5 Ways To Be The Tourist All The Locals Love

Give back to the places you visit

With any luck the world will soon stabilize a bit and we will be back on the road, in the air, and on our way to discover new things. Oh, the joy of putting our feet on new land, pointing our cameras at exoctic things, exploring different flavors and leaving whatever we are leaving behind for a minute.

Travel can have a price though. I don’t mean the price of a plane ticket or a tank of gas, I mean it can take a toll on the environment and lives of the people living in the places we visit. Keeping this in mind, how can we tread lightly and give back to those wonderful people and places?

1. Volunteer

Consider taking a volunteer vacation. A few years ago before we were quarantined and all of that, I found myself needing to get out of the Schengen region for visa reasons. In case this is a new term for you, as it was for me, Schengen refers to basically all of Europe except the UK.

So, not wanting to go very far, and never having visited the UK, I quickly found a volunteer position that would have me and my 10 year-old daughter. It was wonderful!

We worked on a campground/farm in rural England and I have to say, I had more fun than I would have if I had stayed at a 5 star resort. Our hosts, a couple with a little boy, who became our friends, had a huge tent ready for us. It had a real bed, a dresser, a sofa and even a rug.

I was only expected to work for 5 hours a day, doing things that I really enjoy like mowing grass on a riding mower, cleaning the campsites, and preparing the land for planting. I ended up working a lot more hours everyday because I loved it so much, I didn’t want to stop. Our hosts and I taught each other so many things, we became a team.

Many years ago, before I had my daughter, I spent 2 weeks on the edge of the Amazon RainForest in Venezuela. Along with an international group of volunteers, I gathered native seeds and planted them in a greenhouse for future reforesting. We were stationed in a remote village and I got to meet people and go to places I never would have had a chance to on my own.

And last, but not least, way back when I was in my 20s, I spent a year volunteering for a human rights organization in Colombia. I learned about what was happening to the rural population as a result of an internal war that had been raging for years, I also learned how to speak Spanish and dance salsa while living with a host family.

Volunteering can be done for a few days or for years, the choice is yours. I have never regretted volunteering instead of just vacationing. I have helped others and they have helped me.

2. Eat at small-local restaurants and buy souvenirs at craft markets

The money you spend will go directly to the people who are making things for you. Most of the time the food is delicious, the crafts are wonderful, and it is a lot more economical too.

While I was vacationing in Bali with my vegetarian ex-partner and our daughter, we made a point of talking to people who lived there and asked them where they ate. They did not steer us wrong. Not only did we end up being regulars at the place they recommended, we became friends with the family that ran it.

Instead of buying magnets and t-shirts that were probably made thousands of miles away, buy art and crafts made by the people who actually live there. There are so many talented, hard-working artists working with local materials everywhere in the world, why bypass them for tourist trinkets?

One of my favorite souvenirs is a little candy dish made from a conch shell. It is rough and imperfect because the lady who sold it to me didn’t have fancy tools but she was working with shells the fishermen had discarded on the beach after taking the conch out for sale on the international market. I love it and it reminds me of my time on South Caicos Island way better than a shot glass with South Caicos etched on it would.

3. Pick up trash

My mother used to get up at 5 o’clock every morning and go walking because she loved how quiet it was on the urban trails. She noticed that there were a lot of discarded soda cans everywhere so she started to walk with a bag and fill it up. Slowly our garage would fill up with cans. It was amazing how many she was able to collect in a few months! Then she would call a local charity who would come, pick them up and recycle them for money.

When I am on vacation, I usually don’t know who to call to set up such an elegant system that benefited so many, but I can certainly carry around a bag and make sure the beach or trail I am on is cleaner after I was there than it was before.

4. Donate money to a local charity or person you support

Usually we do this when we are at home, but why not seek out opportunities to donate to people or organizations in the places you visit? If you love animals, you could ask around and find out if there is anyone who runs around feeding the street cats. I know in my little village in Spain, there are at least 3 people who do that who are always spending their hard earned money on cat food.

If you are passionate about women’s issues, again, ask around and find out if there is a local women’s shelter. Likewise for schools serving underprivileged populations.

Once while in Bali, I stumbled upon a restaurant on the bottom floor of a school serving children with special needs. The restaurant was funding the school. Donations were very welcome and the staff was eager to share what they were doing with interested diners.

5. Befriend someone and keep in contact with them

In many places around the world, it is not hard to meet local residents. It is just a matter of being open and friendly. More than 20 years ago I found myself in Cuba accidentally. The sailboat I was on was greeted by a bunch of young soldiers who came on board trying to figure out what the heck we were doing there. They were bored so they hung out and we chatted and played guitar with them.

Before we left, I got their addresses and when I got back home I wrote them letters. Several years later, I got a letter from one of them saying he had gotten married and a baby was on the way, and could I please send some baby clothes. I sent him a box of clothes.

The world is a wonderful place! Go explore it and find ways to contribute and be a part of the community even if only for a few days.

What are some of the things you do to give back when you travel? I would love to get new ideas so I can be a better traveler in the future.