Hidden gems are the best part of travelling.
Sure, visiting iconic locations and destinations is appealing, but there’s something better about discovering lesser-known delights. This can be smaller locations, restaurants or anything else that’s not universally popular.
The question is, how do you find hidden gems when travelling? It’s a lot easier than you think, and these three tips will help you uncover some beauties:
Ask the locals
Asking local people for advice or recommendations is a brilliantly easy way to find hidden gems. Once you land in a country, speak to the people and they can point you in the direction of some local favourites.
Personally, this works best in the massive tourist countries – like Spain or France. Here, you have some clear tourist attractions that everyone will flock to. So, asking a local for advice on what they like to do will divert you away from all the other tourists and into the heart of the country. Plus, this is one of the best ways to find hidden food gems. We’re talking about restaurants with home-style cooking that will blow you away.
Consider cycling tours
A cycling tour of a country is a brilliant way to visit places you’d never see if you stuck to the more popular parts of town. There are loads of great countries to visit, but Italian bike tours are some of the best around. They will take you along cycling routes and paths deep into the Italian countryside and mountain ranges, letting you uncover the secret gems of this country. You’ll be well away from popular tourist spots like Rome or Venice, discovering some of the true beauty that lies hidden in Italy.
Cycling tours to France or Austria are also super popular, but the general concept is the key thing here. It forces you away from tourist attractions and lets you see the natural gems in a country.
Go on a road trip
This follows a similar concept to the one above, but with a bit less structure. With tours, you have someone guiding you around, so they find the hidden gems for you. On a road trip, you are in control.
Simply put, you rent a car and drive around as much as possible. Avoid the high-traffic tourist areas and go off the beaten track. This is where you discover things that nobody could inform you about. It’s arguably the best way to experience hidden gems in nature. If you have enough time to enjoy an adventurous holiday like this, it is so worth it.
See, it’s pretty easy to sniff out some of the lesser-known wonders when travelling. Generally, it’s a smart idea to ignore things like Tridadvisor or other popular holiday planning websites. Go to a country with very little preparation, and you have a better chance of finding the hidden gems that lurk beneath the surface. Guided tours can be very useful, but only if they’re unique and get you to explore areas that you wouldn’t see if you were travelling traditionally.
