Tips for Avoiding Tourist Traps

When visiting a popular vacation destination, there are many ways to get shuffled into the tourist mix. Everyone wants to hit the hot spots and see what the location is known for and has to offer, but there are so many traps out there to get caught up in.

For one, there are the gift shops fashioned to look like authentic bodegas. The tiny trinkets are cute and seem like good gifts in the moment, but chances are they are a cheaper made version of something more interesting that can be found a little off the beaten path. Anything not made in the general location a tourist is visiting isn’t worth the purchase.

Another great example of a tourist trap is Capri, Italy. The island off the coast of Italy is a beautiful daytrip if near Pompeii, Naples or Sorrento, but the crowds and inauthentic atmosphere can be a real downer.

The Blue Grotto attracts tourists from all over the world and the manmade tourist town of Ana Capri keeps visitors shopping, eating and spending money. The cabs can cost $20 just going up the hill or travelers can be packed into an overcrowded bus for $7 (and your dignity) going back down the hill. The best way to visit this tourist island would be to take a boat in, go swimming, sightsee the gorgeous cliff side and grotto and get out as soon as possible.

Talking to locals can be a great way to see the more authentic side of a vacation area. More often than not people who live in a touristy area do not partake in the typical activities and there is often a good reason for it.