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Don’t be a tourist!
#travel #solotravel #inspiration #challenge #manners
To awaken alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.
Traveling to Rome a couple weeks back, I had the strangest realization. I was finally able to understand what everyday people mean with their snarky comments about tourists, especially when using the very word in a negative connotation. But what can be so negative about tourists, it’s the people who are trying to make their lives happier and more fulfilled, meanwhile being charitable by spending their hard-earned money in new places. We are the gear that pushes the world to become better!
Alright, that’s me and a number of people I travel with. But, it’s not bad to remember a saying every now and then – think outside of the box. Just because I am of a certain manner, does not mean the rest of the world is, as well. In fact, we all tend to surround ourselves with like-minded people, don’t we? So, should it factually come as a surprise to see that “outside people” do not follow this pattern? It made me think about “bad manners” relatively frequently connected with tourists. And the people who speak of them turned out to be not so wrong, after all.
Here’s a great example. While visiting the Vatican with a tour group, our guide has mentioned at least 10 times that the Sistine Chapel has only two rules – do not speak and do not take pictures.
Fun fact: Japan has bought the copyright to all the pictures and videos of the Sistine Chapel, up until 2019. Thus, the ban on creating materials. After the copyright cease, the Vatican simply decided to keep this rule.
I understand dissatisfied people with being forced to keep quiet and not take pictures, but now let’s be realistic. Will either of these two actions damage the art? Most definitely not. But is it worth arguing with the police inside the Chapel about how dumb these restrictions are? I’m not even dignifying this with an answer.
Imagine someone coming to your house. You tell them you’re tired, and they can do anything, apart from talking and taking pictures. And all the actions they perform are these two. Would you be annoyed? No, you would probably be happy for their independence and lack of need to rely on anybody else’s guidance. Of course not, you would be freaking out of your mind! So, why are you surprised when you break somebody’s rule, and they start freaking out?
I swear, at least three times every second, a police officer would be heard, yelling at someone to either stop taking pictures or to shut up. Goodness! Thank all the natural and supernatural forces that the only rule inside the Chapel is not that you cannot stab the person next to you with a knife. Otherwise, Squid Game would be based on a true story. But at least nobody would be speaking or taking pictures.
There was another scene right outside the Chapel, evenly ridiculously embarrassing. The Vatican is protected by the Swiss military, which cannot be photographed on duty. However, at one point at the square, there are a Swiss and an Italian officer standing together. For some strange rule bend, you can (?!) take a picture of the Swiss military on duty if they stand next to members of other militaries. And there’s a line to take a picture of the Swiss officer, as long as (if not longer than) the one in Disneyland, to take a picture with Mickey. Seriously, what is wrong with humanity? What is anyone going to do with a picture of a person, wearing a uniform?! Please DO NOT let me know, in the comment section.
Now, we all have this strange urge to do something not allowed, without anyone knowing. We run to play in the street as kids. We skip classes at school. We doze off watching movies with our significant other. That’s all fine, as long as we are not endangering anyone. But come on, seriously, taking pictures of unknown people. Not abiding by the only two rules in a holy place. What is wrong with humanity?!
Now, I remember a summer vacation from a few years back, in a Southern/Eastern European country. The streets were brimming with tourists from three specific countries. Just for the record, it does not matter where this took place, or which three countries the tourists came from. The point is not to insult anyone (or describe insulting actions of anyone) in particular, but to open the eyes of the readers. Anyway, the tourists from these three countries solely were fighting in the streets, doing orgies in back alleys, even vomiting in the middle of the street, before falling asleep in it.
Now, I’m quite far from the mindset of “OMG what is the neighbor going to think” – but some things are simply unnecessary. And utterly and completely disgusting. Does it really feel nice to be in any of the above-mentioned situations? Not to me, I would definitely not feel nice in any of them, intrinsically. And that should be the most important thing – we cannot make others feel better, if we ourselves don’t even feel good. I’m neither saying abide by all rules, nor be an anarchist, but it is necessary to respect other people’s boundaries, even if they include “I don’t want to see anyone sleep in their vomit”. And, opposed to a popular belief, there is a number of us, who, factually, DO NOT wish to be exposed to such sightings.
At these points, I felt bad hearing “those bl**dy tourists!”, understanding I was a tourist, as well. However, it really is important to understand that general notions, like this one, are not always applied to everyone in a certain group. If I’m simply traveling to make my own life better, and bring joy to my readers, plus abiding by all the rules required, I most certainly do not belong to this group, even when the word “tourist” is utilized. I also stand against sacrilege of this nature and culture, and believe all of us really should be less “touristy” in this sense. (I will not even underline serious littering issues.)
Let’s not end the post with a bad thing, as most of it was a consistent rant about why other people do not know how to behave. Let’s not forget of all the benefits tourism brings to the world. It allows people to meet new cultures, countries, customs, different heritage and history, something actual and something ancient. It creates a place for all of us to be much more than mere members of a city, nation or continent – it makes us citizens of the world, it unites us.
Locally, tourism promotes handworks, crafts and arts, cuisine and beverages, nature and architecture, wildlife as much as domestic day-to-day lives. It provides an input into what the everyday of others looks like, of what it feels like. It brings us closer to the music and the vibe of certain places, allowing us to unite and become one with it.
So, the next time you’re traveling, do not be one of the people that will make others say “those g*dd*mned tourists!” – be a tourist that will promote what we stand for, a better quality of life, a broader mind, a happier world! Be the ambassador of the good and the nice and the beautiful, be the kind of person everyone will want to become, and the children can look up to. Only this way, you can help me remove the stain of negativity from the word “tourist” and bring it back to its original shine and glory. And allow yourself to awaken in a strange town alone. Then you will truly allow yourself to be a real citizen of the world!
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