Top Ten Tips - Being A Courteous Traveler
By Tip Diva | Dec 14, 2007
Categories: Airplane, Bus, Cell Phones, Conversation, Etiquette, Food, Manners, Personal Hygiene, Tips, Train, Travel
Traveling by train, plane or bus is a great way of getting to where you have to go, but can sometimes be an unpleasant experience due to rude travelers. You don’t have to be one of them, and here’s how:
- Keep To Your Seat - Seats were made for people - not for your coat, your packages or your pet. People pay for their seats on trains, planes and busses, so be polite and let them sit down.
- Give Up Your Seat To The Elderly, Pregnant Or Disabled - This needs no explanation. It’s the right thing to do.
- If You Get Up A Lot, Sit In An Aisle Seat - Constantly getting up and down is a bother to the person sitting in an aisle seat, especially if the person is using a computer or sleeping. If you’re the kind of person who has to use the bathroom or walk around a lot, sit in an aisle seat so you don’t have to disturb other passengers.
- Help Others With Luggage - If someone has trouble lifting luggage into an overhead compartment or can’t find space, give them a hand.
- Be Prepared - Have your ticket ready and immediately sit in your assigned (or unassigned) seat. Don’t hold others up because you are dilly-dallying or searching for something.
- Restrict Cell Phone Usage - Taking a short call and answering quietly is fine; having a heated, long-winded conversation is not. Other people do not want to hear your conversation or high-pitched ringtone, so keep your voice down and your phone on vibrate. If you have a Nextel, disable the chirp. Move to a vestibule or wait until you’re off the bus or train if the conversation is going to be more than a couple of minutes long.
- Do Not Wear Heavy Perfume - Your smell can literally make people sick, especially those with fragrance sensitivity. Be aware of how intense your perfume is; you may want to wait until you get to your destination to spray. Permeating food odors are just as bad as heavy perfume; these include garlic, curry and onions.
- Clean Up After Yourself - Don’t leave empty coffee cups, old newspapers or trash laying about. You don’t like cleaning after another person’s mess, why should someone have to clean yours?
- No Personal Grooming - Tip Diva has seen it all - nail clipping, teeth flossing and even someone applying deodorant. If you cannot groom yourself before leaving the house, wait until you can find a restroom. Do not do it in public.
- Engage In Coversation, But Don’t Be A Bother - You may be a social person looking for some chit-chat on a long trip. Many people are open to conversation, but do take subtle (or not-so-subtle) hints when a person doesn’t want to talk. They may want to sleep, read or listen to music instead.
How else can you be a courteous traveler?
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