While traveling to new countries can be a rewarding experience, learning the nuances of a foreign culture can be frustrating at times. Falling out of love with your destination is known as culture shock, and it’s a normal part of the travel experience.
Your frustration with a new culture doesn’t have to ruin your stay abroad, though. Here are four tips to help you deal with culture shock.
Keep an open mind
If you’re going to travel to foreign cities and experience new cultures, it’s critical to keep an open mind during your travels. Most importantly, you must learn not to judge a foreign culture against your own. Rather than trying to compare this new culture to your own, you should try to accept the culture for what it is: another way of life. Customs in your host country only come off as strange or weird when you judge them against your own culture, but if you keep an open mind, you’ll open yourself up to a more pleasant travel experience.
Learn about the culture
Before you set off on your trip, spend some time learning about the culture and customs of your destination. This will help prevent total shock or misunderstandings when you experience the culture firsthand. You might even learn a few basic phrases in the local language to help you better understand the locals. Learn what you can about the customs before you go so you’ll be better equipped to understand and respect your host country.
Meet locals
Interactions with locals, whether with a market vendor or a tour guide, will help you better understand the nuances of the culture. A local can help you understand the true meanings, rather than your assumed ones, behind customs, gestures or phrases.
Be positive and flexible
If you let hostility and disdain dominate your travel outlook, you’re setting yourself up for a miserable experience. Keep a positive attitude. Let yourself roll with the ups and downs of traveling, don’t be afraid to simply laugh when things get stressful and give yourself permission to adapt, even temporarily, to another way of life.
(Main image: the_toe_stubber)
