Your bag is packed. The makeup and skincare checklist is complete with sunscreen and moisturizer to keep you safe from the scorching effect of the heat or climate.
However, the stress of travelling or having to juggle tasks while simultaneously making a beehive to catch that flight can have you committing blunders from the airport to your destination. As the saying goes, “First impression matters and second impressions definitely says it’s a habit.”
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| at Naked Island, Siargao |
To save you from committing a crime and leave the good people of the land begging you to visit again, below are some travel etiquette tips you can follow.
Research intended destination
Don’t go all Christopher Columbus on the people. An advertisement once failed because of how it was sequentially arranged. Why? The good people of Saudi Arabia read from left to right and unfortunately for the company, the advert was supposed to make sense when read from right to left.
Now that you have read this, you may want to review that business proposal you are about to cross the Atlantic to submit!
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| learn languages; speak with kindness |
Learn the basics of the language
English has become a “common tongue” in the business world but you sure will endear yourself to natives when you can speak a few words in their dialect.
Here are the five important words you should learn in any language:
• Please
• Thank you
• I love you
• God bless you (if they are highly religious people)
• I am sorry
And all you need to do is simply have the “Google Translate “ app on your Smartphone and you have your own personal interpreter.
Again, mind your language
There is a hilarious story of a young man who relocates to another town and goes shopping for groceries. On arriving the market, he looks straight at the shop owner and says “I want to buy tomatoes.”
A little girl behinds him chuckles as she replies, “Wow! A brave thief is in town daddy.”
What the young man actually said was “I came to steal some tomatoes.”
Do we need to stress the importance of minding one’s language further?
Arrive early
Instead of arriving few minutes to when you are supposed to get down to business, arrive a day or two before business begins so as to acclimatize to your new environment. It would be a shame if you got knocked by the flu on arrival and you had to attend business sniffing and sneezing like you inhaled a fistful of black pepper.
Remember your Geography 101
Africa is not a country, it is a continent. In the same vein, the capital of capital of Brazil is not Rio De Janeiro, it is Brasilia. Ensure you know where things are so you can find your way back just in case you get lost at sea. Again, Google Maps should be your best friend.
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| be mindful of your time as well as others' |
Be good whatever time zone it is
If for instance you travel to Japan or Germany, punctuality is an essential component of the society. If a business meeting is scheduled to hold at 8 a.m., they sure will start by that time whether or not you are present so save yourself from embarrassment. And while you are at it, ensure your watch knows what the time is.
Swallow and smile
If you can’t pronounce the food or it looks strange, kindly keep your opinions to yourself and change your order. This is also why you should research their cuisines and dining customs before you arrive.
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| follow us on Instagram: @aylinvedad |
Be diplomatic on social media
Don’t tweet “What a dirty city” on arrival. Your host may come across the tweet and you could be thrown to the well, never mind. Be kind on the gram until you can safely tweet in your own country with your own laws to protect you!
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| mini sky lantern from Shifen, Taiwan |
Buy souvenirs
A trip is only complete when you take something back home. It also goes a long way in telling your host you enjoyed your stay.
Remember your manners
It wouldn’t hurt to send a thank you card or gift appreciating the people who most helped you during your stay and while you are at it, remember to mind the language.
Until we meet again, let the wanderlust lead you to destinations unknown!
Written by Ene Elizabeth Adeka
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