The Laughing Tourist

If you are an American traveling or living abroad, you may not know that there is one thing that sets us apart from the rest of the world, and that many people find it incredibly annoying. That thing is laughter – and even though all humans are capable of it, many cultures do not appreciate it and even look at it as an offense. The laughing tourist is typically avoided by locals, and shunned thanks to their loud, and raucous laughter that can be heard wherever you go.

While we’re not advocating becoming a frowning spoilsport, learning to curb your laughter can be very beneficial when you are traveling. This is particularly true if you plan to visit an Asian country, where outright laughter can be taken as being very offensive. It is best to learn first how laughter is received before you make your trip, but the general gist is that raucous laughter has no place in many countries.

The next time you are in a foreign country, visit a restaurant that is frequented by tourists and just sit back and listen. It’s best to sit with your back to the door for this experiment. Now, as you get adjusted to the ambient noise, try to see if you can pick out the Americans. Chances are they will be the ones speaking and laughing loudly. As your ears get accustomed to the lower volumes in other countries, you’ll be able to appreciate just how annoying laughter can be.

There is nothing wrong with expressing your joy through laughter, and sometimes, a good belly laugh is just necessary. However, you must take into account how other people will view that out burst, especially in another country. Once you take a broader view of the issue, you’ll undoubtedly find that laughter can be one of the most disruptive sounds on earth.

Again, we’re not advocating the cessation of all laughter on a global scale. We are however suggesting that travelers learn to tone it down a bit, and appreciate that there are some cultures that find it offensive. If you have an upcoming trip planned, now is a great time to start listening to yourself and seeing if you fall into that category of being an obnoxious American tourist. Listen through someone else’s ears, figuratively of course, and see what you think.

Noise levels in public places in European and Asian countries are generally much lower than noise levels in America. This is perhaps why loud laughter stands out so much and is considered to be disruptive. Everyone does laugh, but not everyone makes it a point to laugh loudly. Start learning how to muffle your laughter a bit now, and it will be much easier to do so when you’re traveling.

As you get used to doing this, you’ll start to develop a global set of ears that will serve you well. It is smart to remember that in most other countries, loud voices and obnoxious laughter will immediately mark you as a tourist and that is something that most travelers want to avoid.

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This post involves:

ambient noise, asian country, belly laugh, cessation, cultures, ears, earth, gist, global scale, locals, raucous laughter, rest of the world, spoilsport, tourists, travelers

... and focuses on:

Localyte, Tourist Types, Travel Dos and Donts

Posted by Localyte.com Team on October 10, 2008