Are You Only Well-Travelled But Have Never Travelled Well?
In an age of constant movement, travel has become a marker of cool. But ticking off destinations isn't the point. To travel well is to understand it as a privilege—one that demands curiosity, respect, and genuine exchange. Consider this a guide to doing it right
IN TRANSIT
Boarding/Deboarding
Still lining up even before your boarding group is announced and cutting into queues? Don’t. If you’re afraid you might miss your connecting flight, let the attendants know ASAP. They might be able to switch your seat to somewhere closer to the front or help you deplane faster. Or even keep an eye on updates about your connection.
Once you’re in
Make sure you have your seat placement and row figured out. It’s 2026—pottering about in the aisle, giving the back of your head a scratch, isn’t really a great look. Likewise, if you’re waiting behind someone who’s still not got that memo, act with grace—patience makes the annoyance go away. You will still get your assigned seat and most likely the luggage space and place of your choosing. And as you make your way to your seat, if you find someone already seated there, avoid the temptation of silently hovering. “I think this might be my seat” with a polite smile is all you need.
To recline or not
It’s a predicament of Shakespearean proportions. We pondered the multiple times we’ve been at the receiving end of it—and concluded: reclining is the worst you can do to another person. Especially when it’s not a long-haul flight, it’s not bedtime yet and during mealtimes (yes, flyers frequently do that). Are you thrusting yourself into the limited immediate personal space of a fellow passenger just because the option (and the argument that it is your ‘right’ to do so) exist? It’s all about direction and how you’re pushing into another person’s face. The option exists, but don’t take it. Outside of First Class, a flight isn’t the last place you’ll ever get to sleep. It’s a consideration call, not a fairness claim.
Being a great co-flyer
Feet are gross—keep your shoes on. There’s a reason everyone asks you to wear comfy footwear in transit. If it’s a long-haul flight and the crew gave you a pair of socks with your blanket, take the shoes off and use both accessories.
The confined, dry cabin air means that strong perfumes could be even more off-putting than smelling bad. Don’t overspray that cheap metallic deo can. Don’t overspray anything. Wear a light musk, a couple of small sprays for both wrists.
Yes, nobody litters on purpose but it is possible to not litter on purpose.
Your phone has the flight mode feature for a reason. Respect its universal applicability.
Stowage rule
Still dumping your carry-on perched half out at a weird angle? Here’s a theorem:
Is your carry-on wider than the height of the overhead bin?
Y. Lucky. Turn it around and place it with the widest side hugging the side of the bin. Slide it parallel to the side of the bin you prefer.
N. No stress. Place it lying down, one side completely hugging the wall. Recommended: Practise doing it in one fluid stroke (pro tip: if you cannot do so in one stroke, you carry-on is bigger than it needs to be. Also, you need to work on your traps).
In Public
Questions for when you are out and about
What if I’m in Nairobi and I point at something with my finger, or gesture with a thumbs-up in Brazil? Intricate differences in gestures and mannerisms are, honestly, hard to master. What matters is much-maligned ‘intention’. If you inherently act with genuine respect, you’re never getting shot for gesturing ‘three’ with three fingers (sorry, Tarantino) in Germany. Even if you realise you’ve made a booboo, apologise and move on.
Isn’t haggling ‘fun’? Guidebooks can often paint bargaining as a form of cultural immersion. But it’s important to know when to stop. Or to not start altogether.
What if nobody queues up? Queues are the better way, yes, but don’t impose them in a place they don’t seem to be the norm (those places exist). When in Rome... On being the overbearing tourist: Travelling is the fastest way to feel like the main character in a plot, but avoid the temptation to engage every shopkeeper in a 20-minute conversation.
On the abomination known as content creation
How do you talk about an elephant in the room everybody’s guilty of riding up to the palace? With a few riders, of course.
SELFIES
What’s acceptable: The... selfie.
What’s unacceptable: Four minutes of repositioning, retaking and reviewing in a doorway that people need to pass through.
PORTRAITS
What’s acceptable: Asking before you decide to press it.
What’s unacceptable: Telephoto candids. VLOGGING What’s acceptable: A candle.
Unacceptable: Loud PTCs, commandeering, failure to determine if it’s the right place to vlog... the works
How to realise you’re noisy
The thing about making a racket is, most people don’t want to, but group situations can have a weird way of introducing collective excitement, cross-communication, mutual validation for higher volume and so on. Soon, you stop caring about staring co-travellers and locals—and their reactions, quite honestly, aren’t without reason.
That’s the first way to know.
Can you feel the group’s collective resistance pushing back against that quiet inner voice asking, “Should we keep it down a bit?” It’s a sign.
Did a local say something in their language with a smile? It’s a sign.
If you’re in an enclosed public space, do you feel the rest of the crowd go way quieter? It’s a sign.
You’re thinking about it?
English only?
We get it—self-awareness can be a killjoy sometimes. You probably cannot “qué tal” as well as Chileans would. And you’ve decided to not embarrass yourself or risk offending locals anymore. Speaking in English with worldly-wise resignation can seem like the right battle to skip. But trying to speak someone else’s language isn’t cultural appropriation. It’s courteous, charming even. Effort is classy and speaking the local language can be the most visceral, personal way to belong. After all, few experiences in travel match the satisfaction of a shopowner confidently continuing to answer your questions in their language.
Scribble on your palm
I will eat whatever you think I should eat. I trust you completely and will not negotiate.
Could you show me, rather than tell me?
It was the finest thing I have eaten in recent memory. I decline only because I respect it too much to ruin it.
Your English is much better than my Thai. Thank you for saving us both.
Where’s the nearest ATM? I love your currency notes too much to keep using my card.
At The Table
Restaurant particulars
You were told in China, finishing everything on your plate could be disrespectful. Asking for extra cheese or pepper in Portugal could be considered an affront to the chef. Should you wring your hands about following every little scrap of the local custom? Not quite. It can be fun to use your bread to scoop up pasta in France rather than treating it as a separate course, but the key is to stay aware. Avoid stereotypes, read the room and, above all, don’t make things awkward
Remember with invitations
It comes up more than people expect when travelling. A contact becomes a friend, a friend has a mother who insists, a business dinner migrates from a restaurant to a house. Firstly, in some places if arriving late is unequivocally rude, in others showing up exactly on time can seem a little aggressive (consult your POC). Also, think about what to bring (not all places look the same way at wine and flowers). If your host has served something special , like a regional or family delicacy, handling refusal has to be delicate in case you don’t vibe with it in the same way.
How to drink
A fine line exists between someone whose drinking becomes aspirational and a dipso puking his guts out in the men’s stall. Let’s figure the spectrum out:
Is getting smashed in a new city ever okay?
Are you a short walk home? If not, preserve your dignity.
When should I match the table? When do I get to order what I actually want?
At a business dinner hosted by someone else, you match the category—wine if they order wine, no drink if they order none. At a table of friends, ordering the mezcal when everyone else has beer is not a statement but a drink order.
Is it okay to send a drink to someone?
Leave that for the movies.
When should I stop?
One drink before you think you should.
My host keeps refilling my glass before it is empty. Am I obliged to keep drinking?
In some places, an empty glass is an accusation. The graceful exit is to leave it slightly full.
The correct response when a sommelier recommends something outside my budget?
Practise saying, Lovely, do you have something in a similar style at around < price range>? Being upfront about spending and conveying regard for the professional’s trade is a double win.
‘I was told it’s fine to call for a fork in Japan’
Travel is supposed to widen our horizons and allow us to absorb other ways of being. If you have the privilege of visiting an Asian country where you get to experience eating with chopsticks, why deprive yourself of it? Here’s a quick how-to
Anchor the base stick: Rest it between the base of your thumb and the top of your ring finger. It should not move again. Lock it in like a rudder.
Work the top stick: Hold it as you would a pen— thumb, index and middle finger. This is the only one that moves. Think of it as closing a pair of scissors.
Use the tips, not the midsection: Control happens at the last inch. Grip your rice or fish there—gripping further up is like holding scissors by the blade.
Practise before you land Three evenings with a bowl of grapes at home and you will not embarrass yourself in Kyoto. The muscle memory is quicker than you expect.
In Residence
Questions we wish you asked
I want to attend my Teams call in the reception.
Imagine if a couple of other guests wanted the same— it’d be corporate mayhem on holiday.
Can I eat breakfast in my PJs?
Sure, there’s no particular etiquette for when you order room service (do have clothes on when it is brought in). But for buffets—each of which, trust you us, is an occasion in your life—dress suitably.
I’m having the squad over for movie night and a few drinks.
The premise assumes the existence of a lot of general sound-based ruckus for your neighbours. Pick a silent movie and assume the role of the overzealous cinephile that rewinds 30 seconds every time someone in the audience gets a WhatsApp text.
How to get the early check-in I need?
First, things not to say:
I’m a Prix Village Member (unless this membership with a try-hard name entitles you to an early check-in).
I’ve flown 18 hours (that has to be empathised with, but the hotel’s got its own problems).
I called ahead (stuff like that has to go both ways, meaning it needs a yes from them, too).
Can’t you check if something’s available? (it doesn’t magically make them find something).
What could help is mature negotiation. Make a request and offer to wait in the lobby (patience has its virtues). Figure out your most pressing requirement and lead with it, for instance, I have a commitment at 3pm—is there anything that would help me get ready before then? or I completely understand—could you store my luggage while I wait? are much likelier to work. Or is there a fee that can get you your timing?
The How-To-Leave-Your Room Checklist
Towels
Organise used ones that you want replaced and leave them in the tub (or follow the preferred direction displayed).
Bed
It helps to pat out any particular devastation of the bedding, but do not attempt to make your bed. It really throws a wrench in the works. Food wrappers et cetera Do a quick scan of the room for a bin. Chances are, you can access it within five seconds at all times. If not, bring it to an accessible corner and make good use of it. Mostly, you will just need to step on the pedal and drop it in. It’s a cakewalk
Food wrappers et cetera
Do a quick scan of the room for a bin. Chances are, you can access it within five seconds at all times. If not, bring it to an accessible corner and make good use of it. Mostly, you will just need to step on the pedal and drop it in. It’s a cakewalk.
A note on tipping
The collective tip pool—in principle reaching the laundry staff, the kitchen porter, the person who restocked your minibar at 2am and someone else you’ll never meet—is designed to be fairer. But conflicts and lack of clarity exist as regards to that exercise being followed through as equitably and fairly as expected. If tipping is about gratitude, it’s more personal to convey it to people you have been able to establish some familiarity with. Tip the people you can see, and tip them well.
THIS LIST IS PURELY INDICATIVE. READERS ARE ADVISED TO EXERCISE DISCRETION AND PICK PHRASES ACCORDINGLY
To read more such stories from Esquire India's April 2026 issue, pick up a copy of the magazine from your nearest newspaper stand or bookstore. Or click here to subscribe to the magazine.