Dear Local Traveler how are you doing today, did the passing of days already lead you to living your first travel as a local? Today we are going to be looking at a significant component of travelling as a local which is, HOW. Isn’t that the greatest question we ask ourselves as we go through life? ‘That would be amazing, but how’, ‘I wish I could also do that but, how?’. After this blog, you’ll have one doubt less to contemplate on.
The topics we have covered until now are important. Today we learn how to set them into action and work with them so we can fulfill and bring into life the dream we have so kept, caged in our minds.
The 5 How’s
First of all, let’s break it down into topics. The HOW of travelling as a local takes place not only in one area, such as accommodation but, in 5:
- Research
- Transportation
- Accommodation
- Contacts
- Behavior
All these factors must be considered and each and every one of them marks the difference between a travel experienced by the masses or one unprecedented crafted by your day-to-day decisions. In this blog we will be covering the first two How’s, research and transportation. Topics accommodation, contacts and behavior will be covered in the second release of this blog on the 18/03/2024
So, without further ado let’s get started!
Manifesting Dreams – The 1st How
We have touch on the subject research before, in the blog on what it means to become a local traveler. So, as a component to the information I have delivered before here I will touch on what kind of research one should do and what research will deliver you the special results we are striving to achieve.
What to do research on? When you do your research for your upcoming travels you firstly want to know what it is that awaits you in the country. What is it the country has to offer and what makes it unique? Where does the essence of this country lie, what traditions does it practice and what cherished cultures does it live by?
You might even undergo this research in order to choose the destination you want to travel to. For how do you know if it is the right country if you don’t know anything about it?
So, apart of knowing what the country has to offer and where its roots lie, you must know what it is you want to experience and what you are open to encountering and living through on your travel.
Where best to find this information?
The trap of tourism information centers
First up, tourism information centers are not going to give you the results you want. They are good for a first general impression. Here is why: what I have not only observed but also experienced during my travels in 51 countries is that citizens of their own country often don’t express the unique points of their country because to them that special and enrooted ‘thing’, is nothing else but normal to them. Its comparable to the situation of being blinded to the beauty that lies in front of us because we have seen it so often that we no longer witness and acknowledge the beauty it beholds. Hedonic adaption.
My Friend – The Local
One of the best ways to get those insider tips is to ask a local friend, should you have the privilege of having one. Your friend is a local, knows the traditions, lives in his culture and most certainly beholds the path to the greatest gems his/her country has to offer. With a friend you can talk openly and directly. This way you will get the most serene and complete answer you could ask for.
My Host, a Guide
We will get to accommodation soon but for now know that your host (the person hosting you at his house or accommodation) carries an immense value, for he/she has most probably interacted with an international reach of people yet possess over the unmatched knowledge and purity of a local. This leads to an understanding for oneself, accompanied by that which we local travelers seek to uncover. Not only is your host a source of valuable information but you might even build a friendship giving you direct access into the world of the locals. One couldn’t ask for a brighter opportunity. Nor you nor the host. Whereas you come to immerse into and live your hosts countries essence, you bring your culture, traditions and customs into the homes of your host. Do you hear that? It’s the sound of unity based on understanding. Bringing the world together one travel at a time. How do we get from one travel to the other? That’s a good question. Let’s move on to transportation.
The Leap – The 2nd How
We are starting this topic with the most comfortable options which merely scratch the surface of travelling as a local, making our way down to the most extraordinary yet also somewhat most daring options a local traveler can choose to embark on. In other words, this might not be comfortable to everyone, which is absolutely fine.
First Up, international transportation. How to get from one country to the other?
I wish I Could Fly
If I may be cheeky for a second, isn’t this everyone dreams? To fly? Well, when we travel internationally, we are gifted the chance to fly high. Weather in a propeller machine or an aircraft.
There is really no big magic to this topic except of the question, how and where should I book?
Momondo – the website that has it all
Momondo ( https://www.momondo.com ) is the website I use to purchase 95% of my flights. Whether, domestic flights or international flights. Airlines and charters from all standards and under all different kinds of circumstances are offered. Basically, the whole aviation market is gifted to you in one sight and in full overview.
A little bonus – The Recheck
No matter where you book your flights you always want to recheck the prices. Meaning, if you checked flights on a third-party website such as Momondo, you want to go directly to the airline, select same flight and date and see if the price varies. Often it does.
The Traveling Sloth
That’s right, slow traveling is another way to travel internationally and locally. How? Well, you have trains and the ships. Should your time allow, tacking a train ride such as the Trans-Siberian Railway (one of my dreams), will gift you with the beauty of local traveling for you have much time to spend, time to spend connecting with other people, and learning about the countries and many different cultures you pass by along the way.
Ships are another great way of travelling as a local. Cargo ships for instances. Travel with men and women that come from different parts of the world and spend your days at sea learning from each other as you glide through the waters with cargo seeking the same end destination as you are. You will have gotten to know the country before even having been there!
The Daring
This option I share due to having encounter boundless number of people who have taken this adventure upon them. Cycling, cycling endlessly over months. This is a way of transportation in which there is no end destination. The whole trip, whether you find yourself in the middle, the start or the end becomes the journey you seek to live. There is no beginning nor ending. I can only set out the idea into the minds of you, dear readers, but no more than that for I have no experience in this way of travelling. But its possible and of what I have heard it is one of the best adventures you could ever embark upon.
Here I Am
The trip and dependency usually continues after having traveled internationally to your end destination. Now what?
Taxi, Taxi, Taxi or Uber?
We all know of taxis, their abundant presence and their often-desperate call outs. A substitute of taxi’s, the uber, is too mostly available everywhere. So, which one to choose? As a local traveler you always want to focus on the option that will bring you the closest to local people, open minded, deep routed local people. I can always only talk of my own experience, and this has proven that between taxis and Ubers, Uber delivers a more local orientated ride. Drivers are intrigued by your presence in their country and want to know about your origins and cultures. This might be the very reason for some to become an Uber driver. That’s the beginning of the perfect local experience on a comfortable basis.
Go With the Flow
What do I mean by ‘go with the flow?’ I mean. Don’t resist the presence of locals occurrence. The possibly lousy bus that drives passed you, the carsharing, the scooter rides in which you put your trust into the hands of a local. You will find the greatest treasures if you fully immerse yourself into the local culture and life.
*Please note, depending on the country, security precaution must be taken!
Do your research well, know the country and its people and, if you have the possibility, ask a trusted local.
This way of transportation will set you up with a challenge. Is it worth it though? Totally. For who travels in these rides? No tourist, that I can assure you of.
Backpack on the Street, Thumb Out.
Heart racing, nervous feet, a grand lesson for human intellect and an unmatched experience carrying immense value. That is Hitchhiking. The greatest HOW regarding hitchhiking is beforehand research, strategic thinking, the strength of your character and endurance and the way you present yourself.
What do I mean with beforehand research? Just like with using local transport, in hitchhiking it Is important that you know the country you are in, the people and the circumstances. In some places Hitchhiking may not be allowed or not even known. Religious reasons may get in your way or special occurrences such as celebrations or events. I have summarized my Hitchhiking experience into a blog coming out this Thursday (21/03/2024). Should you be considering this option, do check it out. I will be covering all lessons learnt, observations taken and tips and tricks. Mental strength is required as well as the ability to adapt and accept the circumstances you might find yourself in. So, you know the high prize Hitchhiking beholds let me tell you from my own experience that: Hitchhiking taught me valuable lessons, infused me with unprecedented adventure and fed me with priceless wisdom. All form the hearts of local people.
See you in the second half of the blog where we will cover accommodation, contacts and behavior.
Remember: Live free and travel like a local.