Great Ways to Meet Locals on Holiday

Once more thanks to our guest blogger Marcela, this time bringing us a few tips on how to interact with locals to take the best out of your vacations. As usual, photos courtesy of Open Galleries.

One of the joys of travel is mixing with the locals. Connecting with people who live in the area you are visiting can give real perspective to a place, and help one imagine what life might be like for those who live there. Meeting new people on vacation can be a rewarding experience, and travel insurance can give one confidence that any forays into the unknown are covered in the case of any hiccups.


At Cultural Events - One major motivation that makes many people travel is the cultural insights that can be gained by doing so. This might bring to mind cultures so foreign to one's own, where language and history are so completely different. A street parade or major festival are instances where the general population swarm to catch a glimpse of the popular event. Trying to understand the significance of such events can be difficult if there are language barriers, but if one can find those with common language skills amongst the crowds, the knowledge gained can be very insightful. One may even strike up a friendship.

Even within similar cultures however, there are plenty of differences to be explored. Australia shares a lot with England, for example, but lacks the medieval history of England. Some English castles have major re-enactments of historic battles at certain times of the year. An event like this would be quite foreign to most Australians, but fortunately there are likely to be many passionate people on hand to explain the significance and beauty of the re-enactment.

Obviously, meeting locals is much easier when languages are shared between both the visitor and the local. The great thing about many cultural events is that they are equally enjoyed by locals and visitors alike, which makes striking up a conversation with locals that much easier.


Popular Places Where Locals and Visitors Mix - Cultural events come around only so often, so how does one meet locals when there are no special festivities taking place? One should think about where locals like to participate in leisure activities and spend their free time. Once you have worked this out, you will have a good idea of the places where you are likely to meet typical locals.

Avoiding Tourist Traps - One piece of advice for those looking to meet genuine locals on holiday, is to steer clear of tourist traps. These are the locations in and around popular tourist attractions, or near places where foreign visitors tend to congregate, such as hotel, restaurant, bar and entertainment areas that specifically target foreign visitors. While you may meet genuine people in these areas, in some instances it may be more difficult to differentiate between clever touts looking to make a quick buck off unsuspecting tourists, and the general population. Other locals in such areas may also become a little fatigued by constant foreign arrivals. If one ventures just a little off the well trodden paths to places that see much fewer foreign visitors, chances to interact with interesting and welcoming locals abound.

Glossy tourist brochures can highlight to the budding traveller all the visual wonders of their showcased destination. What these pictures can't do is give local perspective and colour to a place. Meeting locals on holiday is a great way to do this, and having thought for the hints above will help visitors meet friendly residents. Organise your cheap travel insurance and you'll be on your way.