{"id":1194,"date":"2012-05-08T16:56:57","date_gmt":"2012-05-08T20:56:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/?p=1194"},"modified":"2012-12-06T14:54:40","modified_gmt":"2012-12-06T19:54:40","slug":"educational-travel-tip-tuesday-breaking-the-ice-when-abroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/educational-travel-tip-tuesday-breaking-the-ice-when-abroad","title":{"rendered":"Educational Travel Tip Tuesday: Breaking the ice when abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Cultural
\nTalking with the locals is probably the <\/em>best way to learn about authentic customs and cultures. But sometimes breaking the ice can feel a bit awkward. So, try a tip or two from Explorica. You never know, you might make a friend in the process.<\/p>\n

1. Flex your dimples<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even if you don’t speak the language of your host country, you do speak the language of the world. (That’s a friendly face and a broad smile to you and me.) In many parts of the world good eye contact helps build bridges, too. Particularly in European countries such as Spain, France and Germany because it says that you want to strike up conversation. But in others, such as Japan and Peru, keep eye contact to a minimum to show respect for the locals.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

2. With compliments (really)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Picking up a few choice words in the local language (like \u201cplease\u201d and \u201cthank you,\u201d \u201chello and \u201cgoodbye,\u201d and \u201cwhere’s the bathroom\u201d) is a must. But learning how to say, \u201cThat’s delicious\u201d at a caf\u00e9 or \u201cwhat a beautiful basket\u201d at the market or even \u201chow cute\u201d about a passerby\u2018s dog is a bonus because it beefs up dialog. Take note, however, in some parts of the world such as in Africa or in the Middle East, a compliment obliges a person to give you the item that you like. So you\u2018ll want to compliment carefully, if not sparingly!<\/p>\n

3. Cultural exchange, literally<\/strong><\/p>\n

A great way to ingratiate yourself into a culture is to actively exchange ideas. When you strike up a conversation, be willing (and ready) to share stories or examples of how things differ in America. For example, show American coins or pack a few U.S. brand snacks to share that might not be common where you\u2019re going. And, carry a few photos from back home with you, too. That way you and<\/em> the locals will get more out of an interaction because there\u2019ll be something to learn\u2014and teach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Talking with the locals is probably the best way to learn about authentic customs and cultures. But sometimes breaking the ice can feel a bit awkward. So, try a tip or two from Explorica. You never know, you might make a friend in the process. 1. Flex your dimples Even if you don’t speak the Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173,63,172],"tags":[233,255,12],"class_list":["post-1194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-parents","category-students","category-teachers","tag-educational-travel-tip-tuesday","tag-travel-advice","tag-travel-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1194"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1197,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1194\/revisions\/1197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}