Travelling is one of the best ways to broaden your horizons and experience new places, people and things. Not only does travelling break the monotony of day-to-day life but it is also a great way of unwinding, relaxing and rejuvenating your body, mind and soul! Everybody loves to travel, but not everybody can travel like a pro! Thankfully, travelling well is an art which can be perfected. People usually like to explore, sightsee and feast as much as they can without spending a bomb whilst on a vacation. If you’re looking for immersive experiences without burning a hole in your pocket then you will definitely need to look beyond the tourist traps.
A tourist trap is exactly what its name suggests, it is a trap for tourists in the sense that the goods and services here are priced higher than normal. Of course, these places attract maximum tourists, which is why people fall for the ‘trap’, they are very tempting after all! If you want to make the most of your money and increase your purchasing power then you will need to steer clear of these tourist traps. In most cases, if you’re willing to go the extra mile then you’re most likely to be able to get past the tourist traps.
When travelling, the first thing that people do is to ask for directions or recommendations from doormen (in hotels) and cab drivers since they are most convenient to reach out to. Now, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing but most of the times they would recommend homogenized options or tourist traps. So, in order to get past the tourist traps and to have real immersive experiences you’ll need to keep pressing for places where only locals hang out or go to. You’ll be surprised as to how much money you can save in the process just by being a little tenacious!
You can get excellent recommendations from concierges as they generally stay away from tourist places when they are heading out. So go ahead and ask them for places where you can experience the real local culture or buy souvenirs for cheap without being conned. Also, the internet can be your best friend in this regard, especially resources like Yelp. If you’re heading to popular cities then they are most likely to have their own city-specific apps which you can easily download and bank upon. A little research goes a long way here, therefore you should set aside some time for research before you head out.
Also, you need to be comfortable about speaking to the locals because they are your best help since they know the town/city best! If you’re heading to a place with non-English speaking locals then you’ll need to do some homework and advance preparation by learning a few common phrases. So go ahead, pick the brains of the local neighborhood folk, bakers, shopkeepers, pedestrians, etc for the best insider recommendations and must-see attractions in the city. Of course, it helps to have a map handy so that the locals can explain the directions and help you get to the places suggested.
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