These past few weeks, I've had the amazing opportunity to travel through Vietnam and Cambodia. While the trip was wonderful, there are some things I wish I knew beforehand, so this week, I've decided to talk about 10 things I think that Americans traveling to Asia should know . I realize 'Asia' is a very generic term that does not encompass the diverse countries and cultures throughout the Continent. In this case, when I say Asia, I'm referring to South and Southeastern Asian countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Nepal, India, etc.
1. There might be a bit of a cultureshock
I'm from what probably could be called the most stereotypical suburban town of all the suburban towns in the US, so traveling to cities such as Hanoi and Delhi are really different for me. Nevertheless, after the initial Cultureshock, you'll get used to the new surroundings and probably (maybe?) even come to love how much busier/crowded some of the major cities in South Asia are.
2. It's okay to have a tour guide
I"d much rather travel at my own pace and with my own schedule then go with a tour guide, but in countries like Vietnam, where no one in my family spoke the language, this was impossible. Traveling with a tour guide helped us tremendously throughout the trip, and we got to visit places like rice paddies in the countryside, where we wouldn't have been able to go to without someone who spoke the language.
3. Don't eat the street food...
It looks delicious, but there's a 90 percent chance that you will get really sick.
4. ...but still try new things!
Food is sometimes hard for my family in countries such as Vietnam, because we're vegetarian. Nevertheless, we were still able to find awesome Vietnamese restaurants that had vegetarian versions of popular dishes such as Pho. Even if you can't (or shouldn't) eat the street food, that doesn't mean you can't try the popular food in the places you're visiting.
5. Keep an open mind
They eat dogs in parts of Vietnam.I did not know this before I visited, so to say it was a shock to see restaurants with pictures of dog-based dishes on their menu's is a little bit of an understatement. I'm obsessed with dogs, so this was not my favorite thing to learn. Even so,I tried to keep a more open mind than I normally have.
6. Talk to the people!
I learned more than I ever knew about the Cambodian Government and the aftereffects of the Genocide of 1975-79 from my tour guides. Talking to people about their personal stories, especially in this case, can be heartbreaking, but in my opinion, it's important to know and understand the stories of the people whose countries one visits.
7. The rules of politeness and etiquette differ
So you know how, on airplanes in the US, everyone waits until the rows in front of them are empty before they get off the plane? Yeah....that's not a thing in some other countries. It's just a chaotic mess of people shoving and trying to leave the airplane...just so you know.
8. Learn how to bargain
The general rule of thumb is that shop vendors and marketplace sellers charge at least 3 times more than normal when trying to sell to tourists. Therefore, some bargaining skills are very useful when visiting...and even if you haven't needed to bargain before, by the time you leave, you''ll probably be a pro.
9. Please do not have an "Eat, Pray, Love" moment
Fair warning: If you tell me you found yourself while doing Yoga at some fancy hotel or beach in India, I'm probably going to judge you. Media tends to portray people who visit countries like India themselves as going on some spiritual journey and doesn't pay attention to any of the poverty that exists throughout the country. If you're an American, try to buy souvenirs from young kids selling them, or help out a market vendor by not bargaining (too much) on what they're selling. You have a chance to help those who need it while traveling, so please don't consider the trip an opportunity to find yourself in some 'exotic' location. Instead, use it to make a difference--even if you do something small, it's still important.
Why Julia Roberts, why???
10. Have fun!
This kind of goes without saying, but if you get the opportunity to travel outside the country, enjoy it!
