My name is Tyler Cowen, and I’m a travel addict. Over the last 40 years I’ve visited more than 100 countries. I spend, on average, 160 days on the road. I have lived in a tiny Mexican village without shops, have been to Haiti five times, and once got caught up in a gunfight in Rio.

Which is another way of saying: I’m not your typical vacation guide. As an economist, I’ve never been much of one for spouting conventional wisdom, and as a traveler, I generally take the same approach. I’m always on the hunt for the places, the art, the food that most tourists overlook—and because I’ve spent so much of my life traveling, I know where to find them. To be a Tyler Cowen-style traveler, you have to be a little more adventurous than your fellow tourist. Maybe this is the summer when you decide you’re ready for that. In which case, come along as I share with you a handful of my favorite vacation tips.