Many of us have always dreamed of getting out of our humdrum lifestyle and leaving everything behind to go on an expedition or journey to explore the world. While this may be a bit of a romanticized notion, this is not the say that it is impossible, especially if done in small doses. The fact is, however, most of us need to keep our jobs intact and cannot afford to just give everything up to explore our passions. If this was as easy as it is enticing, we would likely be seeing much fewer people in the actual working world. Fortunately, there are ways to incorporate our longing for exploration into our everyday lives. Through ecotourism, adventure travel or by joining an expedition, we have the ability to spend part of our lives working and the other part exploring parts of the world we’ve never seen before.
While this is a wonderful thing for sure, it is important to remember that if we are to do this, we must adopt an attitude that may be slightly different from what we are used to. It is likely that your expedition or journey will take you to a part (or parts) of the world that is fundamentally different from where you call home in thousands of ways, and it is important that you prepare yourself for this. Fortunately, there are a few rules of thumb that apply to just about anywhere you might want to travel, and, once adopted, you can rest easy knowing that you are not just an “annoying tourist.”
First, you must be sure that you adopt an open mind whilst on your expedition. No matter your destination, you are likely to run into certain types of cultures and traditions that differ drastically than your own, and you have to go into the expedition knowing and expecting this. If you do not, you will likely be shocked and made uncomfortable, which is not beneficial to you or the native population you are interacting with. If you happen to witness something that you feel would never be found happening in your country of origin, try your best not to think too deeply into it, as chances are it is the norm in the country you are visiting.
Second, be receptive to the locals of wherever you are visiting, as technically you are guests in their native land. If you are offered food that you may be unfamiliar with (cuisine in Asia, for instance, is drastically different from that of the UK), you should do you best to try it, even if it goes against what you may be used to. Chances are you may enjoy it and wonder why you had any anxiety over it in the first place! The bottom line is not to be rude to the people who are friendly enough to be inviting you into their culture, as this is morally wrong by everyone’s standards.
Finally, use you common sense! Always use logic and be safe in situations that are foreign to you, as you should never put yourself in a situation where you sense danger. A dark alley in a foreign country is just as dangeous in South East Asia as it is in London, don’t stagger around drunk as you will be even more of a target to people with evil intent and lastly, don’t flash around obvious signs of your wealth. This last point isn’t just for your safety, it can also make people who are nice and friendly towards you become uncomfortable and feel like they must treat you differently or better than their current best efforts.
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