| When preparing to go on vacation, remember to pack | | | | staff do not work on a small hourly wage plus tip |
| your manners. No matter where you end up travelling, | | | | system, they work on an hourly wage, period. So, |
| the locals are going to base a lot on your behaviour, | | | | when you go out to dinner in Germany, you don't tip. |
| including how they perceive your culture in general, on | | | | Maybe their bad tipping behavior is not stinginess as |
| how you behave. | | | | much as it is a lack of knowledge. |
| It seems as though many who travel abroad forget to | | | | Living in America and think you've packed a |
| be polite to those that host them when they are away | | | | fashionable wardrobe? Think again. Americans are |
| from home. Some suggest that behavior on vacation | | | | notoriously the worst dressed tourists around. Many |
| is directly related to whether or not you've visited | | | | also find the Americans to be lacking in manners and |
| before. The thinking is that, once you've had a taste of | | | | obnoxiously loud, albeit not as bad as the Brits, Russian |
| the culture, surely you'll be more sensitive the next | | | | and Danes. Those from the U.S. do score points |
| time? Others argue that, regardless of how many | | | | though for at least attempting to learn and speak the |
| times you've come around, tourists remain a painful | | | | native language of the countries they are going to visit. |
| necessity to any economy. | | | | Attempting to take the bull by the horns, the Chinese |
| While it's not limited to one demographic or culture, | | | | government has taken the liberty of posting the "do's" |
| there are some tourists that are notoriously worse | | | | and "don'ts" of travel etiquette in train stations, bus |
| than others. However, no matter where you're from, | | | | stops and hotels across Beijing. Although many of the |
| you're getting a bad rap for one thing or another. So, | | | | Chinese are angered by what they feel is degrading |
| how does the bad behavior break down? We've got | | | | treatment by their own government, the government is |
| a quick overview of who's notorious for what when | | | | not budging. They are trying to curb the Chinese bad |
| they're on vacation. | | | | behaviour before the Olympics next year. They've |
| A recent survey has given Brits the top nod for bad | | | | even gone so far as to issue pamphlets and make |
| behavior when they're travelling abroad. They've been | | | | travel agencies and their tour guides responsible for |
| labeled as noisy, rude, badly dressed and terrible | | | | correcting the tourists' behavior. Talk about |
| tippers. In addition, recent research by the popular | | | | uncomfortable. |
| online travel agent Expedia shows that Britons are | | | | So, who gets kudos for being the overall best |
| thought to be untidy. Maybe that is a direct result of | | | | behaved on their summer vacation? The Japanese. |
| their sometimes haphazard dress. While not as | | | | Considered both polite and tidy, they seem to ruffle no |
| obvious as it used to be, for some reason, people are | | | | one's feathers. In Reuters's 2007 study, they scored a |
| still able to tell a Brit from anyone else. Things are | | | | full 35% higher than the Americans who came in |
| looking up though; seven years ago, a survey similar in | | | | second. |
| nature labeled Brits the worst tourists overall, while | | | | Remember, when on vacation, do like the Romans do... |
| they now place fifth. | | | | or like the Japanese do. Be courteous and keep in |
| Other badly behaving tourists include those that call | | | | mind that you are representing your entire nation when |
| Germany their native land. Considered the absolute | | | | you are out and about. Figure out local customs and, if |
| worst tippers, one might think that they are stingy. If | | | | you're really brave, learn a little bit of the language |
| you consider the tipping system they are accustomed | | | | before you go. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how |
| to, it may shed a new light on things. In Germany, wait | | | | well your efforts are received. |