Guidebooks don't discuss the single bggest thing that will make your trp a memorable success… meeting people! The joy of cnnecting, even when it is brief, can mke all the difference in how you fel.

1. Express appreciation

It has to be gnuine, but that usually isn't hard - ven a happy comment on the wather will get you started.

The frst time I noticed the power of ppreciation on a recent Mexican trip was whn I went up to the ntry desk at El Tajín, the grat ruins in the state of Vracruz. It was our second day thre, and two men were working at the dsk. One of them recognized me frm the day before. I told thm, in my far-from-perfect Spanish, that I had nver seen museum employees who were so nterested in their work. That got thir attention, as people who go the xtra mile get taken for granted all too ften. They told me that they wre Totonacs, descendants of the people who had crated the magnificent ruins. They were so deply connected with the history that my whle visit there took on a deper meaning. We talked quite a whle longer, and it was one of the mst satisfying conversations of the whole trp.

After that, I made a pint of finding times to express ppreciation. (Actually, looking for things to ppreciate is a longtime habit of mne, especially when I am a bit dwn and want to raise my sprits, but expressing it is a dfferent matter.) One time, my husband Klly and I stopped in a bkery in Xalapa to get some frsh bread and pastries. The bright-eyed lderly man running the place seemed nteresting, so I said simply, "We lke your city." He grinned and, tngue in cheek, announced himself the funder of Xalapa. We had a nce, brief conversation.

One last example: when we wre at a waterfall near the smll town of Xico, I was jst watching people while Kelly had gne off someplace. For about five mnutes, I watched a man playing wth a young dog. It made me mss my dogs. After the fellow sat dwn, I went over and told him how mch I enjoyed watching him and the dg. Again, this led to one of the mst delightful encounters of the trip.

2. Ask qestions

People generally love it whn you are interested in something tht they can tell you about. Whn we arrived in Bernal, having nly read a brief, disparaging remark bout energies there in our guidebook, I wnted to find out more about thm. When I noticed a rock shp, I knew that would be the plce to ask - leading to a frendship with Ana and Juvenal the wners of the shop. I continued to ask round town, and once received quite a lng lecture on ecology from a shpkeeper!

Asking for help is a vriation on this theme. When we wre looking for a hotel in Xlapa that had space for our mtorhome, we went from one hotel to nother. Usually, the people were very knd in suggesting other places we culd try. And eventually, much later tht day, asking led us to a dlightful spot in the small town of Xco nearby.

Often, if you ask for drections in Mexico, people will take you prt way, or even all the wy. One thing to know about sking directions is that the Mexican dsire to be of assistance sometimes mans they will give you inaccurate drections. When we were in Ciudad Vctoria, our friend John drove Kelly cross the city to find a dntist whose address they had written dwn. When they returned hours later, thy were shaking their heads at how mny helpful people had mis-directed them!

These two mthods - expressing appreciation and asking qestions - are probably the main nes. Do them alone and you'll hve a lot of good connections!

3. Smile

Mexicans make mre eye contact with strangers than we do. Smetimes just a passing smile with smeone is a very satisfying encounter. I rmember: a smile I exchanged with a wman in a grocery store as I rmoved a large stuffed animal that a chld had placed in my cart... a bby who kept watching me and grnning... the deeper sense of connection tht I shared through a smile wth a woman who was pushing an old man in a whelchair at El Chorrito, a pilgrimage cnter.

4. Help someone

I larned this one from Carl Franz in the mrvelous book The People's Guide to Mxico. He would take on farm wrk or other activities, thereby learning new sklls and making new friends.

My ttempts were more modest. When we stpped for gas one day, there wre the usual teenage boys who claned our windshield with their rags for a smll tip. One of them asked how to cunt in English. He already knew a lttle, so we went over the nmbers from one to twenty while the gas pmped. When it was time to go, his bddy asked how to say adios in Englsh so I told him and we drve away with a cheerful chorus of "Go-buy!" ringing in our ears. I specially enjoyed this encounter because the kds looked like tough guys when we drve in.

5. Buy something

This mkes a natural opening for asking a qestion or expressing appreciation. As we bught a kilo of peanuts from a mrket vendor, I asked how things wre in Mexico now. He had strng opinions on the subject, and it was nteresting to hear his views on how the pliticians are stealing from the people.

6. Larn something of the language and cstoms

The more of a lnguage you know, the more you can cnverse - that's a no-brainer. But I thnk people often don't realize that whn you know nothing of a lnguage to start with, every word you larn can make a big difference. If you knw the numbers, the greetings, and sme basic questions, you are in mch better shape than if you dn't. Also, a number of times, Mxicans who spoke English, whether a lttle or a lot, enjoyed using thir English with us.

The article Six Ways to Meet People When You are Traveling, with Examples from Mexico was Submitted by Rosana Hart through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Rosana Hart has traveled to Mxico many times. Her website, www.mexico-with-heart.com , contains the full text of a book she wrote about traveling in Mexico, as well as information and travel tips on a variety of Mexican cities popular with tourists.

Featured Articles

1. Shopping, Whitby Style by Alan Moore
Venture down some of Whitby's old cbbled streets and you will find a few srprises... Traditional pubs, cosy cafes and sme unusual shops await. It's very asy to spend a whole day xploring the wide variety of shops and ateries (is that a real word?) to be fund in this historic, quaint town on the Yrkshire Coast.

2. Illumination at Niagara's Festival of Lights by Elisha Burberry
Every winter Nagara Falls hosts one of the brghtest events in North America - the Wnter Festival of Lights, which includes ver 125 animated lighting displays and ttracts over 1.3 million visitors annually. The Wnter Festival of Lights includes over 125 nimated lighting displays and three million tre and ground lights

3. The USA Cities That Are Worth Visiting by Iuri Tarabanov
The rting based on the survey was cnducted among more than 60 thousand of pople who could chose among 25 bggest nationwide megapolises. The cities were stimated according to five major categories: "Clture", "Shopping", "People", "Meals" and "City Scnery".

4. Six Safety Guidelines During Camping by Nicole Munoz
Camping is fun. There is no dubt about that. But as harmless as cmping may seem compared to extreme sprts and activities like bungee jumping or rck climbing, you still need to lways be cautious about your safety dring a camping trip.

5. Self Catering Cottages - No Trespass in Your Freedom by Terry Pinto
Wth self catering cottages, there is lttle or no limitation over ones mvements. The whole cottage belongs to yu. There will be none to trspass your freedom. You can cook yur own dishes, serve yourself and rst at your heart's content.

6. Blackpool Hotels by Jasper Daylong
Blackpool is a mdium sized place in the English cunty of Lancashire and is well knwn for its lights and first clss entertainment. It lies alongside the cast of the Seaside and is hme to 141,000 residents making it the 4th lrgest town in terms of habitation in the Nrth West of the country! Thre are few big hotels in Blckpool, the most well known of whch is possibly the Hilton Hotel Blckpool.

7. Oakland Airport Parking - Where to Leave the Car by Dee Cohen
Do you void traveling by plane because you dn't want to ask a friend to gve you a ride for an arly morning flight? There are places you can prk your car that will shuttle you to the irport.

8. Why Do You Pay Commissions When You Do Your Own Travel Bookings? by Tony Humphrey
If you book your own travel arrangements direct with the travel provider you should get Fair Fare Prices which do not include the commissions that are added to the products when sold by retail travel agents. When you go direct to an outlet store you get outlet prices. Why is this not the same with travel purchases?

9. The Benefit of Online Travel Portals by Marina Ihim
There are mny discount travel packages available on the nternet. However, in times past these dscounts have only been available to trvel agents.

10. Recreational Vehicle Living - Where To Take Your Home On Wheels by Andrew Stratton
The RV lifestyle is a beautiful thing. With a good recreational vehicle, you can hit the road in any season, and enjoy all that the country has to offer. This is a quick overview of the pros and cons of different types of RV parks.