TripHip - Travel Tips and Advice for Traveling on a Budget

Remember that whenever you travel to a foreign country, you are a guest in that country. Whether you want to or not, you are essentially representing the country where you are from.

Because America has been the major world power for so long, many Americans have a narrow, Ameri-centric point of view that rears its ugly head when they go overseas.

Not everyone is like this of course, but if you've traveled abroad, you've probably seen them: binge-drinking American college students abroad being loud and raucous; ditzy Americans who wonder why foreigners don't understand English and so they raise their voice several octaves in the hopes that volume will somehow serve as a magical language translator; and those who get angry when things simply aren't done the way they are in America - ("2 hour afternoon siestas every weekday where all the businesses are shut?! What kind of place is this!!")

Please don't be one of these people. It only further cements the stereotype that people in other countries have of Americans.

Culture shock is perfectly natural when you are suddenly immersed in a strange place where everyone has an unfamiliar way of doing things. Don't let it overwhelm you in a bad way. Just relax, open up and go with the flow.

Remember: When in Rome, do as the Romans!