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With Locals in Indonesia

Happiness is… hanging out WithLocals!

No matter where in the world you go to, never underestimate the wisdom of local people. No travel guide or book will ever be able to point you towards an authentic experience the same way a local resident of the place you are visiting can.

Locals know how to get off the beaten path because, for them, that’s the regular path! They know where the best food (at the fairest prices) is served. They know the highs and lows of their city, as well as the dos and dont’s. And, ultimately, meeting locals always leads to getting to know even more locals! And that is always a positive thing!

 

If you’re the type of traveler who goes to a place to not only enjoy the sights but to also dig into the local culture, try WithLocals!

 

Read on and find out more about WithLocals or scroll to the bottom of this article to win vouchers to TRY WITHLOCALS FOR FREE! :D

 

What is WithLocals?

WithLocals is a platform where local people and travelers can connect. While locals can share their skills with those visiting their countries / cities, travelers get to meet them and enjoy their destination with a dose of authenticity only locals can deliver.

You can find and book a local experience on WithLocals.com: a tour, a specific activity (like cooking classes, eco trips, cycling tours, walking tours, artsy activities involving photography or painting, amongst others) or, my absolute favorite, share a local meal prepared at your host’s family home.

Dining With Locals

Dining With Locals

 

Hosts are verified and experiences are listed with their respective user reviews, ensuring you’ll have a good time. Once you book your experience, you’ll have the direct contact of your local friend across the world, and you can start communicating (for instance, if you’re going to dine with locals in Thailand and you have a peanut allergy, I recommend you let them know in advance!).

Very different from international tour agencies and their mass tourism models, WithLocals is all about connecting people and cultures through food and uniquely developed experiences.

Rural tour and cooking class With Locals in Indonesia

Rural tour and cooking class With Locals in Indonesia

 

There may be other ways of connecting with local people out there. For instance, Couchsurfing is one of them. But not everyone is as socially open as to connect right away with strangers, while others feel like experiencing the hospitality offered by someone they haven’t previously met is close to taking advantage.

This is where I think WithLocals makes it easy. Not only because it gives you the opportunity to experience a place with a local friend. But you can do so while contributing to the local economy too (not necessarily through big international tourism companies) and without feeling that it is an unfair exchange. Personally, this would put me at ease, while still enjoying the company of someone from the place I visit. Plus, it is a way of promoting a sustainable travel economy in the places you travel to, empowering local players who are often in the shadow when big travel companies operate in their towns and cities.

Dining at home With Locals in Nepal

Dining at home With Locals in Nepal

 

After organizing experiences in Southeast Asia for over a year (in 10 countries including India, Thailand and Viet Nam), WithLocals have just started operations in Europe too. To celebrate this launch in the Netherlands, they’re running a “Book for 2, pay for 1” promotion. This means that you only have to pay for one person, but you can bring someone else to join in for free! A pretty good opportunity if you’re looking forward to exploring Dutch culture with an authentic local approach.

With Locals experiences in The Netherlands

With Locals experiences in The Netherlands

 

Experience WithLocals FOR FREE!

We have partnered WithLocals to give away 3 vouchers of $50

so you can try their experiences.

A lot of activities on WithLocal’s website cost $20 or below. This means that a voucher of $50 will probably be enough for you and your travel companion to have a memorable experience.

If you’d like to win one of these vouchers, share with us a photo of something you have done with local people in one of your previous trips (if you haven’t been abroad yet, something in your own home country will do too). It could be an activity you’ve done together, a special meal you’ve shared or, simply, a random yet fun meet-up! Something like this:

Eating with a local student in Cambodia - 'cause fresh coconut tastes better with great company and tales of local life!

Eating with a local student in Cambodia – 'cause fresh coconut tastes better with great company and tales of local life!

Posing with a local group of dancers in the Amazon Jungle, Ecuador. A rather touristic experience but we got to see where they live, what they eat, etc..

Posing with a tribal dance group in the Amazon Jungle, Ecuador. A pretty touristic experience but we got to see where they live, what they eat, etc!

Hanging out with a local kids in the streets of Lalibela, Ethiopia. When you travel, you never know when you're going to meet someone so cool!

Hanging out with a local kid in the streets of Lalibela, Ethiopia. When you travel, you never know when or where you're going to meet someone so cool!

 

Leave us a comment below with a link to your photo (on your own blog, Flickr, Facebook or any other site where the photo is public) and a short description of what’s happening in the image. We will compile all the images at the bottom of this article, to inspire our friends and readers to hang out more WithLocals no matter where in the world they happen to go.

You can include your images until the 20th of May. On the 21st, we will choose the 3 coolest images + description and give away the vouchers (valid for entries from all corners of the world).

 

Backpack ME readers love hanging out WithLocals:

Marie taking a selfie during class with her students in South Korea

Marie taking a selfie during class with her students in South Korea

It's selfie time for Tim and his friends in Pakistan

It's selfie time for Tim and his friends in Pakistan

Ayush and Sheena out for froyo in India

Ayush and Sheena out for froyo in India


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