How to Have an Authentic Travel Experience

As the tourist traps lose their appeal for travelers or simply never had any appeal to begin with, more and more people are looking for an authentic experience, whether they’re going to Edinburgh or Dubai. While it’s impossible to escape the fact that being a tourist will create some subtle and some noticeable changes in the behavior of the people you meet, there are some things you can do to boost the authenticity of your experience.

Limit Your Expectations

Cultures change and evolve, especially when it comes to new technology. Put away your expectations that a culture you read about in high school will have rejected modern amenities that drastically improve their quality of life. Unless, of course, you happen to visit an Amish community, in which case, that expectation is completely in line with the reality. By taking a place the way you find it, rather than being put off its failure to be as you expected it, you’ll get a lot more authenticity from the experience.

Don’t Look Like a Tourist

Nothing screams tourist like a fat, Fodor’s guide in one hand, a map in the other, and a camera hanging off your neck. The same goes for that Hawaiian shirt and those ugly shorts your kids beg you never to wear. Just because you’re on vacation doesn’t mean you should stop dressing like an adult. Slacks, jeans and button downs are pretty universal in Western society and will help you look less like a tourist. If you must take the guidebook, and sometimes you really must, don’t carry it around in your hand. Put the guidebook in a backpack.

Go Down the Occasional Alley

Granted, this applies mostly to Europe, but alleys in Europe often serve as the home to restaurants, pubs and shops. Equally important, most tourists unconsciously steer clear of alleys. This positions you to wander into a place populated almost entirely by locals. You should use a little caution with this one and give alleys that look very poorly lit or populated with unsavory types a pass.

Embrace the Off-Season

You might take a hit in terms of weather by traveling somewhere during the off-season, but you’ll also be arriving when there are far fewer tourists coming through. This means that you’ll probably get a better deal on both flights and rooms, but it also means you won’t be competing with as many people to interact with the locals.

Getting more authenticity into your travel experience isn’t just about avoiding tourist traps, though that certainly helps. It’s also about setting the right expectations, not signaling everyone that you are a tourist and being willing to visit places others unconsciously avoid. If you’d like some help planning a trip with more authenticity designed into it, go to 6330 East 75th Street, Suite 136, Indianapolis, IN 46250, and chat with one of professional travel agents there.

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