中文 (香港)
During my recent trip to Italy my sister and I had encountered a lot of tourists like us; some were lovely, some were not. The highlight was a man, probably in his fifties purposefully walked in front of me to block my photo because I accidentally walked into his photo on St Mark’s Square (though he was also in mine – see above), and proceeded to yell at us when my sister politely asked if he could move.
Then it dawned on me that most people have a very different way of operating when they are on holiday mode and that meeting a jerk was inevitable. Although I wouldn’t vouch for myself as being a top tourist (I am known to process a b*tch face), here’s what I did to (try and) keep my journey annoyance free:
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Don’t shout
The world doesn’t need to know your plan, and you certainly don’t want any creepers or opportunists learning your itinerary and trying to take advantage of that. Try and keep your voice to a normal conversational level, I had lost count of how many times when I walked around or eating my lunch and overhearing every itty bitty of someone else’s day. Whilst it is entertaining, it is also kind of annoying.
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Be patient and polite
You are probably part of a gang of a few hundreds or even thousands of tourists roaming the city. You won’t be the only one who wants a photo of the famous square, or pose next to that legendary landmark. Wait your turn and say thank you when people avoid photo-bombing your photo, because they could easily walk in (like that grumpy old man on St Mark’s Square) and they chose not to.
Also, I tend to feel a lot happier when someone is being polite to me, and I would return the gesture. For example a lovely gentleman offered to take a photo of me and my sister and actually walked back down the bridge for a better angle, that kind act literally made my day. (photo below)
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Be ready
You might be scratching your head at what I mean by this, but I am serious. Be ready for your destination.
Plan your stops, or at least read the information available to you. It’s like watching people scramble for their oyster card in front of you when you already have yours out, don’t go and take up everyone’s time by asking the ticket office a thousand questions when the answers are on the plaque outside. Not to mention you will definitely stand out like a sore thumb.
The same can be said for taking photos, if you see an opportunity – go for it!
We waited for ten minutes for the staircase to clear and asked a guy with a giant DLSR camera to take a photo for us – and viola!P.S. I think we can all agree that I am the taller twin!
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Don’t hog
This is complementary to the two points above. If you are done with taking a photo of something, or gotten the information you needed, you should move along. Loitering in front of a doorway or a good spot for no reason would only get you angry looks. Unless you are waiting for the perfect sunset on a panoramic point – then stay as long as you need. After all, first comes first served.
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Forgive and forget
This is a point that I am not very good at. Don’t let some impolite, bad-mannered people ruin your holiday. Was I fuming when that monopolizing old man shouted at us? Yes? But dwelling on it wouldn’t change anything. Some people are just rude and self-righteous. Remember that happiness is a choice. Forget about it and enjoy your trip.Hopefully, I didn’t tell you anything that you don’t already know. Even though this list might seem silly, but I think it is important to be considerate of other people. You are living in a world full of people, and if we all decided not to be considerate of each other, then it would be pretty hard to live in this world.
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Lovely article! And gotta love that last picture of the rude man though 😉