Travel Off The Beaten Path?

[MexicoHusky]

Does anyone have any advice for traveling off the beaten path?

I'd like to travel abroad, but I'm not super interested in guided tours. Ideally I'd like to contact someone local, pay them a few hundred $$ for their time. Have them show me around the town. It seems like social media should allow such connections.

Has anyone ever done anything like this?

 

[UConnDad]

We’ve done culinary+ tours. One in Malaga, Spain that was about 4 hours. Usually include local history and customs. It was just another couple and us. Had a great time. Also an all day tour in Italy that was fantastic. Basically walked around this small rural area. Made cheese, fed some hogs, toured the lemon tree orchard with limoncello of course, awesome gardens, made our own pizzas for lunch at a little restaurant, several homemade wines. Every neighbor supplied a product or service and all bartered from each other. No grocery stores. These were guided but groups were small.

 

[auror]

We’ve done culinary+ tours. One in Malaga, Spain that was about 4 hours. Usually include local history and customs. It was just another couple and us. Had a great time. Also an all day tour in Italy that was fantastic. Basically walked around this small rural area. Made cheese, fed some hogs, toured the lemon tree orchard with limoncello of course, awesome gardens, made our own pizzas for lunch at a little restaurant, several homemade wines. Every neighbor supplied a product or service and all bartered from each other. No grocery stores. These were guided but groups were small.

Yeah did one of these in Split, Croatia. Just another random couple who happened to also be from US and us. Guy met us at the farmers market, then drove us to a rural area outside of the town. "We" cooked a several course seafood meal with a bunch of it on an outdoor live fire grill. I say "we" in quotes because the other couple with us had never even eaten shrimp before (let alone cooked seafood). They were guido-tastic. It was actually hilarious.

 

[nomar]

Does anyone have any advice for traveling off the beaten path?

I'd like to travel abroad, but I'm not super interested in guided tours. Ideally I'd like to contact someone local, pay them a few hundred $$ for their time. Have them show me around the town. It seems like social media should allow such connections.

Has anyone ever done anything like this?

ToursByLocals - Private Tours By Local Guides

ToursByLocals connects travelers with local tour guides, worldwide. We're a marketplace for customizable private tours and shore excursions!

www.toursbylocals.com

We used this in Kyoto. She was an experienced tour guide, but it was bespoke in the sense that we did what we wanted to do. (It was just my wife and me.) I'm sure she made some suggestions. The pricing was not outrageous IIRC. (This was 7 years ago.) It was well worth it. She knew what she was talking about and her English was excellent.

Are you traveling alone, with a S.O., family, other? It seems like the pricing is based per tour, rather than by person, so it might be expensive for 1-2 people.

Anyway, I can at least vouch for the fact that it's a legitimate website.

 

[MexicoHusky]

ToursByLocals - Private Tours By Local Guides

ToursByLocals connects travelers with local tour guides, worldwide. We're a marketplace for customizable private tours and shore excursions!

www.toursbylocals.com

We used this in Kyoto. She was an experienced tour guide, but it was bespoke in the sense that we did what we wanted to do. (It was just my wife and me.) I'm sure she made some suggestions. The pricing was not outrageous IIRC. (This was 7 years ago.) It was well worth it. She knew what she was talking about and her English was excellent.

Are you traveling alone, with a S.O., family, other? It seems like the pricing is based per tour, rather than by person, so it might be expensive for 1-2 people.

Anyway, I can at least vouch for the fact that it's a legitimate website.

Just 2. But I'll check it out. Thanks.

More info. I kinda want to go to Chile. Maybe Patagonia region. Japan sounds cool too.

 

[MexicoHusky]

We’ve done culinary+ tours. One in Malaga, Spain that was about 4 hours. Usually include local history and customs. It was just another couple and us. Had a great time. Also an all day tour in Italy that was fantastic. Basically walked around this small rural area. Made cheese, fed some hogs, toured the lemon tree orchard with limoncello of course, awesome gardens, made our own pizzas for lunch at a little restaurant, several homemade wines. Every neighbor supplied a product or service and all bartered from each other. No grocery stores. These were guided but groups were small.

This may be a dumb question. What is a culinary+ tour?

 

[nomar]

Just 2. But I'll check it out. Thanks.

More info. I kinda want to go to Chile. Maybe Patagonia region. Japan sounds cool too.

Good luck!

We went to Chile a few years ago. I have a friend in Santiago. We were supposed to go with him and his girlfriend to Mendoza but the mountain pass got snowed out. We called an audible and went to the Atacama Desert (driest in the world) instead. Very cool. They have a bunch of mini-Dead Seas that you can float in.

We didn't have a chance to go to Patagonia because we were bouncing across South America (Lima-->Cuzco-->Machu Piccu-->Santiago-->Buenos Aires) but I'd love to go someday.

 

[husky429]

Does anyone have any advice for traveling off the beaten path?

I'd like to travel abroad, but I'm not super interested in guided tours. Ideally I'd like to contact someone local, pay them a few hundred $$ for their time. Have them show me around the town. It seems like social media should allow such connections.

Has anyone ever done anything like this?

I have traveled a lot. Guided tours with groups like Contiki or whatever are absolutely awful and a waste of money imo. If you want a tour just find a free walking tour or something when you get there. I've never found it hard to do.

Are you an experienced traveler? If not, I would recommend going to more well known cities or areas still. There's a reason why the Romes, London's, and Paris's of the world are famous... they're awesome.

Traveling to really really of the beaten path areas can be hard. I was in some backass parts of Cambodia during the pandemic and things got pretty hairy a couple times... I'd think for a first traveling experience you'd want something easier like Europe or Southeast Asia perhaps?

 

[UConnDad]

This may be a dumb question. What is a culinary+ tour?

Besides the food and drink you actually learn quite a bit. Just like on the Boneyard!

 

[Fishy]

Does anyone have any advice for traveling off the beaten path?

I'd like to travel abroad, but I'm not super interested in guided tours. Ideally I'd like to contact someone local, pay them a few hundred $$ for their time. Have them show me around the town. It seems like social media should allow such connections.

Has anyone ever done anything like this?

Yes.

Went to Sea World (not DisneyWorld because off the beaten path) and we paid $75 extra for the VIP tix which involved being given the services of a local resident for the day.

Was cool. Got to cut in front of everyone, basically could have taken a dolphin home if I wanted and when it started to rain, the tour person ran like his life depended on it to get rain ponchos for us. Did not see any of the local restaurants because Jerry went and got our food and we ate near the dolphins who ate herring.

It’s good to get off the beaten path and see things the way the locals do.

 

[MexicoHusky]

Yes.

Went to Sea World (not DisneyWorld because off the beaten path) and we paid $75 extra for the VIP tix which involved being given the services of a local resident for the day.

Was cool. Got to cut in front of everyone, basically could have taken a dolphin home if I wanted and when it started to rain, the tour person ran like his life depended on it to get rain ponchos for us. Did not see any of the local restaurants because Jerry went and got our food and we ate near the dolphins who ate herring.

It’s good to get off the beaten path and see things the way the locals do.

Sound advice, bit I think Sea World Kyoto and Sea World Santiago are both shut down. Stupid Blackfish documentary.

 

[MexicoHusky]

Besides the food and drink you actually learn quite a bit. Just like on the Boneyard!

Indeed, the Boneyard has taught me many lessons. For example, whenever I go out to eat I let the restaurant manager know the sous chef should be getting more minutes. I also drench all my steaks in ketchep.

 

[MexicoHusky]

I have traveled a lot. Guided tours with groups like Contiki or whatever are absolutely awful and a waste of money imo. If you want a tour just find a free walking tour or something when you get there. I've never found it hard to do.

Are you an experienced traveler? If not, I would recommend going to more well known cities or areas still. There's a reason why the Romes, London's, and Paris's of the world are famous... they're awesome.

Traveling to really really of the beaten path areas can be hard. I was in some backass parts of Cambodia during the pandemic and things got pretty hairy a couple times... I'd think for a first traveling experience you'd want something easier like Europe or Southeast Asia perhaps?

I'm an experienced traveler in the US. Which may not mean much. That said, I'm usually pretty cool under pressure..... unless some -hole waiter says, "we carry Pepsi products, is Mellow Yellow ok?" Then I lose my s**.

 

[Travelman6]

All the time. The last time was in Albania. Sometimes all it takes is just striking up a conversation with people nearby at the restaurant, cafe, etc that you are at.

If you want off the beaten path, Albania, Serbia, and Bosnia are all fantastic places with very friendly people. I also found the average person in Guatemala to be very nice and a local couple offered to take us (friends and I, it was 4 of us) around after we had met them hiking. They didn't even want anything, just loved showing their country. I had met someone like that in China years ago too, and we ended up becoming friends and going around the countryside of China up North several times. I had met a lady who showed myself and my gf at the time around the Netherlands after we met her via couchsurfing but I haven't used that site in a decade.

Traveling to really really of the beaten path areas can be hard. I was in some backass parts of Cambodia during the pandemic and things got pretty hairy a couple times...

you'd want something easier like Europe or Southeast Asia perhaps?

 

[temery]

Does anyone have any advice for traveling off the beaten path?

I'd like to travel abroad, but I'm not super interested in guided tours. Ideally I'd like to contact someone local, pay them a few hundred $$ for their time. Have them show me around the town. It seems like social media should allow such connections.

Has anyone ever done anything like this?

I hear Amsterdam has places where you can pay a local a few hundred $$ for their time.

 

[Dogdeacon]

I did a post-college 4 months in Europe back in the day eurail pass and saw most of the countries.

That experience enabled me to travel as an adult (non family) to Spain, London & Costa Rica with only basic itineraries (hotel booked first & last nights). IF you are going to a European style city & that is reasonably well-traveled but not insanely busy (not peak season) you can use travel guides to find affordable, available hotels and shop around once there based on what looks nice. Its 20 years ago now, but rented a car in Spain and just drove all around finding lodging in Madrid, Cadiz, Granada, Sevilla (favorite) and Gibraltar (unfavorite-an imperialist inane cockney zit sticking out of the water, with cool caves). We hired a day guide when we took a day trip to Morocco cuz that place is crazy.

 

[UCSouth]

Does anyone have any advice for traveling off the beaten path?

I'd like to travel abroad, but I'm not super interested in guided tours. Ideally I'd like to contact someone local, pay them a few hundred $$ for their time. Have them show me around the town. It seems like social media should allow such connections.

Has anyone ever done anything like this?

Heck, for a few hundred, I'll show you around South Alabama...you'd swear that you were in a different country...

 

[storrsroars]

Personally, I'd start somewhere that's at least somewhat familiar, like a country that uses our alphabet, and just explore on your own. When you leave yourself open for whatever, you find a lot more interesting "whatevers", IMHO. I personally don't care for tours, unless they're of a particularly historic site, like the Colosseum or a battleground.

Pro tip: If you find yourself overseas and in over your head, there is always a bar to be found that's frequented by Brits and those from their former colonies (Canadians, Aussies, etc.) They will help.

 

[SubbaBub]

Does anyone have any advice for traveling off the beaten path?

I'd like to travel abroad, but I'm not super interested in guided tours. Ideally I'd like to contact someone local, pay them a few hundred $$ for their time. Have them show me around the town. It seems like social media should allow such connections.

Has anyone ever done anything like this?

Most tourist cities have "Free" walking tours to help you get around. You pay (tip) whatever you want. Between that, guide books and wandering around you should be fine.

You also need to come to terms with what you mean by off the beaten path. Avoiding tourist traps is pretty easy. It's fine to skip climbing the Eiffel Tower and instead wander through the Latin Quarter or some other neighborhood, it's a different story just wandering around without scouting a place first.

Traveling on your own in a place you don't know the language, the lay of the land, or local customs is pretty hard unless you either have a lot of time to spend or don't mind missing out on stuff and being happy with what you do find. You should also be comfortable in handling yourself in unfamiliar situations such as being stranded or potentially scammed.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Is the idea to completely avoid tourist destinations or merely to avoid destinations that primarily attract tourists. For example, in Edinburgh the Castle is a tourist attraction. Most days, locals avoid it. But it’s still historically significant and worth seeing. On the other hand, the Royal Mile is also a tourist attraction but is also swamped with locals.

In Paris two years ago, during a heatwave, we wandered to some neighborhood and found an outdoor restaurant (several) around a small urban green. Young people kept arriving to play some game, perhaps like bocce, with picnic baskets and bottles of wine. I valued it as a glimpse of what 20 somethings in Paris may do after work on a hot Friday evening.

We don’t do organized tours. We chart our own way. One key to making it a bit more real is to avoid tourist season. Think Martha’s Vineyard in January. We like Ireland and Scotland in October. Weather is nice, the tourists are largely gone. Provides a great opportunity to meet and talk to locals.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

the answer to all travel questions is 'should've gone to Newport.'
stuck sumwhere in the subcontinent, with body parts fallin off of folks around you?
pinned down by a pack of the locals up in the hills of nablus?
locked in a hut on poles, over water, where they eat a lot of shrimp, and you know that there is no chance of the rain stopping for weeks?
hiking in mayan lands where it hasn't rained in like decades?
zabars?
all the same answer, 'should've gone to Newport.'
too hot where ur at?
icy north atlantic winds kicking in?
same answer. it's always a good time to go to Newport.
unless Greek, Roman, Mongol'ish history, or wild Carpathia is ur thing, forget europe.
that place is just a big restaurant, and who needs to travel for food?

for way too many folks around these parts, Utah and Idaho are 'off the beaten path.' their loss. next up? the caves of Kentucky!
they're the longest cave system known in the world. hold all calls, cuz checkin those out will take some time. blow ur mind, too.