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