Traveling to faraway lands is a great way to broaden your horizons and improve your health. Folks who regularly travel are 30% less likely to experience a heart attack and benefit from an 89% drop in stress when abroad.
However, traveling overseas can put a real strain on the communities you visit. Areas that become reliant on tourism face higher prices for basic goods like food and usually have to put their taxes towards amenities to appease travelers.
Living in a tourist hot spot can be stressful, too. Communities built on tourism can become over-dependant on seasonal trade and may experience high unemployment rates if folks choose not to visit due to external factors.
As a self-aware tourist, you can alleviate some of the stress locals face by practicing cultural sensitivity while abroad. Even simple gestures, like modifying your body language and adapting to cultural norms, can improve your travel experience and minimize the burden you place on the towns and cities you visit.
Decolonizing Your Travel Habits
The idea of modern tourism is rooted in colonial ideals. Tourism itself was popularized in 18th-century Europe by young, primarily English, men who embarked on Grand Tours. While these tours originally focused on travel through Italy and France, it was not long before the idea of tourism was muddied by colonial discourse that perpetuated ethnocentrism and created fantastical ideas of faraway lands at the edges of the Empire.
This sentiment is echoed by Cameroonian theorist Achilles Mbembe, who explained that tourism creates “a new set of social and spatial relationships on the ground.” Seen in this light, tourism has the power to renew colonial oppression in a post-colonial world.
As an ethically conscious traveler, this presents a real conflict of interest. On the one hand, travel can help you understand fellow global citizens. On the other, tourism does play a role in reconstituting colonial systems of power.
Start by recognizing that there is no perfect way to navigate this tension. Instead, follow the advice of Hannah Sorila and get comfortable being uncomfortable. This mindset helps you consider your positionality without patronizing the communities you visit. It helps you see the impact of your visit in broader terms and can motivate you to research the power dynamics working behind the scenes.
Recognizing the potential power you hold as a tourist can help you practice cultural sensitivity and ensure you are supporting the right causes while abroad. However, it’s still important to guard against the ethos of saviourism when traveling. The White savior complex leads you to believe that you can solve the inequalities that communities face due to a faulty belief that you know more about an issue than someone who has been actively impacted by colonization. Rather than treating a trip as a crusade, try to focus on educating yourself to understand the differences between you and the folks you meet while traveling.
Understanding Difference
In so-called polite society, folks tend to believe that we are all the same. While this may be true on a basic level, the ethos of sameness can reinforce ethnocentrism and eradicate the recognition of important differences between groups of people and individuals within communities.
Instead of ignoring differences, practice culturally sensitive tourism by recognizing differences. This is an anti-racist approach to travel that can help you identify different types of oppression and power as well as joy and self-expression. Simple ways to recognize differences include:
- Adhere to social norms like giving folks increased space.
- Understand the difference between appropriation and appreciation.
- Learn about tipping and follow typical customs.
- Brush up on your table manners and follow the example of those around you.
When researching your destination, consider picking up a few books from the area you plan to visit. Works of literature can give you a glimpse into the lived reality of folks from your potential destination and may help you work through any biases or stereotypes you have. Similarly, films and documentaries can get you up to speed with the issues an area faces and help you understand the way that folks navigate the world at large.
Self-Reliance
Communities that are built around tourism can become hamstrung by tourists who place excessive demands on the area. That is why the UN has committed to sustainable tourism that reduces poverty, improves access to amenities, provides clean energy, and reduces inequalities in communities that have become tourist hotspots.
Sustainable tourism has been on the rise, as more travelers want to minimize their impacts on the areas they visit. This is particularly important for maintaining the health of the environment of travel destinations.
Rather than demanding destinations adapt to your needs, exercise a little more self-reliance while abroad. This can reduce the strain on services designed for community use and will ensure that locals do not have to bend to the whims of tourists.
When traveling to unfamiliar destinations, practicing cultural sensitivity also includes being mindful of local laws and customs, especially those related to personal safety and security. For instance, that might involve women dressing more modestly than usual in certain destinations, like Saudi Arabia.
Researching essential personal safety laws before your trip is crucial to ensure you respect the local legal framework and avoid unintended offenses. For example, understand restrictions on self-defense tools like pepper spray, tasers, or knives, as these vary widely across countries and regions. Familiarizing yourself with local emergency protocols, curfews, and prohibited behaviors — such as photography in sensitive areas — helps you stay safe while showing respect for the community’s rules. A little preparation goes a long way in fostering both safety and cultural understanding.
Connecting with Community
Authentically connecting with the community during your visit can prevent appropriation and help you navigate your journey with an ethos of respect. However, before you throw yourself into the community you find, be aware that some communal traditions and gatherings are simply not open to you.
Recognizing that you may not always be welcome is particularly important if you are visiting a marginalized community. Many communities have been overwhelmed by well-meaning folks who appropriate their customs and disrespect their boundaries. To counteract this, try to be hyper-vigilant when learning about customs and seek consent before participating in culturally significant activities.
If they do consent, approach their customs and traditions with respect. Many of these customs may revolve around trying out new foods that may seem foreign, but participate enthusiastically and gratefully. If you happen to be celebrating their culture by trying out new foods that may not be the best for your health or your teeth, look into preventative measures surrounding the event that can bolster your health. For example, visit the dentist or your primary care doctor before leaving, receive the appropriate vaccinations to avoid the spread of contagious viruses to these communities, maintain good hygienic practices, and eat these foods in moderation.
It’s worth bearing in mind that you are not the only one who can learn from travel. Sometimes, folks may make room for you to share your customs. Engaging in this way is important, as it can break down inequities and help you find common ground. So, if you are planning to stay in an area for a prolonged period, consider respectfully inviting the folks you meet to participate in your traditions or prepare a meal straight from your family’s cookbook.
Conclusion
Cultural sensitivity is key if you want to travel without causing harm to the destinations you visit. Even small gestures, like reading about the history of your destination, can make your trip more fruitful and reduce friction with the folks you meet. When you do arrive, try to learn more about the current climate while sightseeing. This can help you avoid potential mistakes and ensure that you put your spending power to good use.
