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Living Like a Local Post-Pandemic

The pandemic robbed us of time we will never see again. It ceased precious time with friends and family, halted weddings and graduations, and even stopped people giving a true send off to their past loved ones. I personally believe that for many people, the pandemic renewed their relationship with the world, many including myself realised that life is short, and time is expensive. The need to explore ripened with every minute when our lives came to a standstill.

The most common thought I endured throughout lockdown was, “I cannot wait for a holiday.” Clearly, I was not alone in this thought as when Boris Johnson announced lockdown exit plans in February 2021, one of the UK’s biggest holiday firm, Tui, said bookings for foreign trips jumped 500% overnight. Stating that bookings for July-onwards had rocketed with Greece, Spain, and Turkey being the most popular destinations.

However, there is another competitor taking over the holiday industry. Airbnb provides travellers with the opportunity to live like a local amongst true residents rather than staying in the traditional holiday environment. According to data, there are over 2.9 million hosts on Airbnb worldwide this year, as well as over 150 million users, allowing hosts to rent out properties they don’t permanently live at whilst allowing gusts to experience the buzz of the local life.

As of May 2022, Airbnb had a net worth of around $4 billion, however that number is expected to rise even higher in the coming year as the business grows. The conglomerate also recently acquired the online company HotelTonight for over $400 million. It also seems that Airbnb is taking over that of the hotel industry, a study done by Florida State University found that the rise in Airbnb’s market has resulted in decreased revenue for hotels as well as a decrease in room prices and occupancy rates.

The concept of ‘living like a local’ has become a recent trend amongst travellers, with many opting to stay in Airbnb’s as a way to feel less like a tourist. Ellie is a customer who swears by Airbnb, favouring the platform over holiday packages and hotel websites. “My parents started using it in 2016, we were going on a road trip around America, so decided to try Airbnb because we weren’t going to be in one place for very long. We were also travelling by car and so just wanted to find local areas we could pull over and have a bed for the night.

My family is an odd number so finding a hotel for a night last minute is not always easy to book, with Airbnb we find it so much easier because we can all stay in one place rather than in different hotel rooms.”

Since staying in Airbnb’s Ellie hasn’t looked back, “They’re so much nicer than hotels, you feel like you actually live in the area that you’re staying in. You can cook your own stuff and even small things like going to the supermarket, they’re different and you feel like a local doing a food shop, then going home and making dinner. You wouldn’t do that if you stayed somewhere like an all-inclusive resort.

It nicer than going to restaurants all the time, its nice to do that as well but sometimes you simply just want to make a sandwich. You don’t want to go out and spend a lot of money on food all the time.”

Ellie enjoys the concept of living like a local. “I love to live like a local when I’m away, I don’t necessarily always want to feel like I’m on holiday. I hate feeling like a tourist, I like to find all the local spots which interestingly we normally do through meeting the Airbnb owner, that’s another thing about staying with them, they tell you all the good spots to visit whilst you’re staying there. Staying somewhere on Airbnb is such a contrast to how we live so its nice to get a taste of new culture.”

When asked whether she thought Airbnb is more affordable than staying at hotels she said, “I wouldn’t say its more affordable, nor would I say it’s more expensive. I think you’re paying for the exclusivity and sometimes its also the experience you’re paying for. Its definitely worth it.”

Travelling to Porto…

I travelled to Porto, Portugal in April where we basked in the idea of living like a local. We didn’t have any plans for the trip, our strategy was to simply see where each day took us.

From the first evening we arrived in Porto whilst having dinner at a small river side restaurant, we saw a couple that we recognised from our Metro trip over to the city from the airport. They too were choosing to have dinner at this little restaurant. This fascinated me and remarkably happened multiple times throughout the trip, I’d see someone we’d walked past earlier that day or recognise someone who’d visited the same café as us a few days before. Maybe I’m too observant for my own good but the chances of something like that happening in London are one to nothing, I began to imagine that becoming a familiar face in places such as this isn’t unusual to locals.

When exploring the city on our first evening, we found a large grass terrace full of youths that overlooked the whole of Porto. We concluded there must have been a university accommodation nearby – but perhaps not, maybe it gradually become a local spot where youths gather to socialise through word of mouth. Opposite the terrace was a strip of bars that was lively with people and there was loud music coming from a large portable speaker that sat on the grass terrace. I gained a sense of community, as we past the terrace I could hear multiple languages some even switching between two and it was clear that this spot was a well known area amongst locals for gatherings, even on a Sunday evening.

Credits - Ella Browning — Credit – Summer Shannon

Near the train station sits a row of cafes selling beverages, sandwiches, pastries, and Portugal’s famous custard tarts. We decided to sit and have some brunch to beat the lunch time crowd, my friend ordered a Latte, and a tart whilst I favoured a green tea and a toastie. My friend, who was served before me, decided to go and search for a table and slowly weaved her way through the crowd of people that had formed, trying not to spill her coffee. “That’s the thing you must have steady hands to get through here, I learnt that the hard way,” said a fellow Englishman who was stood behind me. “Yes it seems you’re done for if you don’t in here,” I say. He chuckled and continued, “Yes I know, I’ve been here a lot,” to which I asked if he lived here. “No, no, we’re just visiting again, we’re here for 8 days we enjoy coming here.” This man and I continued to talk about what Porto has to offer, he gave me recommendations of places and restaurants to visit, if it wasn’t for this mans strong British accent, I’d of thought he was someone who had lived here his whole life. We spoke until the server brought my breakfast to the counter, “Enjoy your coffee!” I said, “Thank you, you too” he replied.

By this point we have been in Porto for 2 days and already are familiar with the area in which we are staying. The local mini market that reminded me strongly of Lidl indeed suggested that the cashier recognised us, kindly speaking to me in English, “Hello, would you like a bag?” she would say. Is it possible that she recognised me as the Brit who couldn’t speak any Portuguese?

Overall, the trip was a success, the stress of feeling like a tourist constantly on the move to get to the next tourist attraction can indeed stop you from appreciating the beauty of where you are. I got to fully take in every moment with no rush to move on. It’s something I will take into careful consideration more on my travels.

Tom, who previously lived and worked Saudi Arabia, now lives in Vietnam working on the railway. Tom lived in Saudi for 3 years and has now lived in Vietnam for almost a year, “I moved away for work and never looked back. It was a big decision as I live away from all my loved ones and can only come home a few times a year, even less in recent years because of the pandemic, but overall, I love it.”

Tom always lived and work in the UK in his previous years but wanted a change. “It just appealed to me, and with this job comes a lot of perks, it pays well, meaning I can provide for my family back in the UK, and they can come out to visit me whenever they please as I have an apartment, the perks of living like a local.

Its so cheap to live here, a meal out costs you between 3 and 8 pounds, and the locals way of life is so beautiful.” Tom made the move from Saudi Arabia to Vietnam after another job offer whilst also thinking about his family. “In Saudi, its very strict. To see my family meant flying out to Dubai, which sounds great when you say it out loud, but I can’t always guarantee the time off. Here in Vietnam, they can come and visit me anytime whilst I work, it’s much more lenient.

I can’t ever see myself moving back the UK for work, maybe once I’ve retired.” He says humorously.

The concept of living like a local or travelling as one has become a niche profit market for bloggers. More and more people are creating fanbases solely from their travel videos, YouTuber family Knorpp and South have created a following through simply filming their travels and uploading it to their channel. The family of 11 travelled all over the world for a prolonged amount of time, staying in different Airbnb’s along the way. Now with a following of nearly 300k on their YouTube channel, they are making another form of income from what was simply filming their adventures as a video diary for them to keep.

Watch Knorpp and South on You T ube

It doesn’t stop there, as well as travel vloggers, there is also a more niche group of vloggers who focus on a specific type of travel, creating communities with people who share the same interest, one popular theme being Disney.

Disney in Detail is a popular British Disney vlogger who shares her top tips and tricks for people visiting the Disney parks, through doing this she has created a community of people who await her uploads from her most recent visit to the parks. Almost as if she is a local, she treats visiting the parks like she has lived there in a previous life, knowing it like the back of her hand, and with her YouTube channel having a following of almost 50k, she has been able to provide people with a better experience when visiting the parks through taking her advice on topics of interest.

Watch Disney in Detail on YouTube

Living Like a Local Abroad is a blog written by a women who has lived as a local worldwide for over 15 years and is just another example of how popular the concept has become. Founder and editor Carol, shares her experiencers so that audiences can both live through it and take notes ready for when they travel themselves. Her blog includes everything from travel tips, money saving advice and the best places to visit. Check out her blog here.

Travelling and living like a local is extremely assessable, with some travel websites offering flight tickets for as little as £9 return. Websites such as Skyscanner offer insanely cheap flights to cities such as Venice, Krakow and Copenhagen for less than £20, and as incredible as this sounds, environmentally is this good in the long run?

According to Boeing’s website, their 747 jet burns approximately 5 gallons of fuel per mile (12 litres per kilometre), therefore over a course of a 10-hour flight a 747 might burn around 36,000 gallons of fuel. But what about cost? Well as of May 2021, the average nationwide price of Jet-A-Fuel was just under 5 dollars per gallon, making a 10-hour flight cost around 180k.

So how is it morally correct that we can buy a return flight for a little as £9?

Leah, a student, is a frequent user of Skyscanner and her love of travel is encouraged by the constant deals she can get on her flights. “I think it’s amazing, it’s the first place I go once I’ve decided I want to visit somewhere. Sometimes if I see a flight cheap enough, I will just book it without even knowing whether or not I can actually go, worst case I don’t mind losing £10.

The cheapest flight I’ve booked was to Venice, it was £7 but there were also luggage fees on top which worked out at around £30 return, I then managed to find an Airbnb for £20 a night and so the whole trip cost me less than £100. It’s insane really.”

Although Leah uses this website frequently, she doesn’t fail to mention how she believes that it’s troubling that are you able to find flights so inexpensive. “I do often wonder how its even possible to catch a flight at such a small price, its worrying.

As a student I am very grateful to be able to find flights at such a low cost as myself and my friends can only afford budget trips, but on the other hand I’m always in awe when I’m boarding a flight that’s cost me £7, it doesn’t seem right,” she said.

“As much as I hate to admit it, it is something that needs to change, we are all aware of pollution and what it’s doing to the environment, if people want to travel, they should be willing to pay more in order to compensate for contribution of pumping fumes into the air.”

Additionally, some flights find it important for customers to know that they are contributing to the fight against pollution. Upon landing in Porto with EasyJet an announcement was made through the intercom from one of the airhostesses. She talked about the steps EasyJet are taking to address the impact that flying has on the environment. She stated that it is impossible to operate a flight without emitting CO2 and sustainable fuels with a lower carbon footprint, are scarce. The airhostess went onto to say that with every flight operated, EasyJet support projects that protect deforestation, plant trees, or drive the uptake of renewable energy. Projects of which avoid the creation of new carbon elsewhere, or directly remove carbon from the atmosphere.

It seems that although there is a down side to cheap travel, many holiday firms are aware of it and are making changes to accommodate the changes within the environment. With the bad always comes the good, cheap travel allows many people to see and experience new cultures and create unforgettable memories with their family and friends, which for many I believe has become the priority post pandemic.

Isn’t it a pity that all post boxes don’t look like this?

The London Ornate pillar box decorated the streets of London from the years 1857-1859. The post box was a collaboration between the Post Office and the Government’s Department of Arts and Science, 50 of which were created.

The post box featured gold mouldings of animal heads and festoons along with a cypher ‘VR’ design in honour of Queen Victoria, who reigned at the time.

Why isn’t it on every corner today? Well, through focusing so much on the look of the box, the designers overlooked the practicalities and initially forgot to include a gap for the letters.

Another thing to note is the colour. In Victorian times the ‘bronzing’ technique was popular, whereby green paint was applied and dusted with bronze powder. However, the colour was not distinguishable enough and postal authorities received complaints that the post boxes were hard to find, which brings us to todays post boxes, a bright red.

The Ornate Pillar Box can be seen at The Postal Museum. Visit Here

Take a look at what you can expect when you visit!

Joolz Guides via YouTube

How far would you go to look expensive? – whatever that means.

In a world of social media and fast fashion culture the road to looking expensive is becoming much easier without needing to spend a considerable amount. However, you could ask, what its mean to look expensive? What are we getting out of it and why do we try to look a certain way regardless of the whether we can afford it? How far would you go to look ‘boujee’ on a budget?

Look back 50 years, the only people who were wearing ‘expensive’ clothes were the ones who could afford it, the Hollywood stars, and the upper class. Now, people break their banks to wear pieces of clothing they believe will validate them. Why?

You could argue that technology is the blame. Half a century ago, there was no influential social platforms. The only way people would be persuaded to buy the seasons latest trends and newest products was through magazine advertisements and teleshopping. If you were lucky enough to spot something you wanted, it meant making a trip to your local high street to buy it before stocks sold. Now, we have ads circling us, cookies, algorithms, and pop-up ads on social media. Ads that know what we like from our search history and therefore we can’t escape it. A few clicks on our phones and the items are shipped right to our doors, everything is so accessible its no wonder that we convince ourselves we must be more materialistic. If social media says its cool, then it must be true.

Along with the social media, came influencers. Another strong reason as to why looking ‘expensive’ has become so popular over the last decade. An influencers lifestyle is something most people dream of, beautiful clothes, lavish cars, and luxurious trips. They make their money through promoting products for brands and depending on the number of followers they have; they can make thousands from one single Instagram post. The highest paid influencer Kylie Jenner with a following of 283 million, can be paid up to $1.2 million per post when partnering with a brand. Is there a downside to influencers? Well, it could suggest that their viewpoints are tainted when being paid so much to endorse. Only recently was it made a public interest that anyone who is being paid to promote through partnership on social media had to state so after many complained that some weren’t being genuine when endorsing a product.

https://www.tiktok.com/@kyliejenner/video/6963668894317841669?is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v1&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=7037108268489328133

Kylie Jenner via TikTok

The concept of looking expensive allows people to believe that they are under achievers, especially amongst younger adults. It encourages them to doubt themselves, coercing them into thinking that if they haven’t made their millions by the age of 21, they have failed at life. There is a pressure to fit in to a mould that has been sculpted for us, through the pressure of social media and unrealistic beauty standards. Marilyn Monroe was the ideal woman of her time, then came Kate Moss and the values changed from curvaceous to slim. Now, the look has recycled itself and women are aspiring to have curves thanks to the likes of Kim Kardashian and Cardi B. We aim to be what we are surrounded by.

We all want to impress. Thanks to social media, designer trends are well known and so when we see someone wearing that Prada crossbody or that Gucci logo t-shirt, we know exactly how much it costs. The downside to this is seeing other people wearing it, only makes us lust after it more. People even go as far as buying super fakes (an extremely convincing replica of a designer piece) to try and get their desired look. Online websites such as Ali Express sell exceptionally good replica bags for a fraction of their actual price. Along with this, there are hundreds of thousands of blogs, articles, and YouTube videos, showing us what the best designer dupes are and where to find them or informing us how to look lavish on a budget. Hauls from people testing out the dupes first so you don’t have to. It’s no wonder we feel as though we must look a certain way.

It is hard not to get sucked into the impression that in order to feel justified we must shape ourselves to fit a mould. However, we must ask ourselves whether what we really value is important and whether or not we care about the alleged idea that people will like us more if we look a certain way.

The New Generation of Sustainable Fashionistas.

In a world where there is a lack of environmental obligation amongst the fashion industry. A new generation of adults have taken it upon themselves to live ecological. Buying second-hand pieces of clothing, and going as far as upcycling hand-me-downs to suit their personal style.

With up to 57% of fashion and beauty brands opting to engage in influencer marketing by inviting them to promote their clothes, it is hard to not get sucked into the illusion that you’ll never be satisfied with your wardrobe. However, amongst this toxic cycle, is a small group of society who choose to stay far away from this fantasy being sold to us through our screens.

“Fast fashion is so popular, but the culture of it makes us think we can’t wear the same thing twice”

Fashion students Ella does just that. Only shopping for hand-me-downs in charity shops, at car boot sales and vintage markets, whilst classing Depop and Vinted as her ‘online shopping’. “I got into it when I was about 13,” said Ella. “That was when I started learning about fast fashion.” Fast fashion is (by definition) inexpensive clothes produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends. Global brands such as ASOS, PLT and SHEIN all fit into this category and with the average price of a top on SHEIN costing below £5, many could ask what the need to charity shop is when you can buy items brand new for the same price. “Fast fashion is so popular, but the culture of it makes us think we can’t wear the same thing twice. I think influencing has a big impact, Molly Mae for example, she only has one type of look which you can’t get in a charity shop, to look expensive, which is obviously what people want.” Ella went onto to say, “with charity shopping you don’t really have any idea what you’re going to get, that’s what makes it fun. I also think it’s more challenging because it’s not like trends are laid out for you, you’ve got to find your own taste. It makes it more fun to style things.”

The ‘throwaway’ fashion culture is having a detrimental effect to the planet today. According to the Guardian, £140 million worth of clothes are being sent to landfill every year in the UK. Furthermore, 300,000 tonnes of clothing is thrown away every year, despite charity shop donations being high. Ella said, “I do think fast fashion has gotten way worse; however, I think it’s also become very trendy to thrift things and buy second hand.” She continued, “it’s funny because you find there’s a lot of fast fashion brands infiltrating the charity shops anyway. If you only want certain brands, you could definitely find them second hand if you searched around hard enough.”

“With charity shopping, you don’t really have any idea what you’re going to get, that’s what makes it fun”

Despite this huge negative figure, there is some hope. A poll of 2000 UK adults done by eBay, found that one in two Brits now use charity shops. Additionally, a quarter said that they plan to do more charity shopping next year. When asked if she had some advice for people who want to start shopping sustainably Ella advised, “Just because it cheap doesn’t mean it’s worth buying, because you don’t want to continue the cycle. At the beginning when I first started buying second hand, I would just buy things because I would think ‘oh its nice enough and its cheap’ but then I’d never wear it.” She continued, “you just have to buy something you really want to wear and then you wear it all the time. Also, understand that your taste is always changing, so it’s best not to invest in crazy things”

Another thing to consider is what to do with clothes you no longer want anymore. Fashion student Eva, who has been second-hand shopping for as long as she can remember, expresses that she does her best get rid of unwanted clothes sustainably. “I always donate clothes I don’t want back to charity, or if its old lingerie or socks I take them to a recycling bank and then they can be cut back down by people who know what they’re doing. I never just throw things away.” One popular way to get rid of unwanted clothes is to sell them on marketplace websites such as Depop or Vinted. Eva admits, “I sold a lot through the lock down, I feel as though Depop and Vinted became really popular because no where was open.” This is true, sale of goods on eBay jumped 30% during the lockdown compared to 2019. It brings hope that shopping sustainably is becoming more popular by the younger generation as opposed to fast fashion which many are starting to become bored with through the constant change in trends and trying to keep up with them.

The Endless Problem

In todays currently climate of men choosing to spike, kill and assault women. They must take precautions.

They are told to be careful, don’t go out alone after dark, don’t walk with your headphones in, wear bright clothing so you can be spotted amongst a crowd and don’t wear revealing outfits. Instead of starting at the source of the problem, the men, it’s women who must take measures to ensure their safety.

The Duchess of Cornwall made a statement, campaigning to lift shame and stigma surrounding violence against women. She encouraged that we need to “support survivors to be shameless” before stating that “rapists are not born, they are constructed.” According to the Office for National Statics, in the year of March 2020 its estimated that 1.6 million adults in England and Wales, ages 16-74 experienced sexual assault by rape or penetration including attempts. From March 2017 to March 2020 stats show that victims reported the perpetrators were 98% male.

The result of an assault can have huge implications of the victims. 63% of women confessed they suffered mental and emotional problems after their assault, whilst a saddening 10% of women assaulted admitted that they had attempted suicide.

The Duchesses comments didn’t come long after Green Party Baroness Jess Jones told the House of Lords, that there should be a 6pm curfew for all men. Stating it would “make women a lot safer, and discrimination of all kinds would be lessened” after the shocking case of Sarah Everard came to light.

This case brought talk about whether women should be allowed to carry self-defence weapons, the main one being pepper spray. Commonly used by police to detain aggressive arrestees. Pepper spray is illegal in the UK and is classed as a section 5 weapon, meaning it carries the same legal penalties as carrying a gun does. However, pepper spray is legal in multiple countries with a licence including Italy, Spain, and France. Should it be legal with a licence in the UK for women?

Megan, a resident of Finsbury Park in London, whose name has been changed upon request, was approached by police whilst out in the local area. “They approached me with a survey asking what I think the MET police could do to make women feel safer in the local area.” Megan stated that she suggested more police patrolling the street after dark including more female officers. Megan continued, “They asked me if there’s anything they can add to the area to make women feel safer. I just said extra street lighting as some areas that I walk in are almost pitch black at night.” Megan admitted she has seen more police patrolling the area however not as often as she would like, “I see them more in the day than at night.”

Location apps have become a popular form of safety amongst friends and families.

Life 360 is a safety location app that allows you to have a ‘circle’ in which you, your friends or your family can keep up to date on each other location 24/7. You must be invited to a circle using a unique code; therefore, the location will not be seen by anyone not in your circle.

The app allows you to add specific locations that are used often amongst your group, for example home or school. In doing this you will be notified when a member of your circle has arrived and left this destination along with the exact time.

It tracks your movement so your group can watch you as you move, whilst also tracking you in a moving vehicle, notifying your group with the number of miles you have travelled. This tracking allows your circle to notice if there is anything out of the ordinary with your location or how far you have travelled in a vehicle at a specific time.

The right image shows what the home page of the app looks, you can see the other members of your circle, their locations and how long they have been there. (Location, names and personal images have been hidden upon request).

The app notifies you when a circle members phone charge is low, telling you to remind them to charge their phone. This allows you time to call them to ensure they are in a safe location if their phone dies or gives you time to make arrangements to meet them.

Along the with this the app also includes an alert button that you can trigger if you need help. This notifies your circle immediately.

Life 360 includes further features if you wish to upgrade to Life 360 Premium. Getting premium will alert you with a more detailed driving report such as aggressive driving or unsafe phone use, with a weekly summery of how your circle has been driving behind the wheel. It also gives you an extended history of all the places your circle has visited in the pasted 30 days, with timestamps. Premium offers 7 days free to trail this or is £3.99 per month.

Above shows the locations you can add to the app if there is multiple locations used often. The right image shows the alert button and also the option of upgrading to premium. (Names and personal images have been hidden upon request).

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