If you haven’t heard the news, “local” is something of a buzzword at the moment – and it’s for good reason.

Today travel consumers are wanting to go local, meaning they wish to shop local and eat like a local too and enjoy the authentic experience of the country they’re visiting.

Many of us still want to travel far and wide, whether it’s for just a weekend or a few weeks, and as we do, we want to experience the true local culture.

Here we have put together a quick guide for travelling in the UK and how to experience the British way of life.

Travel Outside London

As we know, London is a capital hotspot. While there are most definitely “local” areas in the capital, they can be hard to find – and it can be easy to get dragged into tourist areas and pay more than you should.

This is where you need to think outside the box and ultimately, select some cities that will give you more of an opportunity to sample local, UK life.

For example, Swindon falls into this category, and it’s quite easy to spend a couple of days here, with lots of hotels in Swindon to choose from, without feeling too much like a tourist. Edinburgh, Newcastle and Birmingham are some other great options but, in short, the advice here is totryexperiencing some of the lesser known cities and take time that weekend discovering them.

Avoid the transport systems

Again, we often hear a lot about the impressive transport systems in the UK but to truly adapt to this country like a local, try and resist the urge to use them.

In short, walking is your answer. Sure, the UK is not known for its great weather, but walking will allow you to get lost and really experience the best of a city.

If we return to the topic of London, it has even been found that you can save time by walking between some locations, rather than jumping on the underground.

Avoid the “Express trains”

On the subject of transport, let’s now talk about Express Trains.

In short, express trains are something that are just going to leave you significantly out of pocket.

It can be tempting to jump on one as soon as you land at one of the big London airports – but in reality, they are a fortune. Instead, turn to a bus or if you want a truly simple solution, just get the underground into central London.

Eat at “UK times”

Let’s conclude today’s article with a short point about culture. As we all know, there are different eating habits all around the world, but in general the rule is that British people eat far earlier than other nations in Europe. While some countries might see their peak restaurant times at around 10pm, by this time most of those in the UK out for dinner are already heading home. Instead, aim for around 8pm if you want to feel like a local – this is the time that most residents will be rocking up to restaurants around the country.