The 5 Non-Negotiables of Travel

Not "nice." Polite.

Nice is performative. Polite is respect for the environment you're in. Learn three phrases: hello, thank you, excuse me. Use them constantly. Smile when you don't understand something. Apologize when you mess up—even if it wasn't your fault.

You're a guest. Act like one.

Locals can smell entitlement from across the street. The fastest way to close every door is to assume everyone should accommodate you. The fastest way to open them is to try. Even badly. Especially badly.

A Swedish bartender will remember you fumbling through "tack" with a smile. They won't remember the guy who didn't try.

You cannot experience a city through a screen. Full stop.

Use your phone for maps. Use it for translation. Use it to take one photo. Then put it away.

The best moments happen when you're actually present—when you notice the side street, overhear the conversation, make eye contact with someone interesting. You miss all of it scrolling Instagram at a café in Barcelona.

That's not travel. That's the same dopamine loop you do at home, just with better lighting.

Look up. Watch people. Notice details. That's where the stories come from. Not your camera roll.

Every day, do one thing you didn't plan.

Take the wrong bus. Ask a local where they're going tonight and just show up. Order something you can't pronounce. Walk into a bar that doesn't look like "your vibe."

The planned stuff? Fine. Safe. Forgettable.

But the random moments—those are the ones you'll talk about for years. The best travel stories don't start with "We had a reservation." They start with "We had no idea what we were doing, but..."

Say yes to the weird invite. Get lost on purpose. Follow your gut into the unfamiliar. That's where it gets good.

Find one local habit and make it yours for the trip.

In Spain? Take a siesta. In Sweden? Have fika every afternoon. In Japan? Bow when you say thank you. In Italy? Drink espresso standing at the bar like you own the place.

It's not about "blending in"—you won't. It's about stepping into the rhythm of the place.

When you adopt a custom, you start to feel the city differently. You're not watching culture happen. You're in it. That shift changes everything.

Not every city rewards the same energy.

Stockholm is reserved. Loud Americans get eye-rolls. Berlin values directness. Small talk feels fake there. Barcelona is social and late. Show up at 9pm and you're the weirdo. Tokyo is polite and quiet. Being rowdy on the train? You just labeled yourself.

Same behavior that makes you likable in one city makes you annoying in another.

Do 10 minutes of research before you land. Understand the baseline. Then calibrate.

Cultural intelligence isn't about changing who you are. It's about reading the room. And every city is a different room.