The Courteous Traveler: part 2
I recently spent a week in Venice, brushing up on this northern Italian city that for centuries now has captivated the hearts and minds of explorers, artists and….tourists.
Speaking of tourists: in a city with about 55,000 residents and over 30,000,000 annual tourists you’ll see the best, and sadly the worst, tourist behavior here.
Here are a few of my tips to help you be the kind of traveler the world needs more of:
Having a sense of self is incredibly important in life, but extra important in travel. Be aware of your volume as you talk in a restaurant, how you move through busy streets, as you stop to take a photo, etc. Take a moment to pause and consider how your space and actions impact the people around you. And if you don’t think you should have to do this, imagine being on vacation where everyone thinks and acts in the same ‘me first’ mentality. Kind of intense, right?
If you need to look at your phone or map in a busy place, please stop and step to the side.
Avoid making your travel plans so tight that you can’t spare a few minutes to let someone go ahead of you, to pause for someone that walks slower than you, or get frustrated by those “other tourists.” Having more time baked into your plans will make it easier to go with the flow, and let disturbances roll off your back.
Resist the urge to get constantly frustrated by how other cultures do things differently than you, or where you see an opportunity for efficiency. Let people be people, and let cities operate as they wish. What’s the point in getting spun up over something you can’t control?
Be kind, it’s that simple, but your kindness can have a profound ripple effect. Smile and learn how to say ‘good morning, how are you?’ in the local language. Say it to the server working at the cafe, the shop keeper, person at the museum ticket booth, and more.
Don’t forget that when you visit a destination - no matter how much you spend there - you’re a guest, and also a representative of your own culture. So be kind, be considerate, and in these small ways do your part to make the (travelers) world a little kinder.
Mary
Founder, Living Big Travel