There's more to travel than eating at the most popular restaurants, going to the most obvious museums, lazing on the most gorgeous beaches and posing near the most iconic sights. But, I concede, it's hard to know how to gain a fresher perspective on the culture of a place.

What's more, how can you do this without spending a small fortune, without needing to book anything, and without getting yourself into an uncomfortable ethical jam (can you spot my very own faux pas to end all faux pas?). Consider me the answer to the prayer you never made, or, if you prefer, a fairy godmother with tiptop travel tips.

I hereby bequeath unto you ten suggestions on how to divert from the road well travelled.

Take a DIY Streetart Tour

Most of you will find you have almost done this, without even noticing. Take a few minutes to go back through pictures from any of your trips and there's almost certainly one of a mural, piece of graffiti or a subversive sticker on a lampost.

If you take the time though, this sort of dalliance can be far more illuminating. If you look hard enough the 'real stories' behind pieces might be teased out. On Isla Mujeres, for example, the work all across the island had a motif: bold colours, references to nature, celebratory.

We spent a whole day turning corners because we could see a piece lurking further down a street. We suddenly had loads of questions: Are people commissioned to do those pieces? Are the bright colours used to keep the tourists happy? Do they reflect a deep connection with the animal kingdom?

Do a Street Performer Scavenger Hunt

For very little money you could make this a really fun competitive thing to do as a family, on a hen-do, with your partner etc. Simply split into teams, making sure you are loaded with change and a charged phone/camera, and then set a time limit to get as many pictures with street performers as you can.

If you're abroad this can be a great way to brave using the local language; if you're at home, it's a way to get to know more about people in your own community.

I grew up in Cardiff and used to always see an elderly man singing into a toy mic. I mean for years, my entire childhood, Toy Mic Trev was always there, between Boots and JD Sports. I went away to uni and didn't see him again, but such was his infamy that a campaign was started to find him, he even did a final hurrah in the streets, upon request, to great fanfare.

Seek Out Free Walking Tours

So far I have managed to find these in Berlin, Buenos Aires (where the guide's name meant Sun), Granada, Lima, Santiago and New Orleans X2 (one of the Garden District, to look at historic mansions and the other an after-dark ghost tour of the French Quarter). Without exception, on each trip they were a highlight. I have remembered something from every single tour and been surprised by a revelation on every single tour too.

It's an ideal formula... You pay what you think the tour was worth, so the guides are going to pull out all the stops. They will adapt to your interests, take questions and have kept their knowledge bang up-to-date, all in the pursuit of a better financial reward.

See How National Bank Holidays and Festivals are Celebrated on the Streets

It's one thing hearing about the beach party in Rio on NYE and it's another thing actually being there. The same can be said about Songkran in Thailand, St Patrick's Day in Ireland, Día de Muertos in Mexico and countless other occasions. Take it upon yourself to get outside during festivities and go to town squares during national holidays.

I would never have known Mexicans find it funny to wear fake moustaches if I hadn't seen so many people selling and donning them during the Mexican Independence Day. I would have cringed at tourists being crass when I saw pictures on Instagram.

I wouldn't have been invited to light a candle and stand it in the sand, while focusing my thoughts on hopes for the coming year, if I hadn't gone down to the beach on NYE when in Rio. I wouldn't have taken part in the '7 leaps in the sea, for good luck' either. I would have just kept thinking that people just went for the fireworks.

Locals celebrating Songkran in the town of Kanchanaburi in Thailand.

During Songkran it looks like this, shaking off assumptions that the home of the 'Bridge on the River Kwai' is too scarred by its history to celebrate the present.

Occupying a popular public space, during a festival of any sort, reveals a lot about the society that utilises it.

Things to look out for:

How do different generations interact?
Are there certain delicacies that only make an appearance during these events?
What's the music like?
Do tourists attend? Are you invited to join in? (In Cuba and Peru I was pulled up to dance in town squares. Both times it was fabulous because the invitations were issued with such passionate inclusivity in mind, with pride in what the community had achieved to get the celebrations off the ground)

Use Beach Time to Acquire, or Share, a Skill

Chances are, if you are backpacking you will find yourself at a beach, with money running low at some point. You may need to eke out time a little.

Put the phone away! Try something new. Maybe it's colouring your own postcards to send home? Maybe it's a bit of embroidery? You might even manage to take up playing the harmonica like you always wanted to. Time to kill, on a beach, is the time to take the plunge.

If you're introverted, the idea of making new friends might be intimidating... What if they are armed with puppies or giant bubble wands? I see the beach, in daylight, as a great opportunity to try saying "YES!" . Yes to the offer of making up numbers for a game of volleyball. Yes to finally, learning how to braid your girlfriend's hair. Yes to making a sand sculpture which you've always said "looks easy" to do.

Go Geocaching

Download the app for free, then use it to find secret caches that are hidden all over the world. What an idea. If you are successful you get to leave your name on a tiny scroll of paper for time immemorial. You can also brag about it to the rest of the Geocaching lurkers on the app. It's highly likely at least one person will be jealous of your find!

You will inevitably end up in places you wouldn't have if left to your own devices. You can see how popular the activity is in a different country. You can check if the list of names in the cache are from locals or tourists and, most importantly, just feel like a winner if you manage to locate a stash.

Visit a University Library

We all know knowledge is power, but how much knowledge is provided in different locations? How are different cultures situating libraries? Which architecture is the most appealing or outlandish? Is your favourite book in there?

Libraries are invaluable sources for a localised education. If you live abroad, you're missing a trick if you don't visit one and see what it's advertising and prioritising.

University and central libraries usually have a storied history too. The one pictured above is in UNAM, Mexico City, and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007. The entire building is covered in a mural that pays tribute to Mexico's history.

Follow a Parade

Be it Pride, St Patrick's Day or Edinburgh's torchlight procession (for the New Year, where thousands of people carry wax torches to create a river of fire down the Royal Mile) following a parade, from start to finish, makes you feel that little bit more connected.

When we joined in with Mexico City's Pride parade in 2016, the Brexit result had come in that very morning. We ended up being consoled by members of the Dutch Embassy who were marching next to us. It was also just a few months after the horrific massacre in Pulse night club, Orlando, and we saw people holding up signs that read "No mas Orlandos".

Parades might be mostly about visibility, but there will always be something about the current political or social climate reflected in them. I like getting this wider snapshot of what a community is facing. It can illuminate actions you can take to serve the cause.

Go Bird Watching

Take a pocket guide and binoculars, if you have them, and try to work out what species you are seeing. Ticking them off can become addictive. It's also more challenging than you might think if you're a novice. The book might say a specific species makes a "chirrup" sound but can you recognise that in real life?

Chalk-Browed Mockingbrid in Buenos Aires
Starling murmuration in Somerset

Go and See a Protest

In Buenos Aires, it's easy to get swept up in the romance of the place. But, that comes to an abrupt end when you see the 'Madres de la Plaza Mayo'. They stand outside the pink palace, on Thursdays, previously, to draw attention to their missing children, who disappeared during the Dirty War and now, to draw attention to other human rights violations.

It's a much-needed reminder of how scarred the population still is. You might also see the Los Malvinas memorial being guarded, to this day. See it and you'll get a palpable sense of the tension that still exists about British ownership of the islands. It's not just a political side note brought up in boardrooms there, it's an open wound.

Before I knew 'Islas Malvinas' meant the Fawklands. Idiot abroad.

Hopefully, you'll now be inspired to grab your coat (or sunglasses) and explore. I'd welcome any tales of your wanderings in the comment section below. For now, bonne chance, enjoy a trip less ordinary.

Cheap Things to do in any City in the World. Top 10 Ideas.