The Jogging Tourist

by Laurie Wells — April 2, 2007

When I was young, my mother would start off any trip by gathering information about our destination. For a few weeks before we left, the family would pore over books and watch movies, learning about the history and culture of wherever we were headed--be it Boston or Tijuana. Once we arrived, she would spend the first hour or so with flyers spread out across the hotel bed, picking and then booking any and every possible tour: a ramble through Mark Twain's house, a bus tour of Mexican border towns, a historical cruise of Boston harbor.

As I began traveling on my own, I was slightly embarrassed to discover that I enjoyed such touristy pursuits and relished researching wherever it was I was headed. But in a slight twist on the experiences of my childhood, I discovered that my favorite way to get oriented in a new place is to break out the sneaks and go for a jog.

Years ago, my boyfriend and I took a low-budget car trip down Highway 1 from Northern California to L.A. We didn't have money for hotels every night, so we spent the days exploring on foot and the nights sleeping in the car. To work out the kinks of sleeping wrapped up in a sleeping bag and smooshed under the steering wheel of my little Honda Civic, we would get up and go for a run. I have incredible memories of these outings--running the streets of Monterey, with huge mansions on one side and the gorgeous coast on the other. Since then, this has become my favorite way to see a new place.

Attending a conference in Alexandria, Virginia, I made friends with another attendee and we jogged to the Washington Memorial, smiling through the next day's meetings because we were so sore from our run. When living in New York City for a month, I didn't truly feel oriented until I zigzagged around the characters on the sidewalk between my apartment and the Hudson River. And my husband and I still laugh about a "quick jog" through the forest to a lake near Yellowstone. It got a lot quicker once we noticed the recent claw markings on the trees left by the local grizzly population.

Whether it's a head nod and a half-smile from a passing local out for a morning jog or an escapade through unknown territory that results in an adventurous tale of survival years later, how much more memorable a jog through new terrain is than observing a place from afar? Armed with a pair of tennis shoes and a sports bra, you can be your own best tour guide--just be sure the locals aren't 1500-pound bears that can run 35 mph before you take off for a saunter through the neighborhood.