Introduction: Traveling is more than about changing places, it’s fundamentally about changing perspectives. In this day and age of “fly and flaunt” (the act of taking a plane and tweeting or Instagramming about it), it is effortless to skim the surface and merely collect pictures without subscribing to the emotional investment that comes with travel. So how do we shift from the checklist trip to the deeply transformative experience? Here are 5 keys to get off the beaten path and engage with a place and culture authentically.
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1. Slow down. Stay Still. Staying 3 days in a capital city to “see everything” is an excellent way to see nothing at all. You run, you fret, you fly by. Choose a place and experience it. Stay in the same neighborhood, the same village for a week. Get lost in its alleys. Go to the same café twice. Enjoy the local pace. It is here in the quietude that Magic happens.*
2. Learn the 5 magic words: “Hello,” “thank you,” “goodbye,” “please,” and “delicious.” If you know just a few words in the local language, you’ve found a passport, an entry point, a way to be authentic. The effort is always met out of respect with a smile, a complicity, and in a culture mostly closed to tourists, it opens up new doors, new experiences, and new opportunities that others don’t see. When you learn a few words in the local language, it shows respect and a willingness to connect or engage. This can fundamentally change how you will identify with that culture and the ways you are perceived by those in it.
3. Put down Google Maps (at least for an afternoon). Of course, it’s a great tool for not getting lost. But getting lost, specifically, is the best way to discover. Put your phone down, pick a direction and start walking intending to do anything but “explore.” Just observe and be aware of your surroundings. You never know when you’ll discover an unexpected hidden courtyard, run into an artisan’s workshop, stumble upon a local market where no one speaks English.
4. Food is the essence of a culture. Avoid menus with huge pictures of the dishes presented in the window. Go where the locals go: street food, small bistrots, and local markets. Point to a dish you don’t know on a menu and taste it! It is a story, a tradition, a way of life. Food is a universal connector, and sharing a meal is a universal act of connection.
Conclusion: A successful trip cannot be measured by the number of monuments you can cross off your list, as opposed to the density of connections made, the force of new feelings, and how it disrupts you and helps you grow. Come back different.
Call-to-Action: What was your most beautiful connection or your best “off the beaten track” discovery while traveling? Share your story in the comments section to make us Dream!
