The locals don't know • Hacker News Board

Re: The locals don't know

#11

Post by tonyedgecombe » Sun, May 10, 2026, 6:55 PM UTC

zarzavat wrote: post #7

The corollary of this is that if you are a local you should do some more touristy things. I don't mean to go to a tourist trap and get scammed, but just enjoy your city a little more and do some things that usually only tourists do. For example, despite living most of my life in London, I've never been to the Tower of London. Why would I? It's for tourists. Except it's probably quite fascinating, especially for a loc…

Wasn’t this the original definition of staycation. That you would stay at home and make day trips out to local destinations for a week.

Re: The locals don't know

#12

Post by _puk » Sun, May 10, 2026, 6:59 PM UTC

comrade1234 wrote: post #5

I'd take you mushroom hunting (but really just exploring and running around in the forest this time of year), maybe pick up a trout on the way home to grill. That's a few days a week for me (the trout leas though). As for touristy things here in Zurich - it's not really a tourist city. When we have guests from overseas we do have a set of activities to bring them on. When I've offered to bring them in the forest to f…

In a lot of places the best mushroom spots are guarded secrets.

Re: The locals don't know

#13

Post by jsmith99 » Sun, May 10, 2026, 7:00 PM UTC

zarzavat wrote: post #7

The corollary of this is that if you are a local you should do some more touristy things. I don't mean to go to a tourist trap and get scammed, but just enjoy your city a little more and do some things that usually only tourists do. For example, despite living most of my life in London, I've never been to the Tower of London. Why would I? It's for tourists. Except it's probably quite fascinating, especially for a loc…

As a fellow Londoner I can confirm it's worth visiting and the crown jewels are also nicely presented. Don't be fooled into queueing for the bloody tower torture chamber, anything you can see seemed to be a Victorian fantasy.

Re: The locals don't know

#14

Post by mft_ » Sun, May 10, 2026, 7:02 PM UTC

damnitbuilds wrote: post #2

Title: "The Locals Don't Know" First line: "My best piece of travel advice is to avoid doing what the locals do." The writer seems incapable of distinguishing between the special, cool local things the locals KNOW about, and which a tourist might well benefit from trying, and the things locals DO because they don't do those special, cool things every day. Instead locals are usually doing similar things to what we nor…

Further, he specifically mentioned Bordain, who focussed predominantly on food, and I think the concept of doing what the locals do is hugely rooted in choosing a restaurant. As in: locals won't eat in overpriced tourist traps, and will have had the chance to try enough local spots to know where's good. So if you want to choose a (e.g.) Chinese restaurant, choose one with lots of Chinese people in. (This applies whether you're in China or elsewhere.)

Re: The locals don't know

#15

Post by apsurd » Sun, May 10, 2026, 7:03 PM UTC

wavemode wrote: post #10

ixxie wrote: post #8

Do what you would do at home on a week off.

But I could just do that at home. Why travel?

This is part of the wider conversation. At least one reason is because other peoples' home is not your Disneyland.

Re: The locals don't know

#16

Post by tptacek » Sun, May 10, 2026, 7:04 PM UTC

ixxie wrote: post #8

Do what you would do at home on a week off.

Chill out on my porch, read a book, make a salad? I don't think that's what the post is getting at.

Re: The locals don't know

#17

Post by wavemode » Sun, May 10, 2026, 7:07 PM UTC

The phrase "do what the locals do" is very vague. Like, think about your own life - the "local" places that you go to hang out, drink, eat, have fun etc. differ very much depending on:

- your means of transportation

- how wealthy you are

- who you're with

- whether it's a special occasion or just a random Tuesday

Re: The locals don't know

#18

Post by apsurd » Sun, May 10, 2026, 7:08 PM UTC

What is this post. The point is normal people do normal things in their normal lives.

I regret reading and commenting, but hopefully save someone else.

Re: The locals don't know

#19

Post by ValentineC » Sun, May 10, 2026, 7:09 PM UTC

> I’m skeptical of the term tourist trap (it’s mostly used as a term to place yourself as higher status/taste than other people, and is often used out of insecurity)

One thing I've read years ago about tourist traps is that one shouldn't be actively trying to avoid them, especially if they come from a country with higher purchasing power.

Some of these "tourist trap" activities are locals trying to make an honest living doing what they can. It should be fine to take a tuk tuk, or to buy paintings and souvenirs from people off the street.

Everyone should avoid getting ripped off, but what's 0.1% of a month's wages to a tourist could pay for an entire day's meals for a local.

Re: The locals don't know

#20

Post by peterlada » Sun, May 10, 2026, 7:09 PM UTC

zarzavat wrote: post #7

The corollary of this is that if you are a local you should do some more touristy things. I don't mean to go to a tourist trap and get scammed, but just enjoy your city a little more and do some things that usually only tourists do. For example, despite living most of my life in London, I've never been to the Tower of London. Why would I? It's for tourists. Except it's probably quite fascinating, especially for a loc…

100%. I've lived in Paris well over a year and finally walked up on the Eiffel Tower and I enjoyed it. But of course not in July or August! But being local means you can go on an unexpectedly sunny March weekend.