Best thing I read on travel trends

Everybody’s a “local” somewhere, and an outsider everywhere else. Maybe the article should suggest traveling with some information to make your trip easier, and not travel “clueless?”

Ski areas in Colorado seem to have a lot of fixation on “local” vs. “tourist.” Asked on a chairlift last month where I lived, I said, “in the Denver area.” Not expecting his answer, and not concerned about validation or condemnation, he said, “Well, if you’re from Colorado, you’re a local.” I figured a “local” is someone who lives in the nearest town, 3 miles away, not the next one 5 miles away, or Denver, 85 miles away, if it mattered. But the only real locals are the animals living on the slopes!

Donna, excellent points. I like your “Be Yourself” mantra. That’s how we travel because who else are we supposed to be?

I'm not afraid to travel "like I am."
It always seems strange eating Chinese food in Germany. We just eat what suits us, and it can be McDonalds or local foods.
You won't find me wearing clothes or hats with university names, however.
But when they hear our southern accents, most people overseas warm up to us and want to hear my wife talk.

Cyn...there was more from the Newsweek article. It was "The most Annoying travel trends of the last decade" if you want to read further.

Donna, that is interesting reading! Yes, airline travel is different that it was 20 years ago, or even ten. And I’m in the Don’t like Selfie Sticks camp - they’re dangerous as well as annoying. Very thought-provoking comments on “Influencers” and Staycations, too. Thanks for sharing all this!

Lol, I am so happy that the travel like a local stuff is finally fading. No one travels for pleasure to be a local with a job, family and other commitments.

Eat like a local? I’m sure no one is shocked that most Chicagoans don’t eat deep dish pizza, hotdogs without ketchup, and Italian beef daily.

It’s fine to be a tourist, hopefully not too tacky. But, it’s a rare city where the locals live near the tourist attractions. Sure, sometimes you can make a connection and chat during happy hour. But sometimes the locals are having drinks with coworkers and gossiping on who’s on their way up at work, who’s sleeping with the boss, and what jobs are going to be cut in the next round of restructuring, just like you’d find at any American office.

I think there's been a lot of over-interpreting of what "travel like a local" was supposed to mean. When it first became a theme, RS's primary audience starting in the '80s was middle-class Americans who had little imagination when it came to travel abroad. When he said it, I understood it as: not staying in American-style, business class hotels, but look for the inexpensive options that traveling Europeans might favor; try eating in small mom & pop restaurants and not Michelin-reviewed restaurants with menus in English; learn some of the local language and customs; show respect to local social norms; and try public transportation instead of assuming you need a car everywhere. In other words, advice that people give here on this forum every day. Maybe its been twisted into meaning something else in the bigger travel world context.

How about this: just be yourself. Behave yourself. Be curious. Talk to people. Ask questions. Eat the local cuisine. Don't be afraid to be seen as a tourist (because you will be seen as one anyway, whether you like it or not).

I always thought that was RS meant when the said travel like a local. Except he was more specific about not staying in American-style business class chain hotels, eating in mom & pop restaurants, learning some of the language and customs, and show respect to local culture. For American middle -class audience in the "80s, this was a more radical idea than its morphed into..

Many times while sitting in a bus, or sitting at a communal table for lunch, we have been asked “where are you from?” And a conversation usually starts. People have told us of their trips to the US (in Munch) or have asked us why we choose this particular city to visit (in Krakow), or just how are you today. Someone even asked us if we could have a conversation so he could practice his English. Of course we said yes. You don’t always have to seek out local experiences, many times they find you.
PS. My husband wears his Croatian soccer jacket from his city and people talk to us everywhere. Soccer is the universal language in most of Europe.

I really like the excerpt in the original post for this thread.

I rolled my eyes a little at the Basic Economy diatribe in the referenced full article, especially...

On a recent round-trip flight from Newark to Santa Ana, CA, I
complained to any United Airlines employee within earshot about [Basic Economy].
The common response was: "Just pay more money and you won't have to
worry about it."

The writer sounds like a pleasure to travel with...

Speaking of Spam and interesting reading, one of the more interesting things I've read lately is that Spam is having its 5th consecutive year of record sales.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/17/spam-sales-break-record-hormel-foods-corp.html

(Yes, I do have a short attention spam)

Right off the bat it’s wrong about basic economy. It’s United that has the unsavory basic economy. Delta’s basic economy allows online check it, changing seats to an aisle or window within 24 hours of departure, and a normal-sized carry on for free (which will be gate checked for free if bins are full). The writer is careless to not state these differences. I knew he was describing the United basic economy experience before he stated it and I don’t travel that often. I can live with Delta basic economy because I am only giving up 2 things: ticket changeability and seat selection before 24 hours before departure. I will not fly United basic economy for the reasons in the article and the "walk of shame" before boarding where the gate attendant visually verifies that you are not carrying on a suitcase.

Also I’m pretty sure that it was Southwest, not Delta, that was first to change the frequent flier programs, so article wrong again.

Don't be afraid to be seen as a tourist (because you will be seen as one anyway, whether you like it or not).

If this is your experience, then you not interacting with locals to know what some are really thinking. Or you’re an ET.

Yeah, I think the "travel like a local" shorthand (interact with regular people in your destination, stay at small/locally run hotels, eat at hole-in-the-wall places, explore the city instead of rushing from museum to museum...) seems pretty common sense NOW, at least to most of us on this board. So we criticize it, and point out the logical fallacy (locals are by definition not traveling in their city!). However, "travel like a local" is just a short way of saying an idea I think most of us agree with, in whole or in part. I can't think of a better short way to say it. When the saying first became known it was a more unusual idea. And I'm sure there are still travelers for whom this advice is something new, and maybe they want to incorporate some of it into their future trips. Remember not everyone travels the same way, so pointing out the advantages of one style may be helpful. Not everyone will be interested, but if someone is and this silly phrase helps them interact with a new culture...great!

Always happy to start a conversation :)

Some random thoughts upon reading posts from Barbara, Cyn, and David.
David, I would not wear a shirt with a big logo, either (not anywhere!), but it was kind of fun seeing a UW Oshkosh hat in Istanbul. We asked, "Are you REALLY from Oshkosh, or did you just find the hat somewhere?"
Barbara, I enjoy that experience of having a resident ask where I am from. Sometimes, they say, "Oh, you're a cheesehead!" That from a woman in a gift shop in England-she had lived in Indianapolis for awhile. Or, someone will say, "I lived in Oconomowoc"...and I know they did because they could pronounce it. Or, I will name a place I lived in WI, and a man in Australia will joke, "Oh, I'm sorry!" And I will know he really did know about that town (because there are nicer places in WI.) Or I will get off my bike in a park here at home, and start talking to a woman with an accent, ask where she is from, and say to her, "Oh, I've been to Budapest." And hear about how, when, why she left.
Cyn, we are locals at home and outsiders everywhere else, true enough, but I feel that we are not as outside as we were 50 years ago. Is it worldwide communication systems, is it because more people travel, is it because I am more outgoing than when I first traveled abroad? I talk to everybody, they talk to me, about the big and the little things in our lives, and there is so much common ground and shared experience that I feel like we are all insiders in a larger sense. There are several continents to which I have not yet traveled, but I bet I would find these connections in those places, too.
So, yes, there are tourists and there are locals, but it is not the most important distinction, if we all are sharing our experiences as fellow inhabitants of earth.

from another travel site ...... "Can we stay with locals in Maui and experience Hawaii?"

to the point of not wearing identifying hats or t-shirts... buddy of mine worked for Boeing and was traveling in Brazil at the airport he had on a t-shirt from his HS - from across the busy airport he heard "GO BOMBERS" (the name of his HS mascot) sometimes it is fun to make those random connections.

I agree with Emma. We are all passionate about travel, too much so, I would think, to be caught up in labels. Travel in the style that suits you. Don't try to be something you are not. We will be in Madrid in February but we can never be Madrilenos, just be happy to be among them for a short time.

Richland High School Bombers? I could have sworn political correctness would have forced them to change their name. Do they still use a mushroom cloud logo? I always thought it was a particularly dry sense of humor that developed that.

I'm from San Diego but lived in Spokane for twenty years (originally moved there to fly B-52's at Fairchild). I miss the great snow I skied in that area. Last year I skied Vermont and next week I'm heading back up to New York. Skiing on this side of the country is pitiful. Poor slopes, worse snow, crowded and expensive.

On the subject of traveling like a local. I think the best you can do is be studious about your travels. You won't be a local but learn something about their language, culture, history, food, etc. before you're visit. Not only will you get more out of your travels but the locals will appreciate your effort. The worst travelers (tourists) seem clueless.

Brad --- yep still the Bombers. It is a constant debate. My husband is Richland alum (well when he was there it was Columbia High). When he graduated in 1970 the mascot was the plane "Days Pay" which although still creepy it wasn't the darn mushroom cloud. In today's polarized society many living in Richland are more proud today of the mushroom cloud then those that lived through that history.

I think its all pretty much nonsense. Travel to enjoy it. What ever that means to you, if it works do more of it.

And the much maligned American Corporate Hotel. Some of the best hotels available are American owned. Be proud. And since they are locally operated and I would suspect at least partially owned, they reflect the local flavor more often than not. I love a Four Seasons once in a while. Bill Gates owns half, some Saudi prince owns the other half and the places don't look Arab or American. They generally look like they belong in their environment. Some would be surprised to find out that there are wealthy people living in Europe who travel like locals by staying in 5 star hotels.

As far as trying to look local. If you were to look in my closet in Budapest you would find a pair of Lucchese Ostrich Boots and a Stetson Silver Beaver. You know when they show an ostrich a photo of those boots, it just falls over and begs to be the same..... Ohhhh, and a couple of Aggie t-shirts..... Gig'em

Anyway, when anyone tries to tell you how to enjoy your life, know that they are insecure and the conversation will eventually go to an attempt to prove that in some way they are more intelligent or refined than you are. I usually stop those conversations before they get beyond the first line. The only bad way to travel is a way that didnt bring you enjoyment and hopefully a little broader view of the world.