1) Every country is different, no really, every country is different this means that laws of the road are different, so for example in some languages there are no words for "jaywalking" but there are different laws about Zebra crossings, roundabouts etc
2) Learn the top 20 words of the local language and slow down enough with everyone to use them, slwong down is good, because there is a whole load of stuff you need to relearn
3) Don't tip
4) Learn the following "I may be American but Donald Trump is not my fault" repeat as required
5) Learn the local public transport system, they are all different but there will be an app for it
6) Smiling and pointing will work, up to a point see (2) even for haircuts (clearly not in Donald's world)

What

Leave all expectations that things will be the same as "at home" at home.

Pack a sense of adventure, common sense, willingness to try new things & the desire to be a welcome guest, instead.

If you rent a car, use your camera to take pics of it all around in the even the rental car agency tries to claim damage.

People are not their governments.

Agree with so many of the above, even some of the ones in jest. So my top five will incorporate some of those tips.

Counting down:

5) <b>Carry a small spiral notecard/notepaper book (something you can tear out cards/pages) to jot down facts and write out requests. </b> Use to hand addresses to taxi drivers, submit translated requests to ticket agents, etc. I speak French well, but I always had a problem "hearing" numbers, and it was always handy to ask the clerk to write the number down on the slip I tore out.

4) I no longer worry as much about money belts and so on (see below why) but I also don't believe Europe is Disney World on Steroids for Americans. Follow "Big City" rules:<b>Be aware of your surroundings and possessions, and walk with a purpose </b>(can you tell I have relatives who are cops?). Chances are no one is going to rip the phone out of your hand while you are sitting inside a restaurant (although that HAS happened at a few Paris Starbucks); chances are someone CAN swipe it when you rest it on a cafe table outside or when you are standing looking at it outside a subway station. You get the drift.

3) <b>Cut data costs by using WiFi in the hostel or hotel with your smartphone; make sure you have some means, though, to get help should you need it</b>--although you probably WON'T need it. That might mean getting an international plan from your at-home provider OR using a cheap GSM phone with local SIM (usually can be bought cheaply as a package once on the ground).

2) <b>Limit your possessions so that you always hand at least ONE HAND FREE.</b> If you carry little, you will know where everything is, you can travel easily on trains and planes, and any room in which you stay will be big enough. With one hand free, you can fend off a LOT of problems, be it a pickpocket or a trip and fall.
With this thought in mind, we wear things with zippered pockets and put rubber bands around any money (creates a lot of drag for a pickpocket). My new love is from REI--https://www.rei.com/product/862731/kuhl-durango-pants-womens. These dry quickly and are very comfortable for planes and trains.

1) <b>The basics of greetings and politeness in each language are your passport to good will.</b> Learning the equivalent of the "I speak French like a Spanish cow" for the language of each country excuses your need to switch back into English. One phrase for which Americans are ridiculed abroad is "Doesn't anyone speak English here?". So make sure you never use it!

do the American wpeak English ?

BTW : the real sentence is 'to speak French like a Basque speaks Spanish'.
But only 5% of the French have this one correct.

Most Americans are not pedantic enough to point out that they speak American English. Possibly because they are unaware of the existence of other forms of English.

My friend's daughter does not speak English, she is from New Jersey.

Have some backsafe? (really don't know how to say this, google translates as mentioned but not sure it is ok, so I'll try to explain). She shoudl try to have some phone numbers from relatifs (friends from friends or so) to help her in case of something went wrong. She should also know the emergency number in europe, and were the embassys/consulates are. This is not for precaution, but for fighting the odds: if you are prepared for everything nothing is going to happen.

Thanks Helena, I understand what you are trying to say. I think many travelers have access to friends and relatives though their phone and Internet.

whathello,

As nice as that lovely request is, by the time a non-French speaker stumbled through it, a person stopped on the street would be half-way to the next intersection.

the correct sentence to ask something in French is
'Je vous prie de bien vouloir m'excuser de vous déranger mais j'aimerais sollicter de votre part un peu de votre temps afin de vous présenter ma requête :'>>

<<As nice as that lovely request is, by the time a non-French speaker stumbled through it, a person stopped on the street would be half-way to the next intersection.>>

thanks for the french lesson, whathello [you know that I'm always keen to improve my knowledge of your language] but that was my thought too, Cathinjoetown. AND I think it exceeds the 20 word vocabulary list suggested by Bilbo.

My tip - slow down. you can't see everything so don't act as if you're trying to. Europe will still be here in a few years time when you have time and money to come back.

I presume that was a joke (about the French request).

moi aussi, Christine.

Always have cab fare.

whathello is something of a jokester. That was definitely tongue-in-cheek.

>>Well I have been 63 1/2 times. The plane turned around over the Atlantic, but I met a local.<<



Lee Ann

aside from the above tips, keep repeating the Spanish phrase to yourself often..."sentido comun"

if you didn't take the time to look it up..."common sense"

Tower, what happens if you go to a country where they don't speak Spanish?