Get Out and See the Real Country

What is the best way to see a new country? There is no doubt that getting out of the big cities and exploring smaller towns and villages is going to give you a different and arguably more authentic experience than that which many tourists settle for.

Just as London, Birmingham and Manchester aren’t fully representative of the UK, the same applies in countries like France and Italy. In fact, it could be said that in these countries the heart and soul of the nation is more rural than in the UK, and that the only way to truly appreciate them is by going out to the countryside.

Once you get out of the big city the only things you are really going to miss are the conveniences such as shops and restaurants on every corner. Even this can seem unimportant once you discover where to get hold of fresh, local produce. What you presumably won’t miss is the noise, the stress and traffic of the big cities.

Of course the people are different in the countryside too, just as they are everywhere in the world. In the modern world we can state with a fair degree of confidence that the gap between country folk and city dwellers is smaller than ever before thanks to better transport links and communications technology. However, it is still in the small villages and towns where most people will take time out to speak to you and make you feel at home.

This leads us on to an essential part of any trip to a rural location; the local language. While you would expect to find English speakers in places such as Paris and Rome you certainly shouldn’t expect to get things quite so comfortable once you leave the big centres behind.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If anything, It will force you to leave your comfort zone and speak to the people using their own language rather than yours. As a visitor in their country this is a reasonable thing to expect and if you make the effort you will find that the warmth and hospitality you receive makes the interaction with locals one of the real highlights of your time.