On Being A Tourist 

I’m really good at being a tourist. I have traveled in groups. I have traveled alone. It is easy to adventure abroad. Many people are afraid to travel solo, but as I found on my most recent trip to Italy, traveling alone is easier and more productive than in a group. By productive, I mean that you can venture to wherever, whenever and meet people more easily than when you are in a group. When you’re in a group, you are kind of closed off to others or give off a vibe that you are less approachable (than if you were alone).

Ok that was a slight tangent, and my point really is that for some reason it’s easy to find adventure in an unfamiliar place. My second adventure involved the whole “being a tourist in your own city”. It’s funny that I’ve seen more of Seoul than my hometown of Chicago. I even know directions and the subway better in there than I do here. We easily take for granted familiar surroundings and don’t always take advantage of the things our own city has to offer. So last week in an attempt to do something touristy, I went to the Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium with my sister and nieces. We went on a “free” day, and lucky for this gal on a budget, they have about ten of these per month. I got to see some marine life and learn about some stars. It was a nice little something out of the ordinary!

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