They Learned the Hard Way

I like to have a drink in a local pub. —Geoff Watts

I buy local papers and read the obituaries. I go for a run. I get the free weekly and see what bands are playing.— Mo Frechette

I avoid taxis as much as possible, and opt to walk or take the public transit wherever I go: I see more of the neighborhoods and feel less like a tourist. Perhaps my favorite way is to visit the local farmers market. It tells you so much about a place, not only about the food and local agriculture, but also the timing of people's days. —Anne Wood

The best thing to get a feel for a country is to get in touch with locals. —Claus Sendlinger

HOW TO FIND NON-TOURISTY SPOTS

If I am returning to a city that I have visited many times, such as Paris, I try to stay in a different neighborhood. By doing this, I can return to places that are old and familiar and also discover a new neighborhood. At other times, I will simply pick an area from a city map that is outside the tourist area and, working with a red Michelin guide, select one or more possible places for dinner in a "neighborhood" restaurant. —Walter Lowry

I try to ask people I trust before I go. I don't ask for a long list, just one or two places, tops. Then I play like Alice and follow the rabbit. When I eat at a good place, I ask the people where they like to eat. And so on. —Mo Frechette

In general, I try to avoid the restaurants that have the American menu, especially those with the very aggressive guy standing out front yelling at you to come in. Most of my favorite places are on side streets, or several blocks or kilometers from the nearest tourist highlights. However, recently I was desperately hungry, and caved into one of those tourist-looking places in Turkey, and had a fantastic meal. So, I always tell people simply to walk around and pick what looks good to you. Part of the magical experience of traveling is stumbling across a gem by accident, and keeping it in your own memory. You can't get that from a recommendation or a guidebook. —Anne Wood

Books aren't reliable; I recommend looking for people who seem to have something in common with you (age, style, etc.) and asking if they could give you some recommendations. —Geoff Watts

Never be afraid to ask locals, but also never be afraid to disbelieve them, as they will often recommend things they think you would like rather than what they like, which is always a disaster. Hotel owners tend to be very good sources of secrets, but you need to earn their trust as Brazil especially is full of little gems for closed little networks. —Henry Madden

One option is to read a guidebook and then intentionally go nowhere that it suggests (this usually ensures you miss out on crowds of people). Another is to just explore, explore, explore. I love walking/cycling/driving around and taking random turns to see where I end up. —Bruce Haxton

STREET FOOD