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Tourism causes significant influxes in certain places and attractions. Here are some tips for traveling better, to better avoid crowds of tourists.
1. Travel individually
In almost every country in the world, it is possible to travel individually, with your partner or family, without joining an organized tour. Equip yourself with a travel guide (paper or digital!) that suits you, and travel independently. You will thus have a much greater chance of taking an authentic trip and meeting the inhabitants of the places visited.
2. Plan your visits to the Museum
If you want to visit the big, popular museums, check in advance when there are fewer crowds; also, bring tickets purchased online, in general it is an effective wire cutter.
3. Chooe your travel dates carefully
Avoid periods when all or almost all residents are on vacation: July and especially August in France and to a certain extent in other European countries; the two weeks following Chinese New Year in China and several neighboring countries; golden week in Japan; the Thai New Year (April 13 to 15) in the regions of Thailand (Bangkok will, however, be calmer, except for the festive sprinkles in certain places); Holy Week in most Spanish-speaking countries, unless you want to participate in the processions. To find out more, you can consult travel guides and search for festivals.
4. Speak a little of the local language
Travel with a phrasebook so you can get enjoy your trip by with the local language off the beaten track; don’t let yorself be discouraged, French speakers can pronounce many languages correctly, even Japanese!
5. Choose a residential area
If you rent an apartment, locate in a residential area; for example in Montreal in Villeray; in Paris in the 11th arrondissement ; in Bangkok, look near the Ari Skytrain station, a Thai residential area 10 minutes by train from the center. You will live closer to people, to markets (Jean-Talon in Montreal, d’Aligre in Paris, soi Ari in Bangkok) and will have less of the impression of being surrounded by tourists.
6. Opt for “secondary” cities
Don’t hesitate to spend time in “secondary” tourist towns. Treviso, for example, is a small Venice, with obviously many fewer visitors. In Spain, Barcelona is very visited… A little further south, Valencia, also a very interesting city, is much less so. In Thailand, the Isan region is very little visited, yet its Khmer temples are worth the detour.
7. Visit less popular attractions
Look in the guides for lesser-known attractions that you can enjoy outside of the crowds. For example in Bangkok, Wat Pho and Wat Phra Kaew are both extremely visited; nearby, Wat Racha Bophit and Wat Rachapradit are superb and almost deserted! In Paris there are crowds at the Louvre but the City of Lights has many other exceptional museums that are much less visited, such as the Musée Marmottant or the Petit Palais.
8. Hang out like locals
Consult cultural magazines, websites and Facebook pages on the activities that interest you to find cultural events that interest you, concerts, dance, films, exhibitions… This will allow you to participate in local cultural life, hence often the tourists are absent. Do not hesitate to ask the opinion of your hosts if you rent an apartment, they will be able to direct you to addresses and activities less known to tourists. Or, check what the Alliance Française or the Goethe Institute offer
