Gary’s Q&A

Listener question & Gary’s response · Transcript passage

Todd Whitcomb asks: When traveling, how do you go about meeting the people who live there without being that pushy American tourist? I want to go to Scotland/Ireland, where I am ancestrally from, but I don’t want to offend or bore people.

Being an outsider, which people will probably figure out immediately from your accent, is usually a good start. If you are in touristy areas, it probably won’t raise an eyebrow because people will meet Americans all the time. However, if you get out of the big cities and go visit some more obscure and lesser-visited areas, you’ll find that people are just as curious about you as you are about them.

Also, stop into a pub. Just any old random pub outside the main tourist areas. Ask whoever serves you what they recommend and get that.