“…To become a real official resident of a city or truly fall for a place you’ve got to let the city push, pull, divert and distract you till you’re either worn down from over-stimulation, or you reach the point where you decide that you and the city are never going to be the best of friends,” says Tyler Brûlé in his latest column in the IHT.
I think this is something we forget when we live in a city, or travel for that matter. Although I abandoned ‘traveling with an itinerary’ a long long time ago, the little voice in your head always seems to say – “well you’ve come all the way, you might as well see what you’re supposed to see,” and before you know it, it’s time to leave and all you have done is follow your guidebook. You leave devoid of personal discoveries. And therefore devoid of new, original stories to write about.
So wander. Lose yourself. Find corners in your city you have never been to, and you’ll be surprised at the story ideas that will start churning.