How to Burst Out of Travel’s Luxury Cocoon

Nearly five billion people are expected to fly in 2024, according to the International Air Transport Association, a number that would surpass all previous records. And while first-class travel can provide a refuge from those crowds, it also can interfere with the unexpected encounters that can make travel so rewarding.

"Tourism has become the sort of activity where you don't touch the reality of the people living in that place," said Laura Arciniegas, a sociologist in Barcelona, Spain.

That is why Eileen Grasso and her family, of Greenwich, Conn., try to balance their high-end stays with side trips off the beaten path — a way to get out of the "bubble," as she described it.

Roughing it isn't required. And even travelers limited by language or mobility can emerge from the luxury cocoon with just a bit of effort.

A meal is a window into a way of life according to Dr. Arciniegas, who works for the company Eatwith, which pairs travelers with locals for meals.

A family from Melbourne, Australia — Tracy Kuiper and Darren Stasinowsky and their two children — recently paid 437 Australian dollars ($285) to Eatwith for a lunch in Paris with Claudine Ouhioun, a retired teacher. "It's lovely having someone who doesn't know you invite you into their home," Ms. Kuiper said.

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