That California Girl

With great power comes great responsibility; I see access to travel as a privilege, and I believe that when traveling to new places- be it countries, cities, or villages- it’s important to remember that we are solely visitors and that it’s our responsibility to have self-awareness that the things we do may directly affect the locals living there.

Apart from leisure or treating ourselves to that well-deserved vacation mode after working long hours, giving back to locals as tourists can be effortless and a fulfilling way to connect with the place you’re visiting; it doesn’t need to be an all-encompassing mission to accomplish. All it takes is just a simple shift in mindset when traveling to your next destination. Here are three easy ways to support locals when traveling.

1. Plan your trip with local businesses

As obvious as this may seem, this is the most direct way to support local folks. Oftentimes, through platforms like Guru Walk and Free Walking Tours, you can participate in good-quality city tours led by locals, where you can donate from $10 USD or more based on how your experience was. Consider skipping the convenient, all-inclusive chain hotel or cruise ship experience and going local. Not only is it keeping your tourist money in the hands of locals, but it’s also enriching your own authentic travel experience in parallel. Take the time to research and book family-owned accommodations; for instance, Agri-tourism residences like masserias in rural Italy, where there’s still a functioning farm that can offer you farm-to-table dinner experiences. Try traditional, local cuisine at small, mom-and-pop restaurants instead of mass chains like McDonald’s, or shop for artisanal handicrafts at locally-run markets. I personally find this approach rewarding while learning more about my destination’s customs and culture. Support local businesses.

2. Connect with the community

Communication is key when traveling- from simply understanding one another when speaking different languages to body language and gesture, being able to practice verbal and nonverbal communications is a simple way to not only comfortably navigate through your trip, but a way to connect with locals in a 2-way street. With various options on how to do that, there are many ways you can support locals, all while learning something new about their respective culture or discovering something authentic along the way.

Consider engaging with locals through learning the basic “hello, goodbye, please, thank you, no, yes, etc.” phrases in their local language using apps like Google Translate or Deepl- this goes a long way to basic communication and increasing a mutually open-minded exchange. Taking it a step further to enrich your cultural curiosity, you can also sign up for a locally-specific activity, like a cooking class, crafting workshop, or street food tour. Typically, you can organize these through your accommodation, like a hostel or family-owned guesthouse, or a local travel agency. You can also visit a cultural or historical museum, attend a local concert, bar, or coffeeshop. Do as the locals do.

3. Be a responsible and respectful visitor

Something that I feel is forgotten among many tourists is that we are visitors when traveling to a place that isn’t our home. Therefore, it’s our individual responsibility to do our homework in having a basic understanding and context of our destination, such as researching the basic customs, such as dress code, no-go’s, or local rules, i.e., drinking alcohol in public. For instance, in some places around the world, it’s illegal to do recreational narcotics such as marijuana, or culturally not acceptable to be loud and rowdy in shared public spaces, such as the subway. When preparing your trip, take the time to do a quick Google research or ask your accommodation for tips or local etiquette to not only respect the locals, but also give yourself an even better experience by increasing your connection with locals.

Other commonsense things to practice are asking permission before taking photos of people or overall avoid jeopardizing privacy, picking up after yourself, refraining from making insensitive comments, i.e., “that food is weird!” or defacing significant monuments and attractions like museums. Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Traveling the world is an amazing way to see and experience new things, so what better way than to give back to the communities that serve us than by making a few conscious choices and mindful decisions that connect us with the locals?