Readers response: Have you ever experienced culture shock while travelling? How did you handle it?
When it comes to travelling abroad, it's not uncommon to experience culture shocks as part of your holiday.
Travelling to unique corners of the globe can often come with stumbling onto potentially uncomfortable and unusual situations.
We asked our readers if they have ever experiences culture shocks and how they handled them, and the response was overwhelming. Here's what they said.
Alison Mahoney - Yes, in the mid 60s got fined for kissing my boyfriend in the street in Athens. How things have changed.
Margaret Godfrey - Yes, First time I went to Vietnam - from Hobart. The heat, the sheer number of people just outside the airport door, being grabbed by stall holders in Ben Thanh Market and pulled into their stalls with "You Buy".
Had a good cry later in my hotel, then a cup of tea with another woman on tour. After going to dinner with rest of group, got over myself & thoroughly enjoyed the trip.
Val Beale - Cambodia was a culture shock for me. Lovely people but so much poverty. Felt overwhelmed. So glad I went though.
Jim Janush - Yes, the first time I went to South America, though not the first country there I was visiting. It was in the second country I had trouble accepting how different it was to what I was used to, the strange, backwards manner of simple organisation, almost everything.
It grew on me, and after a few days it felt normal, and now it doesn’t feel anywhere near as bad. But the first couple of days were horrific.
Bruce Hopkins - On a USA Holiday, we took a Day Bus Trip from San Diego to Tijuana, what reality check it was seeing the Mexican/USA Border.
Judi Tracey - Definitely when l went into the Grand Bazaar in Turkey. It was full of males, drinking coffee, smoking and googling at women. I never felt so uncomfortable and concerned for my safety if a fire broke out!! I couldn’t leave quick enough.
Kristeen Bon - Bali. Went 25 years ago and hated it…..the heat, the constant harassment, the food, everything.
Went back last year thinking maybe things had changed…..nope, still too bloody hot, locals still harassing you, streets, shops and resorts falling apart……..not even a single comfortable chair on one of the island resorts.
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