I stumbled across a site as I planned our trip to Europe last summer. With Locals. And it was a fantastic find.
Pick a city. Hire a local guide to take you on a small group tour.
No huge buses to get on to follow someone with a big flag as you walk around a city.
Our group of five people with a local person showing us around their city and sharing their culture.
Chefs kiss.
We did a food your with Sara in the city of Lucca. Now, she’s from Pisa and was raised to think that Pisa was better than Lucca - and she made plenty of pithy comments to that fact.
But that made it even more fun. We felt like an insider for three hours.
Amazing food and history. We met local proprietors and tried local fare. Walked small alleyways and found off beat hidden areas no regular tour would show you.
You actually get a feel for the culture vs floating on top of it.
That’s the hidden beauty of travel. Sure it’s a getaway from the day to day. But if you really want to unlock something special, dig in a bit. You’ll learn all kinds of interesting things...
(probably something more useful than La Pupporona being the fountain that celebrates busty women in Lucca)
With Locals have guides all over the world - check it out next time you’re planning a trip.