Most of us were warned never to talk to strangers as a kid. As an adult, you have probably repeated the age-old adage to the children in your family. “Safety” is the watchword these days and mostly for the right reasons, but while on vacation, it can be healthy to loosen up a little and allow yourself to meet new people.

“Loosening up” on vacation doesn’t mean you have to talk to everyone who crosses your path, but striking up conversations with fellow travelers and friendly locals can help create the ultimate travel experience. Travel should be an adventure, but you can miss a lot unless you interact with those around you.

Start at the Beginning

On a recent flight to Europe, one young man boarded the plane as usual, stowing his TravelPro luggage under the seat, and quickly turning on his iPod. He planned to spend the entire flight listening to music, but an hour later, the woman across the aisle nudged him.

“Are you going to Germany?” she asked, pointing toward the seat in front of him where a travel brochure was peeking out of his TravelPro luggage. When he confirmed his destination, they struck up a conversation that ended with the woman giving him the name and phone number of her relatives in Germany, people she said would be happy to treat him to dinner and take him on a tour.

Imagine if he had never had the conversation?

Talk to your seatmates whenever possible. Find out where they’re going and where they’ve been. You may not snag a phone number or dinner invitation, but you may gain a lifelong friend or pen pal. At the very least, you’ll enjoy a pleasant conversation and learn something you’d be hard-pressed to learn any other way.

Approach Locals

When traveling in a foreign land, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Most people take pride in their home and are happy to share information with tourists – and locals usually give much more interesting answers than tour guides do. Talk to bartenders in pubs, waiters in sidewalk cafés, and shopkeepers. Go where locals go and spend less time visiting flashy tourist sites. Visit local corner stores and restaurants, the kind that have been run by the same family for generations. Engaging this way promises a memorable and more authentic travel experience.

One last tip: While visiting local spots and enjoying the ambience, you may want to blend in to get a more natural feel for your destination. People may realize you are not a local, but most appreciate if you leave your loud Hawaiian shirt and Chanel sunglasses back at the hotel in your TravelPro luggage. If you dress like a native, sit down at the local watering hole to enjoy a regional drink (nothing with an umbrella in it, please), and keep an open mind, eventually you’ll find yourself making new memories with new friends. What more could you want?

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