It’s so easy to travel to a destination and simply ‘check off’ your to do list and move on without ever truly experiencing the local culture. But after years of traveling, Caleb and I have learned our favorite trips are the ones where we dive head first into the culture. Like our trips to Italy. That’s where the real magic happens.
Trust me, you don’t want to be a traditional tourist. You want to experience each city to the fullest… And that means embracing the culture- whether that culture be Asian or European, Southern or Northern. In an attempt to get the most authentic travel experience, I like to prepare. I want to know as much as possible about a city and the people who live there. These are my tips on how to get a more authentic travel experience!
- Meet locals. Through your hotel conceirge, your airbnb host, travel companies {like Flat Tire Paris}, local activities {like croissant making with Le Foodist}, social media, church, family, volunteer, etc. Some of my favorite memories while traveling have been spent with locals- like our evening spent learning to cook local dishes with our hosts in Vietnam or our afternoon spent with our photographer in Paris. Get the local experience or at least learn where the locals recommend you go! They always know the inside scoop!
- Eat where the locals eat. We only discovered our favorite restaurant in Paris because it was recommended by locals. It was wayyyy off the beaten path and was SO SO good! We also chose to forgo all of our research in Colmar and simply ate where our host told us to eat- and let me tell you… his recommendations were spot on!
- Learn the language. At least learn the basics. Go beyond just the traditional -hello, goodbye and thank you. I like to think about a few key phrases I know I will use often- at restaurants, at hotels, shopping, etc. I like to have at least 5-10 key phrases saved in my phone so I can use them at any time. Locals always appreciate seeing you at least trying to speak their language. Think- what are a few key phrases you use in English when at a restaurant or in a tourist city?
- Embrace the culture. Do some research before you travel- learn what is polite and what is rude. Be intentional about partaking in the culture, rather than simply viewing it. For example, in Thailand you should know you “wai” {aka bow slightly} to show respect and pointing the bottom of your feet at someone is disrespectful. Learn as much about the culture and partake in the traditions as much as possible. Check out best beachfront rentals to enjoy your stay at its fullest.
- Educate yourself. Read books and watch youtube videos and/or movies based on your destination. I love Rick Steves. Books, movies and videos can help you learn history, see the culture, find pretty locations and see a destination from different viewpoints.
How do you prepare for your trips?
Totally agree with all the points you have put forth. We believe that authentic travel experiences can only be achieved by immersing in the local culture and connecting with the locals. On one of our recent visits to Austria we stayed in a chalet where the owners lived on one of the floors. It was wonderful connecting with them, learning about their life, their culture and traditions and sharing things about our culture and travel experiences with them. Our 1 week stay with them is a great memory.
I agree with all your points. Engaging with the locals is something we also didn’t do in our first few trips but then we started interacting with them and realised, there’s so much you can learn from doing that! Also, a few words, at least the important ones, in the local language can take you a really long way. Eating where the locals eat is yet another thing I completely believe in following. Good tips, I can see you’ve learned all this over a period of time and travelling frequently :)
Some are happy to be travelling to a nice resort, a beautiful beach and eat the food what the resort offer and they go home happy! Nothing wrong with it. But we all are different and when it comes to traveling I prefer to do the opposite. Most because I love to come into the culture as best as I can, thats the way I like to travel.
I do the same things. It’s always better to really embrace each culture. After all, that’s what broadens our perspectives on life.
Yes!!! As someone who lived abroad for a period of my life, I can tell you that all of these tips are true. I think it’s really important for us to get out of our comfort zones when we travel and one of the best ways is to meet locals. Plus, as a linguist I’m always an advocate for learning new languages or at least learning a few phrases to be able to use.
These are great ways to immerse yourself in local culture. I love learning basic phrases and greetings when I travel. I could be better at reading more about the history and culture of places. I tend to just go and not do research, which I should change. Thanks for the reminder.
I totally agree with you regarding authentic travel style. Live with locals and learning the local styles is very important to get the true flavor of that place. Also traveling through local transport system makes us aware of their local customs and places. Embracing culture while traveling is very important as we learn many new and good things of different culture. Thanks for sharing beautiful tips.
I love your 5-tips! I also applied them to my travels both local and overseas and my travel experience is always nice. I learned to loosen up a bit, and not to be uptight, and no complains unlike many travelers. Language is sometimes tough, but having a smile always – the barriers will disappear.
These are some really nice tips. I always encourage my readers to do these plus if possible, attend a festival. The rituals and the culture that you experience truly give you an authentic flavor of the place