Learning to respect other cultures doesn’t happen overnight. It requires dedication, open-mindedness, and a willingness to acknowledge your own biases and knowledge blind spots. Traveling abroad, doing research about other countries’ histories, and talking to people from different backgrounds and with different perspectives can help broaden your mind. As a rule of thumb, if you can recognize that you’ve said some dumb things in the past, it shows that you’re maturing and that your self-awareness is growing
When traveling, it’s not enough to put on a silly tourist hat, grab your camera, and enjoy the sights. It’s best to go abroad with empathy and curiosity, instead of demanding the rest of the world conform to your expectations and assumptions.
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It’s very likely that you’ve personally witnessed some awful, disrespectful tourist behavior in your home country. Meanwhile, it’s probably also safe to say that you’ve also met foreigners who were kind, friendly, and respectful of both your culture and other travelers.
According to Go Abroad, you should strive to minimize the amount of bad tourist behaviors. In short, you have to be mindful of the local community, as well as the environment and wildlife.
For example, this can be as simple as not being noisy at night or respecting local religious traditions.
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It should be common sense, but seeing as it’s in particularly short supply these days, it’s important to remember not to litter or damage landmarks. Not only is this immoral behavior, but depending on the country, you can get in some serious legal trouble, too.
Furthermore, during your travels, try to avoid taking part in activities that exploit other people or animals.
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Meanwhile, becoming a better tourist is definitely possible with a bit of effort. You might not change how others perceive you, but you can ensure that you’ve done everything that you can to be respectful.
The first thing you should do is focus on research about the place you’ll be visiting. Read up on the local culture, customs, traditions, laws, and religions. Go through other travelers’ accounts about the challenges they faced. The more time you spend on research, the better prepared you’ll be. Of course, we all make mistakes eventually, but at least you’ll have a solid foundation for your trip.
Go Abroad also suggests eating, shopping, and staying locally for a more authentic experience. On top of that, you’ll also end up supporting local businesses and, potentially, save money.
In the meantime, broaden your horizons and visit other places aside from must-see, super popular touristy destinations.
“When possible, try traveling more off-the-beaten path or visiting a destination in the off season. Slow travel also helps one discover a place and its culture more meaningfully.”
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The Guardian also stresses that slow tourism can be a great idea.
“Slow tourism is about spending more time in a destination, engaging in the local culture and getting to know local people,” Dr. Peter Robinson, the head of the Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Management at Leeds Beckett University, told The Guardian. You could mix things up and go to the countryside instead of only visiting major cities.
