How To Travel Like A Local

By Charles Williams


When one goes to another country, the goal is not to be like a tourist but to be one of the locals. That way, one can truly immerse him or herself in the culture and the surroundings. Now, before one goes to a different country, one should take note of these tips on how to travel like a local if he or she wants to blend in.

The first step is to do a lot of research on the place that one will want to go. In a way, one should make him or herself a comprehensive local itinerary so that he or she knows where exactly to go. First, determine where to stay and study all the direct surroundings in the area.

After that, the second step would be to list down the tourist attractions that he or she may want to go to in the trip. An example would be if one would go to Singapore during the vacation. In order to prepare, one could list down some of the nice tourist spots in the area such as Sentosa, Marina Bay Sands, Resorts World Singapore and more.

Of course, one can argue that every tourist would do this before they go to another country anyway. However, what separates seasoned travelers from the tourists would be how deep the traveler researches. In other words, if one wants to not seem like a tourist, then he or she must first do very deep research on the places to go.

A nice example would be if one would want to visit Jalan Alor in Kuala Lumpur. A regular tourist would know where Alor Market is and would also know Alor is a good place for food. However, a real traveler already knows the food to try out even before one gets to place and will know exactly where to go to eat the dish.

The same thing would go for when one would pay a visit to tourist spots in the area. For instance, if one wants to go to Sentosa in Singapore, he or she should research on the activities to do and try it out. That way, he or she won't really seem so lost and may even be able to blend in with the locals.

Lastly, research on the commuter options around the country such as the bus lines, the trains, and the more exotic modes of transport like the Tuktuk in Thailand or the Jeepney in Philippines. If one familiarizes him or herself with the commuter options, one will really be able to appreciate the surroundings of the area. Sure, it is more convenient to take a taxi or a Grabcar, but it does not give the full experience of traveling.

On a final note, it really will pay to make a lot of local friends in the area. Not only will this enable one to know the things to do in the area but also really know the culture of the place. As they say, when you are in Rome, do what the Romans do.




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