Any tips to experience more authentic/local vibe travelling experiences?

Hi everyone,

I'll be travelling for 6 months next year and was wondering how people usually get the best local/authentic experiences while "slow travelling". We plan on staying multiple weeks in each places and would love to get to know the people, culture, life in these places (multiple countries in Asia).

We usually like to stay in private rooms in Hostels and from our experience, hostel's workers usually have some of the best advice/recommendations. But I feel like this is still very tourist focused and would love to experience the best local food spots, activities, and overall meet more locals, ect... Staying in family run homestays/guesthouses was one of the best experiences we had in our previous trips because it came very close to understanding and experiencing local cultures.

Again, this will be our first time slow travelling and taking the time to do so, so I'm very open to ideas.

Looking forward to interesting discussions!