30 People Are Sharing 'Unwritten' Rules In Their Countries That Foreigners Might Not Know About

As the world has become a more connected place, finding out about somewhere has become easier than ever. A quick online search for a country will inundate you with photos of the land, its people, outfits, food, and much more. This is all just a few clicks away, not a plane ride and a couple of thousand miles away. 

However, nothing compares to visiting a place for yourself. Photos and videos can only replicate the sights and sounds of being somewhere else. Living and feeling it for yourself is an awesome sensory experience, and a personal one too. 

It’s incredibly refreshing to see everything from a new perspective and educate yourself on the wider world around us. With so many different cultures spanning the five continents, you could spend your whole life just seeing how others live their own lives.

Many people feel the same way and have committed themselves to do exactly that. Whether it’s for bringing a wider focus to small stories or simply for their own growth, sharing experiences through travel is a deeply rewarding experience.

But to get the most out of it, you need to open yourself up to new possibilities and shake off your unconscious biases. Your notions about life could be vastly different from how others in your chosen destination see the world.

So, when you’re a guest in another country, it’s important to remember that you’re exactly that—a guest. And this means being respectful to your hosts. Understanding the local customs will help you go a long way, so to speak, and your respect will be reciprocated. Eventually, you’ll adjust and be able to see a country just as the locals do.

On this, Dr. Asim Shah, a professor of psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine, said, “By learning about people of different cultural backgrounds, you can increase your horizons. If you put aside any prejudices or biases you might have and you are open to other people, it can help prepare you to listen, talk and learn about other people and their cultures.”

Otherwise, you might stick out like a sore thumb and instantly identify yourself as an ignorant tourist. Unfortunately, this stereotype is often applied to people of the good ol’ US of A when taking their vacations outside of the country.

Perhaps it’s their headstrong and confident nature that can be jarring to more introverted or reserved cultures. Or their animated behaviors and loud voices, previously only seen from a distance through movies and TV. 

Either way, we’ve written a couple of articles specifically on it before, so be sure to check them out here and here once you’re done. Like we said though, it is just a stereotype so not every American is automatically lacking self-awareness and being disrespectful—we don’t want to be hypocrites here!

It does raise an important point for those traveling, however. How can we learn to be respectful of other cultures? It requires some retraining of our thoughts and some self-assessment.

For example, Susan Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of National Geographic, addressed the history of the long-running magazine and faced the accusations that their reporting in the past was feeding into clichés and stereotypes of the time. A sort of tourism of other cultures, viewed from an outsider perspective without the respect given accordingly. 

So, acknowledging your own differences and seeing others with an open mind from home is a starting point. And it’s recognizing what makes us similar, not different that brings us together.