Friday, June 8, 2012

One of My Pet Peeves

I think that the one thing that bothers me more than anything else when I travel, particularly when out of the US, is how much Americans look like tourists. It embarrasses me. While I am, by no means, perfect, I at least make an attempt at blending in. Gadling recently posted a great article on how not to look like a tourist.  I think it should be mandatory reading for anyone even thinking about travel.

Of course, going to Disney World or Disneyland is the exception - if you don't dress like a tourist, you'll stand out.

So much of this article's advice is common sense - don't make yourself a target. I can speak to the advice in the article, particularly the bit about learning a few phrases - this really opens up doors, figuratively and literally. Besides, is it really that hard to say "hello" or "thank you" in another language? I didn't think so.