If you’re on social media or follow the latest travel trends, it’s likely you’ve seen or heard about an increasingly popular trend of travelers visiting grocery stores during their trip as a way to immerse themselves in local culture, especially in international destinations.
While it’s gaining popularity online and in social media, it’s not exactly anything new. It’s just more popular.
So what’s grocery store tourism, you ask?
I’ll explain: it’s heading into a local grocery store to discover all the new foods available, and spot the differences and similarities between a traveler’s home and their destination.
For example, travelers will find a large fresh cheese section and expanded fresh meat and fish section in a French grocery store as opposed to an American grocery store, which might have a small specialty cheese section, a small butcher area and a larger frozen food section.
Immersing oneself in a grocery store while traveling is a great way to learn a bit about what that culture values food-wise, and it’s a fun exploration with the opportunity to try new things, from candy and snacks to new fruits and vegetables.
This trend is getting more popular as travel influencers begin sharing all the grocery store fun travelers can have while visiting a new destination. But like all trends, we must ask ourselves if it’s a good one, one that benefits the people who call these destinations their home.
For the most part, it’s a pretty good trend, as long as it doesn’t lead to thousands of international travelers shoving themselves through the doors of local grocers in popular destinations like Barcelona or Paris.
Remember, it’s important to be respectful to residents in the places you’re visiting.
Here’s a few recommendations:
If you see an influencer recommending a specific grocery store to visit, don’t visit it. It’s likely to be overcrowded by other travelers just like you, and you don’t want to be part of the problem. We recommend instead walking around an area you enjoy, and popping into a grocery store you happen to find randomly, instead of finding one that’s trending online.
Many places also offer farmer’s markets each day, or at least once a week, and these are great especially if you’re able to cook while traveling. Travelers can purchase fresh, locally grown vegetables, herbs and fruit in a fun, outdoor setting, while also directly supporting local farmers.
It’s a win-win!
I enjoyed this experience first-hand when visiting Rouen, the French capital of Normandy. I was there for a day in March while taking a river cruise along the Seine, and was happy to come across a covered market right in the center of the city, where local fish and produce was sold each day. You better believe me when I say that the strawberries I tasted there were some of the best I’ve ever had.
So the next time you’re traveling, especially somewhere farther away than the next state, make sure to pop into your nearby grocery store. You might just learn a thing or two — or at the very least, try something tasty.
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