Tips for smooth travels
Travelling is not all plain sailing. To get by, sometimes, you just have to bluff your way through those trickier moments...
It’s not always easy, this travelling life. It’s not all sunset cocktails or luxury chalets. Sometimes it’s battling queues in dingy airports. It’s walking miles to a restaurant then finding out it’s full. It’s mangling your attempts at foreign languages. It’s causing offence with unwitting faux pas.
At least, it used to be. Because what you’re about to learn, from our panel of experts in their field, are invaluable ways to make travel easier. They’re ways to get what you want; ways to find the best places to see; ways to get the best service; ways to sound and look the part.
You don’t need to know everything about the world to navigate it. You just need to know enough to be able to bluff your way through. And that’s the knowledge you’re about to receive.
Speaking the lingo Bluffing your way through a foreign language
Clearly, you’re not going to learn an entire language. You will probably only be visiting a country for a couple of weeks – or maybe just a few days. Even the most talented bluffer wouldn’t expect to master the local tongue.
However, you still need to try. ‘‘One of the most common faux pas that travellers commit is assuming everyone speaks English,’’ says Anna Musson, etiquette expert, and author of Etiquette Secrets.
‘‘At best you should be learning several phrases in the mother tongue of the country you’re visiting as a gesture of goodwill. If those phrases are delivered with a smile and a positive attitude, you’ll find that most people are pretty good. But if you look like you’ve made no effort, people will write you off.’’
The trick is figuring out which phrases you should learn. And that might mean ditching the traditional phrasebook.
‘‘I don’t learn phrases to pretend to be a local,’’ says travelling celebrity chef Adam Liaw.
‘‘Languages are taught all wrong like that. It needs to be practical. So I’ll learn how to order a beer, and how to ask for a menu, and how to ask for the bill. Those are the times I will actually use the local language.’’
Musson has a few words and phrases that travellers should learn: ‘‘ ‘Please’, ‘thank you’, ‘excuse me’, and ‘I’m sorry’,’’ she says. ‘‘Also greetings like ‘good morning’ and ‘good afternoon’. The main thing, however, is to master your apologies, so that local people know you don’t assume they can speak English. That opens a lot of doors.’’
Key phrase "Je suis un Nouveau Zealander.’’
Food for thought How to find the best restaurants
‘‘You’re not looking for a unicorn,’’ says Liaw. ‘‘You’re looking for a really fast horse.’’
And that, is the secret to finding great food when you’re travelling. It’s not about going on a search for one incredible, perfect restaurant – it’s about discovering many really good ones.
‘‘There’s not going to be that one iconic restaurant per city,’’ Liaw says. ‘‘When you’re travelling you tend to want the easy answer, the one perfect place, but often there isn’t one. After you’ve acknowledged that, it makes it a bit easier.’’
So how does a bluffer find their way into one of these excellent restaurants? How do they even know they’re there?
‘‘I almost completely ignore websites like TripAdvisor,’’ Liaw says, ‘‘because they’re geared towards finding the best restaurant in a city. When I travel I use social media a lot more. I’ll use Instagram to find restaurants. I’ll either find it via location, or look at photos from the city I’m in and think, okay, that looks like something I’d like to eat.
‘‘Another way is to put the call out on Facebook or Twitter, and friends who have been to those cities will all have good recommendations. Sourcing from your own network is easy – people are very forthcoming.’’
Of course, not all travellers are going to be so conscientious when it comes to researching and planning. Sometimes you just wind up in a city with no idea of where to eat or even what’s good. In that situation, eat with your eyes.
‘‘It’s a bit trite, but anywhere that’s busy, and busy with the sort of people that you want to see there, is going to be good,’’ Liaw says. ‘‘If it’s a restaurant that’s full of families and you’ve got a family as well, great. It it’s full of expats and you want a Western-style meal, perfect. If it’s full of locals and you want great local cuisine, even better.’’ Key phrase ‘‘This place gets terrible reviews on TripAdvisor – you’re going to love it.’’
Take a tip Navigating the gratuity minefield
There comes a moment of panic for most of us, a feeling of deep discomfort that takes hold towards the end of every meal: tipping. How much do you tip? What’s considered adequate? How
much is too generous?
And that’s just for a meal. How about when you have to pass money to a bellhop or a concierge? Or slip bills to a barman? Or remember whether you’re supposed to tip the cab driver, or the masseuse, or the barista, or the people who have cleaned your hotel room?
Each country has its own expectations. In the US, sometimes as much as 20 per cent of your restaurant bill should be given as a tip. In Japan, you should leave no money whatsoever. And what about hotel staff, and that awkward moment of handing over bills?
‘‘The secret is to have a predetermined amount in your mind,’’ says Musson. ‘‘Let’s say someone has brought your bags up to your room. You’ve decided you’re going to give them $5, which is a good amount. Let them speak, show you the room, and then as they’re leaving, say, ‘thank you’ and pop the money in their hand so they can just leave straight away. That removes any awkwardness.’’
And even if you don’t have a $5 bill in your hand, most service staff will give you change from whatever money you do have. There’s no bad way to hand over money.
‘‘A nice way to tip a concierge is to present them with an envelope at the end of your stay that has your tip in it,’’ Musson adds. ‘‘Put the names of the people who have helped you on the envelope. But always pass over the money as the last exchange you have.’’
Key phrase "Do you have change for a $20?’’
Dress code What to wear while you’re travelling
Be gone, zip-off pants. Take a hike, hiking boots. If you want to bluff your way into fancy restaurants or cool bars, or even expensive shops while you’re travelling, you need to try harder in the fashion department.
‘‘It’s all about context,’’ says Jenna Clarke, fashion writer and editor. ‘‘If you’re on safari or you’re trekking through the Himalayas, cargo pants, zip-off pants, bum bags … they’re totally okay. But if you’re in the more urbane areas they should definitely be left in the suitcase.’’
So what do you pull out instead? ‘‘Shoes are key,’’ Jenna says. ‘‘Shoes will get you into any sort of nightclub or exclusive restaurant. If you have an amazing pair of brogues, or a beautiful pair of in-season heels or pumps, maˆıtre ds, bouncers, they’re going to look at you and think you know what’s up. Footwear is an unspoken rule.’’
Not every traveller, however, is going to be schlepping around the world with designer shoes. If you’re merely wishing to blend in rather than stand out, there are only five basics you need to pack.
‘‘Start with a really cool pair of sneakers,’’ Jenna says. ‘‘Then some simple basics: black or white T-shirts, a nice pair of dress jeans, really cool sunglasses, and for girls, a pair of tights or leggings.’’
And no zip-off pants. There’s also, according to etiquette expert Anna Musson, an import rule of thumb when it comes to dressing while you’re overseas: ‘‘You don’t have to dress the same way the locals do, but you do need to cover up in the same way that they do,’’ she says.
Key phrase ‘‘Do you think these Miu Miu pumps go with my Acne jeans?’’
Hitching a ride Your guide to taking public transport
That hoary old cliche – ‘‘It’s the journey, not the destination’’ – never feels more appropriate than when you’re tangling with public transport in a new city. Whether it’s getting lost on the Tokyo subway, getting robbed on the Rome Metro, or going nowhere on the London Tube, there’s plenty of adventure to be had in the process of getting from A to B.
The secret to transport done right is simply to throw yourself in there. It doesn’t matter if you don’t really know where that bus goes. It’s not a problem that the Metro map looks like a plate of spaghetti. Public transport is cheap, it’s an adventure, and it’s a great way of meeting locals.
‘‘Even in the most surprising places, people will be willing to help you when you take public transport,’’ says Brian Thacker, author of seven travel books, including the bestselling Rule Number 5. ‘‘Parisians have the stereotype of being unfriendly, but the first time I ever went to Paris, I got off the train, I was standing there looking at my map, and someone came up and asked me where I was trying to go. He ended up walking me to the Metro platform.
‘‘And then when I got off the Metro I walked up to the street level, pulled out a map, and then someone else offered to help me. And these are my first two encounters in Paris. It doesn’t matter where you go – people will go out of their way to help you.’’
Key phrase ‘‘Getting lost is part of the adventure, man.’’
Local knowledge How to find those hidden gems
It’s assumed wisdom among travellers that the best way to find out about a destination – what to do, where to go, what to eat, where to drink – is to talk to the locals. But how do you harness the knowledge of strangers on the street?
‘‘The best way I ever found was CouchSurfing,’’ says Thacker, referring to the website that facilitates free stays for travellers in locals’ homes. ‘‘You get it straight from the locals’ mouths there. Aside from that, I found you just need to get away from the tourist traps. Even in touristy places like Venice, you only have to go two streets away from the main thoroughfares, and you’re hanging around locals.’’
So you’ve found the residents. But now you need to break the ice. Thacker’s preferred method is to get himself lost.
‘‘It means you talk to people out of necessity. You have to ask directions. I was on the outskirts of Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan once, I asked about three people for directions until I found someone who spoke some English, and this guy said, ‘Well, I’ll come on the bus with you’. He took me into town, chatted to me the whole way. It was fantastic. There’s no harm in just talking to people.’’
This approach means you’ll occasionally have to take a chance.
‘‘In Burma, on my first day there, this girl came up to me and said, ‘Can I practise my English?’ That old chestnut, you know. But she ended up taking me out to a street food place where the food was fantastic, took me to a bar, and it was just purely, simply because she wanted to practise her English.’’
Key phrase "Sure, you can practise your English – if you show me a good restaurant.’’
The pointy end How to get bumped up
It’s time to face reality, hardy traveller: an airline upgrade is about as elusive as the aforementioned unicorn. With systems so carefully automated, your best chance of being bumped up to the pointy end is the possession of a platinum frequent flyer card. Although there are a few other tweaks that might help.
‘‘Being well dressed is your best option,’’ says Musson. ‘‘Be nice, too. Be polite, and once you’ve built up a bit of a rapport with the person at the counter, then you can ask if there’s any chance of being upgraded. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. The worst that can happen is that you’ll be politely declined.’’
There are places, however, where an upgrade is more likely. Hotels routinely upgrade valued guests, as do hire car companies. It’s just a case of being a loyal customer, and having a believable story.
‘‘These people’s BS detectors are set pretty high,’’ Musson says. ‘‘You could say it’s your anniversary, or your birthday. Hotels have a code for that. They’ll put ‘‘BD’’ on your booking if it’s your birthday. Or ‘‘AN’’ for anniversary. That can have a benefit.’’
And if you’re really set on that airline upgrade? At least try to look the part.
‘‘If you want to dress for an upgrade, look at how the stars of today dress when they’re at the airport,’’ says Jenna Clarke. ‘‘Nicole Kidman was leaving Sydney recently to go back to LA, and she was wearing a really nice pair of trousers, and then a simple blazer, ballet flats, and a beautiful handbag.’’ Easy. Right?
Key phrase "But … but … it’s our anniversary.’’
Trouble in paradise How to spot scammers and deal with foreign police
There’s only one sure way to spot scammers overseas: experience. These people prey on the naive, with their tales of wanting to practise English, or hoping to show you their uncle’s carpet store. They rely on your good nature.
Travel author Thacker’s way of dealing with unwanted solicitation is to take advantage of it.
‘‘Even if they’re not genuine,’’ he says, ‘‘I’m happy to sit under a fan in a nice air-conditioned carpet shop in Istanbul and drink tea while they try to sell me a carpet. But I ain’t buying anything. They can try as hard as they like.’’
The best way to avoid being robbed, Thacker says, is to ensure that you don’t have anything worth stealing.
‘‘There’s a place called the Black Market in Ulan Baator, and the guidebook says it’s really dangerous, there are lots of pickpockets. So, I do this all the time – I just don’t wear any jewellery, don’t take a camera, take everything out of my bag, take whatever money I think I’m going to need, and put it in my socks. I felt plenty of hands in my pockets that day, but there was nothing there to take.’’
It’s also worth noting that in certain countries, the police aren’t always the good guys. Perhaps they’ll demand bribes. Or even try something trickier.
‘‘A guy I met in Morocco,’’ Thacker says, ‘‘he’d bought some hash from someone, and the guy he bought it from came back about an hour later in his police uniform. Took the hash back and then fined him. So he got double the money, and he got his hash back.’’ Key phrase ‘‘That’s a lovely carpet. Can I have another cup of tea while I think about it?’’
Talking the talk How to make complaints and get what you want
‘‘I’d like to make a complaint.’’
What happens from this point on, the success of your argument, the chance of getting a better hotel room, or having your meal comp’ed, or being given lounge access, is entirely in your hands. This is a bluffer’s delight.
Michelle Bowden, a persuasive presentation skills expert and author of How to Present, says making a complaint, and having it successfully acted upon, is a matter of how you present yourself.
‘‘The first tip when you’re making a complaint is: stop talking, and listen,’’ she says. ‘‘Listen to understand the problem and the possible solutions. Work out where this stakeholder is coming from. What are they thinking? What is their non-negotiable?
‘‘It’s also important to manage your state. Shouting doesn’t work. You have to understand that your gestures, your word choice, your tone of voice, your overall energy, all create a subconscious trigger in that stakeholder you’re interacting with. You have to be very aware that you balance emotion and logic there.’’
There are a few tricks, too, to getting what you want. The first is to start with small issues, small requests, and work your way up.
‘‘There’s a theory of small commitments,’’ Michelle says. ‘‘You persuade the person on the smaller things, and we know for a fact that small commitments lead to larger commitments. Yes leads to yes.’’
That’s the key, too: a commitment. Because once people commit to something, it’s unlikely they’ll want to recant.
‘‘It’s called ‘the law of commitment and consistency’,’’ Bowden says. ‘‘For example, asking, ‘Is it a policy in your hotel that you value guest service above all else?’ Of course, they’re going to say yes to that.
‘‘So now they’ve made a commitment that guest service is valued above all else. When you point out that in fact on this occasion this is not good service, they feel they have to do something about that, or they’re going back on their word.’’ Problem solved.
Key phrase "Do you value guest service above all else?’’