Now, more than ever it’s important to support small businesses whenever we can and to do so when traveling can be increasingly difficult. Of course, there’s the obvious, shop small, eat local, stay in places owned by locals. However, it’s really more than that. You have to set yourself up to be able to do these things too.
We all know that to support small businesses, you buy handmade souvenirs, book local guides, and eat local food, however I want to share some ways that I try to support small businesses when I travel that aren’t quite as obvious. You won’t find the usual on the list below.
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Top Travel Resources
After decades of traveling, there’s 3 companies I tend to use over and over and recommend to everyone:
How to Support Small Businesses While Traveling
Use Blogs to Plan & Book Tours
You can support small businesses before you even leave for your trip. There are a lot of travel bloggers out there and a lot of good information from people who have done the trip before. So ditch big travel agencies, and opt for doing a bit of research on your own.
If you’re reading this, you know what a blog is, and bloggers need an audience to make money. When you read the blog, even if you don’t make a purchase, you’re supporting a small business. When you book a tour they recommend, even better, and when you share their content, huge win for them.
Be Picky About Where you Stay
When I say be picky about where you stay I don’t mean stay in a local owned accommodations, I mean choose where in the area you are staying. Try to avoid the super touristy areas. On our recent trip to Tybee Island, we stayed on the opposite side of the island that everyone else stays on. This meant we were closer to local businesses.
It was a great choice because it was quieter, which we love, but we were also closer to the local coffee, local boutiques, and local restaurants. I’m not saying avoid the touristy spots all together, there’s a reason they are touristy. However, a lot of times, this is where they put the chain stores. Do a little research and find out where the less touristy places are that you’re visiting.
Rent a Car
This may seem like an odd tip but the reality is that when you rent a car you have the most flexibility possible. What that means is you’ll be able to stop whenever you want, wherever you want. Booking local tours is a great way to support small businesses but when you have a car, you can support more of them. Some tours don’t go local restaurants and shops either, and if they say they do, you don’t really have a way to prove that.
The larger the tour bus, the less likely they are to go to local places. And regardless, they are going to be going to the tourist spots and skipping the less popular areas. This was especially true for those tourist drives. Everyone told me not to drive the road to Hana in Hawaii but I’m glad I did because I could make more stops than the buses. The Ring of Kerry in Ireland is the same. Everyone says book the tour, but you will always see more and be able to support small businesses more when you take yourself.
Choose to Visit National and State Parks
I’m a big fan of National and State parks. Now obviously, you might not be going anywhere near a park so therefore you can’t visit one of them but a lot of times, you are.
National parks are the best thing the states ever did and the ultimate small business. Visit a National park or a state park when you’re traveling in the USA. When visiting outside of the US, do some research and visit the same.
Grocery Shop
Wait, what? Yes, you read that right. Head to a local grocery store and buy food from the place you are visiting. Then, cook! Try to avoid the big chain stores obviously, check for the local places or a Farmer’s Market, which brings me to my next point.
Look for Markets
I get that it can be hard knowing where to shop local. Especially if you want to see the big sites. Unfortunately most shops near major tourist sites are chains but if you can find a local market you might just hit big. A good market will have local food, gifts, and more. Plus, it’s just nice to walk around them.
Share About Your Finds
Pass it forward! Sharing about small businesses is very, very important. They don’t have the money for advertising like the chain places, and when you share about them, it means a lot more to them than to the big stores, restaurants, etc.
Looking to Support More Small Businesses?
Each week I send out travel tips, freebies, discounts to my own small businesses, as well as ways I support small businesses when I travel via email. Join the Journey Junkies club and you’ll get them emails as well!
