As a provider of luxury corporate accommodations, we naturally focus most of our time highlighting the complexes, units and amenities available to our clients. However, today we want to focus on the exploration opportunities you have OUTSIDE the confines of your accommodations.

 

That’s right. On your next assignment, we’d encourage you to push outside your comfort zone and find ways to proactively experience your “home away from home” as a local! We promise.

 

It will add a whole new level of satisfaction to your time away.Here are three suggestions to get you started…

 

Eat at Local Restaurants

While there’s comfort in the familiar, skip the big chain restaurants that you may frequent at home. Instead, make it a point to dine at locally-owned restaurants. There’s a great chance the quality will be better, and you’ll be supporting a small business at the same time. With a quick search on your smart phone, it’s not hard to identify the spots most popular and highly rated with the locals.

 

Find Local Festivals or Farmers’ Markets

Regardless of size, most cities host a variety of festivals and events throughout the year. Festivals and farmers’ markets are an ideal way to soak in the hometown feel of an area. It’s also an excellent way to meet interesting people with a passion for their work or hobbies.

 

The best why to find these events is by looking through the local online or print newspaper, looking for posted flyers, or listening to local radio programming.

 

Combine Exercise and Exploration

Sometimes the most basic suggestions are the best. Go ahead. Lace up those shoes or rent a bike from the local bike shop and get out into the community! There’s something freeing and exciting about exploring a new city on foot or bike. Set your own route and move at your own pace (it’s not a race ).

While it may go against your grain, resist the temptation to plan every turn. Instead, give yourself the freedom to explore! When you find a spot that’s just right, hang out there for a while and take it all in. Enjoy the moment. Short on energy or time for the trip back? Don’t worry. Just order an UBER or Lyft for the ride home.

Here’s to living like a local on your next assignment!