sparkchaser

dfourh: too funny

RT2015

Based on my varied experiences, I think that when you travel with one or two friends, or on your own - as opposed to as one half of a couple or in a big group - you are more likely to meet locals. I certainly met a lot on my trip to Europe last year, which was a combination of travel with two friends/one friend and solo. I met the most people during my week alone in Paris. I met an Italian woman at Charles de Gaulle (granted she wasn't local, but she was more so than I was) and we shared a taxi and then had dinner one night.

I stayed in an apartment owned by two guys, and they lived there too, so they were the first true locals I met (although one was from NZ . Then on my first night I sat at a bar next to a local woman who I spoke to and we ended up spending four hours chatting and exchanged numbers.

And then I met a guy who lived in the next apartment block while I needed help getting into my apartment (the lock was broken) and we later had a drink at a bar, where I met another lovely woman, who we ended up hanging out with all night and then I spent of the next day with her.

So the take out is that you can meet as many people as you want to! Some places are easier than others and I found Parisians friendly, but I was also in a very friendly part of town. And when I went to London and had a night by myself I found it completely different - much more like home in Melbourne, where you wouldn't necessarily go up to strangers and start chatting. I wouldn't really do that anywhere, but some situations allow for it and my advice is when you find those moments grab them! People make places and the people I met are my best memories.

Adelaidean

I've mostly only met locals when I've stayed with, or travelled with, my German family/ friends. So we've met the neighbours, the favourite shopkeepers, the friends etc.
Otherwise, the most likely times we've had any sort of 'conversation' is on walking trails and that's because I speak German and walkers are more relaxed

On a 'sentimental journey' with my mother, we did arrange a school reunion in Chemnitz, so met with a large group of mid 70 year olds who talked about their pensions/ ailments/ grandchildren, just like here in Australia..
On that same trip, we did meet locals in Kohren Sahlis, mainly because I don't think any tourists go there.

In Vietnam and Cambodia, our only real conversations were with guides and drivers who we employed for reasonably lengthy periods and they were trapped by my endless questions about their lifestyle/ jobs/ families.

Nikki

A fun way to meet people in Paris, if you speak some French, is to spend an evening at a language exchange through www.franglish.eu/en/language-exchange-paris

These exchanges are held in bars around Paris several evenings a week. You sign up on the website ahead of time. An equal number of native French speakers and native English speakers spend fifteen minutes with one person, speaking half the time in English and half in French. Then you move to the next table and talk to the next person for fifteen minutes.

flygirl

Absolutely. I have friends in most places I've visited. And when I go back, I see them again.

Whathello

7 min in French, 7 min in english, then swithc table.
12 € for one drink.
Already fully booked by Locals.
Looks like some kind of blind date or 'plan Q' to me.

No ?

Nikki

Whathello, the 12 euro fee is for participation in the exchange and includes one drink. I went to one of these sessions and it was a hoot. Most of the French speakers I met were people trying to improve their English for their jobs. I jokingly called it speed dating in my trip report, as it has the same format, but I met with people of different genders and ages (although it is true that the general population skewed somewhat younger, I was assured by the hostess that I was not the oldest person ever to participate).

It is true that the slots for the French speakers fill up more quickly than for English speakers, which makes sense, as it takes place in Paris. Since the program began, it has spread to lots of different cities, which can be seen on the website.

Don't know what plan Q is. In Boston we had plan Z, which was a highway construction project. Probably not what you're talking about.

Nikki

Just googled plan Q.

All is clear now.

jubilada

nikki, that sounds fun, and speaks to the importance of speaking the local language with some proficiency in increasing the chance of engaging with people.

I haven't met a lot of local folks on my travels, but also have not travelled out of the US since I've been on Fodors.
I do fondly remember spending some fun time with an Irish couple we met on the ferry between France and Ireland.

Pegontheroad

Of course I meet "locals" when I travel, because I'm chatty and have white hair, which seems to indicate that I'm harmless. I'm also very interested in history.

I spent a couple of hours discussing Polish history with a cafe owner in Warsaw and had interesting discussions with employees in occupation museums in Tallinn and Riga.

In Riga, I asked the clerk at the hotel about the Latvian language and had a great discussion of the Indo-European traces in other European languages. In Torun, a young Polish woman and I chatted about why we were there.

At other times, for one reason or another I've talked to various people--in Berlin in the café at the Alte Nationalgalerie, in Heidelberg, at a sidewalk cafe, when a woman noticed that the waitress had been ignoring me, etc.

I guess my point in starting this thread is that meeting the "locals" is not one of my aims when I travel. I do speak German and Spanish, but I don't tend to use either of them very much when I travel.

August2015

I met locals when I did home exchanges.

IMDonehere

Meet The Locals sound like another bad comedy with Ben Stiller. And expect II, Tres, and Firth

Whathello

'Just googled plan Q. All is clear now.'

Nikki, count on me to teach you the basics of French ;-)

(I may want to go one day, I didn't know you had, so why not, a day I'm alone. )

HelenaFatima

This is a very interesting topic. What comes to my mind is "do we locals (everybody is a local somewhere) ever meet the tourists?"

thursdaysd

Actually, what comes to my mind is that the tourist sounds like they are visiting a zoo.

Someone upthread had the best idea - do what you would do at home to meet people. Go to a sporting event, or look for the local affiliate of an organization you belong to. Go dancing. Go to a pub if you're in England. Maybe go to church, although not that many Europeans do that these days.

IMDonehere

Actually, what comes to my mind is that the tourist sounds like they are visiting a zoo.
_______________________
As noted three days ago on this thread.

The weirdest thing is when the HOHO buses pass by and people stare at you as if they are wax figures.

Being a tourist is an inherently funny thing, as you are intentionally in a place that is different, very often you do not speak the language, and everything about you from the way you dress, to your camera, to your comportment, scream I do not belong here. And then you want to know why you stand out or why people do not want to talk to you.

sparkchaser

You know, I should start taking photos of the tourists.

kleeblatt

I've met lots of tourists and had enjoyable conversations with them. Believe it or not, in the end we're all just people.

thursdaysd

"You know, I should start taking photos of the tourists."

I've done that a couple of times, when the cruise ship crowds were particularly bad...

NewbE

You know, if I didn't already enjoy being a tourist, reading this thread would discourage me utterly from attempting it.

It's mystifying how a board devoted to crowd-sourced travel advice attracted people so scornful of tourists!