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Often when I travel I choose to go the comfortable way, as most people probably do: book a nice hotel to sleep in, grab food at a place with good ratings and visit a few of the "must-sees." But traveling like this doesn't show the real daily life of a place, only a comfortable, touristic version.
Things tend to get interesting when you go local. To really understand what it's like to live in a different country, it's best to sleep, eat, talk, dance and hang out with local people. When we stayed with a local couple in India, we really experienced their culture and got a glimpse of their habits (it even made me question whether we really need to use toilet paper...) and outlook on life.
If you've traveled like this before, I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments below. If not, try it out next time you get a chance—I'm sure you will be inspired.
This story originally appeared on Story Hopper, a collection of design stories worth sharing, squeezed into short videos.
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Travel With Locals and You Might Learn a Thing or Two
Dave, on the toilet paper note: A buddy of mine was backpacking through rural Greece in the '90s, where toilet paper was not common. He happened to have a paperback book with him that he was reading, and he got into the habit of using the already-read pages as toilet paper.
I recently stayed with a friend in Northern Italy, he has a Bidet next to the toilet. I started to use this for a few days and realized it does a much better job than paper. Also, you can sit on the toilet and wash your feet in it and i'm sure there is plenty of other uses I haven't heard of.
Haha i'll remember the book-method in case I need a plan B. Just some simple water does the cleaning job. Defenitly feels weird in the beginning, you will get used to it. Or well you have to...