Planning another trip to Greece and Italy got me thinking about the insider travel concept.  because of numerous other trips to these same areas, such issues as where to go, where to stay, and what to do are not problems, but just choices.

This knowledge was earned by both reading and doing. One time, we marched out of a really nasty (but highly guide-book recommended) hotel in Rome and walked literally across the street to a much better choice. We knew of the second one from walking into the lobby earlier and scouting it out.  Since then, we always are ready to look into interesting restaurants, hotels, local attractions for our future reference.

Time is running out !
Creative Commons License photo credit: pfala

 

Don’t miss talking to local people – knowing even a few words of the local language will help a lot – ask where they eat, or where they would stay. We found two of our favorite eateries in all of Italy just by doing this! This is insider travel at its’ best!

Speaking of food, here’s a tip: don’t ever go into a retaurant that has colored pictures of the food out front! It will be a tourist trap! Look for the place with a chalked menu and lots of locals!

Guess where we get the best local information? From bartenders, waitresses, local tour guides – simple, huh? In Greece if you’re staying in a small hotel or pension, it’s the owner or manager who will know virtually everything!  Just ask them when they’re not too busy, make friends in a foreign country – if you’re with a tour, break away often and meet the locals – skip the other tour members, what do they know about where you are? If they’re learning about insider travel, they want to get away too!

What to wear, what to take, when to go??  How about which camera, cellphone, headset works the best?  All to come on your visits to insider travel tips.

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