If you want to find out what is going on in a place you plan to visit, or need information about performances, festivals and events once you arrive, local newspapers and radio stations can tell you what you need to know.

What Can You Learn From a Local Newspaper?

Local newspapers provide information on community news, special events and regional issues. Their reporters cover everything from town council meetings to high school sports to weird news.


Before you travel, you can read about upcoming events, such as festivals and holiday parades. You can also learn about road closures, read restaurant reviews and find locally-owned businesses.

In addition, local newspapers give you a sense of what is important to the residents of the cities and towns you plan to visit.

What Will You Hear on a Local Radio Station?

Local radio stations can be excellent sources of information. Not only can you find out about special events, traffic problems and dining options, you can learn about the community by listening to feature stories.

If you are visiting another country and don't speak the language, you can still use local radio to your advantage. Learn the words for "traffic jam" and "traffic delay" in the local language and get a highway map; you will probably be able to figure out where the traffic problems are in time to avoid them. You can also practice your language comprehension skills by listening to local radio broadcasts.

You can also learn more about local and regional culture by listening to the radio.

On Canada's Cape Breton Island, for example, you can listen to Acadian music, sung in French, near Chéticamp, and pick up other local broadcasts as you drive the Cabot Trail. In Germany's Bavaria region, you can listen to German folk music, international pop hits, classical music, opera, news programs and weather reports. All of these programs are broadcast in German, of course, but you can get an idea of what's popular in Bavaria even if you only know two words of German.

How to Find Local Newspapers and Radio Stations Online

In many communities, you don't have to buy a local newspaper to read it. It's easy to find online newspapers using a simple Google search.  Some newspapers offer unlimited access to their online articles, but others do not. Online newspapers that require a subscription usually allow nonsubscribers to read a limited number of articles per month or offer a month's subscription for a very low price.

Many radio stations around the world broadcast online as well as over the airwaves, so you can listen to news stories, traffic reports and community calendars well in advance of your trip. If you are trying to learn a few words in the local language, listening to online radio broadcasts can help you improve your accent and comprehension. Spend some time listening to traffic reports if you plan to drive during your trip so that you can learn to pick out the important details, which include highway number, travel direction, exit name or number, length of traffic jam in kilometers.

Where to Buy Local Newspapers

You can buy local newspapers at airport and train station newsstands. In many European countries, tobacco shops sell newspapers as well as postage stamps, bus tickets and other useful items. US and Canadian grocery stores, pharmacies and bookstores usually sell daily newspapers, and you can also buy local newspapers from coin-operated vending machines.

The best place to find free local newspapers is at transportation centers, such as subway stations, train stations and bus stops.  Free daily newspapers often feature local stories and events; many focus on a particular readership market, such as the LGBT community or college students.