How to avoid corporate chains on the road

The Golden Arches can offer a comforting beacon when abroad, especially when a traveler’s stomach starts to rumble. While there are times when the comforts of home seem very appealing, there are other times when a traveler wants nothing more than to check out something new and local. The following websites can help adapt a North American trip to celebrate and patronize local and independent businesses.

Delocator is the solution to avoiding certain ubiquitous coffee chains. This site will help find not only independent coffee shops, but also independent booksellers and movie houses within a given geographical radius. The site has recently expanded to include the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It relies on user contributions, so be sure to brag about your favorite local haunt. According to the website, the term “delocate” is “a semantic play on the online store locator function which appears on many retail chain web sites”.

The Indie Store Finder helps locate an even wider variety of non-corporate stores, focusing mainly on bookstores, but also branching out to include categories ranging from opticians to pet supplies. The site also offers information on indie bestsellers and upcoming reads.

After a day of drinking non-corporate coffee and celebrating local authors, why not lay your head on a non-franchise pillow? There are several websites that can help find places to stay that are not part of monolithic chains. Two of these websites are Motel Trip and Mom and Pop Motels.

Of course, word of mouth is always a great place to find wonderful local businesses to patronize. So be sure to be friendly with the locals and find out their favorite places.