Traveling is a wonderful experience people like to do for fun and leisure. However, some people also like to meet different people, try local foods and get to know the culture that surrounds them better. If you want to be among these travelers, here are five hints for how to both travel and educate yourself.
Visit cultural buildings
If you want to learn more about the place you’re traveling to, do some research on all cultural buildings you can visit. Galleries and museums about the local history, art and customs can show you more about the people and development of that country. Also, performance and music venues could be an interesting experience, but they mostly require that you know the language.
Some historical monuments may require traveling and applying for tours. If you don’t have enough time for those, visit a museum of national history or a tourist organization to ask for some educational materials. Doing research online is also an option, but it will keep you inside and chained to the screen when you should be having fun outside.
Meet local people
Nowadays, you can meet local people through language clubs and other forms of meetups. This way of welcoming foreigners is present in most countries in the world. Its purpose is precisely to educate and teach visitors about the country and culture they are visiting. These meetups are great if you don’t have money for big tours or feel more comfortable in a cozier atmosphere.
Through some meetup platforms like Couch Surfing you can even be invited to stay with the locals free of charge, and that way you can experience their hospitality firsthand. Meeting people this way will not only teach you about the customs but also about the personality of each nation you visit.
Learn the language
If you’ve already started learning a foreign language and want to see how far you’ve gone, then traveling is a great way to do it. You can even apply for summer language schools and stay in that country for a couple of months. Sometimes language can only be felt and understood through communicating with the native speakers. There are even different dialects and colloquialisms which you must experience directly and know their appropriate use.
But, there are also languages that just sound good and you want to feel them while spoken, as much as learn them. The best way to learn a language is if you can stay somewhere long enough to be able to read the newspapers. However, even a shorter stay will teach you a few tricks you can show off in your language class.
Apply for tours
Tours are a perfect way to have a good look at the city or some chosen places in the country. They can last from several hours to a few days, and are focused on showing you all the highlights. There are even small group tours organized especially for those who want to visit a music festival or go to any other cultural event.
Every tour is led by guides who can answer all your questions and give you more information on any topic of interest. Sometimes, the best way to start off with meeting a new culture is through tours. They are a great way to loosen up and feel less as a stranger, especially if you’re a shy person.
Try the local cuisine
One of the main points of interest for many travelers is to try the local cuisine. Every culture has something specific and unique about its eating habits. Usually, there is also a story behind it about some customs or historical event, so you will get to know more than just new recipes.
Some cultures turn their meals into festivities when they have guests, and some celebrate holidays which you might find fascinatingly different than what you’re used to. Food has been gathering people on various occasions for centuries – the night before a battle, celebrating saints, Orthodox and Catholic Christmas. Therefore, even something as simple as having dinner can be turned into an exciting learning experience.
Final word
The world is a beautiful place full of different wonders just waiting for you to get to know them. So, make time for some educational contents and you’ll enrich your trip with more than just beautiful memories.