5 Essential Rules for Respectful Traveling

5 Essential Rules for Respectful Traveling

Travel is not just about the places we visit. It's also about how we move through them and the way our choices affect the people around us.

In this episode of TravelEssary, we share five essential rules for respectful traveling that we believe make the experience better for everyone. These are simple, practical habits shaped by our own time on the road and conversations with fellow travelers.

We talk about being mindful of shared spaces, practicing patience and kindness, and paying attention to how our actions impact foot traffic, roadways, and public areas. We also discuss the importance of honoring local cultures and customs, along with the responsibility we all share to leave places clean and cared for.

This episode is a reminder that respectful travel does not require perfection. It starts with awareness, consideration, and a willingness to think beyond ourselves as we explore new places.

Transcript

  We're the Essary family and we're exploring America one destination at a time. On today's episode of TravelEssary, we are going to share five traveling rules that everyone should follow. Let's chat.

Welcome and thank you for joining us on this episode as we talk about the five rules we believe everyone should follow. Now these rules. After the extensive traveling that we have done as far as just going on day trips or weekends or week long trips to the full-time travel that we're doing now. All the conversations that we've had with a massive amount of people, not only friends and family, but people that we have met on the road that are like, yeah, I wish people wouldn't do this.

It would've made the experience way better. And I think it's just something that, I'll even go all the way back to my Boy Scout days. And then into the military.

Some of these rules apply to even that part. And I just think it's really good practice that if you can ever get into the routine of doing these things, not only will it make your experience just that much better, but also anyone that's around you, it will also make their experience better.

Yeah, I think everyone should be mindful whenever they're traveling and to be a respectful traveler. And the five roles that we're gonna talk about today will definitely help in that area because,. Unfortunately, there are people out there, they just don't care. The effect that they have on those around them, they just, they do not care.

They have no mind for it. But for the rest of us in the human race, like we want to be respectful to those around us while still having a good time ourselves. And yes, it's absolutely possible. And so today we are going to be sharing the five. Biggest, I think, rules that should apply to everyone who travels.

Oh, yeah., We could definitely take, I don't wanna say rules, but definitely guidelines that you should be adhering to. We could have made this list. It's 15, 20. Oh, yeah. Easy. You know, we're starting to end season four. We only have two episodes left, and in season five we're really going to get into our full-time RV travel life.

And I could do a list just for like RV campground etiquette. Just by itself. Just by itself, which we probably will in the future. But these are roles that apply to anywhere that you go and they apply to. Whatever activity that you're doing. Yeah, yeah. It doesn't matter what you're doing, doesn't matter how you're traveling.

Yeah. It doesn't, this isn't just cars or trains or airplanes. No matter what you're doing, young or old, whether you're doing foreign or domestic traveling. This absolutely applies day trips. Big vacations. It all applies. So let's get into it. And the first rule that we're gonna talk about is be mindful of shared spaces.

Oh my goodness. Where to start with this. Because , we're not only talking about camping grounds. Whenever we talk about this, oh, no, no, no, no. We're talking about anywhere well, think of it. I mean, it applies for hotels, campgrounds, airports, public transportation, one, keep the noise level to a minimum. One of my biggest pet peeves when I'm in a waiting room of some sort or a small enclosed space, is whenever someone is like watching something on their phone at full volume. At full volume because they can't hear it or they forgot , their in ears or their Bluetooth or whatever

and then on the other side of that is. For those people that are bolster, for those people that love having a good time. Mm-hmm. Sometimes they take that good time a little bit further mm-hmm. In closed in spaces and it makes that echo. And then everyone just is kind of agitated

yeah. I mean, we've caught ourselves in this predicament Oh yes. Before, oh yes, we are extremely, joyful for the most part, but we are very enthusiastic people and there have been times where we were in a restaurant with friends and family and we had to remind everyone, Hey guys, we need to quiet down.

We're not the only ones in this restaurant because we were having such a good time, but we don't wanna have a good time at the expense of those around us. Yeah,, we've actually even. Leaned over to the table that Recto said, we are so sorry. We'll quiet down. Yeah. Because I know that you're not having a good time with what you're trying to do and Yeah.

I know you're probably meeting with friends or family or whatever. And so, it's just one of those things that it's not my number one on this list, but of course this list doesn't really go in any particular order. But that is definitely one of the key things is just be mindful of shared spaces that you're not the only one.

That space. Yeah. Or be mindful that you're not the only one that's going to be in that space. Don't trash things. Don't leave things messed up for other people. Don't be the reason why rules are created. Oh my goodness. That other people now have to follow. That is a really good point. So I'm gonna go real quick down a rabbit hole.

So , my previous jobs where I was a code enforcement officer and then I was. A building inspector rules are made for a reason. Rules are made because someone broke it. Some, someone did something so horrendous that a rule had to be put in place. , Like keeping your lawn down or keeping trash outta your front yard.

That rule was put into place because someone just went above and beyond and just made it worse for not only, that neighborhood, but the community in its entirety. Same thing with building codes. , Things were put into place because someone didn't do something right and it cost a life, or , property was destroyed.

Oh my goodness. That is so good. And it's not just noise. When you're in a shared space. When you're in a public space. And this has happened several times. Several times. We've come across a group of like rowdy teenagers or rowdy young adults, and , they're having a good time.

They're not really paying attention to anything that's going on, but they're shoving each other and they're pushing, and they're pulling, and they're, yes, they're pushing the people around them. They're stepping on people's feet, and you're like, whoa, , you need to slow up. What you're doing and pay attention.

And sometimes they're respectful, like, oh, I'm so sorry. And other times they're like, we got a problem. You know? But really be respectful. And if you are a parent of a small child, then that's on you to make sure that your children are also being mindful of the shared spaces they're in. We have a 2-year-old, we understand not everyone loves the antics of our 2-year-old.

You know what? We don't always love the antics of our 2-year-old for real. There are times we have to quiet him down, and if he's not quiet, we remove him so that he's not a bother to everyone else. There are times that we have to grab a hold of his little hand or pick him up because he's zigzagging through people and pushing his way through, and we have to teach him at a young age, Hey, we don't do this.

You need to stop. I don't want everyone to be bothered by my 2-year-old. Although yes, a lot of people will find him adorable. I do understand. That you know that can be very annoying. We're gonna be super candid right here, and we might get a lot of flack from this, but we're not really dog people. I like to interact with other people's dogs that are pleasant.

Yes, I love sweet, pleasant dogs. Okay? Don't get me wrong. We love petting. We love playing with dogs. I love happy, all that wonderful stuff. Cheerful dogs. However, we are not all dog people. I have an autistic child who is extremely afraid of dogs. I have a child who is allergic to dogs, and a lot of times people bring dogs into shared public spaces where, let's face it, dogs don't really belong.

I'm excluding true service dogs from that because they are well-behaved and they know the rules more than the humans sometimes of how to behave in a public space, but just your comfort dog or because you just can't leave your dog at home type situations. Be mindful.

Again, I could go into a whole campground etiquette here of . Dogs defecating in the spaces that our 2-year-old plays and no one picking it up and things like that. I'm not gonna go into that, but just really, really, whether it's your child, your pet, or yourself, just be mindful as to how that is affecting the people around you.

Yeah. Be mindful of what you bring into that shared space, the volume of that shared space, and then letting everyone have their personal space. In that shared space. Correct. Which in America we love our personal space. Yes. We have no, I know that's not a thing everywhere, but in America we have personal space.

They're pretty hardcore set too. Everyone has at least a two foot bubble, if not more. Some people go above and beyond and they have huge bubbles, but just be mindful of the shared spaces. The next one we want to talk about is the practice, patience and kindness, y'all. This is huge, which it really goes along with one because yeah, there are gonna be times where people are not being mindful of the shared spaces.

They might be young, they might just be having such a good time, they. In that instance, instead of just snapping at people and causing a fight, in this day and age, you can't do that. Someone's gonna pull out a gun or a knife, or you just never know. But just show some restraint and give them grace and mercy so that hopefully one day when you need that grace and mercy, is it extended in return?

Because, , this could lead to so many different things. It could. Lead to horrific accidents or incidences where no one comes out a winter and it ruins vacations for everyone. But it also could be one of those things that whenever. You're having a bad day. I get it. Your waitress may be having a bad day.

Your flight attendant may be having a bad day, and it's not necessarily your fault or their fault, it's just something happened inside their own personal life that, you know, they're overwhelmed, they're triggered, or whatever. So have that patience. Have that kindness because your kindness and your patience could turn someone's day completely around.

Yeah. Absolutely just have a little bit of understanding for other people. And even if you don't agree with someone else's behavior, you always have the choice of removing yourself. If they will not calm down, if they will not remove themselves, guess what? You can remove yourself.

And I know that is very frustrating sometimes, especially if you have paid money for something or if you have expectations for your travel, for your trip. But. If it's a situation where it's going to cause conflict, absolutely remove yourself or just. Ah, keep your mouth closed. Just keep your mouth closed.

A lot of the times you can be dissatisfied with something without creating conflict. Well, that's also another good point is sometimes you do pay to go to events or concerts or something of that nature. There's security around, right? Usually if it's something like that, you can find someone, and if someone's being that unruly, they can be escorted out.

. We've seen it happen in Disney World. Go find the proper authorities. Notify 'em what's going on and let them handle the situation. Because number one, it takes you outta , the legality of it. It takes you out of, getting bashed on YouTube or Facebook or whatever else.

You're not liable for anything. You're not liable. You've made the people aware and if that organization, , right now the, NFL football playoffs are going. , People start getting unruly because their team is losing or whatever. Let them handle it. Don't try to handle it yourself

you would be surprised at how many people a day get kicked out of a Disney Park because Oh, yeah. Daily. 'cause and it's usually fathers., Increasingly it's becoming mothers as well, if you don't have patients at Disney World, then what are you even doing there? But it's like they will become super stressed out and super impatient.

. And start yelling and cursing is the big thing. That's a big no no. At Disney, if you start yelling at staff or other guest, or even one guy get kicked out for yelling at his own wife. . And cursing at her. Yes. And they kicked him out and banned him from the park. And so yeah, it's so important to just slow down and have patience of what's going on, because if not, then all of a sudden, if you're lacking patience and you're liking kindness, you're gonna turn into the same person that's not being mindful of shared spaces, and you become just like them when you become frustrated and loud and irate, and now you're another part of the problem.

Yeah, so patience and kindness goes a long, long way. The next one that we wanna talk about is don't block the flow. Oh my goodness. This is one of my biggest pet peeves and this is something that we are guilty of a lot. Oh yeah. Especially with our 2-year-old. Like I, again, especially with a 2-year-old, I have to pick him up and move him outta people's way and be like, I'm so sorry.

I always apologize 'cause it's our fault or it's his fault, or whatever the situation is. But I have such a pet peeve of people who. Block the flow, especially when they realize they're blocking the flow and they just don't care. If you guys knew how many times we faced this, I swear it's like every time we go out and explore and do something, it's insane.

And I'm talking about from grocery stores. To parking lots, to amusement parks, to farmer's market. There is a general flow of traffic, whether it's foot traffic or bike traffic or car traffic, and if you are blocking that flow so that it benefits just you that's a major problem.

So what we're talking about blocking the flow the way people are moving down an aisle, not if you're looking at a stall and you're stopping just to look at, the merchandise in one little area, but you have literally stopped. Everyone else behind you from going forward in the general direction that everyone is supposed to go on.

There's so many different scenarios I can go into. Like you're at Walmart and you've just stopped in the middle of the aisle instead of pulling off to the side. Yeah. . Just so you know, , your wife can get out or, your significant others trying to get in the car instead of pulling off to the curb , to open that up or just blocking, waiting for someone that you think is going to back up.

But actually, they're just sitting in the front seat with their foot on the brake. And they're not they're not really going anywhere. And you're sitting there for five minutes while the other people behind you. Why are we still here? Why are we not moving forward? Or if you're going into a concert or something like that and you block off the entire aisle whenever everyone is trying to get to their seats because you're trying to figure out where you want to go.

Yeah. That's the biggest thing. Like you get off a escalator and you just stop right at the very bottom because you don't know which direction you want to go. And so everyone else on the escalator is piling up going. Why aren't we moving? . And then they're having to dodge you and they're trying to be nice and polite and kind , and be respectful and mindful of the personal space and trying to go around you.

And sometimes it makes it very difficult. And of course those people are getting agitated because most of them know where they wanna go. Yeah. Whenever I think of blocking the flow of traffic, the first thing that comes to my mind is that disaster of a pickle festival we went to in New Braunfels. That was pretty bad, but it was.

Crazy., That was partially the setup and the, it was the setup for the setup's fault, but it was also one of those things that. It was very well laid out except for one specific area and everyone congregated in that one spot. Yeah. And when that happened, it shut down almost the entire section.

Yeah. So the one little walking path, the one little walking area that was allowed that , the setup, the vendor, whatever you wanna call it, that they allowed , and it was a bottleneck. It was smaller than all the other walking areas. It was blocked off in so many different points down that line because of the way it was set up.

And , people didn't care. No, they didn't care that they were blocking because they were in line for what they wanted to be in line for. They were not making gaps for people. They refused to move because everyone was so stressed out because the whole event was just from beginning to end was just kinda like, ah.

And everyone was so stressed out and at their wits end. And it was getting hotter. Yes. With everything. Mm-hmm. And so they didn't care. They were, people were like, excuse me. And they just looked, I'm like, I'm not moving. I'm not moving. Like they wouldn't budge an inch to let people through on this walkway.

And that to me is a major problem. It's extremely selfish to do something like that. I understand. Sometimes unintentional things happen and that cause us to block the flow of traffic. And then you wanna rectify that as soon as possible and then make your apologies. But whenever you're intentionally blocking the flow of traffic without any shame or concern for others, like that's a big problem.

Because if you know anything about how traffic works, especially your major highways and interstates and exchanges when something messes up on one end. How far back does that mess up? The flow of traffic. It's not two or three people that it's affecting, it's affecting everyone at that point.

There's actually been studies that on a interstate and major interstate, that one heavy break. For two seconds just because they slow down, they missed their exit or whatever can last up to 15 minutes. And how many miles?

Several miles. And it goes until there's a gap that. Can release , that pressure. ., And that's not just, oh my goodness, car traffic that applies to foot traffic. Everything. When you're in amusement parks or markets or something like that, or you're flying and there's one plane on, the runway that's getting ready to take off and then something happens and they can't get off, and now they've blocked the flow of traffic and it delays 15 other flights.

Because they're stuck on the runway. Yeah. It's crazy how much, which of course, our travelers can't control what the airplanes do. Well, and you can't control like how things are set up or the concert that you're going to. No, no, but it, that goes back to being mindful of shared spaces though.

Because if you are mindful, like we recognized it right away, and it could be because you know of Jeremy's, job at that time being the building inspector and he helped, bring events into the city, things like that. But we noticed it right away. This is an extremely. Traffic flow hazard, like this is a big issue and it just continued getting worse throughout the day, and I know we were not the only ones who noticed that.

So if you're mindful of the spaces around you, then you realize, hey, , I'm blocking traffic, or I'm slowing up. The traffic or , I am in the issue. So if I swung over to this side instead of standing in the middle of where everyone is walking, then I would be less of an issue. To me, it's just, it's again about being mindful of what's going on around you instead of just being focused on making sure you have the best time possible.

Yeah. So just be mindful of the flow. Everything will just flow. Don't the flow. Don't block the flow. Don't block the flow. So going into our next one, which again, even if you are staying in the us this will apply to you, but especially if you're traveling overseas, whatever the situation is. But be respectful of local.

Cultures and customs, and yes, this changes from region to region, even throughout the states. In fact, even throughout Texas, this changes. Oh, it changes big time. But especially traveling overseas. This is massive. This is, this one can actually get you incarcerated Right. For a long time. Yeah. And there's nothing really that the United States can do because you've willingly went into that situation.

Right. And broke their custom or , their culture and. Unfortunately it happens. Mm-hmm. But even here in America, maybe not incarceration but it could definitely leave to tickets and to citations where you're getting in trouble because you've done something that is , a big no-no. Yeah.

So I think of , party towns like New Orleans, things like that. And there's parties, there's loud music,, that's the custom, that's the culture. A lot of people go there for that vibe, right? Like that's the vibe they want. And or you think about like, the Florida Keys, A big part of that is like that Miami, you know, you want the music, you want the party vibe.

You go to specific towns. Well, in Vegas too, even Vegas. Yeah. Right. But then if you were to take that same atmosphere and bring it to North Dallas. It would not be welcomed at all. Well, well, and that's the real crazy part because, you know, you mentioned the keys in Miami especially New Orleans.

Um, and even Vegas. Vegas, yeah. Like they have areas and strips. Where that's cool. Once you cross that boundary. There's no more of that. Yeah, so like if you're in like Deep El or something in Dallas. Okay. You got that one little area where you can have that party vibe. It's literally, yeah.

Or where the bars and stuff Street. On Austin. On Austin, right. It's, that's where the nightlife is. Yes, that's where the bars are. That's. They welcome that, um, the neighborhoods in the area. Yeah, they're gonna be louder. Yeah. They know what's happening. It's gonna be more forgiving. But if you travel to North Dallas they do not tolerate that nightlife. They do not tolerate that loud vibe of, the base thumping going down the street on your super loud car. Mm-hmm. There are places that you can get away with that. And it's welcomed because it matches the vibe of that city.

And then there are other cities that if you do that, you're gonna get ticketed and you're gonna get cited for noise pollution. Yeah. And they're hardcore about it. Yeah. It changes so much from city to city, from region to region. You have customs and maybe not necessarily a big culture change, although, right.

We definitely do see that some, but a lot of customs, A lot of customs do vary from region to region across the US and it's. Especially across the world. And I'll also say about the culture part as well is, you know, you have New York and San Francisco and Chicago that have the different areas that certain, groups congregate around.

And , I'll bring up Chinatown because I've actually been there, but even going to Chinatown and just respecting that culture, respecting what they do in that area because. I don't wanna say they have their own rules and laws and regulations, but you can offend them to such a point that they maybe not be become hostile to you, but their perspective of people coming into their place that don't respect their culture, they have less of a tolerance for it, and it could lead to.

Incidences, it could lead to altercations. And so being very respectful to whatever that culture is. I can speak mainly here at Texas, we're a bunch of cowboys, so you know we. We do the riding, we do all that kind of stuff. Same thing in Wyoming and the Dakotas, you know, they, they do a whole bunch of that, and that's something cool.

But don't come to a rodeo dressed up to the nines with all your bling on and make fun of us, because that's going to lead to an altercation. You know, I also think. There are a lot of people who get very upset when someone says, yes ma'am, or something like that. But that is part of our culture here in the south.

Yeah, that's us being respectful, right? To whoever we're talking about. We say Ma'am, and we say Sir, and that is a form of respect and honor here in the south. So if you come here. You're not used to that and you find it offensive, just have a little bit of patience and realize that's just part of our culture.

Or if , you're in the deep south, they're like, oh, sweetie, oh, honey, that that's just the way that they speak. And then there's, now they say, bless your heart, that is not a kindness. Now that's, that's not kindness. They're judging you at that point in time. Yeah.

And sometimes, , people coming from the south or coming from overseas, they hear, Boston or something like that, talking, they're like, man, these people are rough. And it's like, no, this is the way they are they're still being kind. It's just, that's their kindness. So understanding the culture, the situation that you're in. Just respect that. Don't let it get to you if that's not your cup of tea, but it, enjoy it, be a part of it. So the last one we wanna talk about, number five, I think is one of the biggest ones. This is my number one.

Yeah. We have talked about this in a few other podcasts. But it's leave no trace. And this is no matter what you're doing. . If you're in a movie theater, if you're in a concert, don't leave your trash around.

Yep. If you're going down a highway, oh my goodness. Do not throw your trash out. , Don't destroy, don't trash, those type of things is what we're talking about when we say leave no trace. Do not take from things. We have visited so many of these quaint little.

Museums and stuff through these small towns that we've been in. And there's nothing behind glass cases. Everything is just out in the open. And we came across one not that long ago where there were signs and it was like, please refrain from taking the artifacts. And I'm like, wait, someone is stealing things from the museum.

Like yes, it absolutely happens. And it's not something that you can like quickly pawn off. I mean, it's a artifact. It's something that. Probably doesn't have a monetary value that any pawn shop is going to know. So stealing those things doesn't benefit you in any way really, except for just knowing that you did an evil deed.

. I never understood stealing to begin with. And as the older I get and the more places that we go to where we get to enjoy things that have been donated outta the generosity of someone else's heart, and we get to enjoy that, and then other people are messing that up for, future generations to come in.

I just, it rubs me the wrong way, but I am definitely gonna go back to the no trace, no trash. That is such a huge thing. , It's too simple

makes the experience a whole lot better, right? I mean, how many times have you walked into a movie theater and you've seen popcorn all over the place? You've seen trash because they didn't clean up in between the shows, and you automatically know this is a horrible place.

Before the movie has even started. It's already ruined your experience a little bit. So just no trace. That's a big thing , because if you don't pick it up someone else house to, and that's no fun for anyone. I know that they get paid for it, but there's a thing called excessiveness.

It is just super important to be a good traveler, not just because of those around you, but if you want to continue being a traveler, then you must be a good traveler. There are a lot of places in Asia right now, specifically Japan, especially where. Tourists are becoming less and less welcomed because they are not being good travelers.

They're not being good guests to the country that is hosting them. Whether you are traveling overseas to Japan, or you're staying right here in America, be respectful of the people and the places around you. I just cannot say this enough because what's happening in a lot of the places in Asia is they're becoming,

hostile, even to an extent towards some of the tourists because they will not respect the culture and the things that are there, and it's just so important for you to be a respectful traveler. If you want to continue to be able to travel and have that freedom and enjoy the things that you're enjoying, then do it respectfully now.

Go have a good time. Go enjoy your vacation. Go do things. Go experience stuff. Yes, you can have a good time and be respectful at the same time. In fact, you might have a better time if you do that because you automatically have a better mindset to begin with.

 These are five traveling rules we think everyone should follow. If you see someone not following these rules, have a little bit of patience, maybe say something if it applies, but for the most part, just stay out of it. Find the authorities if you need to, but be respectful, be mindful. Be a good traveler.