As a kid growing up in Mexico, my head was constantly being rubbed by locals because they saw blond hair as good luck. Because I was a little kid, the locals were uninhibited when it came to touching my hair. I developed a defense mechanism by burying my head in my arms whenever I saw another good luck rub approaching. Eventually, as I approached an age where it was no longer socially acceptable to touch the hair of a random stranger, the practice stopped. This experience taught me at an early age that I would never be able to shake my gringo past and be accepted as a true local.
Is there such a thing as an authentic local experience while traveling? To me, having a local experience means blending in with the locals so that you can experience life exactly the way they experience it. After years of traveling across the globe, I would argue that it is not possible – as a tourist. And if the language or cultural barriers are too great, it will never be possible as an expat or “slow traveler” (which simply means you are an expat with restless, nomadic tendencies). No matter how authentic you think the experience is, you will always be the outsider looking in.
Sure, you can go off the beaten path. You can even go beyond that. But the further you venture away from the white socks and sandals, the more different and unique YOU become to the locals. At the end of the day, you will return to your hotel where you left your guidebook (because you wanted to see the real stuff and experience local life) to plan your next day of adventure. And the locals will go to their homes, where they will crawl into bed, look back briefly at the evening but mainly focused on tomorrow, with all the hardship and struggle it may bring.
But this is an argument that I don’t want to win. The fact is, I like having local experiences, however superficial they may be, because they are as close as I am going to get to the real thing. The fleeting glimpse into the hardships of a local is sobering and teaches gratefulness and humility. Drinking a beer and sharing a laugh and a dancefoor with locals in a bar is energizing and welcoming.
By seeking these experiences, our own crazy lives get put into a new perspective. We realize that our worries are not worries in the grand scheme of things and that we really ought to be doing more to help the world. The benefits of these experiences are huge. Just don’t kid yourself that this is authentic. Enjoy it for what it is – a serendipitous glimpse into local life with an emergency eject button in case things get too uncomfortable.
