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I was not prepared for the sheer number of beggars and people camped on sidewalks and parks in a US state capital. It was dystopian.
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Let’s face it: most of us have, at some point, daydreamed about hopping on a flight and jetting off somewhere far, far away. Whether it's to eat pasta in Italy, hike in the Alps, or just escape work emails, the travel itch is real.
And clearly, we’re not alone. In 2024, a whopping 1.4 billion people became international tourists. That’s nearly 64% of the planet packing bags and chasing adventures.
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Then having my roommates from Florida tell me cockroaches are common even in expensive establishments in Florida. I'm from the north and buildings here are condemned for having cockroaches.
Travel goals vary from person to person; some want to chase sunsets, and others are all about street food. But before booking those tickets, we all fall into the same research rabbit hole. You know, checking if there’s Wi-Fi, whether you’ll need vaccines, and if your bank account can survive the flight prices.
We make checklists, watch a few too many YouTube videos, and compare a dozen hotel rooms. Because hey, if you’re going abroad, you want to make sure you’re not stuck sleeping in a tent next to goats (unless that’s your thing).
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What he was showing me was that when we weren’t talking people didn’t recognize us as Americans but as soon as we opened our mouth, many of the women around us started putting their tops back on.
Made me realize pretty quickly, how being an American was perceived by the Italians.
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Few days later, I'm on a 18 hour train ride to Guilin and a man in the corner of my train car spent most of the trip throwing his finished cigarettes/beers and spitting all over the floor. The grossest thing about this was that he didn't have a seat and would just put newspaper over his mess to sit down in that area.
Then at the Forbidden City, I saw a mother pull her sons pants down in the middle of the main courtyard and instructed him to go #2. When finished, they just left the mess.
These incidents and the seemingly constant littering/spitting from others out in public really turned me off to China. Sadly, I haven't and probably never will return there because of it.
But here’s the thing. No matter how much research you do or how many TikToks you scroll through, culture shock is very real. You might expect croissants in France or sushi in Japan, but are you ready for no toilet paper in the bowl? Exactly.
Experiencing a new culture hits different when you’re living it, not just reading about it. The sounds, smells, signs, and even how people cross the street can surprise you. And honestly, that’s what makes travel so fun.
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To dive into this further, we chatted with Shikhar Jha, a travel agent with over 30 years of experience. He started at a time when travel planning didn’t involve likes or hashtags, just dusty brochures and landline calls.
Back then, people didn’t Google their way through vacations. They trusted their local agent to tell them what not to eat and which cable car wouldn’t get stuck. And Shikhar’s been there through it all.
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I'm a 6 ft white guy lol.
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“Most of our early customers were Indian families traveling abroad for the first time,” he recalls. “They wanted full packages with food, guides, and even emergency shopping time included.” Shikhar laughs as he remembers the excitement on their faces when they first stepped into a foreign supermarket. “They were amazed by everything, bigger milk cartons, fancy escalators, even the vending machines!” It's all fun until someone accidentally buys sparkling water, thinking it’s regular.
“Taking 30 people to a new country? It's like being a teacher on a very jetlagged field trip,” Shikhar jokes. “Everyone’s curious, wide-eyed, and slightly overwhelmed. Tourist attractions are exciting, sure, but it’s the unexpected things that catch them off guard. Like automatic toilets or dogs wearing coats. People come back talking more about those little surprises than the monuments.”
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I ended up taking showers in a public swimming pool naked with 10 more people where you can completely see everyone since there were no walls between the showers. It was mixed-gender also.
“One thing that really throws people off is pedestrian crossings,” Shikhar shares. “In countries like Germany, cars stop when someone’s waiting to cross the road. Our travelers just stood there for a while thinking, is this a trap? Back in India, you'd be waiting till next week unless you wave your arms like a traffic conductor.”
“France always makes a fashion statement, even when you’re just grocery shopping,” he says. “Our guests would walk into a store wearing comfy sneakers and jeans, and next to them is someone in heels and a designer coat just buying bananas. It’s wild.” He adds that this led to a mini shopping spree for some travelers who just had to upgrade their airport looks. The influence is real.
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