How to Be a Kinder Traveler

Travel Tips Travel and hospitality workers offer suggestions on how, with a little kindness and consideration, you can be a better traveler. Much has been written about “hacks” when it comes to being a better traveler. Sure, snagging the best deals, efficiently navigating airports and other in-the-know tricks are important, but there’s a piece of travel that’s just as important: How to be kind. To me, that equals a better traveler.

This goes beyond patience and basic manners. A kinder traveler is more mindful, showing genuine interest in the people we interact with and respect for the places we want to preserve. Here are a few suggestions from travel and hospitality workers on how the next time you pack your bags, you can be a kinder traveler. “Remember that kind words cost you, the traveler, absolutely nothing, but the benefits can be so rewarding,” said Deserene Miller, who has driven a taxi on Grand Cayman for 31 years.

“There’s nothing nicer than having a guest get in my vehicle and say, ‘Morning, Ms. D. , how’s your day going so far? ” “I always introduce myself when I am helping guests to their rooms,” said Fritz Francios, the bell captain at the The Betsy, a hotel in Miami.

“When I see them around the hotel later in their stay, it makes me feel appreciated when a guest remembers me. ” Michaela Octave, who has been a butler at Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort on St. Lucia for 10 years, said she feels motivated by compliments such as “you are the best” and “you are awesome,” and loves when guests ask: “Do you mind if we write something about you on TripAdvisor? ” If writing a note slips your mind while on vacation, the appreciation for email or snail mail is just as strong.

“I really love when guests thank us following their stay and send a thank you note to the hotel,” said Raffaele Ruffolo, the front office manager at the Sina Bristol Bernini hotel in Rome. “It feels really authentic and genuine and means a lot to us, and we will remember it for a long time. ” Having a list of attractions to visit is fine.

“But try to go beyond the bucket-list check marks.”