One travel memory that makes me smile doesn’t involve a beach, a famous attraction, or even a great meal.
It involved a conversation at the next table.
I was on vacation in Cozumel, Mexico, enjoying dinner when a woman at a nearby table started complaining about how long everything was taking. The service wasn’t moving at the pace she was used to back home, and she finally blurted out, “This wouldn’t happen in America.”
Before anyone else could respond, and geographical knowledge aside (Mexico, is, afterall, part of the Americas continent), one of her own tablemates looked at her and calmly said, “Well, we’re in Mexico. You adapt to their customs, not the other way around.”
That ended the discussion rather quickly. I’ve never forgotten it because I think it perfectly captures what travel is supposed to be about.
Why do we travel? Isn’t it to experience something different?
If I wanted everything to be exactly like home, I’d stay home. The food should be different in the country I am visiting. The pace and the traditions should be different. That’s the entire point of travel – to relax and to experience something different.
Yet every year you hear tourists complain because another country doesn’t operate according to the standards they’re accustomed to.
“The service is too slow.”
“They prepare food differently.”
“The stores close in the afternoon and aren’t open on Sundays”
“They don’t do things like we do back home.”
Well, yeah. You’re not back home.
I think we sometimes forget that we’re guests and it is a privilege, not a right, to enter another country. When you visit another country, you’re stepping into someone else’s culture, not inviting them into yours. That doesn’t mean you have to like every custom you encounter. Every country has its quirks, and some things may genuinely surprise you.
But there’s a big difference between saying, “This is interesting. It’s not what I’m used to,” and declaring that the local way is somehow wrong because it doesn’t match your expectations.
The slower pace in many Caribbean countries is a perfect example. People often book tropical vacations because they’re tired of deadlines, traffic, packed schedules, and constant stress. They want to relax.
Then they arrive and become irritated because lunch takes an extra fifteen minutes.
It seems a little contradictory.
You’ve escaped your hectic routine, only to spend your vacation complaining that life isn’t moving fast enough.
I’ve noticed the same thing closer to home.
Every summer, people head to cottage country to unwind. They sit beside beautiful lakes, watch boats drift by, probably sleep in and enjoy small-town restaurants.
Then some become impatient because the patio is busy and the kitchen can’t produce meals as quickly as a downtown chain restaurant.
You’re on vacation. Slow down and enjoy the scenery. The food will arrive.
One of the best parts of traveling is realizing there isn’t just one right way to do things.
Some cultures linger over meals for hours while others eat quickly and socialize afterward. Some countries value speed and efficiency, and others place greater emphasis on conversation and relationships.
Neither approach is automatically better. They’re simply different.
Of course, there’s a difference between respecting another culture and accepting poor service. If your order is forgotten completely or the meal is prepared incorrectly, that’s a legitimate issue no matter where you are.
But if your biggest complaint is that another country or region doesn’t function exactly like yours, the problem isn’t the country or the region. It is your expectations. Travel has a wonderful way of reminding us that our normal isn’t everyone’s normal.
That’s something to celebrate, not criticize. After all, the world would be a pretty boring place if every destination felt exactly like the one you had just left.
johnberkovich.com 