For the avid traveller, a trip is more than just a vacation. It is a journey that transcends beyond seeing the popular attractions in a location and taking fun pictures to exploring the place, tasting their unique gastronomies, interacting with local people, understanding the place, the culture and appreciating the diversity of human life and practices in general.



A passionate traveler understands that pictures can sometimes fail to capture the pure beauty of a place, and so exploration and wandering are needed to gather the authentic experiences. Looking to gain your own vault of genuine travel experiences? It does not matter the destination or time, consider Jovago.com’s list of 4 authentic experiences for the avid traveller.



Go wild
Most visitors to a destination or city include visiting a local zoo or horticulture garden on their list of activities, but as exciting as it could be to see different species of faunas and flora in one location, there is nothing as exquisite as watching a wild animal interact with its natural environment or exploring exotic flora in its natural milieu.

The good thing is that almost every destination in the world has a natural reserve or game reserve where tourists and visitors can explore for a guaranteed magical experience. Nigeria has interesting places like the Wikki lake Bura game reserve and Yankari game reserve in Bauchi State, Boshi game reserve in Cross River, Oba Hills Forest Reserve located in Osun State and Idanre Forest Reserve in the South West.



Go drink with the locals
The easiest way to get to know anyone is grabbing a drink with them. Alcohol has a way of loosening people up and making them relax enough to let you in. Every traveler keen on understanding the culture, beliefs and general way of life of the people in a destination seeks out the locals.

Aside from engaging them in casual conversation, having a drink with them opens a channel through which you can get free advice and gain some of the most interesting travel memories. Most of these locals have their own local brews which you could also enjoy. Whether it is Nkwu or Sapele Water in Nigeria, order what the locals are buying and you are in for a marvelous time.

Go let loose at a local festival

Festivals are one of the ways most groups showcase their culture, traditions, norms and values. From religious festivals to arts and music festivals, every destination celebrates a festival at particular times.

In recent times, Cities have started throwing flamboyant, colorful carnivals too. Figure out the time these festivals are to be held and storm the destination. It is usually always an electrifying and rewarding once-in-a-lifetime experience for thorough travellers.



Go Volunteer
Most often the best way to experience a new place is by giving something back. Travelers can give back by volunteering short term in local community project or participating in a programme that directly benefits the location either financially or socially, and brings the traveller more understanding of the environment as he gets a an inside view.

It is much more fun when the travellers selects a volunteer job or activity that resonates with his personality or passions, for instance, a visitor can volunteer to teach short classes on foreign languages to the locals, while a chef could organize or participate in a food fair. The general idea is to play a part in fostering the community’s development, education, etc.