Photo by lakshmi prabhala

Here’s an inspiring travel thought for this quiet Tuesday afternoon:

South Florida Sun-Sentinel travel editor Thomas Swick on the importance of people.

Can interaction with locals be purchased through financial transactions when we travel?

Swick thinks not: “As every backpacker knows, the best encounters happen by chance… when the only currency is curiosity.”

*Another reason why Wikipedia rocks: it finally told me the origins of an expression I’ve been using for years.