Recently, I wrote about the abroad version of WebMD and how sometimes we read too much about a place before getting there and instead of feeling confident we end up freaking ourselves out. As I mentioned then, researching is a good thing but we also have to be careful where we get our information from.
MYTH:
When Husband and I began telling people about our move abroad to the Dominican Republic, we received a lot of warnings from people who had been here before.
“Don’t leave the resort.”
“Don’t drink the water.”
“Never order ice in your water.”
“Don’t wear expensive jewelry.”
“Try not call attention to yourself.”
“Never drive around at night.”
All of these people, with best intentions, were offering their advice; advice based off of their knowledge as a visitor, and while visitor views can be great for trying a delightful restaurant or visiting a beautiful museum; it isn’t expert advice. My point is, a lot of what we hear about destinations come from people who have vacationed or visited for a week and not from people who have invested time… and there is a difference.
TRUTH:
Traveling can give new perspective, but vacationing can give people a false sense of authority. I’ve talked to such people who have visited New York City for a long weekend and then tell me all about NYC with its rude, rushed energy where no one has any time for anyone else but themselves. Funny thing is that that’s not the NY I know – and though I guess I could see how someone just stopping by might see it that way – the problem then becomes that they go home and tell their friends all about rude, rushed New York based on their 4-night stay. The same goes for anywhere. When I took a 40-day trip through Western Europe, I was warned about the thieving gypsies in Spain with their sharp teeth and pretend babies they would use to get close to me to steal my camera or money. So don’t ask to see my pictures of my two day stay in Spain because I don’t have any. My camera was hidden inside a shirt… inside my backpack… back at our campsite – safe from all the gypsies that I never saw but was vehemently warned against. I learned that day to take “advice” sparingly because visiting a destination for a couple of days isn’t the same as truly existing in a place. It just isn’t. As I’m sure Spaniards who walk around with cameras will tell you.
Warnings to “not leave the resort,” though well meaning, scare us into isolation and can leave you missing out on the real beauty of traveling which isn’t just free drinks, lavish buffets, and Instagramable beach pictures as nice as those things are. You might never get to know the people, the best local restaurants, the off the beaten path beaches, or the culture on a deeper level in a few days if you only stay within walls. You might never see that New Yorkers can be some of the most loyal, genuine, compassionate people in the world if you’ve only dealt with a few nasty taxi drivers. You might never take pictures in some of the most beautiful landscapes in Spain fearing the pilfering gypsies. And you might never know that insert culture are some of the friendliest, good-hearted, helpful people you’ll ever meet if you’ve only heard your friend’s bad experience with a local outside resort walls.
Yes some vacation views are initiated in truth. At some point, someone ordered ice in a foreign location and came home with a serious case of Montezuma’s revenge but I bet that same person didn’t stop drinking at their local pub because one time they woke up on the bathroom floor with a hangover.
Moral of the story: Take travel advice the same way you would a tequila shot… with a grain of salt.
Not all who wander are lost.
Photo Credits: Taxi – Rishad Daroowala