How to Connect with Locals in Southeast Asia

Updated: April 2020

When it comes to visiting a new region it can sometimes be difficult to meet and travel with locals. We all want a deeper connection to the places we travel, but there is no surer way to do so than with help from the people of the region.

While traveling in Southeast Asia, my most unforgettable and special memories were of times when I was being hosted by locals in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

Here are my tips for connecting with locals in Southeast Asia!

Explore Local Cuisine

One of my favorite ways to experience a place is to sample the local cuisine and all the popular flavors and dishes.

One of the best ways to do this is by booking a food tour. As “street food” is ubiquitous in Southeast Asia—but can sometimes be overwhelming when figuring out just what to order and how—a food tour is a fantastic way a bunch of those popular dishes while being guided by a local.

For a small fee, locals will take you to their favorite spots to eat…something I see as priceless!

Dining With a Family in Their Home

In addition to sampling street food, there are a number of programs where you can sign up to share a meal with locals in their homes. Talk about an authentic experience and such a great way to get a glimpse into local life.

Take a Cooking Class

Want to bring those flavors home with you? Many locations offer cooking classes where you can learn to make a popular dish and then recreate it at home!

Taking A City Tour With The Locals

Seeing the tourist areas of a city might provide one perspective on a destination, but exploring the areas that the locals themselves see on a daily basis can provide a very different view of the destination.

From cycling tours of Bangkok to a forest trek in Sri Lanka, there are many unique experiences to be had!

Enjoy An Activity With A Local

Along with taking tours and dining with locals, you can find a cultural activity to engage in. From learning traditional handicrafts and tai-chi to more modern and quirky activities such as fruit carving and plucking tea leaves.

These are often activities that you won’t find in a traditional travel tour that offers an amazing experience with the residents of the area you’ll be visiting.

What are your tips for connecting with locals and exploring Southeast Asia? Let me know in the comments below!

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Some places are worth coming back to 🐧

Boulders Beach, Cape Town with Oliver
9 months → 21 months → 3.5 years

I blinked and my baby become a toddler…
and my toddler become a little boy. 😭

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Some places are worth coming back to 🐧

Boulders Beach, Cape Town with Oliver
9 months → 21 months → 3.5 years

I blinked and my baby become a toddler…
and my toddler become a little boy. 😭

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••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
We landed in Cape Town mid-January and hit the ground running.

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My parents joined us for the first month — which meant extra hands, loving support, and the sweetest way to begin this chapter.

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Glamping under the stars at Camp Canoe.
Summertime in the city.
Oliver starting at his new preschool.
Adventures through the Cape Winelands.
Slow weekends at the farmer’s market.
Afternoons stretched long at the beach.

It’s been messy and magical.
Exhausting and energizing.

Somewhere between pharmacy runs and beach swims, it started to feel less like a move…

and more like the start of our biggest adventure yet! 🌍
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
#capetown

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January Wrapped 🗓️
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
We landed in Cape Town mid-January and hit the ground running.

Oliver and I packed up our life and moved abroad for a year — chasing a simple question: what’s the best that could happen?

My parents joined us for the first month — which meant extra hands, loving support, and the sweetest way to begin this chapter.

Between toddler sickness (IYKYK) and playing full-time tour guide, we somehow managed to squeeze in so much life.

A long weekend in Paternoster.
Glamping under the stars at Camp Canoe.
Summertime in the city.
Oliver starting at his new preschool.
Adventures through the Cape Winelands.
Slow weekends at the farmer’s market.
Afternoons stretched long at the beach.

It’s been messy and magical.
Exhausting and energizing.

Somewhere between pharmacy runs and beach swims, it started to feel less like a move…

and more like the start of our biggest adventure yet! 🌍
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
#capetown

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One of the coolest spaces for littles — crafts, games, toys, and outdoor play areas that made traveling with Oliver feel easy (and fun for him, too).

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A huge thank you to @waldorfastoriacostarica for hosting us on this sunshine-soaked getaway.
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A little late sharing this — but I needed time to sit with 2025. It was so much more than what made it to Instagram.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
This was the year I stopped measuring life in miles traveled… and started measuring it in the days we weren’t promised.

Not in passport stamps.
Not in hotel check-ins.
Not in how far we could go.

But in the quiet relief of “clear.”
In small hands squeezing mine tighter.
In birthday candles and quiet camping mornings.
In laughter that came back after fear.

2025 was the plot twist year.

The year I learned strength doesn’t look like control —
it looks like surrender.
It looks like showing up anyway.
It looks like choosing joy even when you know how fragile it is.

And it looks like being surrounded by the people who love us most.

We traveled the world.
But more importantly —
we celebrated what we almost lost.

And at the end of it all?
We packed up our life and chose a new continent. 🇿🇦

2025, you were heavy.
You were also beautiful.
You changed me.

2026 — I’m ready.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
#2025wrapped

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Open post by theblondeabroad with ID 18380851606081524

A little late sharing this — but I needed time to sit with 2025. It was so much more than what made it to Instagram.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
This was the year I stopped measuring life in miles traveled… and started measuring it in the days we weren’t promised.

Not in passport stamps.
Not in hotel check-ins.
Not in how far we could go.

But in the quiet relief of “clear.”
In small hands squeezing mine tighter.
In birthday candles and quiet camping mornings.
In laughter that came back after fear.

2025 was the plot twist year.

The year I learned strength doesn’t look like control —
it looks like surrender.
It looks like showing up anyway.
It looks like choosing joy even when you know how fragile it is.

And it looks like being surrounded by the people who love us most.

We traveled the world.
But more importantly —
we celebrated what we almost lost.

And at the end of it all?
We packed up our life and chose a new continent. 🇿🇦

2025, you were heavy.
You were also beautiful.
You changed me.

2026 — I’m ready.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
#2025wrapped

My favorite smart features of my old home! 🏠
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••⁠
I put a lot of thought and design into my home, so I knew I had to get curated, high-tech window shades to match.

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Open post by theblondeabroad with ID 18083248064243187

My favorite smart features of my old home! 🏠
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••⁠
I put a lot of thought and design into my home, so I knew I had to get curated, high-tech window shades to match.

Enter @rollishades — sleek, custom motorized shades that actually elevate the space while solving the very real sunlight problem. From light-filtering to blackout options, everything is tailored to fit perfectly and controlled with the touch of a button (or app). It’s the kind of smart, intentional design that makes a home feel finished. 🪟🤍

I easily installed these in my guest bedroom and let me just say, when guests come over, they’re getting what feels like a hotel experience in my home (minus the room service).
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••⁠
#gifted #homedesign #interiorinspo #smarthome #rollishades

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Nikki

Really cool article. I am in the process of planning a long term trip throughout SEA and am happy to have come across this post. Thank you for sharing!

http://thepinthemapproject.com/

September 30, 2014 at 8:28 pm · Reply

Kiersten Rich

Thanks Nikki! Glad it could help!

October 1, 2014 at 4:59 am · Reply

Brooke

I love the idea of finding locals to spend time with and I’m glad you found a company that helps this come together. As you said, you don’t want the experience to be a tourist scam, so it’s good this company wants to build sustainable tourism. It sounds like you had a great experience doing everything from eating to tai-chi with someone local. I couldn’t think of a better way to enjoy travel.

April 29, 2015 at 8:22 pm · Reply

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Here are my tips for connecting with locals in Southeast Asia!

Explore Local Cuisine

Dining With a Family in Their Home

Take a Cooking Class

Read More:

Taking A City Tour With The Locals

Enjoy An Activity With A Local

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