People who travel come from all walks of life – from are folks who only fly if they can get a $49 special on an ultra low-cost carrier, to those who fly first class, with lie flat seats and everything else that goes with it.
However, regardless of how often you travel (or how much you spend to travel), you can still be a jerk.
The reasons behind it may vary. Maybe you’ve never traveled overseas before and just didn’t think to do your homework. Or perhaps you think that because you have a lot of money, or a bunch of points or miles, or because you fly around the world every week, it means you’re entitled to be a self-centered a-hole (heads up: no it doesn’t). Whatever the case, some travelers can be annoying, whether it’s intentional or not.
There are several ways to be a particularly annoying traveler. These are some of the biggies:
Boasting about the number of countries you’ve been to
Honestly, who cares? The spirit of travel is not a p!$$ing contest of who’s been to the most places – it’s about the experiences you’ve had. Telling someone that you’ve been to 46 countries, with stopovers in 18 others, as a point of conversation, is just obnoxious.
Overpacking your carry-on
Guilty as charged. I don’t do that anymore. 😉
Offending the locals
All it takes is a little studying before you go to learn the social norms, so you don’t look like a jerk. Even something like a simple hand gesture could be offensive, depending on where you are. Make the effort, y’know?
Being an obnoxious selfie-taker
You look lovely, I promise. But maybe you can take your picture and let someone else have the primo spot for a second, too?
Refusing to try different foods
When I was a kid, I was a REALLY picky eater, so I get it. But once you become a grown up, it’s really OK to try foods that are unfamiliar to you. How else are you going to learn everything about that town/country? Step outside your comfort zone and try one bite.
Trying to exclusively converse in a foreign language after studying it on Duolingo for a day
If you’ve ever tried to order a meal in Paris after a day or two of “brushing up” on your high school French via Duolingo, you know how well THAT goes over. Unless you’ve put real effort into learning the language, you’re only going to go so far with “Le stylo est bleu.”
Taking your shoes and socks off on the plane
Yeah, that’s just gross. Regardless of what you think, your feet are sweaty and may have toe jam and might very well stink. Besides, if you go to the lavatory, who knows what that liquid is that you just stepped in. Take the shoes off if you must, but keep the socks on.
Comparing everything to “back home”
I bet that wherever you live is lovely. But if you’re going to travel, it’s probably better to admire what “that place” has to offer, rather than compare it to what you have at home. If you’re so thrilled with “back home” that you’re going to compare the food, the sites, the people, or the whatever else of where you are, to there, I guess you could always just, I dunno, stay home???
Traveling while sick
It was bad enough when people traveled when they had a cold or the flu, and spread their germs to everyone else. But with COVID everywhere? Awful. That’s what travel insurance is for – so you can cancel or delay if you have to.
Don’t reinforce the stereotype
People from the U.S. don’t have the best reputation. I can tell you that a whole lot of people from outside the U.S. thing that Americans, “…are dumb, mostly eat fast food and are too patriotic.” Make them think they’re wrong.
Feature photo: Public domain
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