Frankly I was a little perplexed by the whole premise
of this
article in the LA Times today. It urges people who travel to get out there and actually meet people when they hit
the road. I was perplexed because I thought to myself, wait a minute, who wouldn’t try to meet people when they travel?
Isn’t that largely the point of travel? To interact with others and see how they live? What kind of traveler would stay
inside the bus and see the world pass through a window? There aren’t actually people out there like that, right?
Well there are. And it’s sad. The times that I travel I make an effort to engage as many folks as possible. And they
are all around you, and willing to talk! You don’t have to go far, you know. Chat up your taxi drivers, waiters, the
guy selling crap on the street. Talk about the weather, talk about food, films…whatever. But keep in mind that you are
out there to experience something new, and if you miss out on meeting other people when you travel, well, you’re not
really traveling at all.