This is kinda a follow up to some discussions at P-Con over the weekend…
One of the things that came out was that ‘our’ perspectives were significantly different than those who’ve never been out of the US.
The first question is what kind of ‘traveller’ are you? Business or vacation?
Travel is challenging regardless of why you travel. If it’s business, you are probably on a set itinerary, with a set schedule. And maybe repeat visit(s) to the same location(s). If you’re on vacation, it ‘may’ be somewhere you’ve never been, or have always wanted to go. No set itinerary, per se, just roaming, or it could be a tour group.
In either case, if you are curious, adaptable, and willing to see things from a different perspective, you may find yourself questioning the things you ‘thought’ you knew. All of a sudden those ‘certainties’ you know from home and the MSM are maybe NOT so certain.
One good set of examples are the tourists that came to the USA for the FIFA world cup. They were amazed to find out the USA was NOT like it is portrayed in their home media, and it’s a LOT bigger than they thought… LOL Especially the ones in Dallas that thought they could rent a car and drive to LA in three hours… 🙂
But one of the lessons you learn when travelling is that those rights, beliefs, morals, and all the other stuff you ‘know’, don’t mean crap when you get to a foreign country. The takeaway should extend far beyond the trip itself, and you should be taking a hard look at what you stand for, believe, and the freedoms you have here at home.
Also, not everyone speaks English or American anywhere in the world. And talking slower and louder doesn’t help! Just sayin…
Travel will teach you adaptability when plans change unexpectedly (happens a lot), and humility when you’re the one who doesn’t know the language, customs, or way things work (also happens a lot). If you are willing to listen to others, you can learn a lot rather quickly!
And your best bet for your safety is to blend in, e.g. no flashy t-shirts, ripped jeans, or loud clothing. And FFS, check the State Department Travel site BEFORE you go! There are specific things you DO NOT do in certain countries!
I know I’m missing a lot of stuff, but these are my thoughts. What say you?
I would add: Choose your traveling companions wisely. You will find some people are a) embarrassing to be with or b) always complaining or c) just miserable to be with when plans invariably change.
Don’t forget to repack your international vaccinations card after you buy new luggage. Especially on a trip to Africa. And if you do forget to take it with you, be prepared to do a bit of haggling and spend a lot of cash obtaining a suspiciously new old one with all the appropriate entries and stamps.
Not that I would have ever had such an experience myself. Don’t be silly. I’m just speaking hypothetically, of course.
Know that most tourist spots are just that. Example, “Visit a traditional Irish Village and pay entry fee to see people wearing authentic clothing.” At the time 20 years ago, they were all traditional villages. I asked the pub musicians where they went to relax after playing. They took me to one off the main path, where all the ones who had finished playing in the tourist pubs went. One of best nights and really great music during my trip to Ireland.
Don’t be afraid to try local food, with recommendations. Don’t spend $4,000-$6,000 to travel abroad with family and find out McDonalds serves a different menu than back home. “Oh hey, you’re an American? Do you know where the nearest…insert American franchise…is? Make the effort to actually learn and respect the locals, and speak a few words in the local language and you can be pleaseantly surprised and enjoy your visit. Most Europeans can speak English and will stop you from butchering their language if you make the effort. Traveling in Europe now, keep your head on a swivel and know there are no go zones, even for police.
I always assume I’ll be stranded in Tierra del Fuego without my checked bags. Always put a toothbrush and extra layers in your carry on. 🙂
Have 24 hours of clothes, plus meds and other things in the carry on. My luggage has gone several places without me. Granted, western and central Europe is not Nowhereistan as far as buying toothpaste and so on, but if you land on Saturday night, nothing will be available on Sunday unless you are in a major city. Very major.
Yeah. Meds, cell phone charger, and a fresh shirt and underpants go in my carry on or personal item.
The oil patch will send you to some interesting places. Lagos, Nigeria where dead bodies on the road side are stripped of their clothes and monkey meat is cooked on the street corner. And Russia just before the collapse of the USSR. It makes a missed connection seem trivial.
I’ve visited multiple countries in the W. Pacific and Asia, including the People’s Republic of China on a military/diplomatic mission, showing them gas turbine engineering plants and the SM-1 missile system. I’ve also lived in Mexico, where I learned what one-party rule looks like and feels like on the ground level–like being shaken down by a cop because he needs some extra cash, or visiting a place that doesn’t have trash, fire, or police service because he neighborhood didn’t vote for the “correct” candidate in the latest election.
Farnam’s three rules: “Don’t hang out with stupid people. Don’t go to stupid places. Don’t do stupid things,” is just as applicable–if not moreso–in foreign countries.
Have contact info for places that might be of service if you get into difficulties. Example: the American consulate.
Do some basic research on your planned destination BEFORE you go. That includes learning about what local customs will permit in terms of clothing and personal displays of affection.
Make sure you have adapters for the electrical supply at your destination.
Check currency exchange rates in advance, and have SOME local currency on hand.
I kinda hate travel, and have not done so.
I’m excessively blackpilled on aliens here in the US (critical theory university faculty and the like), and do not really want to see barbarian places like London or Paris. If LeBlanc’s Constant Battles is weighted heavily enough in one’s ensemble predicting modern societies, then one would not want to go to Switzerland or Norway in case they felt like murdering Americans that week.
I think the most important thing to know when travelling is that you do not have the same rights you enjoy in the US of A and that Uncle Sam is not going to send Seal Team 6 to rescue your stupid butt. You are on your own. I have seen American engineers arrested in Malaysia for not having the proper work visa. They sat in a Malaysian jail for 7 days. I have seen people kicked out of Brazil for the same reason.
Canada can be pretty picky when the want to. I always said I was doing training for the Canadian army. No Problem. My boss said he and the engineers were doing service. All the tools were confiscated and they got the boot until all paperwork and fees were paid.
I preferred the Middle East over Eastern Europe for work. Both places drive like maniacs.
All- Thanks, and all good points! Pat- Yes, having ‘some’ local currency is a must! And nobody overseas takes either $50 or $100 bills, as so many are counterfeit. I still have probably $500 of currency from various countries that I keep ‘just in case’.
Haven’t been abroad in over 35 years but I STILL have the little port visit pamphlets from my Med Cruises. If I get over there again will be a good place to start
Phrase books if you don’t speak the language. Opened a lot of doors in Central Europe (Poland, Moravia) and the Baltic when I at least tried. It suggests that you have put in some effort to be polite and meet people half-way. Older folks may speak German more easily than English, and I had fascinating chats with people in our mutual second language.
Dress to blend in. This applies to hair (cut, not just color) and cosmetics if you use them.
Don’t be afraid to go off the main tourist routes, especially if you can use local guidebooks or guides. I’ve found that people are thrilled to explain their local art or history to interested, “exotic” visitors who are genuinely curious and know a little. As one gent in Upper Nowheretal, Austria said, “We don’t get Austrians, let alone Americans!”
(Exchange student, business travel, and personal travel.)
Europe in 1964-66 military. Never had a problem but was always polite. Otherwise, Canada. Some tense moments with the Border folks; otherwise no more issues than anywhere in the USA. Worst experience was coming back into our country.
Nothing to add of interest to all you globe trotters.
One time in North Dakota decided to visit the Peace Garden not realizing it is in Canada. After two hours returning to the border I was subjected to a three hours delay including a complete search of my rental car. The customs personnel didn’t disguise their amusement and trying to provoke a reaction from me. OK, assholes, I learned as a Private how to deal with asshole NCOs. Once I was free to go, I remarked, “As a citizen I’m reassured to know we are being protected by total professionals,bless your hearts”.
Crowded tourist areas are high pickpocket areas. A company called Pacsafe makes RFID-blocking bags, packs, and apparel. They have kevlar mesh and also small wire rope strands in shoulder straps. Pickpockets usually work in pairs or teams of 3 or more. One move is for one guy to slit the bottom of your shopping bag or purse while another guy comes in from another direction to stoop to ‘help.’ Don’t ignore ‘old aunty and her 2 grade-school-age kids.’
People can bump into you with concealed credit card ‘tap to pay’ readers where they preload a charge, often small enough to hopefully not go noticed – like $9-$23 ish – and a pair of scammers – one to stop suddenly in front of you and the other to bump into you from behind, especially on trains in motion – can skim a tidy sum working a line of connected subway cars.
Body language that shows some situational awareness, looking behind you every once and a while, and even ‘checking out’ everyone around you – face, hands, feet and back up to face – let them know you are scanning them – can do much to ‘take you off the menu.’ My wife would handle coins, bills, and cards to figure out how to buy subway or bus tickets at the machine while I was right behind her facing aft at the people in line behind us and also watching for whom ever might swoop in from the side.
The trick is to be a bit of a harder, more aware target than the average tourists who as is already written above, are wearing loud T-shirts, etc. and walking around with their smartphone sticking out from a rear pants pocket.
We just came back from Italy a few days ago and while we were in Venice some cheezed off tourists actually tossed a pickpocket into a canal!
But most pleasurably – we learned a *lot* by just going there and walking the places we has read about for years.
As the son and grandson of sailors I was taught to smile and make solid eye contact in a way that was confident and welcoming. That approach served me well everywhere except the Middle East. It wasn’t about Islam – the approach worked brilliantly in several Indonesian ports – just not the Middle East.
One of the things I’ve always enjoyed about spending time in Salt Lake City is that every male Mormon has been elsewhere on a Mission. In a bizarre way, the Mormons are demonstrably more tolerant than any other culture I’ve encountered.
All- Thanks and all excellent points! WSF- Not the first time I’ve heard those comments!
I chose to visit historical places (Acropolis, Pyramids, Forum, etc) at dawn. Few tourists or even locals. Far easier to imagine what they looked like “back in the day.” On the way back to the city centers you get to see what the place looks like waking up.
Having liberty in Hong Kong was an interesting experience in being illiterate. You see all the signs in Chinese and unless you’ve been studying or have excellent pattern recognition they are all just random characters. Numbers in Western type are fine, the rest? All you can hope for is smaller signs in English. I imagine it is much the same all over the East wherever the language has its own alphabet.