How to discover non touristy places

You ever have that moment during your travels? You are in a place and there are no tourists. You are searching online what you can do, but no one has been there and you can’t find any useful tips or activities. What will you do?

For those people that are struggling with this I made above video in Fuzhou, China. This is based on the fact I lived in a rural village in Ghana for 4 months and I have been to Fuzhou now twice as well in my life.

So the main tips that I can give you are the following:

1. Find a hobby

Okay I know, everyone has a hobby. However, most of our hobbies aren’t the ones that we can take with us on our travels. So it is important to have a hobby that you can do everywhere.

Think about reading a book in a park. Or do some painting outside of the landscape. Ever thought about doing your daily running exercise? Of course photography and videography is a good hobby as well to explore non touristy places.

2. Go to the hotspots

Every place has a hotspot. These are places where naturally a lot of people are coming. I love to visit markets for example in new places. A perfect place to observe the daily life of the locals and to buy fresh food. However you could think about a local pub / bar as well, or a central square. Don’t forget the parks either. Especially during morning and end of the afternoon / evening time when people are doing exercise those places are perfect to visit.

3. Connect with locals

Most important part of all those things are connect with the locals. Don’t be afraid to have chat with some of them. There is no reason to be afraid, loads of locals are curious why you are even there so it is easy to have a conversation.

If you visit those natural hotspots it is even easier to connect with some locals. For example in Ghana, when I walked every day to my work people where greeting me. Greet back and have a chat if someone wants to.

I ended up for example to meet a very nice old guy having his own bar near the roundabout. I was invited several times for dinner, we exchanged interesting stories. He gave me a good insight of the local culture especially when people from the neighbourhood where visiting him.

Conclusion

So don’t be afraid to travel to unknown places. It may seem there is nothing to do or explore. However if you are active, start to blend within their daily live style, you may discover the best moments of your life. Probably you will also visit some hidden gems and of course your friends will be jealous of you that you were able to discover that.

Please let me know in the comments below which non touristy places you have visited and if you have any additional tips.