4 Vacation Tips For Traveling Abroad

Even a jerk has to travel now and again to those places he is not familiar with. When packing to head out on vacation or travel, even a jerk needs to be sure he's taking his true personality with him. Being out of his comfort zone, he may get just a bit off of his game. When on his own stomping grounds he knows just where to go for food, beer, and those things he can't seem to do without. How a jerk gets around in a new city can make or break his vacation traveling experience. Being a jerk when traveling on vacation can be the one thing that turns a regular trip into a remarkable memory!

You're in a new travel location and not totally acclimated to the area. The goal is to see, feel, and experience everything the new place has to offer, but you're not really the kind to wonder around aimlessly, going in and out of places without knowing the whole scoop. As a registered travel jerk, you must be resourceful and find a way to get the real facts, not just the stuff regular non-jerk travelers discover. Tourist traps are not for you, but seeing the hidden things the locals experience is absolutely for you. What you need is insider information!

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Being a Jerk Can Get You the 'Hole' Truth

The beauty of going to another town or destination is that you can have just as much fun or maybe even more because you are free of regular responsibilities and demands attached to being a jerk at home. No one knows you and so the manner in which you get the information to "upgrade" your vacation experience (no matter how jerky you are) can be as forward as you feel necessary. Finding the best watering holes to drink at, restaurants to eat in, and sights to be seen exploring takes effort. But, you must abide by the 4 rules to being a travel jerk that can get you into all the local haunts, which can have a decidedly brilliant outcome on your whole vacation!

4 RULES TO BEING A TRAVEL JERK:

1. Avoid Asking Strangers
2. Make a Local Your Friend
3. Tunnel Vision Only
4. Don't Take Crap From Anyone

Not simply an Atlas, the "Lonely Planet The Travel Book" is a comprehensive guide for planning the family vacation, or an important business trip. "Lonely Planet The Travel Book" shows you that planet Earth is to be experienced in full and as a fantastic adventure. This hardback covers issues like the political and physical statistics of a country (230 countries to be exact) as well as filling-you-in on what you can expect from the climates, languages, foods, quality of medical services available, and the requirements for "getting in" and "get out" of each location. Not to be missed, the photographs are stunning and will amaze you into craving the experience of each and every country for yourself.

A common mistake when you're lost, need information, or just want to find a place to kick-back is to ask a stranger on the street. You assume a). they are local; b). they have a right answer; c). they are trustworthy and sane. Wrong, wrong, and really wrong! They are not local, they have awful taste, and are nucking futs . You would be much better off by simply guessing for yourself. Which would not be a bad choice for a jerk. Locating the local visitors center can resolve the "stranger" risk factor immensely.

This is much different than asking a stranger. Try to get in tight with someone who is from the area who also knows the best local scoop. Talk to the bartender at a local pub or ask a waiter when you're out eating. Ask where they go on their off hours when they want to blow off a bunch of steam. If you can manage to tip well (as difficult as this may be for a true travel jerk), you can ask anything from where the best drinking hole is, to where the best strip club can be found. If the tip is big enough, they will be completely honest and offer you the "hole" truth! I don't recommend heading over to a local person's home or apartment to party with them. This could be a set up for criminal activity—with you being the activity—or at least a very bad traveling experience.

When out strutting around on the sidewalks on your vacation, pay attention only to those you are with and the itinerary you have in mind. A good travel jerk would never stop for people handing out pamphlets, people with clipboards asking for a moment of your time, or anyone shaking a coin cup asking for a hand out. Act as if they don't exist, like a genie or unicorns. Any and all of these incidents can result in being taken advantage of in some manner, which should never be on your travel itinerary! Although, a true jerk would take a few cents out of the coin cup in case the the meter runs out.

In most cases the assumption is that people who visit out of their country or state are going to be idiots that can easily be taken advantage of. Well, they are messing with the wrong jerk! Don't take lip from anyone. If a local person starts to give you crap, step up assertively and tell them there is a new boss in town and that things are about to get really real. Or anything else you can think of that will make the beating you're about to get feel a little less humiliating. (I suggest asking where the closest hospital is prior to this particular kind of interaction!)

In Conclusion

The goal is to be big enough of a jerk that your actions improve your vacation experiences. Keep your jerkiness in check to some degree, and don't be the total jerk everyone wants to avoid. Don't think that you come from a place that is so much better or wonderful than where you are visiting; no one made you visit. Insulting a locals country or town is the best way to get black-balled; acquiring absolutely no inside information. Walk a fine line between being the jerk who wants to get the most out of his travels, but respects the locals who have something to enhance those travels. After all, it was your choice to go to this place on your vacation!