By: Noah Gloege

National/World Editor

Many people spend their lives within a small, certain radius, returning to the same places over and over without expanding their horizons. Visiting more unknown places, whether locally or internationally, is one of the greatest feelings there is. Go to those places that make you feel the rush of adrenaline, the smell of the food carts of the streets, or the trees that surround that pristine lake or beach. 

There are countless places in the Bay Area that many people do not know about yet offer some of the most incredible views, stories, and sights. Often, people only go to places they have been before, whether restaurants, beaches, or towns. Exploring the unknown, whether it is a trail in Marin, a quiet corner in the Los Altos Hills, or a café tucked away in a San Francisco alley, reminds us that the world is much bigger than our routines and daily activities suggest. Exploring these unfamiliar places is impossible to describe unless you experience it firsthand. he sense of freedom and adventure makes you wish you had been there before. Natural locations are usually the most beautiful, as humans have not overrun them, leaving them untouched. In cities and towns, the experience is entirely different when untrammeled by tourists, leaving you with locals. These adventures can change how you view the world, as you can see how people actually live as opposed to visiting often tacky tourist attractions.

The best way to find these locations is to ask locals or to check social media. Visiting new places allows you to figure out who you really are. A quiet mountain town might reveal your love for the silence, while a chaotic city might resonate with your more adventurous side. By contrast, when you stay in the same environment every day, the same version of yourself shows up. 

Go somewhere with few or no tourists, somewhere that makes you wonder about the daily routines of the people living there. When locals, instead of tour groups, surround you, you learn to appreciate a place’s values and traditions in a far more genuine way. These experiences broaden your view of the world while also making you wonder what you thought it was. It teaches you to be comfortable with being uncomfortable and builds confidence that you cannot learn any other way. New places make you learn to rely on yourself and your instincts, and, eventually, that discomfort becomes independence. 

Travel to places without the postcards or tour buses. Visit the trail no one talks about, the town that isn’t known, or the country that doesn’t appear on everyone’s bucket list.