"It's A Pretty Cool Way To Meet Locals": People Are Revealing The Unique Travel Traditions They Do Every Time They Go Somewhere New, And I Love Each And Every One
Even though it's fun to travel to new destinations whenever you have the opportunity to, it never hurts to do the same thing every time you explore a new spot. So when I saw Reddit user Such-Range6116 ask r/travel, "What is a fun travel tradition you like to do?" so many people shared one-of-a-kind habits that I thought it would be nice to share. Here's what they said below:
1. "I go to the local grocery store and buy things that sound interesting and different from what I’m used to. Of course, the downside is when I find something I enjoy but can’t get back home."
2. "Buying Christmas tree ornaments that are reflective of the place. e.g., a koala ornament from Australia."
—prospectpico_OG
"Same! We love decorating our tree every year, remembering all of our adventures. And, bonus, it's a souvenir that doesn't take up much space."
—CuriousCleaver
3. "I feel like a child saying this, but I pick a favorite rock and bring it home. My sister does the same and puts them all in her garden."
4. "I try to meet up for drinks or a meal with local members of a global Star Wars charity costuming group I’m a part of. We’ll trade patches, challenge coins or other mementos from our respective local chapters, swap stories and sometimes (if I have enough luggage space) I’ll even bring a costume and do an event with them if the scheduling lines up right. It’s a pretty cool way to meet locals that have at least one shared interest."
—Landwarrior5150
5. "I try to find a local fragrance and wear it while I'm there. Then, when I come back and when I wear that fragrance, it reminds me of the trip. Currently, I have French, Italian, Brazilian, and Turkish scents. Just grabbed a bottle from Santa Maria Novella last week."
6. "I like to buy and then mail a couple of postcards. One to my home address and a couple more to family. Sometimes it's easy (a gift shop selling postcards also sells stamps and accepts outgoing mail), but usually it becomes a whole journey that takes me to a local shop that sells stamps, then a cafe to doodle on postcards, then a post office to mail cards. If I'm in the city center, I look for the Central Post Office, which in most big cities is a really grand old building."
—doglessinseattle
7. "I try a pizza in every new country that I visit. If there's no pizza, the nearest equivalent to that that exists locally. So far, I've had at least one pizza in around 140 different countries. I have a kind of Top 10. And a bottom ten, too."
8. "I give 50 bucks or the equivalent to a cab driver and tell him, 'Show me the city.' Never disappoints."
—ChrisMess
9. "I like to go to coffee shops. The different coffee and tea traditions and tastes in different cities and countries are really interesting to me. Most places, but not all, I try to pre-plan to go to a coffee shop within walking distance of my hotel."
10. "I like to buy art from local artists, especially artists selling on the streets. I have a great collection of beautiful art, and it reminds me of each place I have visited. I also like to collect something from the topography: a rock or stone. I have them in shadow boxes."
—MapleBaconPeanuts
11. "If there is an unusual dish in that area, I like to try eating it. I have eaten fugu in Japan, balut and snake in Vietnam, moose in Norway, kangaroo in Australia, alligator in New Orleans, scorpion in China, and camel in Jordan. I looked for fermented shark in Iceland, but couldn't find it. Also, looked for cuy/guinea pig in Peru, BUT no luck. I have been to Cambodia, but it was one of my earlier trips, so I did not try tarantulas. I do remember thinking when I first saw it at the roadside bus stop, 'Dang, this country has a lot of tarantulas here.'"
12. "I like to get McDonald's in each location."
—GeneralOrgana1
"Dude, I moved to Denmark from the US, and the McDonald’s is insanely better, and even the other Europeans say it’s better than theirs."
—nolaplantgrl
13. "Try local beer brands."
14. "Create a little playlist of new music and listen to it regularly in a new place. In future years, you'll be amazed at how transportative it is to listen to those tunes again."
—Straight_at_em
"One of my favorite activities is walking solo in a new city while listening to music, so I will definitely be using this in the future, thank you!"
—Such-Range6116
15. "Kayak. I always travel near water. I’ve kayaked in Greece, Sweden, Alaska, Dubrovnik, Bermuda, and Bar Harbor, Maine. The last one wasn’t exotic, but a harbor porpoise did breach near where I was kayaking, so that one was memorable!"
16. "I have this thing about going to a barbershop of the country I'm in and getting a haircut in the local style, as the very first thing I do. I also bring clothes with me that I never wear at home, just to wear them abroad."
—Kicktopuss_Rex
17. "Local ice cream flavors!! The best have been teh tarik ice cream in Malaysia and (omg!) nolen gur (date palm syrup) ice cream in India."
18. "It's not unique, but my husband and I try to buy a small figurines from countries we visit. We have a small marble elephant from the Taj Mahal, a haechi from Seoul, a barong from Bali, and more. We try to get mythical creatures if we can, too. Unless it's Japan, then it's probably Pokémon dolls from the region."
–TravelPorg