Advice to a Novice International Traveler

A la High Fidelity, Wonder Boy and I often ask each other to create top five lists. The conversations go something like this:

“The five albums that most influenced you. Go.”

“Your five favorite vacation spots, in no particular order. Go”

Well we just got back from Costa Rica (more on that at a later time) and during the trip we posed several of these lists to each other. There is one in particular I’ve been giving a lot of thought to.

“To someone who has never traveled internationally before, what five pieces of advice would you give them?”

1. Be a good representative of your home country and a good guest to the place you are visiting.
2. Please don’t assume that everyone will be accommodating to you and your language skills. Learn the following phrases in the native language of the country you area visiting:
   • Please and thank you
   • Hello and goodbye
   • Bathroom
   • Check please
   • Do you speak English (or whatever your native language is)?
3. Leave yourself open to the option of adventure. Do not plan every minute of every day. By having a free afternoon to wander around the city or linger by the ocean, you might meet new people, discover new restaurants or just relax.
4. Eat local food. Drink local beer / wine / liquor.
5. Talk to as many people as possible, even if they are simply other travelers. These conversations might end up being the most memorable parts of your trip or lead to the biggest adventures you will know.