Holidays are all about making lasting memories and a sure way to do this is to connect with the locals — but how do you do this if you’re painfully shy, or just unsure of how to bridge cultural (or language) barriers? We can help.
Plus, enter to win a Box of Delights from Trafalgar, worth R800! Details below.
Meeting locals while you travel doesn’t require you to reinvent yourself in each new country to avoid being dubbed an outsider — nor must you overlook popular tourist attractions just because they’re not typically places you’d meet locals.
So visit the Eiffel Tower, hike to Machu Picchu and take in Times Square to your heart’s content! After all, this is your chance to connect with local tour guides and the local tourism/hospitality staff on site, who can provide valuable insights about what life is like wherever you’re visiting.
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American travel guru, Rick Steves recommends using your camera or a map as an ice breaker.
“Offer to take someone’s picture or ask a local to take a picture of you,” he says — or take out a map and look lost: “You’ll get help. Perceive friendliness and you’ll find it.”
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Take an evening cooking class or language course; you can even volunteer to help out at a conversational English meet up in a local coffee shop (you might be the only native speaker there)! Use social media or online meet up groups to connect with locals who share your hobbies and interests, and find fun events in the area you’ll be travelling.
Local laundromats are a good place to find people with time to kill. Or buy a ticket for a local sports match and don the local colours to cheer on the home team. As long as you get creative and are willing to expand your horizons, you’re sure to come home with exciting stories to tell.
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Group travel can be a catalyst or a curse when it comes to meeting locals. If you’re travelling with a group of friends from home, it could mean you never push your comfort zone to talk to strangers, or that locals might be intimidated to approach a crowd.
But travel with a tour of like-minded travellers from around the world and every moment will present an opportunity to get to know a stranger — whether you’re on a bus, boat or beach. Extroverted group members tend to kick off the conversation, while introverts can chime in with less pressure than a one-on-one interaction.
This is particularly useful if you plan to visit several destinations in a relatively-short amount of time, since you might not have enough time to get to know a local before you move on to the next city. Trust us, when you’re spending days and even weeks with the same group, you’ll get to know everything you wanted (and sometimes didn’t want) to know about your fellow adventurers.
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Sometimes, it all comes down to connections to get those infamous “invites to family dinner” every well-worn nomad raves about.
Lucky for those of us without the ins, companies like Trafalgar have been treating travellers to authentic experiences with locals through its Be My Guest itineraries. You’ll feel like family by the time you leave — and there are so many incredible experiences and destinations to choose from. Ask your nearest Sure Travel agency how you can join the fun!
Italy is famous for Ferraris, fashion and above all else food! Sample delectable oil oils, simply delicious wines and a traditional Tuscan buffet when travelling through Florence on Trafalgar’s 13-day Italian Glory.
Your Be My Guest dinner is set in the 12th century Castello del Trebbio which is owned by the Baj Macario family. They produce award-winning wines from Chianti Rufina region and you are sure to enjoy a glass or two of the good stuff on your visit.
Book Italian Glory before 28 February 2019 and save R5000 per couple or R2 500 per person on your trip!
What could be better than enjoying some Swiss hospitality with Claudine Conne and her daughter on the vine-clad hills outside Lake Geneva? You’ll taste iconic Swiss cheeses; sample the harvested wines that are never exported and produced only for locals and you’ll savour handmade cured meats.
Join Trafalgar’s 12-day European Spotlight or 9-day Best of Switzerland and enjoy a Be My Guest lunch at the 15th century vineyards of Cave Champ de Clos.
Whilst the Italians are no slouches in the food stakes the French are equal contenders when it comes to the title for top cuisine. Journey to the famed Provence region for a Be My Guest dinner on the banks of the Sorgue.
Poppy Salinger, the widow of Pierre Salinger, John F. Kennedy’s Press Secretary, will host you in her home, a converted historic mill named Bastide Rose. Expect to enjoy a Provencal dinner prepared with local ingredients sourced from the Farmers Market. This experience is available on the 9-day Wonderful France.
Cross the channel to Britain and Ireland for some equally delectable dining delights. On the 7-day Irish Highlights or 14-day Amazing Ireland guided holidays Trafalgar will introduce you to the lovely Catherine Fulvio of Gleneally Farmhouse outside Dublin.
Catherine is a local Irish cooking icon who has written many cookbooks and made three cooking series. Under her culinary expertise you’ll enjoy traditional Irish fare with an Italian twist while the Fulvio family share their stories with you.
Best of Britain is a wonderful 13-day Country Explorer that will take you from the top to the very bottom of Scotland, England and Wales.
The Be My Guest lunch on this trip takes place is the lovely countryside of Somerset on the Dyer family dairy farm. Dating back to the 15th century Blackmore Farm is nestled at the foot of the Quantock Hills and is famous for its home-made ice cream that you will sample on your visit.
Contact our friendly Sure Travel agents for a quote, or call +27 (0)861 47 48 49.
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Trafalgar is giving you the chance to win a Box of Delights worth R800!
1. Read our blog: "Be my guest: an introvert’s guide making friends while travelling".
2. Tell us your best tip to meet locals and experience local culture when you're travelling.
3. If you're entering on Facebook, put your answer in the comment section of the competition post and share the competition post on your own Facebook page – and tag a friend for an extra entry. If you're entering on Instagram, put your answer in the comment section of the competition post.
That's it! Contest ends 28 February 2019 at 23h59. Winner will be announced 4 March 2019 on social media.
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The promoters of this promotion are Trafalgar and Sure Travel.
1. Employees or agencies of the Promoters, affiliated companies or family members, or anyone else connected with the Prize Draw may not enter the Prize Draw.
2. Entrants into the Prize Draw shall be deemed to have accepted these Terms and Conditions.
3. The closing date for entries into the Prize Draw is 23h59 on 28 February 2019. Entries received outside this time period will not be considered.
4. One winner will be chosen from of entries received in accordance with these Terms and Conditions. The judges’ decision is final and no further correspondence will be entered in to.
5. The promoters accept no responsibility for any costs associated with the prize and not specifically included in the prize.
6. By submitting your entry, you agree to receive Facebook communication from the Promoters and the winner will be contacted via Facebook.
7. If the winner does not respond to the promoters by 5 March 2019, then the winner's prize will be forfeited. If a winner rejects their prize or the entry is invalid or in breach of these Terms and Conditions, the winner's prize will be forfeited and the promoters shall be entitled to select another winner.
8. The prize is non-exchangeable, non-transferable, and is not redeemable for cash or other prizes.
9. The Promoters retain the right to substitute the prize with another prize of similar value in the event the original prize offered is not available.
10. The winner may be required to take part in promotional activity related to the Prize Draw and the winner shall participate in such activity on the Promoters reasonable request. The winner consents to the use by the Promoters, both before and after the closing date of the Prize Draw for an unlimited time, of the winner's name for publicity purposes, in any medium, on the internet, including any websites hosted by the Promoters and its related companies and in advertising, marketing or promotional material without additional compensation or prior notice and, in entering the Prize Draw, all entrants consent to the same.
11. The Promoters accept no responsibility for any damage, loss, liabilities, injury or disappointment incurred or suffered by you as a result of entering the Prize Draw or accepting the prize.
12. Sure Travel’s standard terms and conditions apply. View full Ts and Cs here.