If you haven’t ever seen An Idiot Abroad let us give you a basic outline of the show. In simple terms, it involves the ‘idiot,’ in this case a chap named Karl Pilkington, heading to various locations around the world to sample the culture of a place and see how he enjoys life in an unfamiliar land.
While this sounds straightforward enough, there is a twist, in that Pilkington isn’t a huge fan of unfamiliar lands, and would seemingly be much happier at home in Manchester, ignorant to all of the beauty in the world around him.
We looked at how anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation should make the most of it, and potentially create the experience of a lifetime.
Be Positive
One unmistakeable characteristic of the show is that Pilkington is apparently filled with dread before everything he does.
The chances are that you don’t have a billion-dollar corporation funding your trip and that you have paid out of your own pocket. If this is the case then you should be by default looking forward to it, why would you spend the money if you didn’t want to go there?
Be positive, and look forward to all of the experiences that await you. Keep an open mind to everything and remember that not everyone has the same thoughts as you!
Get Involved
People are notorious for going on holiday to particular places and then living as they would do at home. The term ‘Little Englanders’ is perhaps the best known one around the world, and is perfectly played out in destinations such as Benidorm and the Spanish Costas.
Seriously, if you wanted to live like you did at home then you’d save yourself the expense and just stay at home, wouldn’t you?
You truly are an idiot abroad if you head somewhere and treat it like home. It isn’t home, and that is the whole point! Embrace any and all cultural experiences that come your way, challenge your views of the world and allow yourself to become uninhibited in a way not fuelled by alcohol.
Trust us, you will enjoy it.
Nowhere Is Perfect
A final characteristic of demanding tourists is that they expect every destination to be some kind of perfect, Utopia-like place where the streets are paved with gold.
Get over yourself, and realize that things like litter, roadworks, and shops that charge too much for very little are facts of life and will happen anywhere. Expecting perfection from your holiday destination will leave you miserable at all times, and keeping that up takes a lot of energy!