Our trip to Paris last month — during which we experienced a grand total of zero mean Parisians — got us thinking about why we had such a good experience compared to the popular narrative, that French/Parisian people are mean to tourists. But I think we settled on the fact that we tried to be the absolute most respectful travelers that we possibly could.
No instantly asking “Parlez-vous anglais?” or “Do you speak English?” No expectation that people would switch to English when it was clear that our French was pretty bad. No getting visibly annoyed when service took longer than it does in the United States. No being loud or attracting attention to ourselves.
Over the years, my understanding of what it means to be a respectful traveler has continued to evolve. So here are a few easy things you can implement on your next trip. (Especially to my fellow American friends — let’s improve our reputation together!)
1. Try the local language, even if it’s just a few words
Like I mentioned, we decided to try French everywhere in Paris. And even though we sucked at it, nobody cared. They just continued on in their good French, so we just continued on in our bad French.
The whole experience with French has made me think more about how I can try to speak more of other languages when I travel in the future. I would say that I felt semi-comfortable doing this in France because of my familiarity with Spanish, which also applies when I’m in Italy or Portugal.
But what if I try to learn a few words of Japanese for our honeymoon later this year? If I can figure out some of the key words I would need to get through interactions in restaurants, I think it could go a long way, and it could be fun, too!
Although I’ve been able to learn Spanish fluently, I’m not necessarily a “natural” language learner like some people are. But I also recognize that you may be reading this and thinking “I’m absolutely terrible with languages!”
Then I say — at least learn how to say hello, please, and thank you. 🙂 It can go a long way in showing respect.
2. Don’t leave bad reviews unless you’re 1000% sure it’s warranted
Matt and I typically check out Google or TripAdvisor reviews before visiting any restaurant while we’re traveling. There was one notable time that we didn’t — in Logroño, Spain, a few years ago — and it’s likely that we would have never eaten there if we’d seen the 2.2 stars on TripAdvisor.
After we had a delicious meal, in a restaurant packed full of local families and a single waitress who didn’t speak a lick of English, we finally looked up the restaurant online and saw the terrible reviews. And the majority were from disgruntled English speakers who complained about the slow service and the lack of English spoken by the staff.
I think it is absolutely asinine to go out of your way to leave a bad review for a business in a country other than your own, where you don’t know the norms — and you fault them for not speaking your language! The truth of the matter is that Spain is not a country that places a super high value on speedy restaurant service, and for us Americans, that’s reflected in the fact that we’re not expected to tip.
Of course, there are certain times when bad reviews may be warranted. For example, I left a bad review for a bar in our neighborhood in Alicante that was ripping customers off by charging 4x the normal price for a glass of tinto de verano. But I only knew that price was bad after living in Spain for more than two years and understanding the norms.
But in most situations where you’re a traveler, consider leaving good reviews for places that really impress you, rather than bad reviews for those you don’t like.
3. Be a Conscientious Haggler
The topic of haggling is an interesting one. And I’d say it’s something that I’m continually seeking to learn more about the best way to approach it — my thoughts on it now are much different than they were in 2017 when I went to Cambodia and experienced haggling for the first time.
So, you’re most likely to come across haggling cultures in Latin America, Asia, and North Africa. Some items, like in local markets, will literally not have a price. The vendor will expect customers to haggle, and this includes both locals and tourists. However, if they notice you are a tourist, they’re most likely going to quote you a much higher price.
Previously, I thought the best thing to do was to haggle the price down to a more “typical” cost that would have been quoted to locals. But these days, I’ve also taken another perspective into account — that five dollars, for example, likely means a lot less to me as a Western tourist than it would to the vendor, so just pay the higher cost.
However, another point of view is that if all tourists pay the inflated cost, then vendors may feel less inclined to sell products to their local community, rather choosing to focus on charging higher prices to tourists. It’s a bit of an ethical gray area, and I’m not 100% sure what the right answer is. But I think engaging with these tough questions and being aware of the impact of our actions, is another way to be respectful to the places and communities we’re visiting.
4. Stay in Hotels or Hostels over Airbnbs When Possible
In a similar vein, it’s impossible to ignore the negative impacts that Airbnbs have had on local communities, especially in many cities in Europe that are inundated with tourists all year long. This is a particularly big issue in Barcelona, so living in Spain, I see it on the news a lot. (In fact, Barcelona is so fed up with Airbnb that all short-term rentals are to be banned by 2028.)
The problem with Airbnbs is that it reduces the amount of available housing for residents of that city. Just like with the potential problem with haggling, even bad Airbnbs can earn a lot of money in just a few nights — just as much, if not more, than it could earn in an entire month if it were someone’s long-term residence. This means that greedy landlords would rather rent to tourists who are willing/able to pay more for a few days (multiplied by however many stays they get in a month) instead of residents of the city who are looking for a stable housing option.
By rejecting Airbnbs and staying in hotels or hostels instead, travelers can make a positive impact on the communities they visit by reducing the demand for Airbnbs and hopefully getting those housing units back on the market for locals. Of course, there are some situations in which an Airbnb may be the best option — when you’re traveling with a large group, for example. But if we can all try to reduce our Airbnb stays when we’re traveling solo or as a couple, then hopefully we can all make a difference.
5. Be quiet
I recently came across a social media post, quoting an article where Americans were interviewed about not wanting to identify as American while visiting Europe right now. (I’ll let you work out yourself why that might be.) The subheading of the article said “American visitors tell the BBC they’re keeping quiet about their nationality abroad.”
The social media post said: “Americans? Keeping quiet abroad?? I would like to see it.”
First of all, 😂. But it’s so true. I feel like a lot of the time, I may not be able to spot a fellow American from a mile away, but I can always hear them.
Luckily, I would say this is one of the easiest things we can do to be respectful travelers, and it would probably go a long way in helping to repair our reputation when traveling abroad.
What do you think? What are your personal favorite ways to be a respectful traveler? Let me know in the comments!
-Cathy
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