The simplest, hardest way to "live like a local"
Very well-stated perspective -> The simplest, hardest way to “live like a local”
Recently, people have sent me messages asking for travel insight about specific cities I have either lived in or been to. Often, these messages ask me if I have any advice about how the sender can “live like a local.” The wording and intent are always the same: the sender wants to avoid “touristy” things and, instead, experience the destination as a long-term resident would.
The thing is, nobody ever actually wants to “live like a local” when they are traveling. Instead, they want to live like a romanticized, idealized version of a local that they have in their head, which generally means that they want advice on how to have a luxurious, personal experience that makes them feel like they are in a dream culture while they are away from their normal lives for a few precious days. In addition, they generally don’t want to be reminded of their utter foreign-ness; really, they want to be separated from other foreigners.
An escape will always be an escape – and that’s great…as long as you remember that it’s an escape. The post reminded me of Alain de Botton’s excellent Art of Travel.
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