Have you just found yourself in a new city or are about to shift to a new city, which you have never visited is it giving you the jitters? Well, if you find yourself relating to the above, then you are not alone. Anyone who has ever made this shift has probably felt about it in this way! Here are some tips to help you settle and understand the city on your own!
Remember, the unfamiliar can be scary, but it can also be exciting! Don’t become complacent and begin to end up taking simply the route to your college, or workplace, only to rush back home! While a lot of times, that is fine, make sure it isn’t your only destination! Explore as much as you can from the get-go, and take public transport to understand the routes and how you can navigate with it. Make a true effort to understand the city! It might be tedious at first, but as time goes on you will get more and more comfortable, and then it will be like a breeze for you!
Make it a point to at least know your surroundings! For this, be spontaneous- walk around in the area near you and understand it! Who knows- you might end up finding your favourite café, that you end up going to regularly. Try and get a sense of the neighborhood first, as that is your immediate surroundings! This will help you at least begin to get comfortable.
This is another technique which is hugely helpful! Find one day when you have an off, and just go to what is the centre of the city! Walk around there, and get a sense of the place! Though the suburbs of a city have a charm of their own undoubtedly, the centre of the city is also where the life of the city is, and where a huge number of people travel daily! As a result, it will also have prominent shops, lots of cafes and restaurants and more! Exploring the centre is a key way of understanding the city! Moreover, while travelling back, you will also better understand how you are situated in the city, and gain some kind of familiarity with more areas, as you travel through them on the journey from the centre to your place!
Of course, don’t worry if you are in any unfamiliar place or get lost, you don’t have to fear the time of GPS! For this make sure you get a good local sim connection in case, your sim doesn’t work there! That way internet will be available for you to check your maps and navigate anytime!
If you are living in the city itself, then it is probably advisable to get to know the nearest grocery store, the nearest ATMs and also the closest pharmacy! You don’t want to waste time going very far when they are close by! So when you go out first, do make sure you find these and have a good sense of how far these are. This way, you will be more sorted and organized!
While planning is a good thing, also understand sometimes despite taking all these measures you might face difficulty in an unfamiliar city! But don’t panic or worry- you will figure it out!
All the Best!
