Lake Como, in northern Italy, conjures images of glistening blue water, opulent villas and villages where celebrities like Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, and Amal and George Clooney try to dodge the paparazzi.
13.08.2024 - 06:28 / travelpulse.com / Lacey Pfalz
If you’re on social media or follow the latest travel trends, it’s likely you’ve seen or heard about an increasingly popular trend of travelers visiting grocery stores during their trip as a way to immerse themselves in local culture, especially in international destinations.
While it’s gaining popularity online and in social media, it’s not exactly anything new. It’s just more popular.
So what’s grocery store tourism, you ask?
I’ll explain: it’s heading into a local grocery store to discover all the new foods available, and spot the differences and similarities between a traveler’s home and their destination.
For example, travelers will find a large fresh cheese section and expanded fresh meat and fish section in a French grocery store as opposed to an American grocery store, which might have a small specialty cheese section, a small butcher area and a larger frozen food section.
Immersing oneself in a grocery store while traveling is a great way to learn a bit about what that culture values food-wise, and it’s a fun exploration with the opportunity to try new things, from candy and snacks to new fruits and vegetables.
This trend is getting more popular as travel influencers begin sharing all the grocery store fun travelers can have while visiting a new destination. But like all trends, we must ask ourselves if it’s a good one, one that benefits the people who call these destinations their home.
For the most part, it’s a pretty good trend, as long as it doesn’t lead to thousands of international travelers shoving themselves through the doors of local grocers in popular destinations like Barcelona or Paris.
Remember, it’s important to be respectful to residents in the places you’re visiting.
Here’s a few recommendations:
If you see an influencer recommending a specific grocery store to visit, don’t visit it. It’s likely to be overcrowded by other travelers just like you, and you don’t want to be part of the problem. We recommend instead walking around an area you enjoy, and popping into a grocery store you happen to find randomly, instead of finding one that’s trending online.
Many places also offer farmer’s markets each day, or at least once a week, and these are great especially if you’re able to cook while traveling. Travelers can purchase fresh, locally grown vegetables, herbs and fruit in a fun, outdoor setting, while also directly supporting local farmers.
It’s a win-win!
I enjoyed this experience first-hand when visiting Rouen, the French capital of Normandy. I was there for a day in March while taking a river cruise along the Seine, and was happy to come across a covered market right in the center of the city, where local fish and produce was sold each day. You better believe me when I say
Lake Como, in northern Italy, conjures images of glistening blue water, opulent villas and villages where celebrities like Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, and Amal and George Clooney try to dodge the paparazzi.
Known as Derby City, Bourbon City, or simply The 'Ville, Louisville offers a distinctive blend of Southern hospitality and Midwestern flair.
AmaWaterways has unveiled a new seven-night "Best of the Danube" itinerary inspired by co-founder and President Rudi Schreiner.
Delta Air Lines is now rolling out fast, free Wi-Fi by T-Mobile on select long-haul international routes, with most transatlantic flights to be in service with free Wi-Fi by the end of the summer.
You don’t hear about Central Florida very often, and when you do, chances are it has something to do with Walt Disney World. But just over an hour north of the famed resort complex is the mid-sized city of Ocala, a destination bursting with superlatives, including “America’s largest spring” and “horse capital of the world.”
While most American cities aren’t considered easy to navigate by foot, a recent study by travel insurance experts AllClear ranked one popular Southern city as the most walkable in the country. AllClear examined topographical information for more than 240 cities around the world, taking into account average elevation and range, and assigned each city a score — and ultimately, it was New Orleans that was named the most walkable city in the U.S. and the fourth most walkable city globally.
For Olympics viewers that have recently caught Paris wanderlust, a low-cost carrier has affordable flights to make your trip to France a reality. Norse Atlantic Airways recently updated several one-way flight deals which include New York (JFK) to Paris (CDG) for as little as $112 one-way throughout the fall and even into 2025. From the west coast, travelers can score one-way flight deals from Los Angeles (LAX) to Paris (CDG) for as little as $188 throughout the fall. All of the deals are located on Norse’s main homepage. Travelers can filter the flight results by inputting their home city or destination, and even set a maximum budget. Beyond Paris, travelers can also get deals to London's Gatwick airport for as low as $72 one-way.
Europe dominates in a new ranking of the world’s most beautiful cities, filling nine of the top 10 spots.
As someone who's traveled to over 40 countries, there was one thing I never checked off my travel bucket list: flying business class. I always walked past the lie-flat seats and dreamed one day I would be able to.
Landal GreenParks UK, the UK’s fastest growing company offering holiday breaks in nature, has seen a 24% YoY increase in summer bookings driven by longer staycations in the Southwest region.
Exuma, a pristine archipelago of 365 islands in the Bahamas, has long been a haven for sophisticated globetrotters and seafarers. Today, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts® is pleased to name the destination as the latest addition to the brand’s Caribbean portfolio with the announcement of Rosewood Exuma, a private island experience that will fuse together the best of both ultra-luxury and adventure travel.
Aug 7, 2024 • 8 min read