| Until recently not many would've thought of luxury | | | | browsing for top attractions and things to do at your |
| travel as an agent of world peace and understanding. | | | | luxury travel destination. It can be quite a revelation. |
| Even now this aspect of travel hasn't quite rung a | | | | Differences in culture and customs become more |
| bell, generally speaking. Are tourists responsible for | | | | pronounced as your luxury travel presses eastwards. |
| more than their luggage when they travel? Yes, of | | | | With the changing landscapes come strange |
| course, a whole range of things from toddlers to | | | | etiquettes which will certainly throw the first timer. |
| passports. But, world peace? Surely you can't hold | | | | For instance, in Thailand and in most Southeast Asian |
| them responsible for something so intangible and | | | | countries which are popular luxury travel destinations, |
| more at home in the realm of political diplomacy, | | | | it is considered awfully rude to touch anyone on the |
| especially when all they want is to leave | | | | top of the head. Even brushing against a head by |
| responsibilities behind and have some unrestrained | | | | accident entails profuse apologizing. Same applies to |
| fun. Well, luxury travelers are certainly not expected | | | | pointing your foot at anyone while seated. It is an |
| to transit in the Middle East and start negotiations | | | | insult; plain and simple. Thais shake hands as greeting, |
| before they continue to the warm tropics to work | | | | but it would be a loose, limpid clasp rather than a |
| on a tan. The point here is that an understanding of | | | | warm grasp. Any form of aggressive hand shake is |
| the people and the culture you would be interacting | | | | considered extremely rude; think arm-wrestling. So |
| with at your luxury travel destination is a great way | | | | think twice before you grab hold of a Thai hand and |
| to enhance the trip. | | | | pump enthusiastically. |
| These are the days when luxury travel to exotic | | | | Travel broadens the mind as well as your circle of |
| foreign locales is a matter of routine for most people. | | | | friendships. Chances are high that while on vacation |
| Oddly enough the search for the exotic often takes | | | | at your luxury travel destination, you might come |
| one to far flung corners of third world cultures totally | | | | across some individual or family who went out of |
| alien to the visitor in terms of language, customs, and | | | | their way to help you, befriend you, or save you |
| etiquette. Some take it in their stride and blend in | | | | from dire straits. It is only natural that you want to |
| effortlessly with an open mind and have the time of | | | | show appreciation by presenting a gift. An expensive |
| their lives. They are eager to learn more about the | | | | watch, perhaps, or a bottle of wine? An exquisite |
| host culture and come away enriched and enlightened | | | | leather handicraft should do nicely to convey warm |
| in more ways than one; go native, as it were. There | | | | appreciation. Think again. You do not gift clocks, |
| might even be an invaluable exchange where the | | | | watches, or any time pieces to Chinese people; it's |
| host steps out from behind their cultural curtain and | | | | supposed to bring bad luck. You do not gift wine to |
| greets you with a hand shake as you bow with a wai | | | | Muslims; they do not imbibe. You do not gift leather |
| greeting. Worlds meet and a relationship is born. It | | | | to Hindus; the cow is sacred to them. Well, there's |
| might not be a momentous occasion marked by | | | | always chocolates! |
| clashing cymbals and trumpet calls. But from the | | | | Often luxury travel isolates tourists from local culture |
| perspective of luxury travel this may easily be | | | | or presents them with a highly sanitised or anglicized |
| considered an achievement that bodes well for us | | | | version that might lack authenticity. This can only be |
| human beings who sojourn in troubled times. | | | | considered a huge loss as far as cultural |
| People are different. What makes them different is | | | | enlightenment is concerned. You have been fed a |
| not colour or creed, but customs and culture. This is | | | | bite-sized version of what could've been a delightful |
| indeed a difference to be celebrated. How horribly | | | | gourmet experience. The chance to learn and |
| boring would it be if the whole world had toast for | | | | understand various cultures and why they do what |
| breakfast and wore black suits? It is the unique | | | | they do is invaluable and to be grasped with both |
| customs and culture of a people that gives them an | | | | hands when available. It is a chance to lay down |
| identity and sets them apart. It is an understanding | | | | prejudices and see with new eyes. For beneath the |
| of these mutual differences that bring people | | | | various skin tones, we're indeed driven by the same |
| together. The easiest way to achieve this would be | | | | needs, foremost among which would be the need to |
| to wise up on local customs and etiquette while | | | | be understood. |