A. Authentic Local Culture:

FIT solos can INTENTIONALLY seek authentic culture by researching & choosing exactly those sites & experiences OR by simply traveling
 'closer-to-the-dirt' in your host culture. 

Anecdote: Puno, Peru's floating islands: Lake Titicaca's indigenous Uros people's floating islands which were originally built as protection against attacking Incas. A feat of innovative human engineering!  Now, 120 islands, with ~ 1,300 people living on them.  

 

    Anecdote 1: Walking a rural Thailand Road, outside Chiang Mai in search of an obscure temple. I flagged down a local motorcyclist for directions. He had me jump on the back and off we went.  

  

    Anecdote: Lijiang, China:   Several rural bus rides & a steep hike up a mountain road to this beautiful secluded village of homes carved into the mountain's stone, and faced with elaborately carved wooden screens.    A young Euro women holed up there for a week painting. 'Good-on' that solo independent adventurer!                       

                                Lijashan, China's carved village in mountain 

 

OTOH, Surfing Internet, you may find local authentic cultural experiences: cooking school, small farm visit, etc.

Large Bus Tours & Cruises
Big bus tours & cruise excursions are usually moving too fast to provide any meaningful authentic local interaction opting instead for a quick & dirty faux experience at best ... to simply check off the box. 

 

 

 

 

 

Anecdote 2: Same thing in India In my authentic old area hotel, devoid of foreigners, with a simple room (I bathed from a bucket of hot water & a bowl), the owner hooked me up with a local guide to motorcycle visit several painted house villages along the original Sillk Road.  In one village we sat roadside drank tea with some old men.            

                      Hotel Natraj bucker bathing

                                         

B. Local Economy $ Support:

FIT (free independent solo travel) support of a local economy means spending your traveler’s money to benefit locals,  rather than non-local, corporate-like businesses (hotels or retail chains) or corrupt government businesses like Myanmar’s Junta Military-owned hotels, travel agencies etc.

My tourist expenditures, if done locally, can significantly underwrite a community’s economic sustainability. Economics suggests a dollar spent locally multiplies its value 3 times within that local economy. 

FIT traveler’s may have to investigate closely to navigate these good & bad options.         Ask ‘local’ hostel staff.