6 Legitimate Lies For Honest Travelers
“I don’t mean lie…but you could exaggerate the truth.”
-Captain Kirk to Spock (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)
Honesty is a good policy but not necessarily the best one when traveling. While you don’t have to be a compulsive liar to travel anywhere, it can often help you with airlines, merchants, and locals not to spill every thought on your mind. Some lies save you time and hassle while others can do a great deal of good for your travel budget.
You don’t have to feel guilty for not being your usual honest self with these common and frequently handy fibs.
1. “I Don’t Have Change”
Whether it’s children begging you for a few rupees in India or a fake guide in Ecuador trying to shake you down for a few cents in La Basilica Church, saying you don’t have change or any money on you is an (albeit obvious) but acceptable lie. It’s certainly much better and less involved than explaining why you don’t want to give the solicitor any spare change.
2. “When I Weighed My Bag At Home It Was Just Under The Limit”
There are a number of ways to work your way around luggage fees but for those times when you’re just over (and didn’t prepare) making it seem like you did may help. Silence is golden, once you’ve made your claim and subtly puts some pressure on an airline employee to let you slide. That is, of course, only if you’re slightly over or not flying RyanAir.
3. “I’m Not Interested”
When shopping or walking past some interesting windows, playing like you aren’t interested in buying something is a good first step to bargaining your way to a good price. This lie also happens to work when you haven’t even considered what is being offered and can make a stroll through many markets less tumultuous.
4. “I Know Where I’m Going”
You don’t have to say you know where you’re going although you may be lost – this lie depends partially on your body language. In many taxis, towns, and bus stations looking like you’re lost invites the unscrupulous to lend you a hand, potentially taking advantage of your directional ignorance. It’s one of 4 common scams in Marrakesh and one you’ll find in many parts of the world – making you better off taking your own wrong turns.
5. “I Don’t Speak English”
English is the universal language making it a common favorite among waiters, shopkeepers, and just about anyone else who wants to get your attention. Sure, most will probably know some Spanish, French, German, and others, but pretending you don’t know any of those thrown your way cuts down on the sensory overload of many busy tourist areas.
6. “I’m Married”
This is a lie much more useful for non-married ladies than men, yet in many places around the world, these two magic words that can keep overly-friendly guys and their comments at bay. To add a bit of sauce to this fib, add that your husband is a local, and apply when needed.
Fudging The Truth Can Improve Your Efficiency Across The Board
Although you don’t have to lie your way through many situations, it certainly can be a more direct route occasionally; which ultimately saves you time to do more interesting things when traveling. Part of being a traveling chameleon is to get past the top layer of distraction you find in most new places. With experience these half-truths become less important in words and manifest themselves in facial expressions and body language; becoming more efficient themselves.
[photos by: Evil Erin (guilty look), Glamlife-studentportal (empty pockets), maccath (checking in luggage), yoshiffles (woman with mouth shut), kissyface (wedding ring)]
New Facebook Page, eBook, And Abbreviated Schedule This Week
It’s Thanksgiving time for all of you in the US, and while I’m not there, it’s going to be an exceptionally slow week across the Internet, including foXnoMad and my other sites. That being the case, I’m taking the opportunity to work behind the scenes and enjoy a mini-break this week. foXnoMad tends to follow a US holiday schedule since many of you happen to be there – but before you run out the door from work, I’d appreciate you taking a moment to help support foXnoMad on Facebook.
Help Support foXnoMad On Facebook
Clicking the “Like” button on this page gives you occasional updates on how to travel smarter while also giving us another good way to keep in touch. Liking foXnoMad on Facebook takes only a second and if you do, thank you for the support and encouragement. As always, if there’s ever anything I can do to return the favor, feel free to email me.
The Ultimate Tech Guide For Travelers Coming Next Week
The first of several ebooks I’ll be releasing over the next few months will be out next week. The Ultimate Tech Guide For Travelers will be more than just digital text however – it’s a living and breathing ebook that will be alive like no other. Those of you interested to learn more (and win a free copy) can do so on my aforementioned Facebook page.
New Logo For Tech Guide For Travel
My friend Erickson Foster who designed foXnoMad’s new logo a few months ago brought his creative talents to my Tech Guide For Travel site. Check out the top of the page for the spiffy new logo and header.
More Site Tweaks And Changes Coming
To say I like keeping busy even when I’m relaxing is an understatement. You’ll notice a few tweaks to the sidebar that are slowly being rolled out and an ebook store that will be coming soon as well. There will also be a mobile version of foXnoMad in the next day or so to make it easier to read from your iPhone or other mobile devices.
A few more changes in the works include:
- Better navigation of recent posts, most comments posts, and individual posts categories.
- Organizing posts so they can be searched by country.
Once I wrap up these projects I’ll be moving at a faster pace (physically) and heading to Cyprus, Syria, and a few other nearby countries. In the meantime I’d love to hear any upcoming travel plans you may have for Thanksgiving or otherwise wherever in the world you happen to be.
What Would You Recommend An Alien See Or Do With Only 48 Hours On Earth? [RESPONSES]
Aliens arriving on Earth would have a wide variety of travel plans waiting for them depending on which one of your houses they happened upon. A few common themes seemed to be beaches, Thailand, and family, in the difficult process of introducing humanity within 48 hours. As abstract as the question may be, it could also be easily applied to people who’ve never traveled or wanted to, bringing this discussion back down to Earth.
- Amy: “A few days in Bangkok for good street food and shopping then we will head south for R&R by the beach. After that, we will hop on the plane to the north for some mountain scene in Chiang Mai.”
- Mark H: “See a sunrise over a sun-drenched beach eating a tropical fruit breakfast, walk through a park or forest to see the trees (hopefully some mountain scenery to see in the distance) and feel the grass between their toes, walk the main street of a large historic city to get some sense of our changes through the ages. On the other day, I’d get them to experience a “normal” day in the life of someone (but should that person be a farmer, office worker, teacher or what?) – to see what modern life is on Earth.”
- Sabine: “I would simply invite them to stay at my house [in Hamburg, Germany] for the 48h. They could join me by “living my life”: going to work, going out with friends, visiting my family, doing exercises etc.”
Sherry Ott: “I think I would have them go visit my parents in the plains of South Dakota…that may scare them away!”
- Alina Popescu: “Well, take them for a quick tour and meal in Bucharest, then fly them over to Istanbul. One hour flight to get a glimpse of two continents and catch a Mediterranean sunset.”
- Jaime D.: “I would take them back to where is ALL started Roswell.”
- Ali: “I would take them to see Australia. Beautiful white sand beaches! And maybe a quick trip to Thailand. I love the food!”
- Gourmantic: “I would do a series of mind melds with them to swap travel experiences. This way, they’d see what I’ve seen and I’d get their interpretation of it.”
There are more comments still on where to take our alien friends and the variety of ideas are an insight into humanity in and of itself. Personally, I’d take them for a few hours to several cities and rural spots on each inhabited continent to meet and see mothers with their children. This, I believe would show them our (human) differences but the overwhelming similarities we share – and often neglect ourselves. I also think a trip to the Amazon rain forest would be appropriate; again to demonstrate our planets immense strengths and at the same time our weaknesses as well.
[photo by: liber (alien smoking pipe), Adri_Gz (South Dakota plains)]
Boxholm Sweden’s Most Famous Export
November 19, 2010 by Anil P.
Filed under Pictures and Video
Boxholm cheese, which is sold in packages that look very much like the water tower above, is this industrial town’s Swedish claim to fame. Found throughout Sweden, Boxholm cheese is typically eaten by scrapping thin slices off the top with an “osthyvel“. Usually at breakfast with bread or more often “knackebrod“, Boxholm, in southern Sweden, has been producing this cheese since 1890. Boxholm cheese is soft, without a strong flavor or smell, slightly reminiscent of dry mozzarella.
Finding this water tower is just about impossible in Boxholm, a tiny place with around 3,000 inhabitants. Those of you driving through the town with a soft spot for hamburgers should check out the Sibylla fast food restaurant directly across the the tower which makes excellent greasy burgers and mashed potatoes with a Swedish touch.
