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Travel With Locals and You Might Learn a Thing or Two

Also, do we really need to use toilet paper?

By Dave Hakkens - July 13, 2016

in Storyhopper | Video

Often when I travel I choose to go the comfortable way, as most people probably do: book a nice hotel to sleep in, grab food at a place with good ratings and visit a few of the "must-sees." But traveling like this doesn't show the real daily life of a place, only a comfortable, touristic version.

Things tend to get interesting when you go local. To really understand what it's like to live in a different country, it's best to sleep, eat, talk, dance and hang out with local people. When we stayed with a local couple in India, we really experienced their culture and got a glimpse of their habits (it even made me question whether we really need to use toilet paper...) and outlook on life.

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If you've traveled like this before, I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments below. If not, try it out next time you get a chance—I'm sure you will be inspired.

This story originally appeared on Story Hopper, a collection of design stories worth sharing, squeezed into short videos.

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Rain Noe

8 years ago

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Dave, on the toilet paper note: A buddy of mine was backpacking through rural Greece in the '90s, where toilet paper was not common. He happened to have a paperback book with him that he was reading, and he got into the habit of using the already-read pages as toilet paper.

However, he eventually began to out-shit his reading, and found that before going to the bathroom he had to digest at least five to ten pages.

As for the hands-and-water method, do you find you need to use an inordinate amount of soap in order to keep things hygienic? I'm very curious as to how this all works!

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- Craig Matola
  
  Rain Noe
  
  8 years ago
  
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  I recently stayed with a friend in Northern Italy, he has a Bidet next to the toilet. I started to use this for a few days and realized it does a much better job than paper. Also, you can sit on the toilet and wash your feet in it and i'm sure there is plenty of other uses I haven't heard of.
  
  To answer your soap question though, when you're done you just wash your hands like every other bathroom visit.
  
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- Dave Hakkens
  
  Rain Noe
  
  8 years ago
  
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  Haha i'll remember the book-method in case I need a plan B. Just some simple water does the cleaning job. Defenitly feels weird in the beginning, you will get used to it. Or well you have to...
  
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