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Temat: Intercultural travels

This is sort of a follow up to the discussion in the Cultural tolerance thread.

When you travel, either for leisure or business, do you actually get to know the local cultures, customs, people? What are the things you look for when deciding your next travel destination? Once arrived at destination do you feel you get a "special treatment", i.e. get treated like tourists and not like the locals? How do you know you're treated differently?
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Temat: Intercultural travels

I try to learn a bit about the place I'm going to visit.
To know how to behave and not offend locals by my behaviour.
Then I always choose a restaurant where only locals are eating. And I don't like to be treated differently - like a tourist. Because then you would never get any real taste about the place.
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Alicja Efejska

Alicja Efejska Lektor, PEN

Temat: Intercultural travels

And I like being treated like a real guest. Jarek I will give you examples which will ruin your concept of how Italians see us. ( to continue the other discussion)
So once again I disagree that Italians see us as cheap hookers brrr: let me give you some examples:

When I was in Finale Ligure we stayed in a hotel which was full of Italians and some Germans, we were the only Poles there. When the owner realised that we had problems with understanding the menu, she immediatelly employed a new waiter who spoke English just to serve us. That's not what you do if you think about someone: she is a cheap hooker.

We were offered a place on a beach, which was owned by Italian families and I was even able to negotiate with them 50% discount + one day free. Strangely enough, after the first day when they were observing us, on the next, they started chatting with us and we developed some kind of friendly relationship. At the end of our holiday they invited us to come again next year. Again that's not...

On some occasions we were offered lifts by Italian families, who drove us to the hotel, even though they were going in the opposite direction. Again this is not....

I could give you a long list of such friendly acts towards us and I have to tell you that I did feel like a real guest there and was always treated with respect and friendship. I still think you exaggerate.
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Andrzej Pieniazek

Andrzej Pieniazek

Temat: Intercultural travels

Jarek Adamowski:
Once arrived at destination do you feel you get a "special treatment", i.e. get treated like tourists and not like the locals? How do you know you're treated differently?

For sure interesting discussion for Poles who only start "conquering the world". I did lot of traveling from Germany and with Germans, the locals know well how to "treat" you. Ever heard of "Ballermann 6" on Mallorca?
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Temat: Intercultural travels

Jarek Adamowski:
When you travel, either for leisure or business, do you actually
get to know the local cultures, customs, people?

I've just come back from Bulgaria where I got wonderfully confused with their head gestures for 'yes' and 'no'. Having visited Greece where they shake their heads for 'yes' and nod them for 'no' as well, I should be aware of that. Yet, surprisingly or not, it really took me a second or two to break free from the profoundly imprinted meaning of these body language signs :)
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Temat: Intercultural travels

Ala, I'm sincerely happy for you, that you spent some quality time during your Italian holidays...

..which only proves my point that tourists are treated differently than permanent (foreign) residents.
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Temat: Intercultural travels

Andrzej P.:
I did lot of traveling from Germany and with Germans, the locals know well how to "treat" you. Ever heard of "Ballermann 6" on Mallorca?
Don't think I have. Care to elaborate on it ?
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Alicja Efejska

Alicja Efejska Lektor, PEN

Temat: Intercultural travels

Jarek Adamowski:
Ala, I'm sincerely happy for you, that you spent some quality time during your Italian holidays...

..which only proves my point that tourists are treated differently than permanent (foreign) residents.
It could be true, I don't know, I've never lived in Italy and my longest stay was 3 weeks. Still you can't say that they treat every woman from eastern country as a hooker. I used to spend a few holidays with friends from Emilia Romagna ( not sure about spelling) and I remember how they laughed at hookers from Austria. I think if women behave like hookers then they are treated as hookers but I also know that Italians have enough culture and sense to understand that in every country you can meet different types of people and this what they have always shown to me.

Yet, Genova was different indeed. The first thing that happened was that I had an unpleasant exchange with the receptionist at the hotel and only after I managed to reduce him to the right level he conceded and gave us the key. Still we probably got the worst room in the hotel. I didn't like the place. :(
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Temat: Intercultural travels

Alicja Efejska:
I think if women behave like hookers then they are treated as hookers
no doubt about it, yet the stories I hear or read everyday talk about Easter European (or African) "ladies caught in flagranti".
but I also know that Italians have enough culture and sense to understand that in every country you can meet different types of people and this what they have always shown to me.
again, you were lucky and I'm happy for you :)
Yet, Genova was different indeed. The first thing that happened was that I had an unpleasant exchange with the receptionist at the hotel and only after I managed to reduce him to the right level he conceded and gave us the key.
Indeed, Genoa is not a really tourist-friendly city. Must be something related to their mentality, to the fact they are very mistrustful and are known to be misers.
Still we probably got the worst room in the hotel. I didn't like the place. :(
Which hotel was that? I'm just curious.Jarek Adamowski edytował(a) ten post dnia 10.02.08 o godzinie 13:48
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Alicja Efejska

Alicja Efejska Lektor, PEN

Temat: Intercultural travels

Still we probably got the worst room in the hotel. I didn't like the place. :(
Which hotel was that? I'm just curious.[edited]Jarek Adamowski
Jolly hotel Plaza, just in the center, close to the tunnel. I'm sure you know it. I must admit though that after that first confrontation they tended to be polite to the end.

Jarek, I don't think I was lucky, how about the pope, you and other people I know who live there? You also managed to find your ways with them didn't you?
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Andrzej Pieniazek

Andrzej Pieniazek

Temat: Intercultural travels

Jarek Adamowski:
Andrzej P.:
I did lot of traveling from Germany and with Germans, the locals know well how to "treat" you. Ever heard of "Ballermann 6" on Mallorca?
Don't think I have. Care to elaborate on it ?

It is worth mentioning since it answers few of the questions in this discussion. "Balleremann 6" is German name derived from Spanish "Balneario Nr 6", a simple beach bar on the Arenal beach.

This "cult" place was for long synonym for a disgusting behavior of German tourists. It also illustrates the changing attitude of local people toward money bringing tourists, from the very friendly at the beginning to much less friendly nowadays. Right now average Mallorcan is much better off than the tourist coming to the island, 20-30 years ago the tourist was "the king".

The Brits on Mallorca were not sticking out, few miles away from Ballermann the beach was "in British hand", for some it was even worse..
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Andrzej Pieniazek

Andrzej Pieniazek

Temat: Intercultural travels

Jarek Adamowski:
..which only proves my point that tourists are treated differently than permanent (foreign) residents.


Yes they are, even worse when you come in a group or on a package tour. You have virtually no chance to get in touch with "normal" local people even though you may think that you are. Tourism is a big and tough business.
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Temat: Intercultural travels

...nothing special about my own travels, but thanks for the topic, Jarek...you and to all the other individuals, of course. I'm just reading and learning :)Joj Y. edytował(a) ten post dnia 10.02.08 o godzinie 16:06
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Temat: Intercultural travels

Since I have been living in 2 foreign countries for the last 8 years and had practically no real breaks, I'm more interested in relaxing rather than trying to absorb culture.
In a hotel I expected to be treated like an average hotel customer and the same in a restaurant, no more no less.
In the street I'd prefer to be just ignored, which unfortunately is not what you get in Egypt, which I why I avoided going out of the hotel complex.
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Temat: Intercultural travels

Most of my trips abroad now include a cultural element - I especially love going to Spain and discovering all kinds of wonderful places and eating all kinds of bizarre dishes (like goat cheese ice cream...).
The truth is, though, that if they weren't fam trips, I wouldn't bother so much an go into so much trouble, even though I generally like to know where I am and what I can expect there. When I go abroad on vacation I am usually with an inquisitive kid so I try to remember a few facts about the location and the customs, but just enough to keep him busy while walking to the beach and sitting him down with his sand toys. I'm just old and lazy ald, like Steven, I like to be wined, dined, and pampered for a change. No one does it for me at home.
I only try to learn more about a country when I really enjoy being there and come back often - ask me about Spain, I know more than a regular tourist would. Ask me about Egypt - damn, I only know stories of the traveler's diarrhea :) (no, of course I do know a lot about Egypt, it's a part of my job...)
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Temat: Intercultural travels

Andrzej P.:

For sure interesting discussion for Poles who only start "conquering the world".

Geee, why do you presume that Poles "start to conquer the world". I have already done it. Poles are different and some have travelled for years.Maria B. edytował(a) ten post dnia 10.02.08 o godzinie 16:59
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Andrzej Pieniazek

Andrzej Pieniazek

Temat: Intercultural travels

Maria B.:
Geee, why do you presume that Poles "start to conquer the world". I have already done it. Poles are different and some have travelled for many years.

Nothing comparing to other nations, for the simple reason that average Pole could only recently afford this.

For comparison Germans have booked in 2008 some 83 millions travel packages and spent some 60 milliard Euro.

http://www.focus.de/politik/schlagzeilen?day=20080105&...
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Temat: Intercultural travels

yeah, this is true that more can afford it than 20 years ago. But when I was studying most of us went abroad, worked for two months (earning at least half a year income of our parents) and for the rest two months travelled bakcpack all over the world spending all the money :)
You don't need to stay in 4 stars hotels to visit the world.Maria B. edytował(a) ten post dnia 10.02.08 o godzinie 17:20
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Alicja Efejska

Alicja Efejska Lektor, PEN

Temat: Intercultural travels

Jarek Adamowski:
Alicja Efejska:
I think if women behave like hookers then they are treated as hookers
no doubt about it, yet the stories I hear or read everyday talk about Easter European (or African) "ladies caught in flagranti".
>
Jarek, I also suspect that if they know that you like reading such stories they will be producing and selling you more and more of them. Please,think about it, it's business for them.
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Andrzej Pieniazek

Andrzej Pieniazek

Temat: Intercultural travels

Maria B.:
when I was studying most of us went abroad, worked for two

But your average English, German or French colleague by the age of 20 had already visited several foreign countries, usually for several times. I am not talking about the apparent abilities of Polish young people to go and see the world but only trying to give an idea about the statistics.

I was not such a great traveler, just average, but for sure in 20 years I must have made couple hundreds foreign trips - from the "simple" weekend ones to the neighboring countries like Holland, Belgium, France, Italy etc. to several to other continents.
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