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“Travel brings Power and Love back into your life.”
This wonderful quote by Rumi is a great reminder to set out on a travel expedition. No doubt, travel is like oxygen; it adds life to your being. From the cold breeze that kisses you hello on your road trips to the lush greens that make you reminisce about your last thrilling trek, happiness lies in little moments like these.
Travel is like therapy— An opportunity to unwind and rejuvenate. It feels exciting when your friends and families throw a quick, “It’s time to travel” between conversations. That’s because travel allows you to explore new territories and gather unique experiences. Travel brings many fun and enticing stories your way.
This only means you need to travel more. In fact, you can spice up your next travel story. Do you know how? By planning a unique itinerary to lesser-known tourist attractions, suggested by the locals.
Make sure you dive deep into the local culture. Interact with locals, try out local cuisines, and get to know their traditions and value system. On a chilly evening, meet up with a local to discuss life and travel over a piping hot cup of tea. Come back with a plethora of travel memories and new local friends.
Have travel plans scheduled some time soon? Don’t go without experiencing the local culture.
Food worries are a constant on every trip. There is always solace in indulging in something that looks and tastes familiar.
Having pasta in the interiors of Darjeeling may not always be appealing. Instead, munch on traditional specialities that boast authentic flavours, rich spices, and soothing aromas. Yum yum, isn’t it? For instance, try the cashew curry in Goa, kahwa in Kashmir, pongal in Chennai, and Poha in Indore.
Pro Tip from a Travel Head:
Remember, travel is about exploring local hidden gems. Make your journey worth it by adding local cuisines to your food agenda.
Let’s say, a few months ago, a couple of your friends travelled to Kashmir. They munched on noodles, pizzas, and Thai curries during their stay. Isn’t it funny that they skipped the Mutton Rogan Josh and Dum Aloo, two delicacies that are home to Kashmir?
You have your lesson now. Try local food and hop around villages to experience the peculiar difference in the taste of these local dishes as you move around. Don’t forget to allow your tongue and tummy to flirt with new flavours.
You may be tempted to travel to the interiors to try local delicacies; however, if you are travelling solo, then exercise caution. As a female solo traveller, tag an acquaintance along because a meal for two is any day a better idea as you have company.
Visiting a new destination sounds like a great idea.
Is there a way that you can feel at home in new places? A question that has crossed every mind at least once.
Looks like we have the answer now, and the answer seems quite simple. Strike a conversation with the locals.
Pro Tip from a Travel Head:
For starters, strike conversations with the host of the homestay/hostel where you are residing. Get to know about the vicinity, must-visit tourist attractions, and local traditions that are worth knowing. This is also particularly a good idea when travelling solo because your safety is paramount.
Speak to local shopkeepers as there is every possibility of them opening up with jaw-dropping facts and stories.
Conversations unfold some lesser-known stories. Don’t miss out on their essence. Smile at strangers, greet locals and tell them your stories while gathering their experiences. There is no better way of making your trip more eventful.
What happens when you decide to get a little too touristy? You book a private cab service.
Sounds funny, but that’s the unfortunate truth. You trust the driver to take you around, only to regret your decision later. Soon, you realise nothing can beat taking the local trains in Mumbai, trams in Kolkata, and privately-run buses in Goa.
Just imagine travelling to Mumbai and going around in an AC car. How would the local train, BEST bus, and kaali peeli feel? Offended!
Be smart to choose a local commute. You reach your destination faster, get to chit-chat with locals, and yes, it is cheap.
Guess what? You even end up adding the best sightseeing places to your itinerary that you didn’t even know existed. How? Fellow travellers could have given you the feeds.
It’s common to complain about not getting to travel much. What’s the major reason to do so? You are always experiencing a financial crunch when it comes to making plans.
Do you know why?
You feel “experiences” are expensive.
You book luxury villas and seek cosy amenities.
You are a high-maintenance traveller.
You aren’t opting for “real” and “cost-effective” travel.
While it feels nice to enjoy lavish stays, they do cause a hole in your pocket. A bigger loss is that you miss the roots. You miss real travel.
Pro Tip from a Travel Head:
A great starting point would be to request a local for accommodation. This is your opportunity to know and stay with a local family. Sounds interesting, right?
Let’s say you are travelling in the interiors, which are predominantly rural. The locals might still be working at the farms. You can tag along and learn about their working on the farms. A ready opportunity to work in the fields for a few days.
Additionally, you get to learn a new language. Staying with the locals would only mean their language falling into your ears. It wouldn’t long to pick the language flow or the commonly used words.
That’s free language coaching delivered right there. If you are a female solo traveller, weigh the pros and cons of your decision before moving to a stranger’s home.
Travelling back home from a new destination adds to your expenses as you have to bring back souvenirs for the uncle, the aunty, the second uncle, and the fifth aunty. Also, if you are a décor lover, a few souvenirs for your balcony and, of course, the neighbour’s balcony. Matching touch-ups you see.
Pro Tip from a Travel Head:
Encourage locals by shopping from them. You can buy a handicraft or two that are local to the region. Support their tiny businesses while bringing back souvenirs to hold on to the best times you had in the region.
You can also pick food items and spices that are native to the place. For instance, if you are in Goa, you cannot come back without picking up a few packets of cashew nuts. Also, returning from Assam without teabags counts as a sin.
Travel becomes complete with local experiences. Get the best out of them.
How? By booking yourself on a local tour. This can be anything from a walking tour of the spice market to a safari in the desert. Local tours can be wild, adventurous, thrilling, and fun.
The fantastic thing about local tours is that the guides are mostly local. Having been in the region for a long, the guide knows just about everything. All relevant and interesting information is at the guide’s fingertips.
Are you scratching your brain wondering where to book such tours? A little online research shall help. If not, that friendly face sitting at the hotel reception shall do the job. As a solo female traveller, opt for reliable group tours rather than opting for a lesser-known option with hardly any people in the group.
You will have a great travel experience with these handy tips.
All the local experiences will remain etched in your memories. The welcoming locals, traditional cuisines, and unique facts about the region would have made your trip worthwhile.
Do you want to add value to your travel experiences? Make sure to stick to these quick tips and always go local on your travels.
· Knowing about the locals and their culture helps you to know the region better.
· You get to interact with new people and learn new languages.
· You also get to try local delicacies and commute using local transport.
· If you are traveling in a group, you can speak to random locals.
· However, if you are on a solo trip, it would be safe to interact with people in your immediate connection, such as the hostel owner or roadside tea stall, where you must be regular.
· In most cases, locals are friendly and harmless, so you should not see any trouble coming into that area.
· There are no specific guidelines for approaching the locals. You just need to be honest and casual.
· You can strike general conversations, like something around the region or the weather.
· You can also begin by smiling or exchanging a few greetings here and there.
Ans: You can book guided local tours to explore the region from the local perspective.
· When you get to know the local culture, you look beyond what is evident on the face of the destination.
· You gather deep-rooted information about the place and its people. There is nothing more fulfilling than knowing the place of your visit inside out.
