Stay clear of tour guides

They show you what everybody else sees. They take you where everyone else goes. They tell you what you could have learnt from anyone else.Instead, strap your backpack, arm yourself with a map and a local language dictionary, shed your inhibitions in travelling in a local bus/motor and set forth.....you never know what you might just stumble upon.Could be a forgotten ruin, a hidden waterfall, an interesting localite or just a wild goose chase. Whatever, it's your own discovery.