How to Find Connection & Authenticity When Traveling

Have you ever returned from your travels and felt like something was missing from your trip, despite nothing having gone wrong? Perhaps what you were lacking was connection and authenticity.

In today’s post, I’m going to share how YOU can find connection & authenticity when traveling via anecdotes from our own experiences.

This post may contain affiliate links. These links provide a means for sites like NattyGal.com to earn a small commission when a reader clicks through and makes a purchase at no additional cost to the reader. See full affiliate disclosure in Privacy & Disclosures.

Thanks to a combination of conscientious planning and a bit of luck, most of our travels have gone smoothly. The lodging is as expected, and we’ve usually been able to see the sights that were most significant to us.

So why do some destinations leave us with an emotional and lasting imprint while others narrowly lodge in our minds as “a nice trip“? I think the answer lies in the degree of connection found along the way.

Tai Chi

Our most recent example of this occurred in Hong Kong in March, 2025. It was our first full day in the city, wandering the Kowloon side, when we came upon Kowloon Park. There were a couple of morning tai chi groups taking place on one of the larger plazas.

I stopped at a bench to quickly reply to a text. Natty Guy had the camera, and I knew he’d be off taking photos. When I eventually looked up, what did I see but my husband standing in line with the others, mimicking the movements of the group leader.

He seemed immersed, so I decided to go with it and fall in line behind him. The session went on another 10-15 minutes, and we each did our best to keep up. At one point, the man next to me explained that the exercise we were doing was to aid in breathing and circulation.

At the end of the class, the leader and group members all turned to us and applauded. Several came up to thank us for joining them, to learn about why we were in Hong Kong, etc. And it was a magical moment of real connection!

Participating in a game is one of the surest ways to make a personal connection. In beautiful Rizal Park, Manila, we ran into the man below. He’d invited Natty Guy to sit down and play chess, but sadly, we were at the end of our day and needed to be back on the ship.

We had a similar encounter in Havana, where a young man had set up a game of dominoes on the sidewalk outside our lodging. He explained the game, and we had a great conversation with this local as well as another guest of our hotel.

Across Italy and southern France, you’ll often see men playing bocce or petanque. If you stop to watch for a moment, they’ll often ask you to join in.

TIP 2: Make the time! The memories you’ll create during those 5, 15, or 30 minutes will be worth the delay in your schedule.

TGIF

Many years ago, while visiting Paris, we decided to grab dinner in Montmartre after visiting Sacre Coeur. The weather was perfect, and we found a quaint little place near the bottom of the hill filled with fun and jovial-looking people.

We found some open spots and ordered some wine and, I believe, smoked salmon, to start. When our food came, I wished my husband “bon appétit,” and the group of 20-somethings next to us let out a little chuckle. I smiled, and a girl asked, “Do they say that in your country too?” “No, I was just trying to sound French.” I replied, giggling.

Tip 3: Talk to people! Or if someone talks to you, keep the conversation flowing.

We learned they were friends meeting up for post-work drinks and ended up sitting with them for a good part of the night. They asked about life in the United States, our president (the George W. Bush years), and gave us tips on unique things to do in the City of Light. Twenty years later, we still recall this special night.

Kids: The Ultimate Ice-Breakers

In Koh Samui, Thailand, we’d just finished up dinner and decided to wander to the little beach bar across the street. As you can see in the photo below, no one was there. Just the owner and her two very precocious daughters.

Tip 4: If you find it intimidating to connect with adults, try interacting with some local kids. Not in a creepy way, of course!

The girls had been chattering at us from the moment we walked in, and once we’d ordered our drinks, they decided to plunk down at our table. They were quite young, maybe 4 and 6 or 5 and 7.

While they spoke some English, conversation was a bit garbled. Mom kept coming over to make sure the girls weren’t bothering us. At one point, we did the expected “My name is Betsy (pointing to self), what is your name?” routine.

They were laughing while giving their (garbled) responses, and Natty Guy finally figured out that they were inserting some kind of gibberish. We laughed and made up progressively sillier names for ourselves and them, then colored with them a bit. And it felt very much like real life. Like what it might be like if we lived there.

Laundry: The Great Unifier

Nowadays, we usually pony up to have a hotel or service do our laundry midway through our travels, but in the early days, we would set aside a few hours on each trip to find a laundromat and wash our clothes. We always made some sort of connection while doing this.

In France, we met a family from Australia that was caravaning for a month and staying in gites (holiday rental homes). In Wales, we got to talking with the owner of the laundrette, who brought us some coffee with what we think was goat milk (not fans, BTW).

Tip 5: Still having a hard time connecting? Look to the ordinary. Do laundry, get a haircut, ask a market vendor to tell you more about an ingredient or a dish they’re preparing.

Is all this a bit out of your comfort zone? Try to remember, you’re traveling. Only you (or your travel partners) will know if things go poorly. If you can’t reinvent yourself on holiday, when can you?

Connection and authenticity are what make travels memorable. Without them, you’ll likely still enjoy the sites, foods, and experiences, but you may not find that life-altering perspective and fresh outlook on the world that so many crave when we leave our hometowns.

Have a travel connection that meant something special to you? I’d love to hear about it! Feel free to leave a comment below. Until next time…