TRAVEL WEBSITES HOW TO

It offers transparency and allows the individual to list their private mediums e.g. AirBnB ExperiencesДЄlthough AirBnB is a tech giant, their platform does provide exposure for individuals and small businesses to share their local tours. Let your cultural curiosity turn into cultural knowledge and experience Thailand like a local. Be guided on a tour by a person who has lived in that city their whole life, dine in hidden restaurants, visit places off the beaten path, or even take a language class. With over 5000 local hosts providing their expertise to travellers youвЂ™ll be sure to find something that feeds your cultural curiosity. TakeMeTour has a range of affordable, cultural experiences in almost every major city in Thailand, and recently expanded to other parts of the Asia-Pacific region. Related Reading: What Do We Mean When We Say вЂњLocal?вЂќ TakeMeTour YouвЂ™ll be surprised by the range of experiences on offer. Try some traditional Thai fruit carving in Bangkok, or learn Italian hand gestures in Rome. Prices vary for all activities but you can sometimes pick yourself up a real bang for your buck. Withlocals currently operates in major cities throughout Asia and Europe but is constantly expanding and looking to become a worldwide marketplace for people to connect and share local culture. If you visit their website, you will be presented with a range of cultural experiences involving food, city tours, and other activities. Withlocals is a fast-growing database of hosts in various countries that offer you a variety of experiences in their home cities. From camping at an Organic Tea plantation in Bangkok to spending a day with local artisans in Chiang Mai, all experiences promote community-based tourism, the right kind of tourism. Local Alike works with locals and small businesses to showcase their tours and although the site only offers experiences in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Nan, the community is growing and you can still find some great half-day, full-day and overnight tours. This Thai social enterprise is a marketplace for local experiences and aims to promote responsible tourism and experiences that contribute towards a social cause. When needed, the social enterprise also collaborates with local NGOвЂ™s running community-based tourism projects helpingВ poorer, marginalised communities gain access toВ additional income. 100% of the money asked by the local hosts is directly paid to them and goes towards sustainable community development in these regions. I Like LocalВ provides both in-depth experiences for travellers and direct income for local people. Their mission is simple вЂ“ to Connect, Engage and Empower. I Like LocalВ is a social enterprise that enables travellers to book authentic travel experiences directly from locals in Asia and Africa. The good news is if you look hard enough there is always a local person or a local organisation that is happy to share their beautiful culture with you, and the below guide is a start to helping you find these kinds of experiences.

TRAVEL WEBSITES HOW TO

You may be wondering how to find these experiences when the first page of your Google search is often filled with travel agencies offering overly-priced, large group tours to the places where every other tourist is trying to visit during their stay.

ItвЂ™s a form of connection to a place and its people, both past and present. ItвЂ™s a way to gain new perspectives and give back to the places you visit. So what exactly is a local experience? Well, a general definition is experiencing a destination in the eyes of a local member of the community, someone who has resided at a place since birth or for long enough to embody its cultural traits. However, these days sustainable tourism significantly recognises this concept as a way to empower and economically advance local populations. The demand for local experiences has always been high. I find it brings a new level of authenticity to my experience and makes me feel a deeper connection to where I take my steps. As a traveller, I have benefited so much from tapping into local knowledge, connecting with people who reside in a destination and sharing encounters with them. I try to employ this philosophy in other parts of the world as well. They say when in Rome, do as the RomanвЂ™s do. This post was originally published in 2017 and updated in 2021.

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