the hot girls guide to finding hidden gems

hint: they're probably not on tiktok

Prelude:

I am competitive. That’s a fact. This extends to all aspects of my life, including travel. Sure, I want to reel off anecdotes about visiting the Eiffel Tower or the Great Wall of China, but I also love to parade my off-the-beaten-track, hidden gem, live-like-a-local finds. It make me feels like I’ve won a card game, a small but mighty victory, even if I’m the only one playing.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure if you visit the top 10 bakeries in London they’re popular for a reason, but it’s human nature to want something new, something novel. The question is, how do you find it?

Koh Samui National Park, Thailand

Talk to People

Probably the most annoyingly obvious piece of travel advice you can receive, but it works. BUT there's a huge caveat here: certain people give significantly better recommendations than others. Below is a list of the people I would suggest talking to if you want to find interesting experiences in your home town or while you’re travelling.

Taxi Drivers:

Taxi drivers are an untapped resource for travel tips. I’ve lost count of the times a driver has recommended a hole-in-wall taci place or day trip I’d never heard of. Their insights are usually spot on and they rarely let me down. I have a few theories on why that is:

1. They’re talking to people all day (economies of scale!) so they’re probably going to hear about a lot of interesting things to do and places to see, etc.

2. The Uber app literally has an events calendar for drivers, so they know when there’s going to be increased demand (ask your driver about events next time you’re in an Uber).

3. They’ve normally lived in the area for a long time, so again, it’s just a numbers game. They can tell you if a spot is still a hidden gem or a huge tourist attraction.

I haven’t taken a single Uber in Toronto (I moved here from London, UK, almost a year ago) without getting some kind of recommendation. I had a 30-minute conversation with a driver about the best places for Carnival outside of Rio. My 2025 Brazil trip is looking good (don’t worry, I share his reccs).

People at Your Hostel/Hotel/Airbnb

Another obvious one, but talk to the people running whatever kind of accommodation you’re staying in. They make recommendations all day, every day: where to eat, what to do, where to avoid. At hostels, in particular, if you make an effort to get to know the staff, they might even tell you their favorite local spots that they don’t usually share with guests.

Personal Blogs:

I love looking at blogs from the old school blogging era circa 2012. If I see articles written by big travel publications in the last 12 months, then I would expect it to be decently popular. But if nothing’s been written about it for a decade, or it’s only on someone’s random personal blog? Then it’s either closed or a hidden gem. I’m willing to take the risk.

This logic took me to El Valle, a small village on the Colombian Pacific coast. People tend to visit the Caribbean coast, preferring the white sand beaches and endless nightlife to the black sand beaches and isolation of the Pacific. I’d been recommended to the region by a Colombian friend but couldn’t find much information about the area online, besides a few old blog posts from 2013. It ended up being a highlight of my six weeks in Colombia. From a quick Google search, I see there are a few blog posts from this year, but nothing written by major travel publications. If you get the chance to visit, you should

Rory & Abdellah in Morocco

Substack:

If social media trend predictors are to be believed, blogging is making a comeback. People are flocking to Substack from other platforms, and there’s no shortage of travel writers. Discoverability on Substack can be a challenge, so I suggest taking the time to find writers whose opinions and recommendations you trust. Here are a few travel newsletters I’ve enjoyed so far to get you started:

1. Window Seat by Tori Simokov

2. How to be a Dog by Andrew Knapp

3. Tea House by Teresa Wu

Postlude:

There is nothing wrong with visiting well-loved attractions and areas. I recognize that it’s unbearably obnoxious to disparage 'touristy' things while being a tourist. But you shouldn’t just settle for what everyone else is doing or only visit the spots that Google suggests. If you want to discover true hidden gems—or simply understand how others do it—these tips should help you dig deeper and explore a little further. 

- Folly

See You Next Time,

If you made it this far, thank you! Below is a list of other essays I’ve written that you might enjoy and a couple of ways for us to stay connected.

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Other Essays You Might Like:

• stop booking airb’n’bs

• the hot girls guide to finding hidden gems

• a list of really good podcasts

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