I regularly see travel articles that report on the most (and least) friendly destinations for travelers. I’ve come to take them with a grain of salt because sometimes they surprise me.
For example, is Paris truly the least welcoming? I often wonder if the individuals surveyed have been traveling to the same destinations that I have?
When I think about what makes a city welcoming, I have concluded that it often has to do with me. Our own attitudes as travelers often determine whether somewhere is a friendly destination.
Here are the things I do to make travel to a new destination friendlier (to me, anyhow):
1. Understand the culture
Know what local dress, etiquette, and norms are so that I can adapt to them. I find that locals are friendlier when I adjust my expectations to their norms. For example, in London I’m expected to put my own luggage in the cab. That could seem unfriendly if I didn’t know better.
2. Learn a bit of the language
That doesn’t necessarily mean being fluent, but hello, goodbye, please, and thank you are basics for anywhere that I may encounter non-English speakers. Beyond that, if I travel somewhere frequently, I try to work through the basics – I can speak “taxi-cab French” when required (and ditto Spanish and Portuguese) so I can ask for change, order a meal, find out how much something costs, and otherwise muddle my way through situations. It sometimes requires a quick refresher on the plane until I’ve been immersed, but it works. In Paris, trying has gotten me far!
3. Know where I’m going
Just the basics but understanding where to find an ATM when I land, how to get in a taxi (and how much it should cost), and basic landmarks from a map view can make it easier to orient myself. In Tokyo, that’s my coping mechanism. I have been reduced to tears more than once in Japan by not understanding what is happening around me, so advance research helps a lot.
4. Understand the currency
How to convert it roughly (this is where my multiplication tables come in handy), as well as what basic items should cost. Also, know the tipping customs for taxis, servers, bellhops, and others in the country I’m traveling to. Sticking to my native customs may be comfortable, but it won’t be well-received. In Italy, this made a significant difference in how I was treated.
5. Adjust my expectations
What meals will be like, how to shop, even what schedule to keep. Adjusting my own routine to that of the locals helps them welcome me most readily. In Spain, that has meant leisurely late-night dinners and quick, non-lingering standing-up drinks at tapas bars. Both are out of my normal routine, but they help me fit in better.
