Comments on: Don’t Talk to Strangers (and Other Terrible Advice for Travelers)

By: Backpacker

Backpacker — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:19:01 +0000

Fresh from Colombia, I had an interesting experience when I was walking down the street and a woman suddenly grabs my arm to ask what my tattoo meant (a compass compass with some intricate design)…I hesitated to talk to her at first, but 20 minutes later it became a conversation about everything philosophical, cultural and the meaning of life. I was a little concerned at some point this was a setup (there are a lot of sneaky pick pockets on the streets of Cartagena), but in the end I was amazed how strangers will just stop to talk to you like that…As a defensive traveler, you have to be cautious about these type of things but it’s all part of the experience…be cautious but just go for it!

By: Twitted by 30words

Twitted by 30words — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:02:02 +0000

[...] This post was Twitted by 30words [...]

By: Travel Around the Web – Week of November 14, 2009 | nomadicsouls.info

Travel Around the Web – Week of November 14, 2009 | nomadicsouls.info — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:23:43 +0000

[...] Madeiro at Vagabondish says Don’t Talk to Strangers (and Other Terrible Advice for Travelers) – a tongue-in-cheek look at why we should attempt to break out of our shells while traveling [...]

By: Tweets that mention Don’t Talk to Strangers (and Other Terrible Advice for Travelers) -- Topsy.com

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:07:19 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Isabelle Kenis, Shannon O'Donnell. Shannon O'Donnell said: RT @vagabondish Don’t Talk to Strangers (and Other Terrible Advice for Travelers) http://bit.ly/1iNJR8 [...]

By: Amber

Amber — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:36:19 +0000

so, when I was on my way home from India, I was at the Delhi airport, I had 1o hours till my flight. 1st off, 10 hours is along time to avoid strangers 2) its almost impossible to travel alone and not make friends at the airport, when you have bags that def won’t fit in the stall with you! After chating it up with some American boy and Austrailan girl, I asked them to watch my bag and proceeded to use the rest room. On my way, a gentleman stopped me and asked if I had to pay for sitting in the waiting area. I told him no, he thanked me and told the airport security guy to basicly screw off. after I used the rest room and returned to my seat I asked the American kid if he knew what it cost to sit there. it was 30 rupees if you had to wait more than 8 hours. once I found this out, I approched the young man that had asked me… we started chatting and turns out we were on the same flight that night to Bangkok. we talked for hours! then, we checked in and turns out we were in the same row! we spent a total of 11 hours talking! we parted ways in Bangkok, but not before exchaning contact info and we’ve been writing ever since…

tell me, everything doesn’t happen for a reason?

becuase I totally believe that it does.

and my simple act of kindness mixed with courage, resulted in a new travel buddy and good friend!

Thanks for such a good article! I compleatly agree with you, there is def a need for this sort of bravery in our modern, texting society.

By: Matt M.

Matt M. — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:08:44 +0000

Thanks for reading, everyone!

@ennasnosrap: What a perfect example of how a child’s logic often outshines our own.

@Honor: Great article! Fun read, and helps poke a lot of holes into the bad advice floating around all over the place.

By: Honor Baldry

Honor Baldry — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:17:26 +0000

Have been so inspired by this, that I’ve ended up writing a response to it. You can check it out here: http://www.i-to-i.com/campfire.....vel-advice

By: Nora - The Professional Hobo

Nora - The Professional Hobo — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:11:06 +0000

Hive Fives all around, baby! I’m in.
Whatever you need to do to break the ice…there’s always a way into a conversation – you just gotta find it. That’s part of the fun of travel: finding those little moments that lead into life-long memories.

By: Single-Spaced » In Defense of the Tweet

Single-Spaced » In Defense of the Tweet — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:07:33 +0000

[...] for example, Don’t Talk to Strangers (and Other Terrible Advice for Travelers) over on Vagabondish.com. I was pretty freaking excited to see the article go live at all, given my [...]

By: Cristina

Cristina — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:05:32 +0000

Great post… although I’m guilty of not talking to strangers most of the times. But hey, it’s not my fault, promise!:-)

High-five and keep them coming.