One of the reasons for travelling is to gain cultural experience from new places. Travelling in developing countries even give you more authentic cultural experience in the process. You will also be able to interact with the people and build strong connection after knowing them more. However, travelling to developing countries is also challenging. For travelers who are accustomed to modern living and high-tech facilities, travelling to developing countries can be overwhelming especially in the first try. However, it is not something that you cannot solve. You will still be able to travel happily in developing countries by preparing everything thoroughly in advance.
Travelling safely to developing countries
There are various challenges when it comes to travelling in developing countries such as widespread poverty, modest economies, lack of tourist facilities, and many more. It is much different from travelling to modern countries where high-tech facilities are provided and all tourist infrastructures are well established. Here are tips to travel in developing countries safely and happily:
- Make sure to do your own research before visiting your travel destination. You need to find the most up to date information regarding to developing country you are going to visit. Aside from searching information via search engine, you can also take advantage of social media since it is one of useful platforms to provide up to date information. The research will help you a lot to be more prepared and ready of what to expect when you arrive at your destination.
- Learn more about the local cultures, traditions, and taboos. Make sure to search the information from reliable source so you won’t be misled to false information. Instead of relying only on narrative information, you can also watch documentaries to show everything in real experience. There are many differences in different places. For example, you may be considered offending the locals by wearing inappropriate outfit.
- Learn more about the local language so you can interact better with them. People in developing countries might not be able to speak international language like English. Thus, it will be harder for you to make conversation with them. You can learn more basic expression in local language to help you navigate better with your exploration.
- Another challenge of travelling in developing country is the transportation. They may have their own mode of transportation. However, not all of them meet safety standard. Thus, you need to choose your mode of transportation wisely. You need to search information regarding to local airline’s safety record, as well as for buses and trains.
- It is highly recommended not to easily give your money to strangers even if the look in need badly. If you really want to help and contribute to those in need, you can seek out respected local leaders and find out more about community initiative. You can also support nonprofit organization. It is also not recommended to give things to children because it can lead to potential negative impact. You can give the items to the parents, teacher, or community instead.