Talk to Locals at Every Opportunity

Getting to know the locals is a great way to actually get to know the place you are FOR REAL!

Here a 5 major things that befriending locals can bring you (aside from being being a better person and broadening your horizons!):

1. Authentic Cultural Exchange: While guidebooks and online resources provide valuable information, talking to locals allows you to go beyond the surface level and delve into the heart of a culture. Locals possess intimate knowledge about their traditions, customs, and daily life, offering a genuine perspective that can’t be found in any guidebook. By engaging in conversations with locals, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of their beliefs, values, and unique way of life, fostering an authentic cultural exchange.
2. Insider Tips and Recommendations: No one knows a place better than the people who live there. Locals can provide invaluable insights, recommending hidden gems, local eateries, off-the-beaten-path attractions, and lesser-known experiences that might not be found in popular travel guides. From secret viewpoints to authentic local cuisine, their recommendations can transform your journey into a truly exceptional adventure. By talking to locals, you’ll uncover hidden treasures that will make your trip unforgettable.
3. Language and Communication: Engaging with locals provides an excellent opportunity to practice and improve your language skills. Even if there’s a language barrier, locals are often patient and willing to help you navigate the complexities of their language. By making an effort to communicate in the local language, you’ll not only enhance your language proficiency but also show respect for the culture and create a bridge of understanding between yourself and the locals.
4. Unique Perspectives and Stories: Every individual has a story to tell, and locals are no exception. Engaging in conversations with them allows you to hear captivating personal stories, folklore, and historical anecdotes that bring a destination to life. You’ll gain a new perspective on the world and broaden your horizons by listening to their experiences, challenges, and triumphs. These stories become cherished memories that shape your own travel narrative.
5. Building Meaningful Connections: Traveling is not just about ticking off destinations; it’s about forging meaningful connections with people from different walks of life. By talking to locals, you have the opportunity to meet individuals who may become lifelong friends or introduce you to their communities. These connections can lead to unforgettable experiences, cultural exchanges, and even future travel opportunities. Building bridges of friendship and understanding across borders is a priceless gift that travel can bestow.

So, now that you’ve got the incentive, it’s time to get out there and meet the locals!

This does not include pub crawls… those people are usually not real locals. Never be afraid to talk to strangers in bars, on trains, at tourist attractions, in the street, anywhere. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be careful it just means that the person standing next to you while waiting for the train is most likely not the serial killer that the other 5 people standing around him think he is. As a species we are slowly becoming a more and more suspicious and mistrusting people. I personally think it’s a great shame, and so I take a proactive approach to introducing myself to strangers as often as I can, try it yourself… it is fun!

Here are some good tips for starting up conversations with locals in the safest and least unobtrusive way.

In crowded areas (bars, restaurants train stations, public squares, etc) try to listen in to other peoples conversations, if they something that sounds interesting to you feel free to comment. The responses to this method usually goes either one of two ways.

• They will look at you as if have no right entering their conversation, at which point you act embarrassed and leave them to it.
• They will enjoy (and hopefully laugh) at your witty and clever input at which point you either continue the vein of talk and introduce yourself or introduce yourself first and ask them about themselves.

Approach groups rather than single people. This will increase the likelihood of meeting someone who gels with your own personality, plus there’s also a certain safety in numbers. Ideally pick out small groups of 2-4 people of mixed gender. If you approach groups of much bigger sizes what you will find is that they spend most of their time talking amongst themselves and you don’t make any new friends. Now I’m not saying that you should never approach single people and strike up a conversation with them, long train journeys are particularly good for this situation because there is no way they can do anything (well not too much, Indian rail being an exception) to you in such a public place.

Still a bit stuck? Never fear!

Here’s my top introductory questions to get the ball rolling

• The ultimate 5 introduction questions. These questions are designed to leech out as much information from your new potential friends for both security and interest reasons while remaining friendly and interesting.
  1. Hi! Nice to meet you, I’m ________ from ________, where are you from? Are you locals?
     • This establishes that they are locals and that you are a friendly traveler. You’re best off getting to know locals (that is the name after all) but if they aren’t local it doesn’t matter, you can still meet some amazing people nonetheless.
  2. You have an amazing country/city! I love it here. Do you live around here/Do you live far from the city/?
     • If they live elsewhere tell them a short diatribe about your travels and say that you’ll have to come and visit them when you come by their way.
     • If they live in the middle of the city that’s great! You might end up at an awesome house party. It also decreases the chance that they’ll have a torture dungeon in their barn (as they won’t have a barn).
     • This question is particularly useful in small towns because if they live in a centralized area, chances are they’re known in the community and thus if they were dangerous they wouldn’t be on the streets (this is obviously not true for everywhere you go but it’s a good general rule).
     • If they don’t live in the city that’s ok, I just wouldn’t recommend going home with them unless you really come to trust them during your outing.
  3. So what do you guys do with yourselves?
     • Employment is a good indicator of normalcy. You can’t use it as a blanket safety net but knowing what a person does is often a decent indicator of what they’re like.
     • Also, finding out what they do in their day to day lives gives a picture of their character and personality.
  4. Tell me something about this place I can’t find out about online?
     • This question is super helpful for finding unique experiences and also demonstrating to locals that your not just here for the bog standard tourist experience.
  5. Do you know any good places to go out/things to do/things to see?
     • This is a great question because they will tell you about things that they like to do and you can judge if you have similar tastes in recreational activities or not.
     • Not only are they likely to give you useful information you are also opening yourself up to the possibility of being invited along with them.

If you feel confident enough you can use the hook (make or break) question:

I don’t know anyone here, do you mind if I hang out/come with you guys (I’ve never seen that/been there)?

• If they are departing and you don’t feel comfortable enough to use the hook, or if they say no to the previous question then at least they will have given you list of good places to go and things to do. If they are even somewhat cool then you are likely to meet other, new, cool people at their recommended places… so just start again at question 1.

You should be able to work these questions into normal conversation and they should just come naturally. Also keep in mind that while these tips are for meeting locals you can use them to meet other travelers or pretty much anyone.

• Most of all BE CAREFUL and judge each situation individually, if you are not feeling comfortable then GET OUT!

Travel Challenge – Speed friending

When you arrive in a new place. Within the first 24 hours you must leave your accommodation and find the most local looking place you can. There you must attempt to implement the rules you have just learned to meet new people. This challenge is less about actually being successful at making friends and more about overcoming that intimidation and fear that is ingrained in us and stops us from talking to strangers. More often than not strangers are not as scary as you make them out to be, after all, a stranger is just a potential friend waiting to be made.  If you are unsuccessful to begin with then just keep going. Move locations if necessary, try to be amiable and positive and people will reply with a similar demeanor. But, if they don’t that’s ok. It teaches you rejection, humility and patience. Also the more times that people are uninterested in talking to you the more times you have to have the initial conversation. This is very beneficial because it allows you to gauge levels of friendliness and perceived trust in someone better. This will be hard to start with, but don’t worry, it gets easier.