5 Ways You Might Experience Culture Shock

Culture shock is when you experience a way of life outside of your norm. When you travel abroad, almost everything can seem like a culture shock. 

Check out these typical culture shock moments and ways you can quickly adjust to them:

1.

Language

The easiest way to experience culture shock is by the language barrier. When you get on the plane, you might see nothing except English, but as soon as you land, there isn’t a word of English in sight!
Get ready to pick up on a few new words when traveling abroad. Most international tourist destinations, however, do provide services in English like taxi drivers and hotel staff. Offline maps and google translate can definitely get you out of a bind when facing a language barrier.

2. Time Zone

If you think a three hour time difference from NYC to LA is significant, imagine being an entire day ahead of your friends back home.

Time zones can impact your body, making you feel drained during the first couple of days of your vacation. Jet lag is a real thing but don’t worry, it happens to everyone, and you’ll be back to normal as the trip goes on. You can overcome this but adjusting to local timezone (sleep at night and stay awake during the day), stay hydrated and if possible avoid alcohol the day before and the first day you arrive at your destination.

3. food

Traveling gives you a chance to experience a new culture, including the local food dishes. If you can’t understand the language, how do you know what you’re eating? A safe bet is always to ask for the name of the dish and do a quick google search if you have access to your phone and data.

When you travel with us, we’ll be sure to order the highest quality food to give you the best local culinary experiences.

4.

Currency

It can be hard enough managing your finances while at home, well add in the fact that you have to think about spending with a new currency.

The best way to budget for a trip and avoid overspending is by establishing your budget prior and exchanging the exact amount into the local currency when you arrive.

5.

Which side of the road?

As soon as you step outside the airport, you might notice cars facing in the opposite way. It can be a huge shock when getting in a taxi on the opposite side.

The good thing is that you probably won’t be driving during the trip. Just be sure to look in ALL directions before crossing the street if you’re unsure.