Travel Experiences- Immersing Yourself in the Culture
One of my absolute favorite parts about traveling is learning about other cultures and customs. The more I can experience a city like a local the better. There are a few key ways I have learned over the years to really immerse myself in the culture, so let’s talk about them!
Hosted Activities
Activities hosted by locals are a great way to get your feet wet in local culture. One activity I try to find no matter where I go is a cooking class. I’ve learned to make authentic croissants in France and handmade pasta and tiramisu in Italy, and I would highly recommend both! I know cooking isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but there are all kinds of activities to choose from! Some cities have art classes or food tours, or even more unique experiences like camel rides through the desert or sand boarding down dunes.
Learning to make pasta in an Italian chef’s home kitchen
Staying By Locals
When I choose to stay in an airbnb on a trip, I really try to get one where the host is renting a room in their home or one that is outside of city center. In both of these cases, you really get to be surrounded by local culture. When staying outside city center, you are more likely to encounter locals because they live in these parts of the city. These parts of the city are also more quiet, which I personally appreciate.
Restaurants
Finding a good restaurant in a foreign country is always a toss up. I try to stay away from restaurants that look to be full of tourists and are around popular attractions (like the temple bar district in Dublin). Instead, I opt for restaurants that are a little more hidden or out of the way. These restaurants tend to be quieter and if you’re lucky, you’ll find a spot that locals go to, that’s how you know its good! These restaurants usually aren’t the fancy pretty ones, those ones they keep pretty to entice tourists. No, local favored restaurants are more humble and quaint. Or I would say that if you’re staying outside city center, almost any restaurant in those areas should be great. For example, if you’re in the UK and come across a small fish and chips shop that looks like nothing special, try it, you’ll be in good hands! Its funny because usually we associate fancy expensive restaurants with incredible food, but from what I’ve found, the cheaper more humble places are where you get more authentic food. Don’t judge a book by its cover, and don’t judge a restaurant by its interior design. If you want stereotypical international cuisine, wait until you get home, because there’s not a good chance that you’ll be able to find as authentic international grub at home.
Fondue in SwitzerlandTorino, Italy’s Famous Chocolate Espresso DrinkMoules Frites in MarseillesFried Cheese in Puerto Rico
Public Transport
In most big cities in Europe, locals tend to get around on public transport systems instead of cars. And why wouldn’t they, public transport in Europe is fantastic, it stretches all across cities and connects outskirts to city center in no time! If you really want to feel like a local, hop on a bus, a tram, or an underground. You’ll see children going to and from school, business people going to work, and people enjoying getting around without having to drive or deal with the stress of parking. Public transport is generally cheap, especially if the cities have reloadable transport cards or passes that cover unlimited rides for a certain amount of days. The only drawback to public transport in big cities is when everyone is going to and from work and school, the busses and subways are packed. If you are claustrophobic, do to take public transport at peak times of day, or you’ll feel like you’re in a can or sardines.
Art Deco Metro Stop in Paris
Learning the Language
A great way to connect with locals is if you can learn and use a few words in the local language. By a few I mean simple words like hello and goodbye, please, thank you, do you speak english, and toilet. Everywhere I have been, the locals have really appreciated that I at least tried to speak a little of their language. They might even help you try to learn a few more words! I’ve been in quite a few situations where shop clerks tried to help me with my very shaky and out of practice French.
Connecting with the local culture provides you with such a rich travel experience. Not only do you bring home great memories, but also a new appreciation for the country you visited and it’s people. This is the key difference I see between tourists and travelers. Tourists want to see the sights, travelers want to experience a culture. If you have any other tips to immerse yourself in local culture, I would love to hear about it!
One of my absolute favorite parts about traveling is learning about other cultures and customs. The more I can experience a city like a local the better. There are a few key ways I have learned over the years to really immerse myself in the culture, so let’s talk about them!
Hosted Activities
Activities hosted by locals are a great way to get your feet wet in local culture. One activity I try to find no matter where I go is a cooking class. I’ve learned to make authentic croissants in France and handmade pasta and tiramisu in Italy, and I would highly recommend both! I know cooking isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but there are all kinds of activities to choose from! Some cities have art classes or food tours, or even more unique experiences like camel rides through the desert or sand boarding down dunes.
Learning to make pasta in an Italian chef’s home kitchen
Staying By Locals
When I choose to stay in an airbnb on a trip, I really try to get one where the host is renting a room in their home or one that is outside of city center. In both of these cases, you really get to be surrounded by local culture. When staying outside city center, you are more likely to encounter locals because they live in these parts of the city. These parts of the city are also more quiet, which I personally appreciate.
Restaurants
Finding a good restaurant in a foreign country is always a toss up. I try to stay away from restaurants that look to be full of tourists and are around popular attractions (like the temple bar district in Dublin). Instead, I opt for restaurants that are a little more hidden or out of the way. These restaurants tend to be quieter and if you’re lucky, you’ll find a spot that locals go to, that’s how you know its good! These restaurants usually aren’t the fancy pretty ones, those ones they keep pretty to entice tourists. No, local favored restaurants are more humble and quaint. Or I would say that if you’re staying outside city center, almost any restaurant in those areas should be great. For example, if you’re in the UK and come across a small fish and chips shop that looks like nothing special, try it, you’ll be in good hands! Its funny because usually we associate fancy expensive restaurants with incredible food, but from what I’ve found, the cheaper more humble places are where you get more authentic food. Don’t judge a book by its cover, and don’t judge a restaurant by its interior design. If you want stereotypical international cuisine, wait until you get home, because there’s not a good chance that you’ll be able to find as authentic international grub at home.
Fondue in SwitzerlandTorino, Italy’s Famous Chocolate Espresso DrinkMoules Frites in MarseillesFried Cheese in Puerto Rico
Public Transport
In most big cities in Europe, locals tend to get around on public transport systems instead of cars. And why wouldn’t they, public transport in Europe is fantastic, it stretches all across cities and connects outskirts to city center in no time! If you really want to feel like a local, hop on a bus, a tram, or an underground. You’ll see children going to and from school, business people going to work, and people enjoying getting around without having to drive or deal with the stress of parking. Public transport is generally cheap, especially if the cities have reloadable transport cards or passes that cover unlimited rides for a certain amount of days. The only drawback to public transport in big cities is when everyone is going to and from work and school, the busses and subways are packed. If you are claustrophobic, do to take public transport at peak times of day, or you’ll feel like you’re in a can or sardines.
Art Deco Metro Stop in Paris
Learning the Language
A great way to connect with locals is if you can learn and use a few words in the local language. By a few I mean simple words like hello and goodbye, please, thank you, do you speak english, and toilet. Everywhere I have been, the locals have really appreciated that I at least tried to speak a little of their language. They might even help you try to learn a few more words! I’ve been in quite a few situations where shop clerks tried to help me with my very shaky and out of practice French.
Connecting with the local culture provides you with such a rich travel experience. Not only do you bring home great memories, but also a new appreciation for the country you visited and it’s people. This is the key difference I see between tourists and travelers. Tourists want to see the sights, travelers want to experience a culture. If you have any other tips to immerse yourself in local culture, I would love to hear about it!
Pursuit of Happy Travel 
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