My wife and I travel quite a bit. Our favorite place to travel is South America, especially Argentina. Surprisingly, our least favorite place to travel is Europe. Wherever we travel internationally, we always encounter things that make us shudder. Here’s a list of our most common complaints:
1. Transaction Fees on ATMs and Credit Cards
This drives us mad. At the very moment we think we’ve got it all figured out, the industry changes it’s policies and we get nailed with fees we didn’t expect. The key is to check with your bank (our bank, Wachovia, won’t budge on its fees) and find a no-international-fee credit card (right now it seems to be Capital One).
You still might get hammered with fees on the merchant end of things, but at least by securing your end of the bargain, you can feel somewhat confidant that you won’t come home to an extra $300 in hidden fees. Nonetheless, we hate all the head-banging that this issue requires and just wish that there were an international standard of currency.
2. No Secure Internet Booking, No Business
There are so many great locations out there that don’t have a good Internet presence. This kills me. Fodors might recommend 3 or 4 spots in a town I’m staying in, but often none of them have a good website. I’m too lazy to call up someone who speaks a different language and deal with the hassle of basic communication.
I want a sleek and efficient way to book my lodging accommodations online, all in English, all with 128bit SSL security. But often the locations with a strong web presence aren’t the locations at which I want to stay.
3. Communicating with non-English Speakers
This issues follows up on the last one. I know I shouldn’t let it bother me. I know I should be understanding. But come on people. If the majority of visitors to your tourist economy are English speaking, and if you work in the tourist industry (bed and breakfast, hotel, car rental, restaurant) then please, for God’s sake, learn how to communicate in English.
4. Dealing with Dirty Laundry
My wife and I are planning a two week trip to the homeland of our ancestors. As wasteful as it sounds, we’ve decided to pack light and simply throw away most of our clothes during the trip. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s not as ridiculous as lugging around and trying to wash/dry dirty laundry on a trip.
5. Worrying About What We Eat and Drink
When I go on vacation, the last thing I want to worry about is getting diarrhoea. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what I need to worry about in almost every location I travel to. Just like I wish there were a single standardized currency, I also wish there were a common food standard. To top things off, my wife is pregnant for our upcoming trip, which makes the issue even that more pressing.
6. Feeling Like I’m in a Tourist Trap
I know, I know. I’m a tourist and I’m feeding a tourist economy. It’s because of people like me that there are tourist traps in the first place. But I can’t stand it when I go somewhere and the entire place feels like a huge tourist trap. I want some authenticity. As they say, “When in Rome…don’t eat McDonald’s!”
7. Crowded public transportation
I love public transportation. But I don’t like forcibly rubbing up against sweaty men in tank tops. It seems that everywhere I travel, the transit system is overcrowded and uncomfortable.
Ryan Caldwell blogs at Performancing and College Startup.
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Kevin May | 3 October, 2007 at 8:52 pm
Ryan: are you sure about point 3)??
if you were a hotel owner in London, would you learn french to ensure you speak the same language as the country which has a major impact on the english tourist economy? i hope so…
Darren Cronian | 3 October, 2007 at 9:05 pm
Thanks for the guest blog post Ryan.
Why would we want one currency through-out Europe? Maybe you forget that Europe is not a country, it’s a continent, with many countries, many currencies, and many languages!
I for one hope we never go on to the Euro!
Travelling means you get involved in the local cultures, learn the local lingo.
Ryan | 3 October, 2007 at 9:30 pm
Darren,
I understand your point, but couldn’t we have some way of eliminating all the excessive fees associated with international travel?
Don’t you agree that the fees are ridiculous?
Ryan | 3 October, 2007 at 9:33 pm
Kevin,
I seriously doubt that London’s tourist economy depends on France. I’m sure you could eliminate France and watch London’s tourist economy continue to flourish.
Darren Cronian | 3 October, 2007 at 9:38 pm
Ryan,
If your in the UK, and you have US$’s [or any other currency] you can go to any high street travel agency and exchange this for free. Many travellers don’t realise this and pay ridicolous rates.
When abroad I use my debit card for food etc. and if I need to use the ATM, the bank charges me a nominal fee. I guess alot of the fee’s are based on your own bank rates, back home?
Rohan | 3 October, 2007 at 9:42 pm
Ryan are you American?
London is home to many nationalities, and diverse cultures, so you expect people who may not speak English as their first language. I’m sure this is the same in every capital city in the World.
Kevin May | 3 October, 2007 at 9:47 pm
Ryan: i think you have misunderstood my point.
[French tourists contribute to around 11% of total visitor numbers to the UK, so that is actually a rather sizeable chunk.]
incidentally, only around a quarter of all visitors to the UK are native English speakers.
i am sure the reputation of the British have for refusing to speak the local language is not exactly helped by pleas like yours.
sorry, just a personal opinion. 
Valerie | 3 October, 2007 at 11:09 pm
I find that entries #3 and #6 entirely contradict one another. You say that you wan’t for the natives of the area you visit to speak English…yet you loathe tourist traps. Well buddy, you can’t really have one without the other, can you? Once the members of a touristy (or potentially touristy) community become fluent in English, they will see that by creating more and more ways to attract more and more tourists, their economy suddenly strengthens. Hence the dreaded over-priced and over-Westernized tourist trap. It’s all about supply and demand. If enough people like you rudely and close-mindedly demand that English be spoken in your vacation destinations, it will eventually happen as businesses see that it is in their best interest ($$$$$) a well. Then lame-ass people like you will go there.
I won’t even go into detail about throwing away dirty clothes (except to say that there are hundreds of thousands of people in many countries who only have the clothes on their back).
Nor will I comment on the public transportion issue (except to say that there are hundreds of thousands of people in many countries who either: a)don’t even have access to public transportation and must walk miles each day, or b) deal with it on a regular basis as it is a part of the everyday life in a densley populated area, or c) bike!).
You need to get out more.
Ray Doherty | 4 October, 2007 at 12:34 am
The remark that foreigners should communicate in English reflects both arrogance and a misplaced sense of cultural superiority that earns Americans the label “the ugly American.” I’ve found that taking the time to learn a few words in another language pays handsome dividends when travelling abroad.
Yvonne | 4 October, 2007 at 12:43 am
Oh dear! No wonder American’s have a poor reputation abroad.
Stuart @ Travelfish | 4 October, 2007 at 1:49 am
Great idea for a guest post (just started a similar one over at Travelfish), but I only agree with one — bank fees.
Here’s mine:
1) Not speaking enough of the local language
2) Flying budget airlines
3) Guidebook bumsteers
4) Touts & shysters
5) Visas
6) Travellers behaving badly
7) Drummers
sagar trapasia | 4 October, 2007 at 10:42 am
ur last point on conjusted traveling…hope u havent visited india for traveling by local trains.Just few minutes travel by mumbai’s local train at evening or morning…and u will hell lot to write for ur blog.
Ryan | 4 October, 2007 at 3:35 pm
My wife tries to learn the local languages. I just use sign language.
Michael | 5 October, 2007 at 7:13 pm
Re: point #1
Our credit union offers totally free ATM use worldwide. At the end of the business day, they even reimburse us any fees/service charges incurred that day by another institution for use of their ATM or for cash advances, so it really is completely fee-free. Check your local credit unions to see if any offer this benefit; generally lots of other good benefits with credit union banking as well
Sylvain | 6 October, 2007 at 11:26 pm
I agree with Kevin May, Valerie, Ray and Stuart. If you hate going abroad because they don’t speak your language then travelling must be such a pain for you!… unless you only travel to Australia, USA, and former british colonies…
I’ll recommend you to watch this video of rugby player Seb Chabal (who plays for Sale btw):
That reminds me a comment on Tripadvisor of a New Yorker who said he couldnt stand the hotel he stayed in, in Martinique, because everybody was speaking french! A smart guy..
Joel | 7 October, 2007 at 5:39 pm
ATM cards are probably the best way to convert money in Europe if you are from the USA or UK. Local money changers and even the ones at the airport are a ripoff.
Rainfield | 9 October, 2007 at 3:58 am
well, thanks for you points, Ryan.
1. transaction fees are really a lot. but considering about your travel experience, its worth it.
2. for security, choose some good services or follow the recommendation of other travelors.
3. i totally disagree with this point. ive been traveling for years, it gave me the feeling that people all over the world started to speak English. In China, staffs of those cool guesthouse do speak good english.
4. 0.0 guesthouses will do it for you…
5. this is unevitable, i always take some pills with me all the way.
6. i feel that too“`
7. trafic is the problem forever. but i prefer to do some hiking in the mountain area.
lowri | 27 October, 2007 at 1:27 pm
How dare u demand that other countries speak english, if u want to have ease of communicating abroad then stick to the US, UK or OZ, forget about visiting all the other wonderful sights this world has to offer and stay single minded!!!
it takes nothing to learn a few basic phrases, it will be worth it when u get to experience the true nature of a country. Unless u r willing to stop being an ignorant American u will never get away from those tourist traps u hate so much!!!!
get a life and really try to experience what travelling is all about!!
Tomaj | 3 August, 2008 at 5:53 am
You want authenticity in your destinations (#6), but you want people to speak English, have “a common food standard” so you don’t get sick, the public transportation system be uncrowded for you, and you only stay at places with an advanced web site. Well, which do you want? Authenticity or the Hyatt Regency? You don’t have to be very smart to realize that going out into the world means accepting what’s out there. If you don’t like it, stay home.
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19 responses to “Seven Things I Hate About Traveling”