6 Genius Ways to Find Fun & Unique Things to Do While Traveling
Looking for the best ways to find unique things to do while traveling? Well, you are in the right place!
We have been traveling for decades now and one of the things we are most proud of is our ability to sniff out experiences that go way beyond the typical tourist trail. The hippo experience in South Africa we found, the 4×4 dune tour in Namibia we signed up for, the volcano hike in Guatemala we experienced. None of these were found in a guidebook, and they were the best memories we’ve made.
The truth is that finding incredible things to do while traveling is a skill, and once you have the right tools and know where to look, your trips will never feel generic again. Here are the six methods we rely on every single time we land somewhere new!
Want to save the article for later? Pin it!
*Please note that this blog post may contain some affiliate links, which we make a small profit on, at zero cost to you. Links are only used on products & services that we’ve used and believe in, to give you the best buying experience. Purchasing from these links helps us to continue providing free travel guides for you- so thank you for your support!
Our Travel Planning Recommendations
How to Find Fun and Unique Things to Do While Traveling
Most travelers book their flights, reserve their hotels, and maybe pick out one or two big attractions before they arrive. And that is totally fine! But the trips that truly stay with you are the ones where something unexpected happened, where you found something nobody back home had heard of, or where you did an activity so fun you are still talking about it years later.
The good news is that finding those experiences does not have to be left to chance. With the right approach, you can actively seek out the most unique things to do while traveling before and during your trip, and make sure you never arrive somewhere only to find out later that you missed something incredible. Here is why building this into your travel planning is so worth it!
🌟 Why Unique Things to Do While Traveling Matter More Than You Think
There is a real difference between visiting a place and truly experiencing it. Landmarks are incredible, but they are also the same for everyone who visits. The experiences that make a trip feel personal, alive, and completely your own are almost always the ones that took a little more effort to find.
Unique activities also tend to be the ones with the best stories attached to them. Nobody comes home raving about standing in line at a famous monument. They come home raving about the underground wine tasting they found, the cooking class in someone’s grandmother’s kitchen, or the sunrise kayak tour that only six people had booked. These are the moments that turn a good trip into an unforgettable one, and they are far more accessible than most people realize.
On top of that, many of the most fun things to do while traveling are actually more affordable than the big tourist experiences, since they are run by smaller local operators who have not yet been discovered by the masses. The best time to find them is now, before everyone else does!
👀 A Peek Into How We Find Unique Things to Do While Traveling
This guide is all about giving you a practical system for finding incredible activities wherever you go, so you never have to settle for a generic tourist experience again. Here is a quick peek at the six methods we are going to walk you through:
6 Ways to Find Unique Things to Do While Traveling
Ready to completely change the way you plan your trips? These are the six tools and strategies we use every single time we travel to make sure we never miss out on the best things to do while traveling in any destination!
📱 1. Use Social Media With Intention
Social media is one of the most powerful tools for finding unique things to do while traveling, and most people are not using it strategically enough. The key is not just passively scrolling but actively searching and saving.
We have dedicated folders on both Instagram and TikTok which are organized by destination. Whenever we come across a video of a unique activity, a cool tour, or a local experience we have never heard of before, we save it straight to that folder. By the time we actually visit, we already have a curated list of experiences waiting for us.
When we are actively researching a specific destination, we search terms like ‘most unique activity in Azerbaijan‘ or ‘crazy things to do in Cappadocia‘ and let the algorithm do the work. This is actually how we discovered the viral pasta party in Italy, a group cooking experience in the Amalfi Coast that we absolutely cannot wait to go back for. You would be amazed what comes up when you search with specific, experience-focused language rather than just the destination name!
On the left you can see our saved folders for everything Buenos Aires, and on the right are our general travel destination folders on Scratch Your Mapa.
💡 Try searching ‘crazy activity in x’ or ‘things you must do in x’ on both Instagram and TikTok as they often surface completely different results.
🎥 2. Mine YouTube for Hidden Gem Experiences
YouTube is an absolute goldmine for finding unique things to do while traveling and with shorts you have even more content to explore. While most people use it to watch long vlogs, we use it as a research tool for finding shorter, more unique videos.
The trick is to search with specific, experience-focused language. Just like social media, focus on phrases that will differentiate the content with words like “unique”, “wild”, “insane”, etc. This way, you’ll find travel creators who have already done the hard work of discovering the most unusual and exciting activities in any destination. These videos often include honest reviews, practical booking tips, and insider advice you simply will not find anywhere else.
YouTube is also great for verifying whether an activity is actually worth it. If multiple creators are raving about the same experience, it is usually a very good sign. And if an activity looks incredible but has almost no coverage, that is often a sign that you have found something genuinely rare and special!
Upgrade Your Inspo
Get the best travel tips, tricks, and hidden gems sent directly to your inbox. You’ll become a better traveler, week after week.
Upgrade Your Inspo
Get the best travel tips, tricks, and hidden gems sent directly to your inbox. You’ll become a better traveler, week after week.
📖 3. Search Travel Blogs With the Right Phrases
Travel blogs are still one of the most reliable ways to find genuinely unique things to do while traveling, and they tend to go much deeper than any algorithm-driven platform. A good travel blogger has usually spent real time in a destination, tested the activities personally, and written honest, detailed accounts of what is actually worth doing.
The key is searching with the right language. Generic searches like ‘things to do in x’ will surface the same mainstream results every time. Instead, try phrases like ‘bucket list experiences in South Africa‘, ‘most unique experiences in Puerto Rico‘, or ‘things to do in Buenos Aires most tourists miss‘. This kind of specific, experience-focused language surfaces the blogs that are actually digging deep rather than just recycling the same tourist information.
We always make sure to open the actual blog posts rather than just reading the headlines. The details matter, and experienced travel bloggers will often include practical tips, booking advice, and honest opinions that you simply would not get from a review aggregator or a tourist board website!
Here are some of our bucket list articles as examples:
💡 Look for blogs that write in first person and include personal photos. These are the ones most likely to reflect a genuine, lived experience rather than recycled information.
🏨 4. Tap Into Hostels as an Activity Hub
Here is one that surprises a lot of people: hostels are one of the best resources for finding unique things to do while traveling, even if you are not staying in one. The social hostels in particular run a constant stream of events, tours, and group activities that are open to guests and often offered at a fraction of the price of commercial tours.
We are talking about pub crawls, group hikes, cooking nights, salsa classes, sandboarding trips, and excursions to local spots that most tourists never find. They’re all organized by people who know the destination inside out and want to create a fun, social experience. The community aspect also means you end up doing these activities with other travelers which makes them even more fun.
Some of our favorite hostel experiences have come from places like Selina, which has incredible social programming across dozens of destinations, Wild Rover in Huacachina where we joined the most epic sandboarding and dune buggy trip of our lives, and Loki in Cusco which had an amazing lineup of group tours and nightly events. Even if you are staying elsewhere, it is worth checking the notice boards and event listings of the social hostels in town!
💡 Look for hostels with a ‘social’ or ‘party’ label in their description as these are the ones most likely to have a full activity calendar.
🎟 5. Use GetYourGuide and Viator With the Right Filters
One of the easiest ways to find cool things to do while traveling is by using tour booking platforms. GetYourGuide and Viator are two of the best platforms for booking tours and activities while traveling, and if you are not already using them you are absolutely missing out.
Both platforms have huge libraries of experiences in destinations all over the world, from city walking tours and cooking classes to adventure activities and multi-day excursions.
Additionally, we’ve used Klook on occasion, although this is better for specific destinations.
➡️ Using Filter Strategies to Find the Best Things to Do While Traveling
The trick to finding the most unique things to do while traveling on these platforms is to use the filters strategically rather than just browsing the top results. You can filter by category, including adventure, food and drink, cultural experiences, outdoor activities, and more, which helps you cut through the generic options and find the experiences that actually match what you are looking for.
⭐️ Example below: Rather than simply putting Interlaken, we’ve filtered to show the different food and drink experiences there!
Now, let’s say you want to get there faster. Putting food and drink experiences will show you ALL the different experiences. But a quick search or extra thought on what makes a destination special can also make a big difference in your results, or help you weave through the results faster.
⭐️ Example below: We know that Switzerland is famous for their cheese, so we started typing “Interlaken cheese” in the search results, and look at all the fun tours that came up!
While each platforms often carries similar mainstream tours, we have found that each one also has its own exclusive experiences that you will not find on the other. We personally love GetYourGuide for discovering more unusual and niche activities, but we always recommend checking both before booking to make sure you are not missing something great.
It also depends on where you are searching – for example, Klook is more popular in South Korea, so when we were there we looked at the experiences on there as well.
We will link both platforms below so you can start exploring!
💡 Sort by ‘Top Rated’ or ‘Likely to Sell Out’ to quickly surface the most popular and in-demand experiences in any destination.
Are you in a rush?
Get got you! Save it on Pinterest to read it later.
Save to Pinterest
🗣 6. Ask Locals, Your Host, and Restaurant Staff
No algorithm, blog, or booking platform will ever know a destination as well as the people who actually live there. Asking locals is one of the most underused ways to find unique things to do while traveling, and it consistently leads to some of the best recommendations we have ever received.
Your accommodation host is always a great first port of call. Whether you are staying in an Airbnb, a guesthouse, or a boutique hotel, the person running the place almost always has strong opinions about what is worth doing in their city and what is genuinely overrated. They know the hidden spots, the best local operators, and the experiences that rarely make it onto travel blogs or booking platforms. We have had hosts send us to incredible local restaurants, secret viewpoints, and offbeat day trips that completely changed our perception of a destination.
Restaurant staff are another goldmine that most travelers completely overlook. A waiter or bartender who has lived in a city their whole life knows exactly where locals go for a good time, and they are usually more than happy to share if you ask with genuine curiosity. Some of our most memorable things to do while traveling have come from a simple conversation over dinner. Do not be shy about asking!
💡 ✨ Ask specific questions rather than generic ones. Instead of ‘what should I do here?’ try ‘what is one thing most tourists never find out about?’ You will get much better answers!
⏰ Found the Best Things to Do While Traveling? Book Them in Advance!
Now that you know how to find cool and unique things to do while traveling, let’s make sure you don’t miss out on them! This is honestly one of the most important tips we can give you.
The more unique and special an experience is, the fewer operators tend to run it, which means availability is limited. A mainstream bus tour of the city might have dozens of departures a day with hundreds of spots available. But a private truffle hunting experience in Tuscany, a kayaking tour through sea caves at sunrise, or a small group cooking class with a local family might only run a few times a week with space for six people. These are the experiences that sell out weeks or even months in advance, especially during peak travel season.
Our rule of thumb is simple: the more excited we are about an activity, the earlier we book it. As soon as we find something we know we want to do, we check availability and secure our spots immediately. There is nothing worse than spending weeks dreaming about an experience only to arrive and find out it is fully booked for your entire trip! No only that, but if you’re creating your travel itinerary you may have to move things around to make sure the activity fits in.
💡 If you find an experience that is already showing low availability, do not wait. Book it and sort out the rest of your itinerary around it.
Final Thoughts & Tips on Finding Cool Things to Do While Traveling
Finding incredible things to do while traveling is not about luck. It is about knowing where to look, being intentional with your research, and giving yourself enough lead time to secure the experiences that matter most to you. Once you start using these six methods consistently, the quality of your trips will go up dramatically and you will never come home wishing you had done more.
The best travel memories almost always come from the experiences that took a little extra effort to find. The wild food experience nobody back home had heard of, the adventure tour that only runs twice a week, the hostel event that turned into an incredible night with new friends from around the world. These moments are out there waiting for you in every single destination, and now you know exactly how to find them!
Just remember to do your research in advance, and make your tour bookings ahead of time. It’s also wise to give yourself a backup plan in case your activity is weather-dependent or gets cancelled.
Want to save the article for later? Pin it!
👀 What’s Next?
Now that you know how to find unique and fun things to do while traveling, it’s time to move on to the next step of planning your trip. Next week, we’re going to cover how to find the best tour companies for your excursions and activities.
Also, here are some other guides to help you plan your trip:
✈️ 3 Easiest hacks for booking flights
📆 When to buy your flight
🤑 Flight hacking for beginners
📆 How to plan your 2026 travels
🤑 How to visit expensive destinations on a budget
🍃 30 Ways to become a more eco-friendly traveler
🛌 How to find unique stays
🗺 How to create an itinerary with Google Maps
🤖 How to plan an epic trip step-by-step (without Chat GPT)
🎉 How to find epic festivals around the world
🧘🏻♀️ How to find local events while traveling
📲 10 Travel apps that will save you time and money
📝 10 Travel essentials you didn’t know you needed
🧳 28 Life-changing packing tips
🎒 Top 6 backpacks for travelers
💻 Strategies for booking your trip
👩🏻💻 10 Tips for working remotely while traveling
So are you ready to experience the best things to do while traveling? We hope that this guide helps you explore more unique activities across the globe, and that they make it into your travel itineraries.
Want some more game-changing travel tips? We have a ton of other travel planning and packing guides for you to check out. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter for our weekly article updates, and to get exclusive discounts on our shop!
Still feeling overwhelmed by it all? We can plan your perfect trip for you, or you can sign up for a one-on-one consultation where we spend time with you to guide you through anything you need.
Here are some other articles you’ll love:
