Why pay for an organised excursion?
In Istanbul, I was asked did I have a guide?
I was baffled by the question. At first I thought they meant did I have a guide book. But no, they meant my own personal guide.
I never have a guide book, let alone a personal guide.
I was in the old part, palace and waterfront and station were nearby, as was the Spice Market, Blue Mosque and Haga Sophia were just up the hill. Metro ran nearby. All I had to do was wander around and follow my feet.
In Athens, where I stayed, at breakfast a view of The Acropolis one side, the Temple of Zeus the other side. In the heart of Plaka, all the archaeological sites nearby, restaurants, juice bars, ice cream parlours. I simply wandered around, at times unofficial guide for visitors. A lot of the time simply sat in the street talking with people, a very Greek thing to do.
In Prague, dinner and party at Lobkowicz Palace within Prague Castle. I stayed at what was once the house of the jeweller to the king. Again wandered around where my feet led me, into the Old Square, across the Charles Bridge.
The downside of Prague was the organised tour groups, they were a pain, as were the aggressive Segway tours. Church of the Infant Jesus, a crash as the door banged open, laughing and shouting, a tour group had burst in, no respect for where they were. Many of the churches now ban the tour groups.
If on a tour company package holiday, the first thing the rep tries to do is flog you a trip. These are a complete waste of money. Often a very early start, an hour picking everyone up, highly restrictive.
Protaras in Cyprus, half the price for a trip from a local travel agent in the street. And it will be a local guide with local knowledge. Wander down to the pier for a trip along the coast in Napa King II. Or hop on the local bus, 1.5 euros flat fare.
Puerto de la Cruz in Tenerife, excellent local bus service Titsa to all parts of the island. Buy a bono card 15 or 25 euros and get discounted bus trips.
Places to visit include Icod de los Vinos, Garachico, La Laguna.
In Puerto de la Cruz there are many cultural events, art exhibitions, theatre, concerts, but you are unlikely to learn of these from a hotel, where they promote commercial crap for tourists and probably get paid for doing so, even less from a tour company rep. You find out by hooking into local networks, visiting Teatro Timanfaya, the local tourist information office, maybe chatting to people in Agora, a lovely little café bar hidden away in Plaza de Benito Pérez Galdós, a quiet little plaza off Calle Mequinez, not your typical local bar with loud music and a widescreen TV.
Now AirBnB are offering AirBnB trips.
Interacting with local people, is not, as AirBnB would have us believe, downloading an app, buying a product. It is about the people we meet, the people we meet spontaneously, on the local bus, in the street, at the theatre, in a coffee bar.
Nor do you experience ‘authentic local culture’ by buying into a trip from a tour operator, for some tacky commercial event put on for tourists.
The only way to get to know a place and is people and culture and history is to wander around and talk to the locals, use the local transport.
