Hi there, what do you think about experiencing with local people when you are travelling, as I know if we travel by an organized tour, we never have a less chance to experience the lifestyle of local people, so which one you prefer, travel by yourself or tours. For me I would like to experience the lifestyle of local people, to meet them and learn more about them as their cultures.
Reply to this Welcome to Travelblog! This site is populated mainly with independent travellers, so of course we are going to say that is the best way to go 😊 Independently, you can go more places, see local sites far off the tourist mainstream, and meet people more easily. Staying in hostels, homestays, or couch surfing helps, along with eating street food.
On an organized tour, you see everything from within a group that speaks your language and acts similar. Most locals you meet will be travel professionals, who try to follow your customs and language. Some people call this the "travel bubble". On most tours, you also have very little time in each place, so it all blends together after a while.
Reply to this Yes that's true, i always prefer travel independently then organized tour, but it's really hard sometime to adapt and take time to get used to with the lifestyle
Reply to this yes totally, i always travel by myself but it's a bit dangerous sometimes 😊 but it's the best way to experience life
Reply to this In response to: Msg #166828
Many people worry about adapting to a new culture, often called culture shock. The best way to handle it is to start slowly, visiting somewhere with a similiar culture and lots of visitors, and building up from there.
Reply to this yes, i totally agreed with Roosta, take it easy, if you come with a friendly manner, they will treat you back well.
Reply to this I am not a fan of tours at all, it is too much of a buffer from the local people. I've found that people will overwhelmingly treat you in the way that you treat them. If you see people you meet as your equal, they treat you with respect. If you view others with suspicion, then they will regard you likewise. And as has been said by Nick, if you are friendly, people will be friendly to you.
Smile, be friendly, don't show anger. Take things slowly. I usually take a day or two to observe a city or country before I fully immerse myself into the place.
Reply to this the best way to experience with local people is you should travel independently, by that way, you will have more chances to meet local people and also save money
Reply to this Welcome to Travelblog danghuynh!
Most of the people who publish a blog on this website are independent travelers and can give you excellent advice on how to travel independently. As your lonelynomandic names suggest you like to be on your own. We applaud that.
Traveling to parts unknown allows you to experience new cultures and make new friends.
Wandering the back streets of a new town or village will allow you to talk with shop owners and have a coffee with fellow travelers at your own pace.
We like to have a balance between our independence and talking with a guide. We don't enjoy group tours but on a few occasions we have been able to hire a private guide for pieces of our trip and we have learned a great deal about a country in a short period of time.
But, our favorite time has been the conversations we've had with locals on the street, in a pub or coffee house. The more people you talk to the more you will learn.
Happy travels.
Reply to this depends. I prefer travel independently, but when it comes up to islands where there's no public transportation such as ferry, I prefer joining a tour. Better than I have to rent a boat by myself =))
Reply to this There are always some beer gardens in Munich where you can meet local people and drink beer with them if you go to Germany, thats really a nice place
Reply to this I prefer independant travel but have had good and bad experiences on organised tours too. I agree with the other guys that you are in a travel bubble and you dont really get to see what the locals are like, or eat where they do, or see local towns etc, but i have definitly learnt alot on some small tours run by locals that i would never have known if it hadnt have been for a local tour guide telling me.
We did a 3 day trip around southern ireland one time and it was absolutly fantastic. We stayed in local b&b's or pubs, went to local pubs each night, ate local food, learnt local songs, learnt about local sports, the language and sayings and definitly felt like i learnt way more and saw more of southern island than i would have ever seen driving around by myself and reading a book.
But on an organised work function to borneo, 4 days in i hadnt left a tour bus or hotel so jumped in a taxi and took off for the local town to try and eat some local food and see how the locals lived...sometimes tours are really not made for seeing anything but the most popular tourist events.
Reply to this I prefer travelling on my own rather than joining a tour. All the comments are true that we experience the essence of the people living in a place if we go where the tours are not going. There are pros and cons in every travel:when we join a tour, we don't own every precious time, everything is according to what is plan and time is quite hectic. When we travel alone, we are the master of our own time and we don't have to hurry in every place that we will visit. Maybe, it depend on the traveler's preference. Travelling alone is also quite fun and amazing, I myself travel to a lot of local destinations in our country. I create travel plans and itinerary, but most of the time I don't follow it because there are places that aren't listed on my itinerary. The locals knows best rather than tour company. Plus you can meet new people and ask them about anything that are worth visiting.
Enjoy Travelling everyone!!!
Reply to this Have travelled with tours and independently and experienced the best and worst of both. Depending on what you want, sometimes a tour can cut to the chase and take you where you want to go quickly. Other times, you're taken to the 'shopping' part before or after the main attraction. Fairly annoying. Independent travel, however, does provide flexibility that ultimately a tour can't provide, no matter how much free time they promise.
The best tours I've been on - Egypt, Hue (in Vietnam), China. When I was 21, did a 31 day express tour of Europe and loved it. Went back a few years later full of confidence in my ability to travel by myself.
Most countries are pretty easy to travel independently if you're on the well-worn path.
Reply to this In response to: Msg #167161
I've done local tours within an independent trip, usually walking tours on some obscure topic that last a few hours. Done well, they are incredibly informative and rewarding. Done badly, I could have just read my guidebook and had a better experience. Internet reviews help with finding the good ones.
Reply to this Independent travel! And that doesn't necessarily mean lonely travel. Depending on where you are, home stays can be a good way to meet a local family and all their friends, find out where they go out to rather than where the tourists go. Learn a bit of the language so that you can get by without guides all the time.
That said, at some points (such as the first time you arrive in a country) a tour or some kind of organised thing can be helpful until you've had the chance to find your feet.
Reply to this We have learned that the longer you stay in a location the more you learn because you will usually slow down and talk with the local people.
We find sitting in coffee houses and pubs is a great place to meet people who are often willing to talk.
One example- if we take a walling tour of a city and hit it off with the guide we often ask if we can hang out with them and their friends in the evening. Often you just have to ask.
Reply to this Don't be afraid to make eye contact and give a heartfelt smile. It works wonders for breaking down barriers.
Eat where they eat. Shop where they shop. Ask questions. People usually love giving their opinion on everything between pizza and politics.
Listen attentively.
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