Many if not most of the tours that I lead take in the best-known sites of a particular country or region. They have to. After all, it would be nothing if not eccentric to visit Agra, but not the Taj Mahal; Pisa without the Leaning Tower; or Egypt avoiding the pyramids. Without these sites, customers would feel they'd missed out.
Xi'an in China is a really beautiful, exciting and fascinating city but you don't go there just for the famous traditional dumplings or the evening lightshow on the city walls. You go because the Terracotta Army is just down the road.
We tend to stay on the beaten track for a reason. It's worth it. These sights are the first things to draw you into a tour in the brochure or on the website.
But here's the thing… Often, the memories you take home are as much about the people you encounter or moments you experience as much as the physical objects that you see. Churches, shrines, palaces, temples and battlefields can all teach you something about the country you are visiting, but to learn something else, visit a market, restaurant, cricket stadium or hairdresser.
Italians live happily in and amongst some of the most beautiful cities in the world, but they also hang their washing out of those ancient windows and lean their Vespas against the pillars.
So, if you're nodding along to this, the question arises as to how best to get the most out of the country that you are visiting?
Surely the answer must be to fully embrace the destinations. It would be a terrible shame to visit France and dine out on egg and chips every night. The French are rightly proud of their cuisine. Some of it is sensational and the odd bit is 'an acquired taste'. Which is which? You won't know unless you try. Not sure if you'll like Coquilles Saint-Jacques or Confit de Canard? You'll never know if you don't try. If there are several of you, you can order a few different items and share, safe in the knowledge that if you don't like it, one of the others will love it.
Try something new
When I'm away on tour, even though I'm working, I do my best to sneak away and try to experience something new at least once each time.
In Chengdu, China, I enjoyed an ear massage; in Fez, Morocco, I hugged a camel; in Washington DC I spent Memorial Day chatting with 50 members of a veterans' motorcycle club; in Jaipur, India, I was shaved by a blind man.
In Sicily, I joined a local wedding; in Mongolia, I fed and held a golden eagle; in Colorado, I went to a shooting range; and somewhere in China, I ate the local delicacy of chicken feet.
All of these have one thing in common. You can't do them at home. Some, most or all of these activities may not be your idea of a great day out, but each one teaches you a little something about life and attitudes in these countries. That said, I'm not certain what I learned from the golden eagle thing except that they are huge, grumpy and you wouldn't want to upset them!
My Moroccan camel was a 'beauty' camel, with massive eyelashes. Some years ago, at the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival in Saudi Arabia, 40 beauty camels were disqualified for using Botox!
Head off the beaten track
It's important to be a little bit brave when stepping off the beaten track. You need to be open to having your beliefs and preferences challenged.
The world would be a less interesting place if everybody and every culture was the same. Surely, one reason to travel is to experience those differences and arrive at a more balanced set of opinions as to how the world should be?
Even in one country, you can find huge differences and learn from them. Urban Canadians from the big cities in the east are very different from their brothers and sisters out on the great plains and the prairies. In the east, there is a strong and defining French heritage. In the west, the national gaze inclines towards the Pacific Rim countries. French Canadians were dispersed by the British from Nova Scotia and eventually ended up in New Orleans, where they became known as Cajuns.
I often take my customers on Great Rail Journeys' Tracks of the Deep South tour to Mulate's in New Orleans, where a live band plays Cajun music, locals are dancing and the food comes from the bayous. Except… much of it has its roots in Canada.
Speaking of New Orleans, I wandered into a small bar one afternoon, pulled in by a force of gravity generated by a kind of music that I had never heard before and that compelled my feet to tap. Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers were doing things to accordion music that I didn't know could be done. For 90 minutes, I was breathless to discover zydeco, a kind of music that I knew nothing about but to which I danced with strangers.
How to explore like a local
Since I'm trying to write as elegantly as possible, I should try to summarise this eclectic thread of thoughts and ideas.
Here's a checklist to consider before you depart.
- Search the internet before you leave home for places, foods and activities that challenge you in some way. Sights, sounds, smells, tastes and sensations are all yours for the taking if you're brave enough.
- Pre-purchase tickets if necessary. Your Tour Manager can sometimes help you on the day, but not if the event is sold-out.
- Try to explore with a small group of others. There's safety in numbers and if it all turns out to be a disaster, it's much easier to laugh about it in a group. If it's a success, it's even better with company.
- Try new foods.
- Visit a local supermarket or central market. Apart from a mouth-watering range of produce that you may never have seen before you'll see people living their best day-to-day life.
- Learn how to say 'hello', 'goodbye', 'please' and 'thank you' as a minimum in the local language. These, accompanied by your brightest smile, are socially programmed to enable a conversation with other humans wherever you may go in the world. Most people are delighted to talk and that's how you learn.
Discover more with the experts
If you're looking to uncover the next big thing, we have many tours that reveal hidden gems throughout Europe.
From our brand-new holiday to Sardinia and undiscovered Lake Iseo to unspoilt Calabria, Italy is full of beautiful locations waiting to be explored.
Why not immerse yourself in the renowned cuisine and traditional charm of the Basque Country or soak up the timeless appeal of France's laid-back Dordogne?
Wherever you're dreaming of, we have the tour for you.
