What Does “Authentic Travel” Actually Mean?

Why meaningful travel is not about avoiding famous places, but about experiencing a destination in a way that feels true to you.

The idea of “authentic travel” is everywhere. We are often told that a meaningful trip should take us away from tourist areas, towards hidden places, local restaurants and experiences that somehow feel more real. I understand why that sounds appealing, but I do not think authenticity can be reduced to a checklist.

For me, authentic travel simply means discovering a country in different ways while staying honest about what you actually want from your trip. You can visit the famous landmarks you have dreamed about for years, take public transport, spend an afternoon in a small countryside town, sit in a café, walk through a neighbourhood or stop somewhere only because it looks beautiful. All of those things can belong in the same journey.

There is no single correct version of an authentic trip. The most important thing is that the way you travel feels aligned with you, while leaving enough space to notice what is happening around you.

1. Famous does not automatically mean overrated

I do not think a place loses its value simply because a lot of people want to see it. Sometimes a destination is extremely popular because it genuinely deserves to be.

Mont Saint Michel is a good example for me. It receives a huge number of visitors, and you definitely notice that when you are there, but it is still one of those places that feels worth seeing. If you travel through Normandy, I think it makes sense to experience it at least once. The crowds are part of the place, but they don't cancel everything that makes it special.

If crowds are something you really dislike, the answer does not always have to be skipping the place entirely. You can research quieter days, look at the season, arrive at a different time or simply understand what to expect before you go. Of course, some famous attractions can feel overrated once you see them for yourself, and that is completely fine too. I just prefer forming my own opinion rather than deciding that somewhere is not worth visiting because it appears on everyone else’s itinerary.

There is nothing less authentic about wanting to see something you have dreamed about for years.

2. The unexpected does not need to be secret

One of my favourite discoveries in China was Zhouzhuang. It is an ancient water town with traditional buildings, canals and small waterways running between the streets. It is not an unknown place, but it felt very different from the bigger cities I had been visiting, and I loved being able to slow down and take my time there.

What stayed with me just as much was what happened around the journey itself. On the way from Zhouzhuang to Suzhou, I saw smaller towns and landscapes that I had never planned to visit. I still remember some of them now, even though they were not written anywhere in my itinerary.

That is something I love about travelling. The unexpected does not always need to be a restaurant with no sign, a secret viewpoint or a village nobody has heard of. Sometimes it is simply what you notice between the things you planned. A place does not need to be hidden to feel special.

3. Big cities can be just as authentic as small villages

I think people sometimes associate authenticity with the countryside. A small village feels authentic, while a major city can be seen as too modern, too busy or too international. I do not really see it that way.

I spent a year living and working in Hong Kong, and one of the things I loved most was how many different sides of the city existed at the same time. There were busy commercial areas, local restaurants, small shops, residential neighbourhoods and completely different cultural influences depending on where I went. You could spend a whole day moving through places that felt nothing alike, even though you were still in the same city.

The same is true in cities like Shanghai or Paris. You can visit a famous attraction in the morning and still end up eating in a tiny restaurant, taking a bus through a residential area or finding a shop you never would have noticed in a guide. A big city does not stop being real because tourists visit it.

For me, authenticity is more about how much attention you pay to a place than how small that place is.

4. “Living like a local” is not always the goal

I am not completely convinced by the idea that a traveller can “live like a local” for a few days. Living somewhere means having routines, responsibilities, relationships and habits that develop over time.

A short holiday cannot really reproduce that, and I do not think it needs to.

You can still observe how people live, use public transport, visit neighbourhoods outside the main tourist areas, shop in local businesses or spend time somewhere without turning every moment into an attraction. Those experiences can help you understand a destination a little better, even if you are still a visitor.

For me, travelling is not about becoming someone else for a week. It is about being curious enough to understand how other people live while still being yourself. If spending time in local neighbourhoods is what interests you, do it. If you are happier seeing museums and famous monuments, that is valid too.

5. Respect matters more than trying to fit in perfectly

Travelling somewhere new also means encountering habits, beliefs and ways of life that can be very different from your own. I think trying to understand those differences is part of the experience.

That does not mean you have to agree with everything you see or force yourself to participate in something that goes against your own values. For me, trying first matters. It gives you a chance to learn about the people around you, but also about yourself and the things that feel important to you.

I remember feeling this when I travelled to Morocco several years ago. Some expectations around religion and gender roles were unfamiliar to me and could be difficult to understand from my own perspective. At the same time, I realised very quickly that people and families do not all interpret traditions in exactly the same way. That experience reminded me that seeing one situation does not mean you suddenly understand an entire culture.

I love travelling in Asia partly because many cultural habits are very different from the ones I grew up with in France. I find those differences fascinating. You do not have to understand everything immediately, and you definitely do not have to pretend that everything feels natural to you. Sometimes being willing to observe, ask questions and understand why something is done a certain way is already enough.

6. Hidden gems are fun, but they are not a requirement

I like discovering places that are less obvious. A small village, an unusual neighbourhood or a restaurant I would never have found on my own can add something really special to a trip. I also think searching for one or two of those places can be fun because it keeps the journey interesting.

But I do not think every day needs to be built around finding a “hidden gem”. That idea can become another kind of pressure. Suddenly, visiting the famous place feels too touristy, while finding somewhere nobody knows becomes proof that you are travelling correctly. I do not think travel needs that kind of rule.

Unexpected places are interesting when they fit the person travelling. Some clients will love the idea of going out of their way to see a tiny village or an unusual neighbourhood, while others will have no interest in that at all. Both approaches are fine. Even an iconic experience can become unexpected depending on how you live it.

That is why I like the idea behind Wonder Awaits so much. Iconic. Unexpected. Your. Those three things do not compete with one another. They can exist in the same journey.

7. Authentic travel starts with being honest about what you want

If someone told me they wanted to avoid every tourist attraction and only discover lesser known places, I would not try to convince them otherwise. There are plenty of places in France, China and elsewhere that can make that kind of trip exciting. I would simply adapt the journey around what they are looking for.

Another traveller might arrive with a list of famous landmarks they have wanted to see for years. Someone else might want a mixture of both. The balance depends entirely on the person in front of me, because there is no universal percentage of iconic attractions and unexpected places that suddenly makes an itinerary authentic.

A trip becomes personal when the choices actually reflect the traveller. That is what authenticity means to me. It is not travelling in the “right” way, proving that you found somewhere nobody else knows or avoiding popular places simply because they are popular.

It is building a journey around what you genuinely want to experience, while staying curious enough to welcome the things you did not plan.

The unexpected is everywhere

A good trip should follow your own philosophy of travel. If you love famous landmarks, see them. If you want quiet countryside towns, make time for them. Take the bus, sit in a café, explore a neighbourhood, visit a museum or spend a few hours doing very little if that is what feels right for you.

The unexpected is not something you can always schedule. Sometimes it appears in a small town between two destinations. Sometimes it is a conversation, a meal, a landscape or a place you had barely noticed on the map. You just have to leave enough space to welcome it.

For me, that is probably the most authentic thing you can do. Follow what you genuinely want from your trip, stay open to what you did not expect, and let both of those things exist together.

Iconic. Unexpected. Yours.

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