5 Ways to Enjoy Experiential Travel on Your Next Trip
Don’t pass up an opportunity to travel like this!

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel only read a page.” — St. Augustine
Many think of travel as a total escape from day-to-day life. It’s an opportunity to get away from daily responsibilities and stressors, perhaps relax at a resort, and recharge for a while before returning to one’s normal routine.
For some, travel might also include sightseeing — going on tours, taking pictures at famous landmarks, and posting on social media—being able to say, “Been there, done that” once back at home.
While these can certainly be fun activities, how much do they actually allow us to experience “real life” in a new place? How much can these activities teach us about how local people eat, speak, work, play, and interact with one another?
Most importantly, how much can they really allow us to go home a transformed person with a richer understanding of the world?

The good news is that we can accomplish all of the above with experiential travel.
Experiential travel is a form of travel that involves completely immersing into the everyday life of a place and actively connecting with its people, culture, and history, thereby turning a trip into a journey.
If you have the opportunity to engage in experiential travel, you do not want to pass it up. Below are some ways that you can enjoy experiential travel opportunities on your next trip.
Connect with locals before you go. What better way to understand how locals live than by actually talking to them? You can connect with locals in your travel destination before you leave or once you get there. One way to connect with locals is through Konversai — the world’s first one-stop shop for any and all personalized human knowledge. The online platform connects providers of knowledge with seekers of knowledge on any topic of interest through live video. You can use Konversai to find someone who either lives in your travel destination or who has been there and knows it well, and they can give you the inside scoop on all the places you can and should visit based on your interests — information you’d never be able to find in an impersonal guidebook. You can also connect with locals through Facebook groups or through couchsurfing programs, where you can actually stay at someone’s house. And of course, you could spend some time with local people once you get to your destination. New friends can show you around, or you can simply spend some time with them as they go about their day-to-day lives.
Learn the local language. If you are going somewhere where you don’t already speak the local language, try to learn as much as you can before you get there. This will allow you the opportunity to connect with and have conversations with more people than would have otherwise been possible. Using the local language as much as you are able while you’re in your travel destination will give you a deeper experience. You can learn any language of interest to you using such platforms as Konversai, Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, and Pimsleur. Reading books, watching movies, and listening to music in the language you’re trying to learn are other effective methods for language learning. So is total immersion.
Get out of the big cities. While bigger cities have plenty of activities and make for a convenient experience for tourists, the caveat to this convenience is that you will be surrounded by tourists. Oftentimes, activities in major cities are catered to visitors, which doesn’t make for as authentic an experience. If you are able, try to venture out to and spend time in some of the lesser known cities—or outside of cities entirely. You can easily find places to stay through NuMundo. Spending time in lesser known areas will give you an authentic taste of how everyday people live their lives.
Sign up for classes. Participating in aspects of local culture is one of the best ways to enjoy experiential travel. Taking classes taught by locals is one method of participating in the day-to-day life of a new place. Furthermore, taking classes is an excellent way to support the local economy and to meet other people. Whatever it is that you’re interested in, be it yoga, dance, art, cooking, writing, photography, music, gardening, or anything else, seek out classes that will enrich your travel experience. Depending on how long you are staying, you can decide how many classes you are able to and want to take. Attending local cultural events, such as a festival, a flea market, or a public lecture, is another fun way to get out and experience the life of a new place up close and personal.
Ditch the devices. This might be the most challenging of all suggestions on this list, but it is certainly one worth trying. In this day in age, it is all too easy (and often expected) to be plugged in all the time — to respond to any incoming communication and to document all aspects of the trip for the world to see. With such easy access to our devices and connectivity, it’s not hard to get engrossed in the screen and miss out on everything going on around you. What’s more, while documenting your experience is a great way to remember it and share it with others, it is important not to get carried away to the point of not being able to fully participate in and enjoy the experience. Completely disconnecting may not be possible for everybody. If this is the case, consider limiting your connectivity to certain hours of the day.

Making experiential travel part of your next trip is sure to make it an unforgettable and personally enriching one. If you are looking for experiential travel opportunities, you’ll want to check out NuMundo. NuMundo is a network of locations for co-living, co-working, personal transformation, and reconnection with nature. The platform answers a growing demand for purpose and physical participation in new ways of living. Through the NuMundo network, more people are connecting to their purpose, and participating in a global revolution towards regenerative living.
Then, talk about your own experiential travels and learn from others’ experiences by holding sessions on Konversai. By doing so, you are joining the movement to democratize knowledge, put the human connection back into the heart of technology, and make the world better by enabling meaningful and authentic conversations that can transform people’s lives. Get started today!
About the Author

Pavita Singh is the Content and Engagement Manager at Konversai. Her role includes managing the company’s blog as well as its Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages. She considers herself a Renaissance woman and a student of life, and she is always excited about meeting new people and learning new things. Pavita believes strongly in the power of social media to facilitate meaningful relationships, enrich our lives, and make the world better. Pavita has her Master’s in Public Health in Social & Behavioral Sciences from Yale University. In addition to her work with Konversai, she is the Director of Programs & Outreach at Girls Health Ed and she has her own editing business called pavEDITa. Her many hobbies include yoga, reading, writing, creative arts, cooking, baking, social media, spending time with family and friends, napping, laughing, learning, listening to people, telling funny stories and jokes, and traveling. So far, Pavita has traveled in 31 countries and 24 U.S. states, and she is excited to continue her explorational journey. Pavita’s main goal in life is to constantly make the world and herself better and to have fun doing it. She hopes to meet you along the way!
Editor: Toby Israel
