The Quick and Easy Guide to Total Immersion

One of the best ways to get to know more about the place where you are staying is through total immersion. Many programs practice this, especially if you are learning advanced languages any by far, it is considered to be the best method for getting on your feet in a new place. Although this is typically practiced by those that are permanently relocating to a different country, the same techniques can be applied for travelers that are looking to get a bigger experience out of their travels. Here is your quick and easy guide to total traveler immersion.

1. Pick your accommodations well.

This means staying away from English speaking hotels and hostels. Yes, it’s more convenient to find a hotel where the staff speaks your language, but you’re missing out on a great opportunity to hit the ground running. By forcing yourself to learn the language, you’ll pick it up much faster. In addition, by staying at places where the main language is not your own, you will have dozens of opportunities to meet the locals.

2. Do what they do.

In other words stay where they stay, eat where they eat, play where they play. It is incredibly simple, but the best way to immerse yourself in a culture is to simply get out there and do just that. Whether it is staying with a local family, eating at a local restaurant or taking part in local festivals, when you throw yourself into the middle of culture like this your chances of complete immersion are outstanding. You’ll be sharing their lives as a participant – not as a spectator.

3. Throw out the guidebook.

While guidebooks can be incredibly useful, they are usually written for tourists. This means that the recommendations are going to center around tourist destinations. Many consider this to be the safe way to travel and they appreciate having all of the historical places of note already pointed out. However, you are limiting yourself greatly if you don’t deviate from the recommendations every now and again. Every city in the world has secrets and if you’re relying on a guidebook, chances are you will never discover them.

4. Take part in their daily lives.

We mentioned this earlier, but it bears going into more detail. Instead of relying on hotel room service, visit a local market and get your staples for that day. Learn how to make their food, or visit restaurants that offer regular fare, instead of tourist food. Visit their churches, take part in their festivals and shop where they shop. By going off the beaten path, you’ll be able to immerse yourself much more easily and chances are you’ll have a lot of fun doing it.

Being a traveler means taking a greater responsibility of learning about a culture. Immersion is the single best way to accomplish this and although it can be tough at first it is incredibly rewarding and will provide you with stories of adventures that you can share for many years to come.

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Posted by Localyte.com Team on October 13, 2008