Hey there dear local traveler, let’s continue with the last 3 How’s of traveling as a local.
Shifting Lives – The 3rd How
How should I accommodate myself locally, you may ask. Three words, Workaway, Trustedhousesitters and Couchsurfing. Each and every one of these three ways of accommodation are local based experiences, they are the ones I have used to travel the local way I have always done and to roam the 51 countries I have been in.
Let’s start with the most comfortable, Trustedhousesitters.
A House, A Life, A Day, Like A Local.
Trustedhousesitters, ( https://www.trustedhousesitters.com ), practices the principle of a balanced life based on giving and receiving.
The Concept
It is a platform in which travelers with pets post a House sit. Meaning that pet owners publish a profile with dates and details in order to find a pet sitter (you, the traveler) to take care of their pets, in their home, in your dream destination while the pet owners go out into the world to live their travel experience. This means you are responsible of taking care of the owner’s house and their pets with all that belongs to it. These can be any type of accommodation: houses, villas, chalets, apartments… and any kind of pet(s). You might even be gifted the use of the owners car!
Trustedhousesitters therefore immerses you fully into the life of a local. You live in a local house; you have a responsibility immersing you automatically into the local life and you have contacts to get back to giving you the opportunity to uncover the hidden gems only locals know of.
Payment / Fees
You (the pet sitter) and the house/pet owner must simply pay an annual registration fee and the world is yours. This option delivers you the full experience on a highly comfortable basis.
Please note, besides of the platform fees there is are no additional payments or fees, to get nor to pay.
If you’re in the same situation as I am, taking care of a dog or other pet will even help you cope with sorrowing over your own pet you had to leave behind in order to fulfill this dream of yours. Who knows, maybe you too can get a house sitter to look after your pet?
Up and Over
For the more active and adventurous, there is Workaway ( https://www.workaway.org ).
The Concept
The principle here is the same as with trustedhousesitters. It is a give and take. Local people looking for a helping hand post their profile in search of a traveler to invite into their home and life to help with their daily lives. This may be anything from helping on a cattle farm, planting Rhododendron in Tasmania amidst lush flora or simply helping in the daily life of a family. Hey, maybe even teaching languages like I did in China.
Input / Output: Work for 5 hours a day, get two days of and free accommodation as well as meals.
What does this mean for you? You live with locals without barriers, get to know and live the daily life of a local enjoying its beauty but maybe also learning from its tragic reality.
You learn customs, cultures and tradition and feast 3 times a day on local meals. On your days off, you are gifted the presence of your host and his hospitality leading you from one local experience to the other.
If one is physically capable and willing to take this task upon him/her, this way of travelling as a local often overrides trustedhousesitters in terms of the local experience. The beauty lies in the fact that as you help your local host, you learn. Through workaway I have learned natural horseman ship, expanded my linguistics, learned what it means to manage a hostel and so much more.
I mean do you know of a tourist that has visited Australia and lived on a cattle farm for 5 weeks? I don’t know about you but except of myself I know of no one who has had this experience. You are next.
Payments / Fees
For host as well as for the traveler, an annual registration fee is to be paid. Apart of that, there are no payments nor fees. There is however the possibility for hosts to offer paid working positions and tasks.
Uniting Earth’s Citizens Couch per Couch
A way of travelling introduced to me not long time ago. Yet since its occurrence in my life I have used nothing else to fulfill my travels. For those who use it, seek to learn about new cultures, make new friends form all around the world, share their lives with unknown friends and unite the citizens of earth couch per couch.
The Concept
Host and traveler create a profile, both seeking to experience the same thing. One desire, two unknown humans. It is as simple as requesting to stay at a host’s home in your desired destination. Based on your reviews, your profile and maybe a few little other things including the feeling the host has towards you, he or she will either accept or deny you request. Hosts expect to learn and share cultures with you in exchange for offering you a place to stay in their home (often much more than simply a couch). Although it varies from host to host, meals are not state to be included.
Security
Profiles are verified for security reason and references are there to guide you.
Couchsurfing hosts welcome you unconditionally into their home, trusting you to spend a few days together. These days are and endless journey of growth, intrigue, learnt lessons and enriched lives as you expand the horizon and perspective of each other of life on earth and what it has to offer.
In my opinion, couchsurfing Is the best way to immerse into local life and culture. Yet not just that. It also, nearly always, guarantees you a new friend and often even a place to call home. Couchsurfing also offers events, created by a couchsurfing member. One man’s plan turns into an unstained adventure into earths possibilities and beauties. Strangers become friends and it is open to anyone to request to attend.
Payment / Fees
As stated above, mostly you are offered much more than simply a couch to sleep on and the fee is not noteworthy for it is of around 2 – 3 euros monthly.
Home, Not a Place but a Feeling – The 4th How
Just as important as contacts, relationships and friends are at home so are they as you roam the world. I have touched on this topic quite a bit before in earlier blogs of Becoming a Local Traveler. Besides of giving you the feeling all long for, friends, contacts and any kind of relationship when you travel is of great significance. Especially when traveling as a local. Citizens of the country and local people willing to open their hearts towards you and gift you their time will lead to you places locals only know of. They will take you on a journey through their culture, traditions, special occurrences and if you’re lucky even to their sacred place, their family. You will spend times of infusing lessons as perspectives, wisdoms and lessons are shared between two human beings of different backgrounds. As for me, the strongest friendships I have, I got through my travels.
The Art of Bonding – How do I Build Local Relationships?
Creating local friendships is very much linked to the transportation and accommodation you choose.
Connecting the Dots
Transportation – with transportation the bonding lies on a simple principle: You immerse directly into the local’s life placing yourself amidst local people. In doing so you demonstrate an interest towards the country and choose to take on the journey and circumstances that often come along with it. Accepting and willing to understand how it Is to live in the country you are visiting. This leap has an immense impact onto local people for much of the world is based on prejudgments, disinterest and disunion.
You speak the sincerest words by the actions you take.
Accommodation – When you do workaway or couchsurfing you embark somewhat on a journey with a ‘stranger’. The co-living, the helping hand you lend and the openness of your host will act as an immense bonder. For you are all, at the end of the day, pursuing the same goal. To connect and to learn. With it demonstrating mutual respect and a willingness to understand. Pretty much, if you enroll in one of the above-mentioned transportation types or accommodations (or any other similar concept) your local contacts are already cared for.
From Scratch
Should you choose for a different accommodation type, here’s a few tips and a bit of know how I have for you:
Attend Local Festivals – That’s right. If you have taken your research into depth, you should be aware of any special occurrences or local events happening. Attend these occasions and aim to understand them. You will most probably find a greater meaning and experience beheld in it than you thought and your interest is intriguing to locals. All it needs is a one single word. Speak, communicate, bond. Somewhere around the corner waits your new friend.
Cultures and Sports – similar to attending special and local occasions, you can to attend locally practiced sports or cultures. Such as: a cooking class teaching the art of crafting local and traditional meals. If you plan to stay in a destination for a longer period of time you could even join a club or team.
Jobbing – craft contacts through attending jobs. Not only will friendships arise but you are gifted the set of eyes of a local. It must be no long working hours nor exhausting work, simply put yourself into the position and make yourself available to new, local contacts.
Meetup and Couchsurfing – Working all around the world, Meetup (https://www.meetup.com) and Couchsurfing presents you with an opportunity to join in on events, adventures and occurrences in a local community. Meetup and Couchsurfing bring traveling and local souls together through small actions with great impact.
You can even use these platforms at home. Become a local traveler in your own country!
Embody the Goals Identity – The 5th How
With the right behavior and attitude everything else we have talked about will be insignificant. That’s right, traveling as a local has, besides the many other components we talked about, to do with your behavior and the attitude you choose to adopt. Unknowingly enrolling into a wrong behavior or adopting a wrong attitude can put an end to your access to the lives of locals and your identity as a local traveler. Now, of course what is seen as wrong or right is different in the eyes of everyone, but remember: You are entering a country, a place sacred to the ones who call it their home. Here there are norms, customs, rules cultures and traditions in which your cultures, norms, customs have but little presence. Would you want somebody to walk into your town who’s disrespectful and would you invite them for a cup of tea? Certainly not. You’d probably say something like ‘get out of here’ and here it comes: ‘go back home.’
Your research – the most important action you can take to assure that you are demonstrating respect and behaving accordingly is your research. It should tell you everything about the country. Dress codes, for example.
Giving and receiving – Traveling is an endless cycle of giving and receiving. Remember to not only take but also give.
Knowledge – the knowledge you have about a country, which you should anyways have due to your research and given the fact that it Is the reason for which you travel, is going to give you a respected position. For with it you say, ‘hey, your country interests me and I am here to understand and learn about it’.
A countries status – Traveling as a local is not about me but much more about me. Blend in and become one. Adopt to the countries dress code, be respectful in your actions and don’t unknowingly provoke locals. Of course, you don’t want to give up your standard and your way of being, simply adjust and adapt.
With your actions and behaviors, you express unlettered words of profound value.
With having said that, this topic glides us smoothly into next week’s final blog on the journey of becoming a local traveler, safety. Yes, behaviors and safety ae linked to one another and can be crucial in how a situation may end up.
Stay curious, live free and travel like a local,
Kayleen