ver wonder how some tourists give the entire industry a bad name?
Wonder no more... if you follow these five easy steps you'll be well on your way to joining the ranks of being a perfectly rotten tourist.
1. Don't learn anything meaningful about your destination.
To clarify, you can print maps or make a list of where you want to eat. By all means learn everything you can to make sure you have a great time. By "meaningful" we mean learning about the history, the people, and the culture. Under no circumstances should you read about your destination's history and landscape, or any travelogues of personal experience to offer any context of what kind of culture you will find.
2. Treat everyone in the travel service industry - from the bellhop to the taxi driver to the hotel staff - as if they exist for the sole purpose of you having a good time.
Don't think about how they may have a family to support. Under no circumstances should you try to empathize with how challenging it must be to take care of other people for eight hours a day. Nor should you stop to ponder how even though they work in the tourism industry they may not be able to afford to take a vacation themselves. Instead, only think about what they could be doing to ensure you have a great time on your getaway. You can earn extra bonus points in this department if you tip poorly (or at all).
3. Spend your vacation in an alcoholic haze.
One of the easiest ways to earn the label of "obnoxious tourist" is to get sloppy-drunk as often as possible. This will ensure you become an annoying inconvenience to those around you, whether they are strangers or travel partners. This step offers the fringe benefit of getting home and reviewing vacation photos of yourself that are a surprise because you have no recollection of them.
4. Remain ignorant of local landmarks and surroundings and instead focus on snapping the ideal photo opp.
Why bother to learn about the military general immortalized with a statue in the town square when you can just take a selfie and post it across your social media accounts for the jealous comments? Your friends will be impressed with your cosmopolitan travel and you won't be bothered by learning about history, like how the man depicted in the statue sacrificed his life defending his hometown. Extra credit: point at everything.
5. Don't make any attempt to learn the native language or local customs.
Expect everyone to know what you want even if you haven't learned to say "Sorry, I only speak English, can you help me?" As a classic bad tourist move, you should say this very slowwwwly and loudly. If they don't understand you the first time, repeat your question in your native language more slowly and even louder such as to draw attention from passersby. Also don't bother learning any of the local customs, such as usual eating times. Show up to restaurants at 6pm and pitch a fit that they aren't serving dinner yet even though the locals usually eat at 9pm.
So there you have it, five steps to being a terrible tourist and annoying visitor. If you've ever wondered what gives tourists a bad rap, committing these terrible errors will get you well on your way to joining their ranks!
Written by Lisa at Happy Holidays Guides.
Wonder no more... if you follow these five easy steps you'll be well on your way to joining the ranks of being a perfectly rotten tourist.
1. Don't learn anything meaningful about your destination.
To clarify, you can print maps or make a list of where you want to eat. By all means learn everything you can to make sure you have a great time. By "meaningful" we mean learning about the history, the people, and the culture. Under no circumstances should you read about your destination's history and landscape, or any travelogues of personal experience to offer any context of what kind of culture you will find.
2. Treat everyone in the travel service industry - from the bellhop to the taxi driver to the hotel staff - as if they exist for the sole purpose of you having a good time.
Don't think about how they may have a family to support. Under no circumstances should you try to empathize with how challenging it must be to take care of other people for eight hours a day. Nor should you stop to ponder how even though they work in the tourism industry they may not be able to afford to take a vacation themselves. Instead, only think about what they could be doing to ensure you have a great time on your getaway. You can earn extra bonus points in this department if you tip poorly (or at all).
3. Spend your vacation in an alcoholic haze.
One of the easiest ways to earn the label of "obnoxious tourist" is to get sloppy-drunk as often as possible. This will ensure you become an annoying inconvenience to those around you, whether they are strangers or travel partners. This step offers the fringe benefit of getting home and reviewing vacation photos of yourself that are a surprise because you have no recollection of them.
4. Remain ignorant of local landmarks and surroundings and instead focus on snapping the ideal photo opp.
Why bother to learn about the military general immortalized with a statue in the town square when you can just take a selfie and post it across your social media accounts for the jealous comments? Your friends will be impressed with your cosmopolitan travel and you won't be bothered by learning about history, like how the man depicted in the statue sacrificed his life defending his hometown. Extra credit: point at everything.
5. Don't make any attempt to learn the native language or local customs.
Expect everyone to know what you want even if you haven't learned to say "Sorry, I only speak English, can you help me?" As a classic bad tourist move, you should say this very slowwwwly and loudly. If they don't understand you the first time, repeat your question in your native language more slowly and even louder such as to draw attention from passersby. Also don't bother learning any of the local customs, such as usual eating times. Show up to restaurants at 6pm and pitch a fit that they aren't serving dinner yet even though the locals usually eat at 9pm.
So there you have it, five steps to being a terrible tourist and annoying visitor. If you've ever wondered what gives tourists a bad rap, committing these terrible errors will get you well on your way to joining their ranks!
Written by Lisa at Happy Holidays Guides.
