Courtesy and Respect When Travelling – How to Treat Locals With Courtesy and Respect

Courtesy and Respect When Travelling

Courtesy and Respect When Travelling. Traveling is a very interesting and important activity which broadens the mind. We would like to catch all the fun necessary when traveling but we do not want to offend the locals when doing that, here’s how to visit cultures and countries while treating them with courtesy and respect.

Courtesy and Respect When Travelling

How to Treat Locals With Courtesy and Respect

It is very important that we maintain the best attitude when we travel to new locations.

Let’s be kind to local people and respect their traditions, customs, and beliefs.

Here are some tips for travelers;

Remember Where You Come From

When you move to new locations, you become like an ambassador of the place you came from, maintaining the best attitude cannot be over-emphasized here. People are certainly going to judge your country from the attitude you display. Make sure you ask for the rules governing the places you visit to avoid unnecessary embarrassment.

Follow the Letter of the Law – Courtesy and Respect When Travelling

Always have it in your mind that different countries have different laws, so you are not expected to behave the way you do at home because you might not know what law you are breaking.

Please be mindful of smoking and drinking in public places. Some countries have very strict laws on that.

Generally speaking, you don’t want to be on the wrong side of the law anywhere, but there are some places with much more severe punishments than others. Receiving the death penalty because you disregarded a ban on alcohol is guaranteed to ruin your holiday, so, be careful!

Dress Appropriately

You might want to move around your home with underpants but do not desecrate religious sites with immoral dressing, especially when you are in a strange nation. Many religious sites around the world require you to dress appropriately, usually by covering your arms and legs or wearing the correct footwear. Or not wearing footwear at all!

Dressing properly when visiting religious places is so crucial, please don’t forget about it.

Sometimes you might be required to cover your head, sometimes you might not be required to cover your head. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need for each specific site, prepare accordingly, stick rigidly to the requirements, and you’ll sail effortlessly into the hearts of the locals. Disregard this at your peril.

Be Conscious of Obscene Behavior

Be careful of behaviors like shouting at the top of your lungs in public places, or publicly making remarks, or showcasing emotions in places where you don’t know what rules abide. Remember that public displays of affection are illegal or frowned upon in some countries too, so maybe hold off on the canoodling until you’re either back at the hotel – or you’re back home.

Learn Some of the Lingo

Learning a few important words or phrases in the language of the locals will go a long way in putting a smile on the faces of people and making them treat you as a local, it may even open doors for you in a foreign land.

Always treat people with courtesy and respect – particularly when it comes to the language barrier. They might not speak a word of English, you might not speak a word of their language, but shouting the place down and screaming that it’s the 21st century and that everyone should be singing off the same hymn sheet isn’t going to do you any favors. Keep calm, don’t yell, and draw a picture if you have to.

Also, try to pronounce the words correctly as a wrongly pronounced word may have the wrong meaning and send the wrong message.

Respect their currency

“OH MY, IT’S SOOOOO CHEAP!” Don’t you dare utter these words anywhere you go – at least within earshot of the locals. What’s cheap for you may not be cheap for them, cost of living differs from country to country.

Flashing your cash and valuables isn’t very smart and surely isn’t the right thing to do. Please keep that in mind.

Buy and barter with courtesy and respect, offer a fair price, and don’t over-haggle. Support the local economy as much as you can.

Environmental Protection

Try and be environmentally friendly and as the saying goes – take only photographs and leave only footprints. (Oh, and always ask permission when taking someone’s photograph too). Traveling can be significantly detrimental to the environment, so you can keep it and the locals happy by doing your bit to support cleaner, greener adventuring around the globe. The earth will thank you!

Let’s be good to our mother nature! Please reuse and recycle.

Travelling is meant to be a very good experience for you and the locals. Do your very best to respect the locals, treat them with courtesy and show them that you really appreciate them and you are happy to be in their country.

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