Do's & Dont's when travelling

Posted by AfroVibe on Wed June 17, 2015 in Garden Route Travel.

Ahoy Afrovibers! Welcome to the first of many travel-blogs to guide you and to enrich your travelling experiences throughout South Africa, or wherever your next destination will be. This week’s special is 'Backpacking Etiquette' as we sieve through the types of backpackers we love to see around the place, and more importantly... the ones who leave a horrible taste in your mouth!

COME and stay with us if you:

  • Seek adventure and new experiences.
  • Are prepared to step out of your comfort zone, to Bungy or not to Bungy, that is the question.
  • Wanting to meet people from other countries and learn about their way of life, ranging from South Africa to Sweden.
  • To hang out at the bar/communal area and meet the locals, we will sleep when we are dead.
  • Not too bothered about the strength of the Wi-Fi network, you have probably come across the term 'TIA' by now.
  • Willing to team up with guests to share a ride or make a meal, both parties involved will benefit financially and will have a lekker jol.
  • Are open minded, let's not compare countries.
  • Can listen to stories and share the conversation.
  • Are cool with size, temperature, sound levels, volume of people, location, area code, favourite colour and zodiac sign of your allocated room.
  • Are somehow related to Nelson Mandela.

DONT stay with us if you:

  • Are super boring.
  • Claim have done everything known to mankind, including riding a Great White Shark in every continent & the planet Jupiter.
  • Enjoy 'ONE-UPPING' people with your own stories and experiences and making people feel small, you also started out as a normal person once.
  • Lock yourself in your lair and don't make any effort to blend in with the crowd and then complain to say that 'there isn't anything to do around here'.
  • Don't listen to the stated opening hours of breakfast, lunch and dinner and then moan to us that they are hungry because the kitchen is closed, most hostels employ multi-national staff to tell you this information in your native language.
  • Have had your personality, character, charm and attention drained by that online travel blog that you spend every waking hour working on. The word 'Backpacker Hostel' does not rhyme with 'Super-Awesome Internet Cafe'.
  • Agree to stay in a Hostel above a popular beach bar in the busiest week of the year in a seasonal town and then angrily commenting about the noise level and continue to look at the reception staff as if they have committed genocide.
  • Say the following sentences -
    "Oh you speak it? Isn't that a dead language?”

"You're from there? I didn't like it”.

"Your country is in a mess right now”.

"That soccer team you support is kak”.

"I prefer Asia, dorms are cheaper.”

  • Compare South Africa to your country and moan on how much worse it is here for every comparison noted. How are your Belgian Lions doing?
  • Have never heard of 'Apartheid'. Seriously! do some research
  • Expect an 8 star quality stay with room service and pay later/tab facilities and compare the hostel to the place you stayed last year in Plett for half of the price.
  • Complain about how hot it is in the room even with a working fan and it being 37 degrees outside.
  • Would rather use WhatsApp than watch a sunset on a beach 20 metres in front of you.
  • Have the names 'Robert Mugabe' or 'Julius Malema’.