Are You “That” Tourist?

Photo by Jay Wennington on Unsplash

Be honest. Admit it. We’ve all been the kind of tourist that makes locals buy shirts which read “If it’s tourist season — why can’t we shoot them?”

The best of us manage to avoid it most of the time, but tourists are, ya know. Annoying.

So, how do you reduce the amount of time you’re “that tourist,” perhaps welcomed for your money but certainly not for your person? As travel opens up again, destinations may well be desperate for us to come. But that doesn’t mean we should take advantage.

So, here, have a few tips:

Check Local Dining Etiquette

Want to know why most Americans think service in France is awful? They miss two things:

1. French people dress up for dinner. Dress slacks and a button down will take you a long way. Jeans and a t-shirt aren’t really acceptable (heck, when I was in Paris I wore dress slacks and a button down everywhere I went because Paris). Not dressing up will cause waiters to assume the thing you least want a waiter to assume about you: You aren’t going to tip.
2. In an American restaurant, you walk in and the host greets you and checks how many are in your party. In a French restaurant, you walk in and when you are ready to be seated you greet the host. If you haven’t said bonjour yet, they assume you aren’t…