Eating locally in Thessaloniki, Greece: For those that wish to experience local food, there are still many places to do so.

Local Travel is a great movement. We are really happy to know that there are lots of people that like to travel like we do – experiencing the true life of the locals.

Living and working in Thessaloniki, Greece, we see thousands of tourists every year visiting our country and living nothing more than the pre-arranged ‘experiences’ that most travel agencies offer. The interest thing is they really seem to enjoy it!

If you think about it, though, it is not that strange: Most people don’t really like to change their regular, everyday program and habits. For example, most tourists wouldn’t really like to have dinner from 10pm to midnight at a place where the tables are so close to together that you feel like you’re part of a big party. Everybody there drinks homemade wine or ouzo and speaks loud, and, most important of all, all dishes except desserts come at the same time and are for sharing! It sounds strange, but this is a usual dinner out for locals in Thessaloniki.

Furthermore, in the big cities and tourist destinations, it is becoming harder every day to experience the true local life, as most of the local businesses try to attract customers the safest and easiest way. ‘Full English Breakfast,’ ‘SKY sports’ and ‘Brits Bar’ are some of the most common signs that are sure to produce some income.

You really have to go off the bitten track to find some true, genuine experiences, but it is not easy. The Prespa Lakes area has fantastic nature, numerous Byzantine monuments, traditional settlements and is less than three hours drive from Thessaloniki, but the local bus only goes there twice a week, there is no ATM, most businesses do not accept credit cards and there is probably no one to communicate in any language other than Greek.

We do not believe that Local Travel has to involve getting lost, moving around the hard and time-consuming way, ordering unfamiliar food, staying wherever you find it possible to communicate and depending on luck to enjoy a trip.

What we try to achieve with our tours and services – and we think we are good at – is getting travellers to experience the genuine, everyday life in Greece, to see lots of attractions (some not even in tourist guides), to enjoy traditional accommodation and homemade food and to support local businesses.

This article first appeared on the Odyssey Tours blog