you a lot about the people’s relationship to food. If they like cooking outdoors, or even on the ground, they have a special connection with Mother Nature.

If they like to eat outside, with their friends or in the company of strangers, on paper plates or even standing, you’ve come to a community that values sharing. The opposite is true if the serving is very elegant, and people tend to eat in restaurants or in their homes, serving meals that require plates and kitchen utensils.

Read about the Geography of the Place

If you want to know more about the local geography, a backpacking tripod is always good for taking pictures of awesome vistas. But more than that, people and cultures are always influenced by their landscapes:

Take a History Lesson

This means taking your old high school manuals and searching info about the city you’re visiting. Just like what you did when reading the news, this will tell you how that city is seen from the outside in terms of their historical and geopolitical contribution.

But when you do get to that city, ask for the local perspective. You can even read a couple of their tourist guides, so you can see what historical monuments and moments they take pride in.

Knowledge is Power

After experiencing a different culture, you’ll understand yours better, You might even get a new perspective on the status quo of your country, or find creative solutions to your problems. That said, how do you think you can learn more about a place?

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How to Learn Everything About the Cities You Visit

How to Learn Everything About the Cities You Visit

Rebecca is a USA writer and hiker at hikingmastery.com. Her favorite hike to date is the Everest Base Camp Trek in Nepal. While this hike usually takes 16 days, she likes to slow down, and enjoy the mountains and company of other adventurers, so it took her 28 days.

Photo credits: New York Cabs by Richard Burger.