Travel is fun and exciting, but it’s important to practice good etiquette. This applies to both the journey there and at your destination. Good sense and good manners will make your trip a more pleasant one for you and everyone else you come in contact with, and it might even keep you out of trouble.

Respect the Locals

You’re a guest, and guests need to be gracious to their hosts. Don’t be rude to locals or look down on them, especially when it’s obvious you have a lot more money than they do.

Respect the Location

Again, you’re a guest. Take good care of the places you stay and visit. Clean up after yourself. Show your hosts the very best of you and where you come from.

Learn the Local Rules and Laws

As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. You’re expected to follow the local rules and laws no matter where you’re from. Being expelled from another country is bad enough, but being jailed in one is much worse.

Learn Some Local Lingo

If the people who live where you’re visiting speak a different language, try to learn some basic ways to communicate in their language. For example, learn how to say please, thank you, hello, and goodbye.

Adhere to Local Customs and Norms

When you’re away from home, you can’t expect everything to be done the way you’re used to. Learning and following how the locals do things will make for a better experience, and the locals will warm up to you more rather than seeing you as an annoying, entitled tourist.

Dress Appropriately

There are many countries that have far more conservative clothing expectations than America as a whole does. Often unfairly, this applies even more so to women. If you can’t abide by local dress expectations, it’s better not to visit rather than risk insulting the locals or even being arrested.

Be Patient

Travel to other countries often means there will be communication barriers. The frustration is mutual, so remember to be patient and gracious.

Watch Your Words and Gestures

Before leaving home, do some research into whether the place you’re going to has certain expressions, gestures, or habits that they view as insulting or inappropriate. Some, such as shaking hands, may be things that are commonplace and acceptable at home.

Have All Travel Documents Organized and Ready

Travel can be stressful, and when you don’t have your things in order, it slows things down. This creates impatience, frustration, and stress for everyone else.

Respect the Personal Space of Others

Everyone but the smallest people is cramped in plane seats, and everyone would like more space. Don’t let your arms, legs, or personal belongings spill into someone else’s space. The battle over whether or not you should recline rages, but most people don’t like it. Remember that the person in the middle seat gets the armrests on both sides; the people in the aisle and window seats have more space to lean over into.

Read Cues and Try to Sit Still

When the person next to you is focused on a book or device and doesn’t look up at you when you take your seat, that person doesn’t want you to strike up a conversation. You might consider the person rude, but that person considers you rude for not respecting their wish to be left alone.

And mind your movement. The longer you sit in a plane seat, the more antsy you get. Fidgeting, squirming, and stretching your legs is distracting to others and can sometimes have an impact on what they’re doing. If you have to move up, get up and walk up and down the aisle a few times.

Mind How You Smell

Spending several hours in a plane next to someone with bad breath or body odor is a pretty miserable experience. Likewise, be mindful of what food you bring on board. Foods with strong odors are social no-nos on planes.

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This article was produced by Our Woven Journey.