Last week, one of the most viewed article on New York Times featured Anthony Bourdain speaking to the publication on all things travel. However, NYT picked up the part where he mentions carrying a credit card-sized knife with him at all times as the main highlight. The real meat of the story, however, lay hidden in one of the paragraphs in the article that I decided to break down for all fellow travelers out there. Here then are five pointers from Bourdain on how to travel right. After all, who better than him to dispense travel advice, right?
Be Nice
It’s incredible how entitled some people feel when they travel. Buying a ticket does not give a passenger anywhere the right to be rude and dismissive of service staff. I have witnessed how a Punjabi uncle got red with anger when he was told by Thai Airways he could not carry three bags with him as carry-on luggage. Not only did he make a spectacle of himself, he also held up the boarding gate for everyone else for over 20 minutes for no reason at all. Most of the times, in fact, being polite is the best way to turn things in your favour. Always remember you are a guest in someone else’s house while travelling and treat others the way you would treat visitors at home.
Don’t Be Angry
This is a corollary to the above point. Travellers usually disguise their expectations and helplessness in a foreign location by being frustrated and angry. Don’t start shouting if a street vendor is ripping you off because you look like a foreigner. Don’t yell if the public transport arrives a few minutes late. And don’t remove your frustration on someone who can’t help your situation. Walk away from the street vendor, ask the driver if you will still reach your destination on time and find the right person who can help you ease your stress. Travel isn’t perfect all the time and it’s best to keep your wits about you when things begin to go wrong instead of blowing your top.
Try New Stuff
Directed at those who prefer their comfort zone over new experiences, this is one point that gets my goat. Travelling thousands of miles to stay in the same luxurious property and eat the same food as the one back home defeats the entire purpose of travel. You need to immerse yourself in the country of your visit as much as possible to get a flavor of what makes its people tick. See what they’re doing right and open a communication exchange to learn from their culture, habits, food and way of life. Make it a point to come back home with fresh ideas and at least one new experience from every visit.
Have Flexible Plans
In France, I encountered the infamous greve while travelling from Rennes to Tours. My train only took me as far as Le Mans after which I was supposed to figure out my way to Tours. Instead of getting angry about it, I decided to explore Le Mans for a little bit before figuring out what to do next. By the time I had taken a turn around the city, I realised it was the destination of the world’s oldest active sports car race. I was given a bus to Tours that took me to my destination a few hours late but with the satisfaction of covering an entire new city previously unknown to me. The moral? Always have a Plan B in place. It’ll make your travels stress-free and enjoyable at the same time.
Be Grateful
People who travel are not special. They are, especially in a developing country like India, privileged citizens who have the opportunity to go out and experience a different side of the world. We should always be grateful for the privilege of travelling because the experiences it offers in exchange cannot be compared to anything else. Those of us who travel have an obligation to spread the word about why travel is necessary and encourage others to do the same. If more people travelled to other places, we would be in a much freer and open-minded world than the one we live in today.
Further Reading:
Read the New York Times article that triggered this blog
A superb profile of Bourdain from the New Yorker
Get a copy of Kitchen Confidential (affiliate link), the book that made Bourdain famous
Featured image from Anthony Bourdain’s verified Facebook page. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter to stay updated with the latest travel news.
