The Wanderlust guide to meeting the locals
Interacting with people from different cultures is one of the best reasons to travel. Here’s your guide to meeting them
Meeting people from different cultures is one of the best reasons to step outside your front door – creating the stuff of lifelong memories.
And while much of the travel industry has often seemed devoted to keeping travellers cocooned in resorts, the times are a-changing. From homestays to house-swaps, couchsurfing to indigenous-run lodges, the opportunities to share the lives of others are growing fast. ‘Community-based tourism’ is the buzz-phrase for many emerging travel destinations, and networks of guides, homestays and local ‘greeters’ are springing up worldwide.
Looking for inspiration?
So, how do you meet the locals? It’s easy enough to meet the hawkers – they’ll spot you a mile off and make themselves known. While that can offer an interesting cultural exchange, what if you want to meet people who don’t necessarily want to sell you something?
With that in mind, Lousie Spratt has put together a list of 5 alternative ways to travel that will put you in immediate and close contact with locals. Thidara Udomritkul has put together a guide on how to fast track a truly local experience.
Meeting the locals is an essential part of Nick Boulos’s job. As a travel writer he needs to get underneath the surface of a destination. He reveals how in his piece about taking notes and meeting locals.
More information
5 alternative ways to travel – Louise Spratt
How to fast track a truly cultural experience – Thidara Udomritkul
Taking notes and meeting locals – Nick Boulos
Staying with locals
The quickest way to meet the locals – and understand their life – is to live with them. It’s easy too. Whether you’re looking for homestays in India or Barcelona, we have gathered the best options in both.
Looking for something more exotic? Antonia Bolinbroke-Kents recommends Mongolia and explains the ins and outs of staying in an iconic Mongolian ger.
More information
Top 5 homestays in India – Wanderlust team
7 of the best homestays in Barcelona – Wanderlust Team
The ins and outs of visiting a Mongolian ger – Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent
