this is why, when i go somewhere i prefer to either stay with locals couchsurfing, or when i stay longer, rent a room or an apartment. i don't travel around but

this is why, when i go somewhere i prefer to either stay with locals couchsurfing, or when i stay longer, rent a room or an apartment. i don't travel around but stay in the same place, make friends with locals, join their events, etc. i intentionally don't read about the places before going there, to avoid influencing my experience by the subjective reports of others. especially reports of other foreigners. i'll never experience the life and struggles as a local, especially not when the culture is very different, or the language or its a developing country. at best i get to experience what living in that place as a european, an expat, is like. but, where i am able to make friends or become part of a local family, i still get way more insights than any tourist would. while traveling in japan (where i was couchsurfing) i met a young european who claimed to have learned things about japanese culture that generally no foreigner ever finds out and his japanese friends would always be surprised when he told them about some of the things he learned. i could not verify his claim of course, but it was interesting nonetheless.