As , not all travel is the same. There is such a thing as a good tourist and a bad tourist. Truth is, while we’re traveling, we cannot behave the same way as we would at home.

Learning how to be a better tourist will make your travels more meaningful—and fun!

If we don’t want to be bad tourists, we should be mindful of the local culture, people, and environment at all times. , for example, many drunk tourists don’t seem to care about the locals, making noise in the street as they return from partying.

Unfortunately, this is just one example of bad tourist behavior. Bad tourists are everywhere, doing all sorts of bad things—damaging important landmarks, littering, harming animals, and not respecting the local culture.

However, being a good (at least a better!) tourist is not that hard. Learning how to be a good tourist—and how NOT to be a bad tourist—doesn’t require taking a class or reading a textbook. By using common sense and , everyone can avoid being a bad tourist.

What is bad tourist behavior?

Before you figure out how to be a good tourist, you’ll want to carefully consider the flip side. In a nutshell, bad tourists are people who are not mindful of the local community, the environment, or the wildlife.

Here are some examples of bad tourist behavior:

1. Not respecting the local community, culture, or other travelers.

It’s important to be mindful of the locals of the country you’re visiting. This includes keeping quiet at night when you’re coming back from a night out and respecting the local traditions and religion. For example, visiting a sacred temple, you’re expected to dress appropriately by covering your shoulders and wearing knee-length shorts or skirts.

Besides locals, good tourists respect other travelers. If there are a lot of people queuing behind you to take photos of a landmark and you’re taking a long time, that’s not respectful either.

2. Littering or damaging landmarks.

Are there still people who litter on beaches in 2023? Unfortunately, yes. There are many other stories of irresponsible tourists vandalizing tourist attractions and landmarks, such as spray painting ancient walls or doing graffiti on pyramids. In some countries, , there is zero tolerance for this—littering and vandalism are considered serious crimes.

3. Participating in activities that promote animal or human exploitation.

Riding elephants, taking photos with a snake around your neck, or visiting orphanages are all examples of activities that promote exploitation. This behavior doesn’t make the tourism industry better as more and more companies will offer tour packages with these kinds of activities.

How to be a good (or better!) tourist

Meaningful travel is about so much more than finding the perfect photo op.

Being a better tourist is necessary both for the environment and the continuation of . Here is how to be a better tourist just by taking some simple steps:

1. Do some research and respect the local culture.

Before visiting a new place, do some research. This will help you , find out about the regional laws or entry requirements, and know what to expect. In your research, you can use such as , meaningful travel blogs, and helpful apps.

Once you’re at your destination, respect the local culture and customs. Every country is different. For example, in , it is very important to tip in restaurants. On the other hand, in , tipping is not customary and can even be considered insulting.

2. Eat, shop, and stay at local places.

depends on tourism. By shopping at local businesses, you help the country develop further and support its economy. So instead of staying in international hotels, you could try local or . Not only will this be a more authentic experience, but it’s also likely to be .

Besides your accommodation, consider going local with food as well. Take the opportunity to by eating at local restaurants instead of international chains.

Last but not least, shop at local small businesses to support the local economy instead of going to malls. You’ll definitely find in local shops.

3. Keep the environment in mind.

This goes without saying—you shouldn’t litter, damage landmarks, or put love locks on historic bridges. But . Try choosing buses or trains over planes whenever possible. Recycle as much as you can and go local with as many of your purchases as possible.

4. Don’t just go to touristy places.

This doesn’t mean that you can never visit touristy places. But only visiting these types of cities damages the environment because of over-tourism and makes life more expensive for locals.

Sure, you can see the big tourist attractions, but make some time to discover things off the beaten path.

When possible, try traveling more off-the-beaten path or visiting a destination in the off season. also helps one discover a place and its culture more meaningfully.

5. Avoid traveling in large groups—travel with a couple of people instead.

Not only will the group be too noisy for others around you, but it will also be difficult for you to experience what your destination has to offer. You probably won’t be able to find seats in the cute little café your favorite travel blogger mentioned or notice that little hidden shop in the city center. or traveling in small groups makes it easier to have an authentic experience.

6. Learn basic words in the local language.

Simple words and phrases like “hello,” “thank you,” “do you speak English?,” and “I’m sorry” go a long way. A good way to be a good tourist and show that you respect locals is simply making an effort.

7. Avoid activities that exploit animals and humans.

We understand that you might want to help animals, children, or homeless people. But there’s a good way and a bad way of doing that.

By booking the wrong type of activities—such as visiting a tiger farm to take selfies—you actually promote the continuation of animal exploitation. When it comes to human exploitation, companies organizing visits to orphanages actually use children as tourist attractions, which is not okay. There are —you can start exploring those if you want to help children.

Researching or is a good way to learn more about . You could help in wildlife conservation, sea turtle protection, building homes, dog rescue, and more.

8. Educate others on the importance of meaningful travel.

As a responsible traveler, you will enjoy discovering new cultures, tasting new foods, meeting locals, and . But it doesn’t end there.

If you want to promote meaningful travel among your friends or family, you can talk about how to be better tourists, share stories from your trip, talk about the places you’ve visited, and . You can also encourage them to be better tourists by telling them how bad tourists disturb locals and the environment.

Be a better traveler by avoiding bad tourist behavior

A wonderful world awaits when you’re ready to see it with intention and respect.

Figuring out how not to be a bad tourist—and, by extension, how to be a better tourist—will make traveling that much more fun. Instead of being the bad tourist all the locals hate, you can everyone asks for travel advice. !

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