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4 Indian Bloggers Tell You How To Interact Better With Locals While Travelling

Along with witnessing gorgeous landscapes and soaking in the beauty, it’s the joy of communicating with locals of a place that makes travelling holistic.

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By: charu chowdhary Published: Jan 09, 2019 01:00 PM IST

4 Indian Bloggers Tell You How To Interact Better With Locals While Travelling

Travel is all about how it makes you feel. It makes you feel happy, liberated, excited – almost like a child and brings a certain spring to your step when you’re headed out to explore a new place. Now, that is partly because of the place and partly because of the people who belong there. Along with witnessing gorgeous landscapes and soaking in the beauty, it’s the joy of communicating with the people of a place that makes a travel experience complete. By Charu Chowdhary

It’s very easy to hit gold with holding a flawless itinerary; it’s how to interact best with locals that requires the work. Locals everywhere are usually kind to travellers – they’d be quick to help you with directions or certain recommendations, but what you must aim for is a much more meaningful interaction. Respecting and acknowledging the people in your immediate surrounds is the first step towards forging a meaningful friendship with locals.

“Often the best local gems can be found upon conversing with locals. We’ve also made so many friends this way; so make sure you make an effort to have conversations while travelling. You will learn so much about the new place you’re visiting, its culture and traditions, and most importantly about the little idiosyncrasies that make the place so special. In fact, talking to locals and sampling local food is the best shortcut to understanding the rhythm of a new place. So, the next time you travel to a new place, don’t be intimidated to have a conversation with strangers. You can always break the ice with a huge smile and a warm hello,” said team Bruised Passports (Savi and Vid).

Anuradha Goyal, the blogger of IndiTales, said: “The whole of last year when I was doing some exploratory tours, my best friends were my local drivers. In Dwarka, Jayesh took me home to meet his grandfather who told me stories of Dwarka; in Ayodhya, Ramjee invited me home when he felt I have not been eating well. In MP, Santosh took me to places that were off the itinerary. The first day the relationship is of a client and service provider but once you start respecting their local knowledge, and they see your genuine interest in their city, believe me, no one can be a better guide. They have the collective knowledge of all the people they have taken around and the local knowledge, of course. My biggest tip would be to respect local knowledge – the best way to make the most out of your trip and make new friends.”

Depending on the situation you are in, follow your gut and be as genuine as you can. If you’re honest in your approach, it reflects in the eyes and shows in the demeanour. Do whatever works for you, but make sure you make that extra effort, which shows you care, and that you unconditionally are interested in learning about the locals and their culture. Siddhartha Joshi, the blogger of The Wanderer, says he tries to bond with the locals even before he reaches the destination.

“For me, travel is a lot about people I meet during my journeys, and an essential part of it is that – make connections with the locals. I often try and connect online with locals even before I reach the destination – using Instagram and Twitter – it’s always worked really well. I not only get to know the place better but they often also know a lot about local places to photograph – which helps me get a unique perspective to the place. Homestay and Airbnb are great too to meet locals.”

Moreover, aren’t we all about the connections we make along the way. And you can truly connect with a place when you connect with the people of that place. Don’t hesitate to smile, talk or even ask something to the locals. In most cases, you won’t even have to go looking; just be open to interaction and people will find their way to you.

Much like how Lakshmi Sharath, blogger of Travel With Lakshmi, puts it:  “For me people make places. Be it local guides or vendors or strangers – I believe, conversations enrich the travel experiences. They tell me stories, give me tips and reccos and even help me with little discoveries. I got lost in Trieste when I was on the way uphill to see the Cathedral and a local told me about a shortcut, which is only available for the people. It was a car park with a lift and I was in the Cathedral in a moment. A stranger in Jodhpur even invited me to his house when he saw me taking photos of the Blue City and introduced me to his family. Locals in India are extremely helpful and hospitable – every villager in Kutch offered me chai when I visited their abodes. I am still in touch with a few of the guides and waitresses that I have bonded within my foreign jaunts. For me, locals are my very lifeline to my travel experiences.”

Related: Could This Be The ‘Preferred’ Way To Live Around The World Like A Local?

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