When traveling to a new city, the first thing people often think about is how to get around. It can be an overwhelming task to figure out how to navigate public transportation, taxi companies, or walk routes in a place you’ve never been. When you add a potential language barrier to the mix, many people get frustrated or scared.
Luckily, there are so many tools at people’s disposal today. With the advent of GPS technology and a multitude of transit apps, getting around new places has never been easier. Below I’ll outline the steps I take in order to acquaint myself with a new city prior to arrival.
Google Maps (or map app of choice)
The first thing I do is open Google Maps and search the city I’m visiting. If I already know where I am staying, I’ll put in that address to see where I will be located. Then, I put in key tourist locations to see where they are in relation to my hotel or apartment. It’s good to use the direction feature to get some guidelines for transit but note that Google doesn’t always excel in this area for certain cities. It has great insight into public transit for cities like London and New York, but may not always have all the options for other cities like Bangkok or Frankfurt.
Airport Information
Once I have my bearings, I’ll go ahead and do a search for airport information. I usually find valuable information on people’s travel blogs or through message boards like on FlyerTalk. People often have searched for this information before I did, so there’s a wealth of knowledge out there. I generally read a few things to find out whether it would make more sense to train into the city or take a taxi or use a ride share app. For instance, it became clear that the train in Beijing was much easier than hailing a cab and driving through the Chinese capital’s traffic. Other cities would involve too many train transfers, but had ample space for Ubers to pick up.
Public Transit
Once I have a very rough idea of h ow the city is laid out, and I know how I’m going to leave the airport, I start diving into transit options. Some cities may have one or two subway lines whereas others may have multiple subway companies that interact with trams, buses and commuter rails. I start by finding any stations that are near my hotel and then looking up transit maps online. If I can find a transit map that’s overlaid onto a street map, it’s even more helpful. For non-English countries, I try to match words or characters so that I can make sure I’m looking at the right street or station.
This exercise doesn’t usually make me an expert, but it gives me the lay of the land. I also visit the transit company’s website and figure out the best way to buy tickets. Sometimes it can be done at the airport, other times through machines, and it’s always important to know if it’s a cash only system. Again, I’ll read various blogs to find out some best-case practices for using transit. I generally find this is the easiest, fastest, and cheapest way to get around a new city. Plus, it makes me feel like I’m a local.
Walking
Finally, I do some research about walkability. Google Maps generally gives great insight to walk times between locations, although there’s always a caveat about how walkable streets are. Many big cities are pedestrian friendly, and when I first arrive I love to just meander around a neighborhood. I’ll again consult many of the great travel blogs on the internet to see if other people have good walking insight. It’s incredible how much information is out there.
When you’re traveling to a new destination, it may seem overwhelming when figuring out how to get around. With some planning and research, you can help these fears go away. You won’t be an expert in any transit system before you arrive, but knowing where some key stations are, how to walk around your new neighborhood, and how to buy tickets will make you feel much more comfortable. That way you can hit the ground running and really dive into your new adventure with minimal pause.
Let us know if you have any transit tips for when you visit new destinations! We love learning about new best-case practices.