Ok...this article as been a long time coming. I have written on the subject of staying calm while traveling and how important it is to not lose your cool when things don't go your way. Sometimes losing your cool may be justified when those in charge lack any resemblance of care when you are calmly trying to get them to recognize your reservation or accommodate you somehow because the airline canceled your flight etc. But please recognize the difference between losing your cool and being just plain rude.Honestly though, this article is not addressing the times when things have gone awry on your travels. Nope, unfortunately I am addressing those travelers who feel it is socially acceptable to be rude just because you are "so and so" from "XYZ city" or country. Let me make this perfectly clear...rude behavior is never acceptable. NEVER! I don't care who you are and where you are from, no worker at any hotel, resort, or on any cruise line or tour bus deserves to be treated rudely.
Let me give you an example of some of my observations while traveling around our country and abroad. Mr. or Mrs. Tourist sits down at the resort restaurant in Mexico. Said tourist then begins to yell orders at his or her server from several feet away while server is trying to listen to and understand another group of foreign tourists at a table across the room. The poor server is trying to understand some of the worst examples of our English language while orders are being thrown at him or her with not even a simple thank you or a pleasant "pardon me." Mr. or Mrs. Tourist somehow has forgotten that they are the visitor in a foreign land and expect everyone around them to speak and understand as they do and to jump at their beck and call. That is just plain rude in my book.
So many times we like to complain about ABC foreign city and say they have such rude citizens blah blah blah. When, in reality, we (U.S. citizens) can be some of the most rude travelers I have ever seen.
I have witnessed foreign travelers in Japan turn up their noses as they read a menu and then have the gall to ask someone who can barely understand every other word..."don't you have something with chicken in it?" Or they get mad at the Japanese server because their eggs were not cooked exactly like the way we are used to here in the U.S.
Please remember when you are traveling abroad (no matter where you are from), you are the visitor. You are the foreigner. You are the guest and show some manners for Pete's sake and represent your own Country with respect and humility. No one deserves to be treated rudely ever! You, the traveler, are the one speaking funny when you are in a foreign country so remember that and speak slow and be courteous if you are not easily understood and think about how others feel when they come to your Country and have a hard time communicating in your native language.
Do you have some examples of rude behavior that you have witnessed during your travels? Share them with me. Thanks for reading and please leave a comment, even if you disagree.
