Tourism is now a big industry all around the world, with many new aspects of tourism now coming into being. Every year each one of us tries to travel to at least one new place within or outside the country, or it could even be the next town. Traveling to a known or unknown destination is always very exciting and many times, in our excitement we get totally carried away. The result is, a bunch of loud tourists who make a lot of noise and disturb the peace and quiet of a particular location. I have also observed that many people do not even take care of keeping the surroundings clean, unless of course, they are in a European or other countries, where they meticulously pick up their trash or else they would pay heavy fines.
Important thing is to be a responsible person, this responsibility should increase even more so when we are visiting other places as tourists. It is also very essential that we follow a certain set of rules and regulations to avoid getting into troubles of sorts. If you are properly organized and have planned out your tour well, then any unforeseen problems can be met head on easily. Lack of care and planning by us may also inconvenience our fellow travelers or even tour organizers, if we are traveling in a group arranged by someone else.
Here are some guidelines that we should try to observe strictly in order to be a responsible tourist.
1. If you are traveling by your own vehicle, make sure that you get it checked and serviced thoroughly before the onset of your journey. Also, double check to ensure that you are carrying all the documents, registration proof, license etc. related to your vehicle. When driving through other places, do not honk on your horn unnecessarily. Understand and maintain the speed limits of those places. Park your vehicles only in the places meant for parking. Too often, most places of tourist interest are jam-packed with vehicles parked in a very haphazard and annoying manner that it creates a lot of inconvenience and irritation to others, so much that all the enjoyment is taken out of the sojourn.
2. Take the utmost care of your money, traveler's checks, passports etc. Make sure that you photocopy your passports and keep a 2-3 copies of it distributed randomly in your luggage. This will be very very useful, should you happen to misplace or lose your passport. Try not to lose it in the first place. Being stranded in a strange destination without a passport is not something you would want to be. Do not carry any valueable objects. Carry only what is necessary. Regarding ornaments, it is better not to wear a lot, but only one or two items that are necessary.
3. Keep your personalized first-aid kit with you always. Before starting the journey, ensure that you have stocked up on your prescriptions, special pills, ointments, lotions, etc. that you are used to. If you are a diabetic or have some other ailment such as hypertension etc. be sure to carry all your medicines in enough quantities to last you until you get back home.
4. Try to get information about the place you will be visiting and keep a list of the numbers of local doctors, police station etc. with you, this might come handy in case of emergencies. If you are venturing into places such as mountains, forests etc. make sure you have a proper map of the place. Better still is to bring a person with you who is a local and familiar with the place. Make sure that you let the local authorities know your whereabouts and the estimated time you are going spend in the wilderness. Should you happen to lose your way or an emergency comes up, this information will help the authorities track you fast.
5. Make sure that you carry a personal identity card with your photo, name, address, emergency contact numbers AND your blood type on it. Do not foget to mention any specific conditions such as insulin-dependent diabetes etc.
6. Try to minimize the use of plastic carry bags, water bottles, food wraps etc. Pick up all that you have used and throw it in the trash bins provided. Do not litter any place with these things. Maintain the cleanliness of the surroundings. Do not endanger the environment in any way or by any act of yours. Many a fires in woods and mountains are known to have been started by a careless visitor who smoked and just threw the burning stubs in grass.
7. If you are visiting a water body such as a sea, ocean or a riverside etc. first ensure that you read the safety procedures and rules of that place. Do not take unnecessary risks by getting into unknown waters or swimming if you are out of practice. There are many people who in their enthusiasm and excitement, forget that they have not swimmed in years and still take a dive into the waters with the result that they get fatigued very easily. This might endanger your own life, so avoid it all costs. Especially if there are No Swimming boards displayed in the vicinity.
Also, on a coastal trip, it is very very crucial to make yourself familiar with the timings of the high tide and low tide. Getting in the waters during the tidal waves will prove very dangerous and in some cases, it might prove life taking too. Be very cautious around the areas where there are a lot of boulders on the coasts since the pull and force of the waves is much more intense around the rocks than anywhere else. Try and be close to others in the group and do not stray away from them.
8. Be friendly and courteous towards the local people. Some people think that they can purchase their way through anything and just because they have money, the locals should be respectful to them. This is a very wrong attitude. Always remember that we are guests in other people's realms. So we have to be nice, only then we will get the courtesy and respect that we deserve. Try not to be too loud at all times, because even though we are out to have a time of our lives, they are not. They still have to go about their daily duties and responsibilities. There children may be studying or the elderly might be resting. So be soft and do not make unnecessary loud noises and try not to get in their way by blocking the roads for a perfect shot of something that caught your fancy.
9. Be respectful of the local customs and traditions, more so when visiting temples, churches or other places of religious importance. Take off your shoes wherever its needed and do not make a fuss about it. That is a matter of religious importance and their faith. So do not disrespect or scoff such things even though you may find them outlandish. You are in their realm, you are their guest, so behave accordingly.
10. Be very respectful at places of heritage and history. Do not stamp your presence in such places by writing or carving your initials on ancient monuments, forts, old temple ruins etc. No one wants to see that. Doing so means you are only destroying something that is very important to others. Remember that there are people who have put their lives into discovering such places and for conserving them. Maintain the sanctity and decorum of such places.
11. Control your children. Do not let them run around indiscriminately while disturbing others. Instead, tell them the importance of each place you visit and also recount any legends that you may know. This will get them interested in history and also make them responsible.
12. Be respectful of nature. Do not pluck flowers, plants etc. that might interest you indiscriminately. Do not destroy nature in any manner. I have personally seen how irresponsibly people behave. Last year I was visiting Kaas plateau near Satara District, Maharashtra with my family and one other family. This place is now declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO and is famous for tiny wild flowers of a great variety that bloom between August to October. Since many of those species are now endangered due to human intervention, there were walkways created by raising barricades so that people do not step on these flowers. To my utter disgust, hardly any one respected this provision and many couples were busy standing on the flowers a La Titanic - style to get themselves photographed! Now that is something no one should ever do!
Do not keep comparing between conditions back home and the current place you are in. Sometimes comparing things is okay and fun too, but not at the cost and pretense of trying to appear superior over the locals. Do not criticize food etc. Be respectful of the food, you may not like the local cuisine but that does not give you a right to attack its merits and demerits.
Being a tourist is a pleasing experience and the purpose of any such journey is to enjoy and gather sweet memories to last us for a lifetime. But with it also comes a responsibility of being mature and considerate. Like it or not, this maturity and consideration has to become a habit so that others do not suffer on account of our actions.
So be responsible, be gracious and enjoy the journey of a lifetime!
(Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons)