Five reasons I try to support local business when I travel

It’s fun

A child gets some hands-on food and science experience at the Berkeley Farmers Market. Photo courtesy of http://www.bayareascience.org

Chain stores are known for their consistency—it’s part of their appeal. They ensure you have a specific experience with dependable standards of hygiene, lighting, and familiar flavors and smells. Where’s the fun in that? I like to immerse myself in the local scene – go to the local taqueria, stay at a quirky local inn, and shop at  farmers markets and independent stores for things I can’t get back home.

---

I like being treated like a person

“Czech barista Petra Veselá preparing coffee” by Frettie. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

While some chains have great customer service, there’s no substitute for the kind of individual attention you get from smaller, local establishments. These places don’t just see a transaction, they see ME. A person. And here’s why: employees of smaller businesses are more likely to be treated as people themselves.

---

It helps keep towns intact

Downtown Kampala, Uganda, By Adam Jones, Ph.D. CC by creativecommons.org

If we don’t help keep local businesses afloat by spending our money there, they die. I once went on a road trip through rural Louisiana, only to find the same thing in town after town: boarded-up city centers with large box stores plopped into an ugly parking lot on the outskirts of town. It sucked.

---

I like to stick it to the man

(I mean this in a metaphorical sense. In real life I imagine he’s a very nice, underpaid stock photo model, and I wish him the best).

Are you in the 1%? Me neither. The money we spend at chains ends up in the hands of a wealthy few, before finding its eventual home in an offshore bank account. Money spent at locally-owned businesses stays in the hands of those businesses and communities, benefiting regular people like us (and our economy as a whole).

---

Adventure!

The sweet thing is that they brought us this special soup (and shots of mescal) in honor of our honeymoon.

Here I am on our honeymoon after realizing there’s an entire crustacean hiding in my soup, beady eyes and all. This shit just doesn’t happen at chains. Many years later, we still laugh about this moment. That’s what travel is about.