Hello!

In the next few months many of us will be taking vacations and holidays. Traveling offers a perfect opportunity for creative inspiration... Out of the ordinary sites, sounds, tastes, people, and culture help stimulate out of the ordinary thinking and ideas.

This month I offer you ways to augment your travel plans so you may go beyond being a tourist... to being an explorist. Enjoy!

Idea Sandbox Tip
Be An Explorist - Let Your Get-Away Inspire You

Get the Inside Scoop

Before you leave for your destination, consult insider / underground guides for the places you are visiting. These guides often provide more insight than tourist guidebooks and share the gritty aspects of local life.

While on your trip, talk with everyone you meet... Talk with shopkeepers, concierge, taxi drivers, roadside vendors, and others. Listen a lot. These locals will proudly direct you to places off the beaten path.

Start with the “Cheesy” Tour

Take the tours that locals refuse to attend... the double-decker bus, the land/water tour, or the sightseeing van. (You know which these are... like the ones you refuse to do in your own town). These tours cover large parts of the city, highlight key landmarks, and provide a broad overview of an area. They provide a great starting point and allow you to become more familiar with the layout of a city. Use these tours to determine which parts of the city you will later explore.

Hero Hometowns

Walk in the footsteps of one of your personal heroes... Visit their birthplace, see where they grew up, went to school, and visit the places that inspired them. Don’t have a particular hero? Adopt one and explore the path a great inventor, famous artist, or great leader – you’ll be surprised how what you learn will inspire your own life.

These are just a few ideas... View more ideas and add your own at the Idea Sandbox weblog.

More ideas here...

I hope you find these tips helpful, and that being an Explorist inspires great ideas!

Travel safe,

Paul Williams
Idea Sandbox
web: http://www.idea-sandbox.com
blog: http://www.idea-sandbox.com/blog