How Obnoxious Are You When Travelling?

Travelling is great.  I can’t imagine why some people don’t like it but the chance to go somewhere new and experience something different from the mundane existence of everyday life is exciting and honestly I don’t do enough of it.

However, with all those foreign places come foreign cultures and a host of behaviours to avoid.  Other than the cultural woes that might lands you in trouble like exposing the bottom of your feet in Thailand, there are some other more common practices that tourists have that earns them the label of being obnoxious. 

1.       The “Inappropriate Fashionista”

It may be okay where you are from to walk around in short shorts with your underwear popping out at the waist and a shirt that has less fabric involved than a handkerchief but it might not be at your destination.  The inappropriate fashionista doesn’t care though and will continue to dress however they desire no matter how many jaws drop for a less than appreciative reason. A word of advice to the wise: dress to blend in, not to stand out when travelling abroad.

2.       The “Snap Happy Photographer”

Nothing irks the locals more (or even other tourists for that matter) than the snap happy photographer that takes pictures of literally everything from the cab driver parked on the side of the road to the watermelon fruit basket in the buffet line.  This tourist can easily be identified by the way they walk in a zig-zagging line, eye through the lens, running into walls.  You know exactly what I am talking about whether you’ve been stuck walking behind this person or you are this person.  I have nothing against photographers who are trying to capture memorable moments and breath taking landscapes but that watermelon fruit basket isn’t really that amazing and the rest of the buffet line will appreciate you moving forwards.

3.       The “Traffic-Accident-Waiting-to-Happen”

Traffic laws don’t seem to apply to this type of tourist.  Traffic laws are more like suggestions anyways right?  Crossing at a cross walk and waiting for the light to change are unnecessary to them.  And heaven forbid they actually rent a car because staying in the right lane is a silly rule as is avoiding cyclists and yielding to pedestrians.  Just because you are a tourist, and even if you are only a pedestrian at that, doesn’t mean that you should not educate yourself on the traffic laws of the country you are in and you should definitely obey them in order to avoid coming into contact with a traffic cop or worse, someone’s front bumper.

4.       The “Friend”

This person is everyone’s friend or at least thinks that everyone wants to be their friend and so they are constantly introducing themselves, handing out their e-mail, asking to exchange contact information and otherwise becoming BFF with everyone they meet.  You may meet someone who you really connect with and are genuinely interested in being long term friends with but a good number of the people you meet are only smiling and nodding politely until you go away and have no intention becoming your pen pal.

5.       “Oblivious”

You just flown half way around the world and landed in a completely different country with different traditions, religions, cultures and mannerisms but none of that matters because you feel right at home.  Everyone is so friendly and polite, stepping out of your way and being 100% accommodating.  There is no need for you to even try to learn the language or the customs because, you are a tourist and they don’t mind.  In fact they are quite happy to have you around so that they can learn about your culture and your mannerisms.  If they didn’t, they wouldn’t have stayed home… right?  People do mind that you are rude and are oblivious and/or indifferent of their customs.  Don’t be the “oblivious” tourist. 

6.       The “Back-Home Reminiscer”

“Back home in my country, we eat with a fork and a spoon, only mow the lawn on Saturdays and wash our camels in the driveway because it is illegal to wash them in the bath tub.”  All I have to say to this type of tourist is that we are not in your country and therefore unless I ask, I don’t want to hear you compare it to the place we are currently in.  The “back-home reminiscer” has a bit of a superiority complex and loves to talk about their home.  It is great that they love home so much but with all that talking and comparing that they are doing, they are missing out on the rich heritage that is right in front of them.

7.       The “Mono-linguists”

Everyone speaks English right?  Therefore I should not have to make any attempt to try and learn the local language.  If I speak loudly enough with flamboyant hand gestures, they will understand eventually.  “Mono-linguists” are the type of tourists that buy a phrase book before travelling and then use it as a coaster instead of an important resource.  Yes, learning a new language can be difficult, but it is even more difficult trying to find your way back to your hotel if you can’t even ask for simple directions.

Do you fall under any of these obnoxious tourist types?  I’ll admit, I might be guilty of one or two on the rare occasion and I always feel bad after realizing it since having worked in a town that attracts a lot of tourist, I’ve been on the other side plenty of times myself a.k.a. irritated local.  Pass this list on to someone you know who might be guilt of one of these travelling crimes and save another local somewhere else in the world the headache and your friend the label of obnoxious tourist.

Career Development 101

Whether you have just graduated, are stuck in a dead-end job, are switching careers or just want to move up the corporate ladder a little, career development is something a lot of people struggle with.  They are either under the illusion that it is something that “just kinda happens” or they don’t think it is possible for them.  Or maybe it just isn’t possible right now but whatever their mindset, they neglect to make a plan and look for opportunities to get them the career they have always imagined. 

Career development is not a passive thing.  It is active and ongoing and something that you are going to have to invest some time and energy into.  And it can be complicated but only if you make it complicated and are unprepared to handle the process.  But it is doable; the millions of successful people in the world are a testament to that, so don’t give me any excuses.  I’ve broken it down into five easy stages and though this isn’t an exact science, it should get you off on the right foot.

Know Where You Are

I am pretty sure I have said this before but trying to get somewhere in life without knowing where you are starting from is pointless.  Even Google maps realize this and won’t give you directions unless you provide the search engine with a Point A and a Point B.  My mother doesn’t understand this concept as she constantly calls me from the road, asking for directions, but since she has no idea where she is, I can’t help which is why we got her a GPS last Christmas.

The same is true for you with respect to career development.  If you don’t know where you are or what you have to start with, getting to where you want to be is a shot in the dark.  Make an inventory of your career related skills.  Did you go to school?  What courses did you take?  Do you have any previous related career experience?  Do you have any industry contacts that could point you in the right direction?  Why do you what to go into a particular career?  What motivates you?  These are all important things to consider when plotting your career development if for no other reason that your potential employer will care and you need to have the answers.

Also, when writing down your experience, make sure it is career specific at this stage.  If you have to stretch your imagination to find a link then chances are it isn’t a strong enough asset.  Building up your “relevant work experience” may lend you confidence, but you are only fooling yourself.  For example, when I was applying for a high school summer job at a coffee shop (Tim Hortons, if you must know), I put the fact that I had my lifeguarding on my résumé.  Unless people were going to be falling in and drowning into the ice cappuccino machine, this experience was irrelevant to my ability to serve a cup of coffee in 16.2 seconds to surely morning caffeine addicts.

Know Where You Want to Be

This makes sense if you use the direction analogy again because just like I can’t give my mother directions without knowing where she is, I also can’t help her get anywhere if she doesn’t know where she wants to go and neither can her GPS.

Where do you see yourself in one year? Five years? Ten years even… If you had the time, money and connections to find your dream job, what would it be?

Feel free to dream big here, however, also remember to keep some realistic expectations in mind.  Not everyone gets to be the Queen of England, Leader of the UN or the first person to land on Pluto.  But don’t let that intimidate you. Even if your dream job is outside of your current career trajectory, there is no reason why it still cannot work out.  You have options and there are very few limits that cannot be overcome (except for my mother’s inability to read a map).

Know What You Need to Get There

Time for a reality check.  You now know where you are and can compare it to where you want to be, the gap between the two places can now be measured.  This is not the time to be underestimating the difference because you will only be short-changing yourself.

Consider a variety of different ways to get where you want to go (sleeping your way there is not an option).  Do you need to go back to school?  Do you need to get some more work experience? Would an internship be useful?  Many people use internships to get their foot in the door somewhere they really want to work.  Are you willing to take a potential pay cut?  Is it going to mean travelling more?  Do you have the right contacts and if not, who do you need to connect with to make things happen?  What time frame are you looking at?

Knowing what you will need to bridge the gap between the “here” and the “there” is a critical stage because this will become your road map or in my mother’s case, the GPS.  And as long as you avoid driving into the lake metaphorically speaking, there is no reason why you won’t be able to develop your career as you desire.

Write It Down

After you are done all this planning and strategizing, write it down.  Writing it down will make your plan concrete and give you a visual representation of the steps and milestones you need to reach in order to get your dream career. 

A useful tool would be a work-back schedule.  If you are not sure what that is, feel free to click the link and read up on it some more but basically it is a schedule that starts with what you want to accomplish at the top and works backward detailing every single step needed to get there along with specific actions, tools needed and deadlines.  If you do it right, the schedule will look quite daunting.  However, by breaking everything you need to accomplish into tiny, manageable chunks and outlining what needs to be done to accomplish that small goal, you will be surprised how quickly things get checked off the list.

Having an actual list will serve the purpose of keeping you goal-orientated and on track as you can always refer back to it if you stumble, take a detour, or just need a reminder of what you are striving for.

Do It

And last but not least, you have to do it.  Many of us spend all our time planning and not actually doing.  It is great to have goals and an action plan but if you never get around to executing it, it isn’t worth the paper or hard drive space you wrote it on.

Career Action Plan - About.com

Creating a Career Action Plan for Myself - Workopolis

Avoid Stepping on Thai Toes - Cultural Dos & Don'ts

If you do manage to wade through all the paperwork and travel details required for you to travel abroad for an extended length of time, (good for you by the way), be prepared because the hard part is not yet over.  North American’s like to believe that Western culture is predominant everywhere we go and therefore expect other to understand that being loud, boisterous and prone to colourful language are just some of the innocent ways in which we express ourselves.  And while the locals might to a certain extend understand that yes, that is just the way foreigners are, remember that you are a guest in their country and are obligated to adhere to their way of life and not the other way around.

Therefore here are some cultural dos and don’ts for visiting Thailand.  Get them wrong and in many cases you risk offending someone.  Worst case scenario, you go to jail.  Consider yourself warned.  (dun, dun, dun.)

The Dos of Thailand

• Smile.  It’s that simple.  Thai culture teaches that any issue can be resolved with a smile so even if you are having trouble with negotiating a price with a vendor, just smile and remember that being polite will often get you much better results.
• Leave your shoes outside. There are some exceptions to this rule such as large shopping centres but traditional Thais will always remove their shoes before entering a room.  This is especially enforced when you are entering someone’s home or a temple/religious place.
• Eat with a spoon.  This may sound a little odd but Thai people will use the fork to push food onto the spoon and then eat from the spoon.  Asking for chopsticks will just get you a funny look.
• “Wai” when greeting people instead of a handshake.  The “wai” is a traditional Thai greeting done by giving a short bow from the waist with your fingertips pressed together near your chest or face. Traditionally, a person of lower rank will “wai” first with their hands closer to their face as a sign of respect.
• Another sign of being polite in Thailand is to ask questions about age, salary or marital status.  These types of questions might sound too open or even rude to tourists but they are actually very common among the Thai people.  You don’t have to answer, just tell them that it is a secret or ‘mai bok’ (not telling).  And always remember to smile.
• Buddhism is the dominant religion in Thailand and almost all Thai people practice this religion.  You must take extra care to avoid offending their religion.  Wear appropriate clothing when entering a temple – avoid sleeveless shirts, flip flops, short shorts or skirts or any clothing with crude statements.  Remove your shoes before entering.
• Try to learn some of the local language.  Even learning a simple greeting will impress the Thai people with your openness and willingness to try to bridge the language barrier. It will earn you metaphorical brownie points.

I said “Nay, nay.”

• Never shout, lose your temper or cause a scene in public.  This goes with the first point but mainly the gist of it is that Thais do not ever want to been seen “losing face” and doing so is seen as disgraceful.
• Public displays of affection, even between married people, are frowned upon.  Avoid acts such as hugging, kissing or even hand holding when out and about.
• The head and the feet of a person are considered to be sacred and taboo respectively.  Do not touch someone on the head and never display the soles of your feet to anyone so avoid crossing your legs.
• It is illegal to take an image of Buddha out of the country unless special permission has been granted by authorities.  Shops will sell you items but they may not tell you about this restriction.
• Never show disrespect to the King or the monarchy.  The Thai people have a great respect and affection for their King.  In fact, not only will even the friendliest jest be considered impolite, it is also against the law.  You must also remember to show respect to all things that bear the King’s image.  Local currency falls into this category so it must never be stepped on, crinkled or mishandled.
• Engaging in prostitution, illegal drugs, trafficking or gambling will land you in prison.  It is as simple as that so don’t.

Of course, this list only scratches the surface so be prepared to do your own research before travelling to Thailand.  If you have any more Dos and Don’ts of your own to add to the list, I want to hear about them so leave a comment and tell me about your experience in Thailand.  Travelling is a great way to meet new people and expose yourself to new cultures and perspective which in a world that is becoming more and more globalized, is extremely important.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/travelblogs/825/29842/Dos+and+don%E2%80%99ts+in+Thailand?destId=357640

http://www.hasekamp.net/dodont.htm

http://www.reservethaihotels.com/Vol.1/staying-out-of-trouble-in-thailand-cultural-dos-and-donts.html

http://www.thaizer.com/thailand-dos-and-donts/