Things you should never do when you travel

What you need to know:

Have a safe trip. Every safari you make to a new place, please, know what is expected of you, lest you backfire. Angelica Nankinga shares her list of don’ts when you travel

Don’t act like a know-it-all.
Just because you read an article about the country or even watched a news segment about your travel destination doesn’t make you an expert on that country.
Most tourists make the simpleminded mistake of assuming they’ve done enough research about the country, therefore have gained comprehensive knowledge about the country they are visiting.
So they act like they have all the right solutions to the problems caused by the government/the people.
Do not be that tourist. You cannot possibly learn everything about a country from Google. Wait until you actually learn about the country by living in it.

keep your documents
Tourists are always afraid of getting into trouble with the law due to lack of proper documentation So, they walk around with their passport, national ID, among others.
However, what would happen to you if you lost these documents? Make copies of your documents and walk with them but tuck away originals.


Don’t take pictures with drugged wildlife.

Everybody thinks a photo with an untamed animal is pretty cool. And yes, it is. Unless it’s taken under the wrong circumstances. Especially, if the animal has been drugged. There are photos of people posing with drugged lions, elephants, leopards and it is disturbing.
Think about how offensive it is for the locals to see photos of their wildlife drugged for amusement of others.

Don’t undermine the locals’ culture.

What is so beautiful about this world is that each corner is so different from the other. So, when you visit a country with a different culture, respect that culture and appreciate its uniqueness.
Don’t touching artifacts. Use your eyes not your hands. I remember visiting the Versailles Chateau in France and one of the tourists kept touching Louis XVI’s chair. This chair has survived more than 200 years. He was almost kicked out of the palace. It is important to respect the artifacts.

Don’t take locals’ photos without permission.

Imagine if a random person snapped a photo of you without requesting for your permission first? How would you feel? Annoyed, I presume.
So, it is always nice to ask for permission before you take photos of the locals, or of other tourists. Try to make everyone as comfortable as you want to feel. You will be surprised at how willing people are to have their photo taken, if only you ask.

Don’t change money at the airport
The airports usually have obscene exchange rates. The best rates are in the city, ask your cab driver.