Handling a Conversation with Strangers When Traveling Abroad
It’s common for you to encounter strangers when you’re traveling abroad. You could be sitting on a bar and someone approaches you for a small talk. You might also be on the road and a stranger comes over to offer products or services. If you’re not used to the idea of talking to people you don’t know, it might be shocking. Since you’re in a different country and you’re not used to how locals deal with each other, it could be somewhat challenging. These tips will help you handle those conversations.
Be polite
If you are interested in talking with another person, you can start with small talks. You don’t need to provide all information about you, especially when you don’t think that person is reliable. If you want to refuse having a conversation, there are other ways to cut it short. You can say nice meeting you and pretend to do something else. You can also walk away if you feel like you’re being harassed. You don’t need to be rude and say you don’t want to talk.
Join a group chat
If you’re seated next to other people and someone else came along to join you, it is better if you bring other people into the fold. In case the other person has plans to do something terrible to you, it won’t happen because you’re with a huge group. You can have a separate conversation later when you start to feel comfortable.
Be careful with what you ask
Before traveling to another country, you need to know what the questions people usually don’t ask are, especially with strangers. For instance, it is rude in some countries for you to ask questions related to age. You also can’t ask where they live for security reasons. Asking what people do for a living might also be deemed as rude in some countries. You need to start with safe topics or anything that you can find in front of you like the color of the shirt or how beautiful the place is.
Keep your things close
There are places where strangers will try to charm their way out until they could steal your things. You thought that the only thing they will steal is your heart, but they end up running away with your belongings. It helps if you limit the items you bring with you while you’re outside. Keep everything close to you during the entire conversation.
Learn when to walk away
At some point, you need to know when you’re going to walk away. You can’t allow yourself to be in the middle of that conversation if it feels awkward and you know it doesn’t go anywhere. You also think that the person has terrible intentions. While you still can, you need to walk away. You can say no without being rude, and don’t shy away from calling security if you think you’re being harassed.
Hopefully, with these tips, you can handle conversations with strangers better when you’re in a different country.
Photo Attribution:
Featured and 1st image from https://www.shutterstock.com/video/clip-28931968-two-colleagues-chatting-street-during-lunch-break
2nf image from https://englishlive.ef.com/blog/english-in-the-real-world/breaking-ice-conversational-english-strangers/