Traveling like a local

Article written by Nate’s Ebook News

The demand for travel and tour services where tourists get an authentic local experience is growing. Everyone is looking for that secret entrance or a truly local experience that is exclusively for them.

Dick Durbin, author of “Europe on 5 Dollars a Day: Then and Now,” noted that premium travelers used to book tours while budget travelers improvised. Now the opposite seems to be the case today. Many budget travelers now seek out package tours, while wealthier tourists try to indulge in more “authentic” experiences by finding their own way.

Achieving this authentic local experience is harder than one might imagine and involves two possible routes: The guided experience or self-booked.

The guided experience involves signing up on experiential tours designed and run by local companies. Almost every major tourist city has at least one of these. Booking an experience is as easy going to the website, looking at the list of available tours and signing up. These are usually a per-person charge and will involve a lot of other tourists. Some tours will only activate once there are a minimum number of bookings.

The self-booked experience is a much better experience. It can also be a lot more expensive as it involves hiring a local guide who will exclusively take you and your family around. There are directories that have lists of these types of guides in various cities around the world and how to book one. Some of these guides can also be booked directly through the tour company.