Ways to Immerse Yourself Into New Cultures

When you travel to a new country there are so many recommended attractions, sites, and must-see opportunities. Many travellers want to go beyond that and "feel" the culture of a new place. They want to see how others live, work, and play. They want to eat at restaurants off the beaten path and go to markets and shops that are not only flooded with tourists. These tourists want to immerse themselves into a new culture experience.

Here are some tips/ideas on how you can get a peek into other cultures while travelling:

1.  You can begin your research before your trip. Read books, read blogs, and watch YouTube videos, such as vlogs like Aspyn & Parker create about the location you plan to visit. You may want to learn basic greetings and ways to express your gratitude. Having an understanding of the religions, languages, and financial environment can build sensitivity to the culture. 
2. Hire a local driver- instead of joining the large tourists companies who travel around with a crowd, look on-line for a local driver to show you around. Using recommendations on TripAdvisor may work, but dig deeper into the TripAdvisor forums for local expert recommendations. Richard and I did this in Bali, and our driver not only showed us great food stops and nature sights along the way to our destination, but chatted with us about her schooling and daily family life during the drive. 
3. Stay in small boutique hotels or B&B's- the owners of these types of accommodations are often on site and great sources of information. They know of any special events of festivals taking place, where to eat, their favourite beach, etc. While staying at SomeWhere Else Boutique in the Philippines, Richard and I were told to not only see the large waterfall that was so popular, but another one that was much smaller but much more picturesque.  
4. Drive yourself- when possible, you may want to consider driving yourself around. Now this is not recommended in busy cities (e.g. Rome, New York, etc.), but can be quite enjoyable on islands or smaller locales. We have scootered through islands of South-east Asia, 4-wheeled the islands of Greece, and drove a rental car around Croatia. Yes, there can be some confusion and stresses with these methods of transportation, but you get to familiarize yourself with the streets, directions, and most importantly you can stop at your leisure seeing things you would not have seen otherwise. You will surely drive by homes and waving locals as an added bonus.
5. Take a cooking class- I have taken a cooking class in many of the cities we have visited, and its a great way to not only try local foods but often locals are teaching the classes. Some classes start off with a market visit too, which can be an additional way to see how the locals shop and barter for their food. In Morocco we went to a market that was strictly for spices. Not only did we get to see a variety of unique spices, but we were able to purchase spices such as saffron at a fairly decent price to bring home                                    .                                   



Photo: @conciergecouple

6. Go for a run- Richard and I try to stay physically active while on vacation. Going for a run is not only a good way to work up an appetite for a big breakfast, but it also gives you a chance to actually get out and navigate the areas around your hotel or accommodations. We sometimes even bring a small amount of money with us to stop at a fruit stand or buy a souvenir we are interested in.                                                                        . 
7. Go to a sporting event- Richard is a sports fanatic, so we try to see some sporting activity when we are away. He would have to say the highlight so far was a soccer game: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid. We gathered on the subways with the locals, we purchased and wore team memorabilia with the locals, we drank at the pubs with the locals, as we experienced the game. After there was cheering, yelling, partying in the streets and more. It really gave us a look into the importance of not only sports but football to the locals.

Camp Nou, Barcelona
Photo: @conciergecouple

When travelling as a tourist you will have many thrilling experiences. It is the experiences where we are closest to the people and embracing their culture and lifestyle that has brought us the best memories. In education (as teachers) we promote and encourage real "hands-on" learning, and this is it at its best.