Bridges across Cultures
Some specific suggestions for how slow travelers in Europe can connect in meaningful ways with locals
There’s something about this time of year that makes me think about connecting with others, about cozy chats in front of a blazing fire, of lingering for hours over a meal shared with friends.
Here in Europe, the tourists have mostly gone home, the long lines have dissolved, and life for the locals is pretty much back to normal. Which means that for the slow traveler—who wants to connect more deeply with the people they encounter on their travels—this is a wonderful time to pack a bag and go!
I will admit, though, that it can sometimes be difficult to meet and interact with locals in Europe at a meaningful level. People are busy living their lives, and they are not always open to strangers.
This is why I have put together a few specific suggestions here that I have personally found to be helpful after living for five years in Austria and five years in Ireland.
Participate in a Meetup Group
Meetup brings people together to create thriving communities.
While I was living and working in Vienna, I found Meetup to be a particularly helpful way to connect with others. Founded in New York City in 2002, it uses the internet to bring people together in person. Membership in the organization is free, and anyone with a passion for something can organize a group and invite others to join them.
Depending on the city, there are Meetup groups for just about anything you can imagine—first time parents, computer programmers, wine lovers, foreign language learners, cyclists, meditators, Feldenkrais practitioners, business networkers, Tango dancers, knitters, and many more.
In Vienna, one of the most popular Meetup groups is called Internationals in Wien. (Wien is the German word for Vienna.) With 23,766 members and counting, people in this group organize numerous fun events. Except for the meetups focused on different languages, almost all take place in English because they attract people from around the world.
The wonderful thing about this is that you don’t have to be a resident in order to participate in the activities.
For example, I went to a restaurant one evening for a Friday after Work meetup. Participants were seated at several different tables, all lined up together. The people at my table included a middle-aged woman from Sweden, a 20-something man from Belgium, a 40-something man living in Barcelona who was half Peruvian and half Sicilian, two middle-aged Austrians, and me (a 60+ American).
The man from Barcelona had done just what I am suggesting to you. He was visiting Vienna for several days on a business trip and rather than just going to a restaurant or bar alone, he joined our Meetup group so he could connect more deeply with others. He and the Belgian man were hilarious, and we all spent a wonderful evening laughing, eating and talking together.
Take a Private Tour
I am not a big fan of large tours led by people who thrust different colored umbrellas into the air so people know which group they belong to as they clamber on and off buses and wander from one major tourist attraction to another.
This is why I resisted going on tours for a long time. I finally figured out, however, that you can learn a great deal from someone who is knowledgeable about the history and culture of a place. Such knowledge helps you see things—buildings, monuments, gardens, landmarks—in a completely new and deeper way.
My preference now is to hire a local private guide who can tailor a tour around my interests, questions and needs. Luckily, there are opportunities for such an approach in cities around the world. Just one company that helps to facilitate this process is Tours by Locals, a Canadian-based private tour provider with headquarters in Vancouver. According to its website, it now has over 5,000 guides in 170 countries.
You input a location on the company’s website, and it brings up all of the guides available in that city, along with a description of their special interests and areas of expertise. This makes it easy to find someone who is right for you.
For example, I decided to visit Paris in 2016 and discovered a guide named Fred on the Tours by Locals website.
Fred is a Frenchman who grew up in the States, so he speaks English like a native. He is warm, friendly and extremely enthusiastic about his home city. He is also very knowledgeable about French history, people and culture. We decided together how much time I had to spend and where I wanted to go and then set off together.
Fred now has his own business, Freds Walks.
Participate in a Multi-day Learning Experience
Numerous schools and organizations around the world provide intensive opportunities for in-depth learning. Whether you want to study a foreign language, participate in a yoga retreat, or hone your writing skills, there is something for everyone—of all ages. All you need to do is research and choose the options that are right for you.
The first year I lived in Vienna, I took myself on a week-long holiday at a beautiful Austrian hotel in the Tyrolean Alps. Although the location and facilities were wonderful, it turned out that ALL of my fellow vacationers consisted of either couples or families. Which left me completely alone for the entire week—including sitting all by myself at an assigned table for every meal with no one to talk to. (Ouch.)
Therefore, on my next holiday, I wanted to ensure that I would have close interactions with others. This is why I decided to participate in a Songwriting Retreat held in Donegal, Ireland, that was led by Matt Meighan, a singer-songwriter I knew from my home in Portland, Oregon.
The 10 or so participants lived in a gorgeous house and cooked their meals together. We spent the days working creatively on different projects and the evenings in a pub playing music with the locals. Many times, local musicians also came to our house and played together with us in a more private setting. The entire week was magical.
To learn about Matt’s upcoming retreats, see Donegal Songwriting Retreat
Participate in an Airbnb Experience
In general, I am no longer a fan of Airbnb. Not only because the prices have skyrocketed, but also because so much housing has been converted to Airbnb rentals in major cities around the world that it is greatly affecting locals’ ability to find affordable housing.
But Airbnb also offers a wide variety of local experiences that you might want to check out. The experiences are categorized according to themes, such as Social Impact, Concerts, Health and Wellness, Sports, Nightlife, Classes & Workshops, History, Food & Drink, Nature and Arts. Just type in the places you will be visiting and the dates, and see what is available.
For example, in the spring of 2018, I was in Amsterdam for four days and decided to take a canal boat tour that I found through Airbnb. I chose James and Geertje and had a wonderful time. (Geertje was ill that day, so James took us on the tour by himself.)
James not only provided interesting stories and anecdotes about the places we were seeing, but he also served some delicious snacks and wine along the way.
James and Geertje now offer tour opportunities through their own company, Pure Boats.
Sign Up for a Cooking Class
Taking a cooking course is a wonderful way to learn about how local people live, eat and socialize with each other. Sometimes an event is held in people’s homes and sometimes in a professional cooking school.
For example, Gerhard and I came on holiday together to County Kerry two years in a row before we decided to retire here. During our first trip, I signed up for a Traditional Irish Cooking class at the Dingle Cookery School. The school, which was opened in 2014 by Mark Murphy and Muireann Nic Giolla Ruaidh, teaches participants the joys and intricacies of both Irish and international cooking.
Muireann began the morning by giving us a fascinating historical overview that explained how different colonizers have influenced Irish foods. For example, Catholic monks from the Continent brought apple trees, Vikings expanded locals’ tastes for fish, and the Normans taught people how to make cheese.
The meal that we prepared (and ate!) was delicious: Irish soda bread, Dingle pies made with lamb, Hake (caught fresh that morning) on a bed of seasonal greens and Kerry Apple Cake. Muireann also served us a delicious green salad with organic vegetables she had picked from her home garden right before the class started.
To read a post about a cooking class I discovered on Tripadvisor and took in Essaouira, Morocco, see Latifa’s Home Cooking Class.
Participate in a Sports Event
From hiking and cycling to surfing, kite boarding, kayaking, stand up paddling, skiing, snow shoeing and more, people around the world enjoy pursuing their favorite sports and sharing their passions with visitors.
Meetup is an excellent place to find such activities in larger communities. In smaller communities, you can also look for groups on Facebook and Tripadvisor.
For example, when we were still tourists in Ireland, Gerhard discovered the Dingle Hillwalking Club on Facebook and had a wonderful time participating in one of their events. The Hillwalkers sponsor a walk every Sunday throughout the year that takes hikers on beautiful (and frequently quite challenging) hikes into remote areas that “normal” tourists would never see or be able to experience. Visitors are always welcome—as long as they are dressed appropriately for the changeable Irish weather.
Look for unique cultural experiences
On our first trip together to County Kerry in 2018, Gerhard and I were googling things to do on the Dingle Peninsula and came across something called Tinteán Ceoil. The description said that the event brings people together every Monday evening to sing, tell stories and share news of the week, similar to how neighbors and friends used to gather together in the evenings in times gone by.
We thought it sounded like fun, so we drove over the Conor Pass from Dingle to the small village of Cloghane one evening to participate. We discovered that Tinteán provided a wonderful exposure to Irish culture. People sat in a circle and spoke in both Irish and English. (Cloghane is in the area of Ireland where people speak Irish as a first language.)
The group had a host who welcomed everyone and went to each person in turn to ask how they were doing and if they had something to contribute to the others. Some people read poems, some told a joke or a story, and many others sang a song a cappella. Several people also played a few jigs and reels, and some people even danced together in the middle of the circle!
Halfway through the evening, everyone took a break for freshly baked scones, hot tea and one-on-one conversation.
As luck would have it, Gerhard and I ended up buying a home just outside of Cloghane and we have now become Tinteán regulars. (A few years ago, the actual location moved about 5 miles down the road from Cloghane to the Cloghane Brandon Community Centre.)
The group meets every Monday night from 7:30 to 9:30 pm throughout the year, and visitors are always welcome.
What about you?
What are some of the ways in which you have connected with locals on your travels that you could recommend to others?
THIS is a great article. "The locals" have no reason to be especially interested in your mere presence, especially now that so many more people are traveling. But there are ways to connect if you want to, although there will always be an element of chance. Clarice gives some concrete ideas for upping your chances.
Great tips! One of my favorites in Mexico City is to take a yoga class. As a bonus, it's a 1-hour language immersion!