When people regale you with their travel stories, have you ever heard people talk about their local interactions? I hear it all the time amongst serial travelers. When people explain what they do on their trips, they say they go out and interact with the locals wherever they are. They say the locals are so friendly or they were rude or whatever the case may be. But did they really interact with locals?  Can they judge a local population after their short visit? Here’s what I call the fallacy of interacting with locals.

I’ve thought about writing this post for a long time but wasn’t really sure how to phrase it. I already know sanctimonious travelers and others are going to jump all over me about it, but I don’t care. People are just people and many travelers think their travels are more profound than other peoples for whatever reason. It’s part of the one-upping that goes on in travel that drives me bonkers.

 

If you know me I generally stay out of any travel argument because travel can be like politics amongst “serious” travelers wherein everyone thinks they’re right and nothing gets solved.  Also, by no means do I think I’m perfect nor a better traveler than anyone else.  Plus, I try my best to not be a hypocrite in travel and in life.  Although like anyone, my views have often changed over the years as my experiences and priorities have.  So if I said or wrote something at 28, I may have a different outlook now at 38; and that’s OK.  Peoples views can change.

The fallacy of interacting with locals can be explained by asking a simple question. How did you interact with locals?

 

I ask this simple question for a reason.  I find that many travelers’ local interactions are centered amongst people that are paid to be nice to them. People such as taxi drivers; hotel concierge, bartenders; waiters; and other service industry workers. This is understandable as almost everyone interacts with these types of people on their travels. But all are paid or tipped to be nice to you.

 

This is part of the fallacy of interacting with locals. Tourists often times don’t venture out of their comfort zone even though they think they do and often rave about it.

If you have a chatty taxi driver who takes you to the fancy hotel where a nice bellman takes your bags to a lovely check-in person; who has the helpful concierge refer you a top restaurant with a charming bartender and funny waiter…does this mean you’ve interacted with locals? I personally don’t think so but many people do.

 

On a more budget level; if you’re at a hostel with a bunch of western backpackers who tell you about an amazing bar with all western backpackers getting drunk and you have a blast…did you interact with locals? No you didn’t but you had a great time and you love the city and I’m sure the local bartender was pretty nice. See what I mean? The fallacy of interacting with locals is everywhere and often even more so with young budget travelers who tend to flock together and stay to themselves.

Now I want to clearly state there’s nothing wrong with doing this at all. We all have our ways of traveling and none is better than another-I firmly believe that. People have comfort zones and I have been just as guilty as anyone at times of staying in my comfort zone in certain places. But as I always say (plus I enjoy a sensible debate), you’re not a real traveler until you’re comfortable being uncomfortable.

 

My favorite and in fact best travel stories always have to do with people. People I met along the way who made a heartfelt difference in my experience. More often than not, these are locals. Real people who aren’t paid to be nice to me.  Conversely, I’ve had my opinions of places shaped negatively by locals too.

 

But either way, you don’t get into these situations by accident; you have to put yourself in the position to have them happen. If you stay in your hotel/hostel or around touristic things, you’ll only meet tourists and people who work in tourism. It’s a simple fact. This is one reason tour groups are the worst.

 

That said, simply walking around aimlessly will not allow you to meet locals either. Think about it where you live. I see tons of tourists every day in New York City and as a local I avoid where tourists go like the plague. Of course if someone looks lost I may offer assistance but that’s just common courtesy.  It’s odd to think this way about yourself but locals in other cities do that to to us-we’re not that special. It’s human nature to avoid certain things.

 

Also, just because someone on the street gives you directions or can speak English doesn’t make it a real local interaction. But it’s a good start because you’re being outgoing and you never know where that might lead. I’ve had great times as a result of doing just this.  You never know!

So how do you meet a real local you ask? The answer is you meet them whether by chance, by going to where locals hang out, or perhaps by setting it up ahead of time. Perhaps meeting someone online or staying with someone who can show you around or introduce you to others. There’s no golden bullet for meeting locals but the one thing you must do is make an effort and put yourself in the position to meet locals. You must be outgoing and friendly.

 

This cannot be understated. If you want to meet and interact with locals and get a real feel for them and their culture, you have to talk with real people. To do this you must put yourself in a position to make it happen and be likeable. Otherwise it won’t.

 

Remember service industry people will always be nice because it’s in their best interest. But the fallacy of interacting with locals lies in thinking those people are emblematic of the people as a whole. They are trained to make you feel comfortable.  To really experience a people, one must actually speak to and interact with them.

 

It’s not easy, even for a super outgoing person like me or anyone at all.  Anyone who says otherwise is full of it. But I assure you it is possible. The experiences you have will be some of the best of your travel life because they’ll feel real and not manufactured. That’s a great feeling and makes for a great story. There’s no fallacy in that.

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