Travel Like a Local

So you've arrived! Wherever that may be. New city, new you. So what should you do next? You probably have no clue seeing as you're new in town and know nobody, and this is a problem that is shared amongst many travellers.
What can you do? Well, if you're in a hotel you could ask the concierge. Depending on the hotel, they can be quite helpful and can point you in the right direction for touristy activities. Usually, though, they take two approaches. The first is bombarding you with questions about what kind of thing you want to do. Although, this is a valid method, a lot of the time you have no idea what you want to do, which is why you asked them in the first place.
The second approach is bombarding you with leaflets, which have been put in the hotel lobby by all of the company's that want your business to show you what it's like to be a tourist in the area. That's okay, but when you leave, you're still wondering what the place would be like if you were a local.
What about doing the research yourself? Now we're talking! There are a plethora of guides, magazines and newspapers that give you various things that are going on while you are there.
However, select them wisely as many publications are again created by company's vying for your business and are filled with adverts and infomercial type articles that can just take you back to the leaflet phenomenon that I mentioned before.
One of the easiest ways of finding out what to do in each town is to search online, and there are now many websites that tell you what you can do, that are targeted at both visitors and locals!
One new website, TrippedOff.com was created to provide the online community with information about travel experiences, ideas and articles, which are contributed by real travellers and locals. Members are part of a global community and can make friends all over the World, which is handy if you're on your own and want friends to accompany you while you're in town, whilst sharing fun and amazing things that can be done in destinations ranging from busy metropolises to obscure villages. One big difference between TrippedOff.com and other travel sites, is that the site targets all types of travel experiences that normal tourists may not discover.
So when you're travelling to a new place, try and do some research. I would recommend doing it online before your trip but it's good to know that if you're there already, you can go to a travel website quickly and find great activities that you would be thrilled to experience!

About the Author: Martin Style is the editor of Meltin Magazine Australia, an online magazine featuring smart travelling, delicious restaurants, great food, awesome technology and improving lifestyle.