Every town, even ones as big as London, is unique on its own. There always are nooks that’s simply can’t be found with a tourist’s perspective. So, if you’re interested to explore London and all of its unique corners, then it’s a good choice to travel London like a local.
– Avoid Tourist Attraction, Focus on Exploring the Blocks
Obviously, if you don’t want to look like a tourist, don’t behave like a tourist. That’s why tourist spots are definitely no go. After all, just like how it is in most part of the world, actual locals don’t go to those places in exception of special circumstances like a school study tour. Instead of going to those spots, try to walk around downtown for sightseeing. That’s what the locals would do on their spare time anyway.
– It’s The Queen, innit.
Our way to speak also show if we are a tourist or a local. Though the Brit is famous for rhyming slangs, don’t try to do it especially if you never set a foot on London before. Using in awkwardly would make you easy to spot as a tourist, possibly summoning laughter to people in the hearing radius.
Besides, not every local do that. Most locals or would use ‘innit’ in their daily speech instead. It’s a slang similar to ‘ain’t it’, but often used as a substation to a full stop instead. By using innit now and then, it will be hard to get a weird glance in local spots. For an example, take a look on this subpoint title.
– Be in A Park When It’s Sunny Out
The sun is out there in England, but a clear day is quite rare. Therefore locals would take any sunny day in summer as a chance to go to the park to sunbath. Even if it’s not summer, they are likely to be outside when sunny, so have a meagre picnic in the park and blend it!
– Shopping? Go to Paris
Despite having numerous shopping centres and streets with brand name stores, shopping in London is barely a local’s first choice. So, it’s likely for tourist to hoard those spots instead. Since we are going to avoid looking like a tourist, let’s just move on to Paris when you need to shop. Plus, we’ll get to visit another country, which is a surplus for travelling!
Surely, being a normal tourist is a fun experience on its own. However, being alienated in an unfamiliar place is not exactly fun. Fortunately, blurring with the locals will tackle this problem. So, for the best authentic experience, travel London like a local.