Native Nomads’ 11 Tips & Tricks for Traveling Local

We wanted to share with you some little tidbits we have picked up along our travels and kept in our back pocket for just about any occasion as a traveler. These are the best practices and have helped us many times. They are also insights we have learned from locals as we have made friends in the places we’ve traveled.

The underlying theme we have discovered is that our favorite part of traveling in the first place has always been about getting to know different ways of life, culture, language and experiences.

Why?

Because we’ve noticed when we push outside of our own imposed comfort zones, we grow and learn a lot more than if we always stick with what we’ve done or known in the past. It is also where we’ve had some of the most fun, exhilarating, meaningful and deepest moments on the road. Typically these experiences have happened completely sporadically and spontaneously. That is what has opened our eyes to the fascinating, endless opportunities available on the road.

1. Slow Travel

We have discovered that traveling slowly and immersing yourself in the local culture go hand in hand. Most travel, especially international travel is time-consuming if you count the hours getting to your end destination via planes, trains, buses, taxis, and walking. Then add in planning, booking, packing and unpacking. A three-day trip can be over in the blink of an eye.

We recommend that if you are traveling internationally and want to benefit the local community, take your time and spend a minimum of ten days in an area. This leads to good overall travel planning and knowing why you are going to a destination.

If you just want to have a fun weekend by all means go and have fun. If you want to be immersed in another culture and find a new way of looking at the world we recommend slower travel. This gives you the time it takes to meet people and get to know them better, too. It is also better for the environment 🙂

Reusable bottle in carrying bag

Beach Plogging

2. Travel Sustainably

Slow travel adds to the sustainability of your journey. We all travel because we love to see the beautiful world. It is especially important for travelers to be conscious of this because every plastic straw or drop of unneeded fuel adds to the toxic tax and personal carbon footprint on our beautiful earth. Make sure to pack your life straw, or metal reusable straw and a reusable water bottle. Seek out clean water refilling stations if you are in a country where it is unsafe to drink from the tap, instead of buying plastic water bottles from the convenient store.

We understand that sometimes it is difficult when you are away from home in a foreign country and have just ordered takeout or street food and all that is available is plastic cutlery. For this reason, we do suggest picking up a little reusable travel cutler set to carry with you in case of this.

Plogging

One last thing we have found we love doing is called “plogging.” In order to balance out your traveling carbon footprint, something fun and great you can do is take a half hour or more to clean up trash at a beach, river or another natural area in the place you are visiting. Bring a garbage bag and if you like gloves. It feels good and it makes the area look better than how you found it, always a good rule of thumb for whenever you travel.

3. Do your Research

First, jot down a quick list of the top things you want to do in the place you will be traveling to. Perhaps you would like to go out into nature. Or hang out on the pristine beaches sipping mai tais. Or roll up your sleeves and volunteer at the local animal shelter. Maybe you want to learn the language of the country you are visiting. Figure out what your priorities are — the top 3-5 things you would be sad if you didn’t do by the end of your trip.

Visual Search Engines & Spreadsheets

One thing you can do is search the place you are visiting through Instagram, a simple Google search on the “images” filter, or via Pinterest. We get many of our ideas this way, through visual searches, because you may see something unique or it might spur your excitement about something you had never thought of before.

Next, after defining what your priorities are, do a quick search of the area on your web browser, check Tripadvisor, and reach out to relevant Facebook groups. This will typically give you an overload of ideas about things to do in your destination. One great way to keep track of everything is through Pinterest (if you are visual) by creating a wishlist/dream board of that destination. Or if you like everything a bit more organized you can create a Google spreadsheet and house the information of the top things to do and subsequent contact information, references, details, etc within that to reference throughout your trip planning and while there.

Local Events, Tours & Word of Mouth

After you book your accommodations another thing we recommend doing is to ask your hosts or hotel concierge what local events are happening during the time you will be visiting. You can also ask for what local tour guide company that they recommend and contact that company for more information. We have done this multiple times and have been overwhelmed with ideas and people to reach out to.

We also recommend reaching out specifically to whomever more than one person recommends. Word of mouth really is everything, even in this digital information age. That is how we originally were connected with Yucatan Giving Outreach (here in Merida, Mexico), which has been one of the best non-profits we have ever encountered and volunteered with. In the end you will have a list of locals to reach out to which brings us to our next tip.

4. Reach out to a Local

Find out what is happening in a local place before you go. This might mean a quick scan of a local blogger’s site or contacting local people through a Facebook group in the area. Asking how you can help or what you should see to a local is a great way to connect yourself to that culture. It is also a great way to find out some secret spots that are not known to the general tourist community. A local person can tell you about dangers in the area as well as places to avoid (ie tourist traps, etc).

The wonderful thing about connecting with locals before you even depart for your trip is that when you arrive you will already feel more comfortable and confident in your knowledge of the area and the people. If you want to really explore and experience a new place and all that it has to offer, including its history and unique, nuanced cultural aspects, we think the best way of doing this is through befriending locals and local businesses or tour guide companies.

Extra tip for traveling local:

Before booking any tours or activities try to confirm that the company is locally owned and operated. We have noticed that many times they are not and we try to steer clear of super corporate establishments or businesses because it does not always benefit the local economy. As mentioned before, it also does not really offer the same level of local knowledge, friendship and insider insight that you will get with a local company. The same goes for accommodations – when possible book through a local hotel, Airbnb or hosting site.

5. Get Out Of Town

If you are traveling thousands of miles to a beautiful country we personally don’t understand the point of staying in a resort the entire time. (We know, we know. Sometimes you just need a vacation from everything and don’t want to leave the beach or figure out where you will be eating next. There’s a time and place for everything 😉

However, there are probably plenty of resorts and hotels much closer to where you live. We suggest you explore and even try staying a few nights away from the comforts of your resort. This will benefit the local economy and you might even discover something really special and unique on your journey. We did this on one of our first trips to Tulum, Quintana Roo, and found ourselves eating dinner and drinking homemade beer in a candlelit tropical rainforest built in an authentic Mayan style, with one of the kindest and most unique couples we have ever met. We stayed up for hours after dinner talking with them about Mayan architecture, culture and artistic pursuits in their palapa style dining room.

6. Don’t be afraid to use the language of the country

Whether you are just starting out or are an expert, we’ve found that local people will thoroughly appreciate you making the attempt. If you can learn some key phrases “hello”, “goodbye”, “thank you” “where is the bathroom,” “what is your name, my name is,” “pleased to meet you,” this will make all the difference in the world. After quick introductions, you can use google translate to fill in the gaps if you are still learning. It is essential to learn the language of the country you are visiting if you want to connect and travel locally.

Trust us, we are still in the midst of deepening our knowledge and practice of the Spanish language. It is not always easy. We have hired two different local tutors. We have also used a couple of apps on our phone, Duolingo and Pimsleur. We have found Pimsleur is a wonderful app for learning because it has you take a 30-minute class every day and consists mainly of repeating back sentences in the correct accent and compounding complexity and depth over time.

7. Seek out local cultural nights or activities

This step can be done in the research phase. However, we thought it was important to make it its own tip! Observing local events or participating in them not only gives you a feel for the local culture but can empower and inspire you to learn more than you ever thought you would. We would say the best guide for local events is the local paper that will have the list. (Here in Merida we love the bilingual site and physical free paper Yucatan Today which always keeps a current event monthly calendar going.

We have found coffee tastings and meetups, live music performances, flamenco shows, salsa dance nights with a tutor, theater productions, art gallery openings, local markets and fiestas, dinner benefits for local nonprofits, polo events, fashion runways, holiday celebrations and even a language exchange social night at a bar from a local language school.

Activities are also a great way to make friends if you are new to the area. Depending on how long they have been there, they may be able to tell you more about or show you something unique or less widely known.

8. Stay with a Local

When looking to explore a new area, we have found the best luck is to use Airbnb. You can typically tell from the photos, description and reviews if it is a corporate airbnb or a local one. It might not be as fancy as a hotel or have room service and the extra accoutrements, but it will lead to so much more exploration and connection with local people.

Airbnb

For example when we traveled to Naples Italy in 2016, we stayed with a woman in her apartment. We had our own private loft area complete with its own kitchen and dining area. However we had access to her lovely little library of books about Italy. We got to talking to her and the next thing we knew we were going with her to her friend’s musical concert performance in a plaza a few blocks from the apartment, sipping local red wine and getting to know all of the locals and her friends there! We had so much fun and it wouldn’t have been the same if we had attended by ourselves than going with someone from the area who knew everyone and took us under her wing. It was one of the most memorable parts of our trip and the best part? It was completely unplanned and spontaneous! Trust us, befriend locals and if you get an invite, go!

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Servas

There is also a great program called Servas.org which is an international non-profit site. They connect you with a host where you will stay for 2 (or more) days and share in the experience of the homeowners daily life. “The purpose [of Servas] of the network is to help build world peace, goodwill and understanding by providing opportunities for personal contacts among people of different cultures, backgrounds and nationalities.” Check out more on Servas here.

CouchSurfing

Similarly we have heard really good things about CouchSurfing, although we have not personally used it.

Homestay Language Exchange

Another great way of simultaneously staying with a local and learning the language is through securing a “Homestay Language Exchange.” This is also often combined with a longer-term volunteering role at the site or with an affiliated organization. A quick google search combined with vetting the program through online reviews and even seeking out information from past home stayers is a good place to start.

9. Volunteer with a local non-profit that helps people

This has been the most beneficial tip for us and we have found a deep connection with our local community when we give back and help as much as we can. When money is not involved and everyone joins together to help you create instant friends, some locals and some ex-pats. All of the volunteers are bonded with the local community as helpers not saviors and that is important to think about. When entering the local environment you might see things that you are not accustomed to. It might feel uncomfortable at first, but if you start to ask questions of how you can help it will open doors into not only learning about what they need but will give insight into daily life, traditions and hardships.

Our second best tip is to check out this website and database of vetted volunteering opportunities called Grassroots Volunteering. The founder of this site, Shannon O’Donnell was an invaluable wealth of knowledge for us in understanding the lay of the land when it comes to volunteering. You can also check out her book called The Volunteer Traveler’s Handbook, which is filled with great advice for choosing volunteer positions that actually align with the community you are planning to serve while creating sustainable volunteer organizations that are led and maintained by the locals. She taught us the vital difference between voluntourism and volunteering that made it easier to make the right decisions when it comes to ethically volunteering.

10. Explore Rural Tourism

Rural tourism is similar to Servas.org but instead of staying for free in exchange for local connection, you give a fair amount (typically much less than a fancy resort) to stay and immerse yourself in the local culture. You might learn how to make homemade tortillas, garden, make shoes and the traditional handicrafts unique to that town, and more. The local culture where the rural tourism is hosted comes up with a way for you to experience what it feels like to live there without the Disneyland feel of some other cultural immersion experiences (ie Xcaret in Quintana Roo).

It is also a fantastic way to support the local economy directly, while also giving the opportunity for your hosts to not have to leave their hometown for work (which sadly is the case we’ve often found). Instead, they can stay home with their families and continue simultaneously doing the work they’ve traditionally done for generations, such as tending to their milpa (cornfields in the Mayan Yucatan), making their special handicrafts and much more.

11. Always be kind and respectful of others

As you travel around the world this is the most important thing. It is the golden rule. No matter what language you speak, when interacting with local people and, really anyone you cross paths with. There are many unique and distinct customs in every culture and it is a good idea to observe, imitate and ask your host or a local, if you are unsure.

Well that is about all for now. We could share more but wanted to get you inspired with a quick list of tips and insights we have learned along the way while traveling as local as we can.

What are YOUR favorite tips for traveling locally?

We’d love to hear from you too! Please leave any of your own favorite tips for traveling locally in the comments below! Or if you have any resources, groups you are a part of or specific recommendations for accommodations or travel touring companies we should all check out, be sure to leave that as well.

Thank you for reading and happy local traveling, friends!

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Why You Should Travel Like a Local | Travel Tips for Traveling Local

Native Nomads’ 11 Tips & Tricks for Traveling Local

Why?

1. Slow Travel