Well, when I originally wrote this post in my handy little Moleskine notebook (how I love those things), it was a rant. So thanks to Sheila for giving me a laugh through her “Top 5″ links and making me lighten up a little bit.

I am currently in Lisbon, Portugal, partly working and partly playing, and unfortunately spending a lot of time surrounded with people who, while they’ve traveled a fair bit, have a shocking (to me, since I can’t imagine living any other way) lack of curiosity about the world. Long story short, I’m accompanying my spouse for a week-long conference where he gets to hobnob with accountants (despite my previous post on the wonderful lack of sameness we maintain in an increasingly linked world, I gotta say that corporate accountants are surprisingly alike, whether they’re from Pakistan or Philadelphia), and I get to spend a lot of time with people whose idea of experiencing the local cuisine is to have the concierge make a reservation (at an Italian place down the road, full of tourists) and call a cab.

I promised not to rant. I wish I could pass this advice along to the people who need it, rather than the Perceptive Travelers our readers are, but here are my Top 5 words and phrases you really ought to memorize (and use!) in the language of whatever country you’re in:

Please
Thank you
Excuse me, do you speak — [language]?
Good morning/day/afternoon/evening/night
Where is the bathroom?

And learn to smile at people, wave your arms around for emphasis (not because it works, but because it pleases people — they think you’re trying), laugh at yourself, throw most dietary restrictions out the window (unless medically necessary), go for a walk without consulting a map, and brave the local public transport just once. Expect nothing from others, expect everything from the experience, and give your all.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 10th, 2007 at 12:51 am and is filed under Antonia projects, Europe travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.