If you’ve had the opportunity to meet, or even better, travel with locals during a trip to an unknown destination I’m sure you won’t argue that it added an authentic, flavoured and valuable twist to your experience. The reasons for this is that, well, locals do know best.
Locals know their destination’s secret sauce. They know what’s good, they know what’s fresh. They have the information that won’t show up on your fancy-pants augmented reality app, heck I’m sure they can even prove your weather app wrong.
I’m sure you get the point.
For us as travelers this has become a very valuable resource to a new culture of sharing and planning. Generally, we are set on experiencing, tasting, seeing, sharing, feeling, and for some of us drinking as much as we can during a trip. For many of us this is how we measure the value of our decision to travel. With the rise of online sharing and social travel networks all of this gets aggravated tremendously.
As we share our experiences with our online communities through photos, videos, check-ins and posts, we are creating a new library of dreams and must-sees that stretches far beyond the pages of guidebooks and even most destination guide mobile apps.
Here’s the problem … “˜a local’ isn’t something you can pick out of a brochure or from an online listing site. Or is it?
It seems that more entrepreneurs and travel professionals are recognising the value of local knowledge in the trip planning and booking process and with the development of a greater and more powerful web they are presenting it in a hands-on and practical way that is accessible to all of us. Here is my list of recommended local-driven travel websites:
whl.travel
Whl.travel is a global network of local travel specialists running their own destination portal and booking engine. The vision of the network is to offer a unique online booking service combining the best of what can be done locally (local knowledge, local relationships, respect for local environment) with best practices in global marketing and technology. Exclusive local partners are chosen for each destination through a specific screening and ‘recruitment’ process, so there is no need to worry about quality control or safety issues. A must for anyone looking for a warm and authentic booking experience.
See more on whl.travel
Tripbod
Tripbod believes that the best way to experience a destination is in the footsteps of a person who lives there. The savvy network lets you browse a library of local travel enthusiasts called “˜tripbods’ based on their interests and location. After you have found your ideal Tripbod, you connect with him or her through a private trip planning page which includes a personal trip calendar with maps, to create your unique itinerary. Tripbod has boasted with significant growth in its relatively short existence. One can only expect more great things from this dynamic team.
See more on tripbod.com
Triptrotting
While the two examples mentioned above are based on booking systems, Triptrotting relies on a type of “˜buddy system’ where you rate your host after your trip and decide whether they deserve your “˜tip’ or not. A fun a easy way to connect with those who know best.
See more on triptrotting.com
Gunyah
If you are after authentic short breaks, Gunyah is your new best friend. Offering authentic, themed experiences hosted by local people, the recently launched experiential travel platform lets you book one short break to complement your independent travels, or tailor a longer trip by combining a few different short breaks according to your specific interest across each destination.
See more on gunyah.com
Localyte
If you value the knowledge, opinions and experience of local hosts, but find yourself to be a bit shy for all this mingling and meeting, maybe you should consider sticking with a service like Localyte. The concept is quite simple: select the destination you are visiting, ask a travel related question, get honest answers and opinions from local residents.
See more on localyte.com
In conclusion
I have been involved in discussions where people argue that the concept of packaged local travel experiences will eventually lead to cultural commodification and staged authenticity. Even though, in theory, these are real threats, I believe that there is a definite difference between harmful ‘mass’ local tourism as a trend and the demand of travelers to respectfully experience the true value and heartbeat of a destination. To me, the online sources mentioned here enable us to connect with those locals who are truly passionate about their destinations and who have the ambition to share that passion.
