It’s vacation time, and the GIY Guide, like many of you, is hitting the road. While we’re gone, here’s our common-sense, DIY formula for a rewarding, vagabond-style travel experience, wherever your adventures may take you.

Travel close to the ground

Not only is it generally cheaper to cover ground via second/third-class transportation, but the human element is irresistible. Traveling locals are the best source of information regarding your destination, so don’t be afraid to make their acquaintance. Inevitably you’ll discover where the cheapest beds can be found, the most inexpensive meals, the best-stocked marketplaces, and so forth.

When in Rome…

If the biggest meal is typically eaten at midday, waiting until 8pm might strand you hungry. If siestas are the norm, it's likely that the only things open in the afternoon will be jockeying for the tourist dollar — and therefore overpriced and unsatisfactory. Plugging into the rhythms of your chosen destination will help you avoid extra expenditure, not to mention endless frustration.

Stay in one place

You can't really learn about a place until you’ve spent an extended period of time there. Look for paid or volunteer work wherever you're planning on staying, whether organized or impromptu. Working with people gives you much greater insight into their lives than simply catching up with them at the end of the day, and it alleviates the sensation of spectatorship that merely vacationing can lead to.

Learn the local language

It’s hard not to feel like the village idiot when you're an adult with the vocabulary of a toddler, but forcing yourself to talk in public is the most reliable way to learn how. Make friends with kids, they never seem to get tired of supplying the tongue-tied with the essentials. If you learn nothing else, always learn the formal greetings and expressions of gratitude everywhere you go — you will find ample use for these wherever you are.

Even a brief amount of time abroad can be enhanced by the vagabond approach. Cultural generalizations and misunderstandings fall apart when challenged by real-life situations—on both sides of the encounter. Be open, be humble, and above all be kind. Your efforts will be rewarded with a real understanding of the world and of your own small place within it.

Photo courtesy of PeWu.