When listening to a conversation among tourists, it soon becomes clear that the one with the ‘most local experience’ has the upper hand. Seemingly, in an age of many-to-many connections, booking a mass-organized tour is not ranking top of a traveller’s bucket list anymore.
Name it the responsibility of mass tourism, the fast flow of information or simply the desire to return back to basics. Fact is, people worldwide are looking for one-to-one connections, in which notions such as authenticity and global friendship are trending.
There are several companies which evolved from the spirit of social sharing, such as Airbnb or Couchsurfing. A recent platform to join the idea of the sharing economy is Withlocals. This Dutch start-up is created based on the idea to connect locals and tourists worldwide. After numerous holidays in Southeast Asia, the best experience of co-founder Marijn Maas was simply having a home dinner with a Sri Lankan family. This initiated the thought: “wouldn’t it be great if all travellers could have an experience like this?”
Nowadays, over more than 10.000 Asian hosts are registered and launching countries include Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Thailand. The website clearly makes a distinction between three separate categories – Eat, Tours, and Activities. Whether you are a local or a host, advantages seem to go both ways.
For the locals, it is a creative and fun way to earn some extra money by simply taking tourists along on your daily routine. The platform shows a wide range of options that you as a host could offer. Think about inviting the tourists into your home for a tasty home dinner, showing them the hidden gems in your neighbourhood or simply letting them tag along on your morning jogging track!
Take for instance Jeffrey from Singapore. He aims to indulge tourists into the real Singaporean culture and thought of a creative 2 day trail through the city, discovering the best hawker stalls, vibrant shopping streets and night markets. Have a look at the website to get inspiration for fun tours in Singapore.
For the tourists, it is an ideal way to explore a culture up-close, and to visit areas that are off the beaten track. Join Wilson for an early morning Sunrise photography tour. Explore the Spiderman (or woman) in you and participate in a Parkour training. The choice is yours!
The most interesting fact about Withlocals is that it is the first platform that offers authentic home dinners with locals. Singaporeans know how to prepare dishes that rival any top chef, and tourists are eager to catch a glimpse of Singaporean cuisine. Various hosts even offer a combination of a cooking class plus dinner, creating the perfect mix for an evening that will explode your taste buds!
All in all, this platform could really be the next best thing to join the league of companies started in the spirit of social sharing. Interested to join as a host or a tourist? Check out the website, as this might just be something for you!
Disclosure: Sponsored Post
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