Sometimes it can be hard to determine what’s an urban legend or an old wives’ tale and what isn’t. By now, most of us know that you can’t catch the flu from going out with wet hair and that our mothers don’t really have eyes in the back of their heads, but some myths are harder to figure out. When it comes to travel, particularly international travel, the facts can be stranger than fiction in some cases! Many rules which seem like “common sense” actually aren’t true or applicable at all. Here are some common travel myths for you to be aware of:
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If you are in a country where you shouldn’t drink the water, you can just drink bottled water instead. This sounds like it makes sense; after all, bottled water is safer than tap water, right? Well, it can be… if it’s not simply tap water in a bottle! Find out the source of the bottled water that you’re planning to drink. If it comes from the same region that you are in and you have been advised not to drink the water, then gracefully pass. Another option is to boil the water (let it cool without the aid of ice cubes) or to use water purification tablets that you have brought along with you.
- Turning Your Electronics on below 10,000 ft. will cause the place to crash. While you would be breaking the airlines policy, the FAA has done studies and although there can be minor interference, it is not detrimental to the flight. I don’t know about you, but I can certainly turn them off for landing and take off, just in case.
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You can’t visit a country if you don’t know the language. It is a good idea to know some of the basics of the native language of the areas where you will be visiting. At the very least, know how to find a doctor and a bathroom, and to say please, thank you and no thank you. But really, as long as you have a phrasebook, you can get along just fine in most places. Even without a phrasebook, if you are going to a typical tourist destination, chances are excellent that you will find plenty of people who speak English. If you were to find yourself lost in a foreign country, one good way to find someone to help you is to approach a teenager; in many developed countries, high school students have fairly advanced English skills.
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Traveling is very expensive. Transportation can be expensive, particularly when flying is the mode of transportation. If you can find a great deal on a flight, however, you might be able to travel internationally for a lot less money than you may think! Remember that in some places in the world, the US Dollar stretches a lot further. (Of course, in other areas, it does not stretch very far at all.) Between hostels and low-cost inns, you can get accommodations for a song in some places. Eating foods purchased from street vendors and in grocery stores is much less expensive than eating restaurant meals three times per day. Budget travel companies such as Cosmos tours can help you travel to Europe for around $80 per day which includes transportation, hotel, breakfast daily and some sightseeing.
- Cruise ships are all inclusive: While cruise ships provide a great value, not everything is included. Alcoholic beverages, sodas, tipping, shopping and gambling are not included. So what is included? You have breakfast, lunch and dinner daily which you can eat in a formal dining room or buffet style, there is also complimentary room service and usually a 24 hour pizza place. You also have Broadway style shows, live music around the pool and in different bars in the evenings, and depending on the ship lots of activities such as rock climbing, ice skating, mini-golf, basketball and more are all included in your price. The bigger the ship, the more there will be to do onboard.
- You save money by booking at the last minute. This is not always true. It may work for a flight within the U.S. or a hotel stay, but if you are traveling abroad, there are limited flights and they tend to get more expensive the closer to your travel date. If you plan to fly around a holiday, prices will sky rocket at the last minute so book early. There are also lots of early booking deals for those that book 6+ months in advance. With cruises your deposit is refundable until final payment so why not lock in the best rates early?
Of course, there are a lot of other travel myths as well. You might have heard, for example, that fingernail clippers will be confiscated at the security checkpoints at airports, or that cruises are the domain of the rich and elderly, neither of which is true. In general, you should not believe everything you hear when it comes to international travel. Ask your travel agent for advice if you aren’t sure if something is accurate or simply an urban legend.
