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Perhaps. And I have certainly encountered the type of traveller who seemingly tells you stories of their journeys so that they may one-up you on the social scal
by revscat 12y ago
Perhaps. And I have certainly encountered the type of traveller who seemingly tells you stories of their journeys so that they may one-up you on the social scale. I tend to forgive this, though, because underneath it all we are simply simians with shoes, jockeying for social status and sex.
I have travelled some in my life. Not extensively, but enough to have a few stories of my own. My guidelines around traveling are:
1) Be humble. Related: be prepared to apologize if you do something unintentionally rude. I had to do this frequently in Asia because me, being American, was not used to taking off my shoes whenever I entered a home or restaurant. I quickly learned, but there were times at the beginning where I forgot. Apologies helped. Exception: Australia.
2) Be reserved. If someone is interested in you or your country they will ask. If not, don't bore them with something they may or may not care about. Exception: Ireland.
3) Do not portray competitiveness. This can easily come across as arrogant and provincial. Exception: Ireland.
4) Be inquisitive. Ask questions about the country you are visiting, and be genuine about it, not judgmental. Exception: North Korea.
5) When you return home, tell your tales to interested friends or coworkers, but be aware that not everyone will care. Exception: Finland.
- busterarm 12y agoWould you be willing to expound upon your exceptions?
- MattBearman 12y agoI was about to ask the same, particularly as I'm currently traveling round Europe, and happen to be in Finland right now.
- kiiski 12y agoAs someone who lives there, I'm also curious about that. Should number 5 be read as "tell everyone about Finland", or "tell no one about Finland"? Why?
- ribs 12y agoYeah, I want to hear about the exceptions! -That's- the piece I want to read. Not this broken down travel writer complaining about himself.
- jeremycole 12y agoI found this post interesting, but it was also funny because you maybe unknowingly became the guy who has traveled and thought it gave him some unique insight into the world. And you were compelled to share it unprompted with people who presumably don't care. ;)
- revscat 12y agoNo, not really. At least, I hope not. I do think that travel has helped me to view the world differently, but I don't think I am better than others because of it.
- Dewie 12y ago> I tend to forgive this, though, because underneath it all we are simply simians with shoes, jockeying for social status and sex. People who say this seem to be the same kind of person who would ultimately ascribe most human behavior to being about simian behavior. Which makes using that fact as an excuse (or, forgiveness) seem like a weak proposal, since it would effectively excuse most human behavior.
- tomp 12y agoWhat do you mean by, "do not portray competitiveness"? Do you mean "don't be competitive"? If yes, why would you ever be competitive while traveling?