7 Ways to Travel Local in a

Foreign Country
Follow these pro tips to make your vacation more
interesting and enriching.

By Aziz Abu Sarah

"How can I make my vacation more interesting?" is a question I am

often asked as a cultural educator leading dual dialogue trips around
the world. The reality is that it’s on us as travelers to explore the
diversity each country has to offer. Even the most visited destinations
can offer extraordinary experiences when you go beyond the usual
tourism sites, museums, and monuments. I founded my own travel
company to show tourists that no place is homogenous and no
destination has a single narrative. Here are some tips that I keep in
mind to go deeper into a destination.

ALLOW YOURSELF TO GET LOST.

On my first trip to Tokyo, I hopped on a train right out of the city

center to explore the suburbs. I ended up in an unfamiliar area,
walking around with no map or agenda. Eventually I found myself in
a speakeasy which looked straight out of the 1940. Most of the
patrons were older and no one spoke English. But somehow, two
short hours later, I ended up dressed in traditional Japanese clothes,
singing karaoke, and dancing with people I’d just met,
communicating in so many ways beyond the words of our different
languages.
USE FOOD AS A WINDOW TO
CULTURAL DIVERSITY.

I navigated the food and drink scene in Bogotá with the help of my
friend Maria, a gastronomy guide, discovering the fruits
of Colombia’s diversity of climates and terrains. Later she made
desserts from the fruit before we headed out to a local salsa bar.
There are many local companies around the world that offer such
tasty experiences, like Authenticook in India, which connects
travelers to local hosts for a homemade meal. Or find a food-tasting
tour, like with Frying Pan Adventures in Dubai, sampling the
multicultural cuisine of the city of expats.

FIND WHERE THE LOCAL S HANG OUT.

Pick up a local magazine or check out signs posted on the street

corners to find art exhibits, music festivals, or other events. If you
like sports, ask around where the locals play and join a scrimmage. A
few years ago while visiting Tunis, I saw a group of guys playing
soccer on the beach. I approached them and asked if I could join, and
they welcomed me into the game. Afterward, I joined them in their
favorite café where we ended up exchanging ideas about the Tunisian
Revolution, among other telling topics. Jumping right into activities
and events definitely helps get the conversation started with locals.

GO BEYOND THE MOST POPULAR

CITIES.

Leave the cities for smaller places like villages and suburbs to find the
hidden treasures of many countries, with unique cultural
experiences, beautiful landscapes, and powerful interactions. Near
Hoi An, Vietnam, I was hosted by 90-something-year-old active
farmer who shared his work and life stories, like hiding people in
their home during the war. There are many options for how you can
visit these villages. For example, in Thailand, you can join Local
Alike, a social enterprise that helped establish experiences for
travelers in more than 70 villages across the country.

LOOK FOR TOUR GROUPS THAT GIVE

BACK.

Some organizations offer a unique educational value that you simply

will not find solo. When I visited Egypt last year, I wanted to see the
country beyond the pyramids, but didn’t know exactly what I was
looking for. So I went on a tour with a nonprofit organization to learn
about a neighborhood of Cairo nicknamed Garbage City. Left behind
by the city's garbage collection, residents took matters into their own
hands, collecting the trash and recycling around 85 percent. This area
has one of the most successful recycling programs in the world. To
find these types of off-the-beaten-path experiences, Visit.org can
connect you with hundreds of nonprofits offering local visits all over
all the world. If you are heading to Asia, try Backstreet Academy for
unique experiences in 11 different countries in the region.

ASK LOCALS FOR SUGGE STIONS.

Don't be shy! My best food experience in Osaka happened when I

asked strangers to take me to their favorite restaurant, and I would
treat for dinner. I ended up in an izikaya, a small, bar-style restaurant
with only nine seats. This was by far the best meal I had in Japan and
certainly one of the most authentic experiences I had there. I enjoyed
a similar experience in Curitiba, Brazil, where I asked a local group
where to have dinner in the city; instead of pointing one out, they
invited me to join them. I am still friends with them!

GET YOUR INFORMATION FROM MORE

THAN ONE TOUR GUIDE.
Most cities in the world, from Jerusalem to Belfast, Istanbul
to Washington D.C., are multicultural and diverse. But if you get all
your information about that city's culture and history from one tour
guide, you are likely to miss the richness of the destination. Imagine
visiting Belfast with both Catholic and Protestant guides, discussing
the different historical, cultural, and political narratives of Northern
Ireland. When I co-founded my tour company Mejdi tours, we were
determined to use multiple tour guides each from different
backgrounds on every single tour, so visitors can understand the
complexity of every location.

PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

A. Answer the following questions:

1. Why did the author think about giving these tips to travellers?
2. What is the common purpose of these tips?
3. What is the particular characteristic of companies like Authenticook and
Frying Pan Adventures?
4. In Thailand, how can people leave the big centres and visit smaller
places?
5. If a person wishes to have a different experience while travelling, what
companies should they contact?
6. What is the asset of the author’s tour company?

B. Find words/phrases on the text that mean the same as:

1. an illicit liquor shop or drinking club

2. a confused struggle or fight
3. to deal with a problem yourself because the people who should have
dealt with it have failed to do so
4. in or into an isolated place
5. To provide someone with some food, entertainment, or gifts at one's own
expense