The Local Travel Movement

There are many ways to approach the local travel movement as an independent traveler. The ethos of this movement initially came about as a companion to the slow food movement, a call to reject, even in small ways, the industrialization of one of our most time honored traditions, eating. Similarly, the local travel movement strives to offer people an alternative understanding of travel, one that focuses more on interaction than observation.

It is easier than ever to take the reins of your travel itinerary. With online resources like couch surfing and Airbnb, you don’t have to rely on sterile hotels anymore. These sites even have features that make it possible to embrace local culture by booking classes and exploring neighborhoods with an intimacy only previously possible for an elite few.

The local travel movement pushes the tourist to engage with their new environment. It cannot quite achieve the status of an exchange program — depending on how long you plan to stay somewhere — but it strives to infuse the tourist experience with more vulnerability than a hotel and standard sightseeing affords.

You can move into the realm of local travel with intensity by living with a family during your stay, or by taking part in a home exchange, or you can also try taking a local cooking class (language permitting). Whatever you choose to do should support the local economy and culture. Tourism is essential for the survival of many places, small and large, so why not form meaningful connections in the meantime.