Sometimes the most effective lessons sting a bit. For Nadia Caffesse, that pain came in the form of a number of tiny needles lodged in her hands, forearms and chest.
In September 2006, Mrs. Caffesse, now 45, and her family were driving through Big Bend National Park in Texas, where she found herself admiring the native blind prickly pear cactuses jutting out along the rocky roadside. One of them would make a nice addition to her garden, she thought, so she decided to ask her family to pull over so she could pick one.
She was violating a cardinal rule when visiting a national park: Take only memories and leave only footprints.
“They aren’t just pretty words,” she said. “They are a poetic threat.”
She knew she’d made a mistake the second she grabbed the paddle of the cactus. “The pain was instant, searing and, because of the diffuse nature of all those tiny needles, unrelenting,” Mrs. Caffesse recalled.
She finished her day not with a souvenir to take home, but with red, swollen arms and an enduring respect for the rules.
We often hear of tourist misbehavior, some egregious and some innocent, drawing public outrage. This year alone, a man was recorded carving his and his girlfriend’s name into a wall at the Roman Colosseum; children in England defaced a more than 200-year-old statue with bright blue crayon; and in Paris, the opening of the Eiffel Tower was delayed one morning after security officials said they had found two American tourists sleeping in the monument overnight.
In an effort to help future travelers learn from others’ mistakes, The New York Times asked readers to share examples of instances in which they’ve committed a travel foul or have acted against good tourist etiquette and, maybe, their better judgment. In the more than 200 submissions we received, one consistent theme emerged: There are lessons here.
Maybe you’ve noticed while crossing international borders just how strict the authorities can be about bringing in produce or agricultural goods.
Jennifer Fergesen, a 29-year-old food writer from New Jersey, was on a monthslong trip to various countries after finishing her master’s degree several years ago. On her way back from the Philippines, she had a layover for a couple of days in Austria. She decided to bring some fruit with her from Manila — a bag full of mangoes and mangosteens — to have for breakfast once she arrived at the hostel in Vienna.
Ms. Fergesen conducted a quick Google search and perused an official European Union travel website, concluding that bringing a few pieces of fruit for personal consumption would be fine. But she didn’t expect company at breakfast.
“As I cut open the last mangosteen, I noticed something white under the upper leaves,” Ms. Fergesen said.
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Think of a Wes Anderson film and the muted greys and browns of a rain-soaked day in London are not the first things that spring to mind. But the UK capital is about to host the first European exhibition of photographs inspired by the vibrant aesthetic of the American film director.
For fans of Christmas festivities, London has some of the best activities and events in the world. The iconic landmarks and streets are lit up with dazzling displays, there’s Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, traditional Christmas markets offering unique gifts and seasonal treats and ice skating at beautiful venues like historic Somerset House. Here are a few suggestions if you’re visiting London this month.
London’s Metropolitan Police arrested a 39-year-old deputy U.S. Marshal on Wednesday morning at Heathrow Airport for acting inappropriately while intoxicated on a flight from New York, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
If you’re looking for culture, activities, wildlife or sheer adventure, Indonesia is one of the richest countries in the world. With an estimated 13,466 islands, it's a whopper too. But Indonesia beyond Bali and Lombok (and the Gili Islands) remains largely unknown to many travelers. To pick just one example, Sumatra (80 times the size of Bali) is almost a world in itself. And yet people ask the question: “Is Indonesia worth visiting?”
With tens of thousands of islands scattered some 5000km (3100mi) from east to west, Indonesia looks like anything but a single country. Vast seas, impenetrable jungles, rugged mountains and rough roads require extra patience for those who want to explore this fascinating archipelago.
Civitatis has seen 115% growth since 2019, with a 31% surge from 2022 to YTD 2023. Civitatis’ top selling destinations are, in descending order, Rome, Paris, Madrid, Lisbon, London, Porto, Barcelona, New York, Budapest, and Prague.
Airlines owe American travelers billions of dollars in compensation for flight cancellations and delays. And some take months to pay — if they do at all.
Even during the height of winter ski season, you can still hear the rhythmic pop of a tennis ball hitting a racquet around Stanglwirt, a decades-old luxury resort in the Austrian Alps near the tony mountain town of Kitzbühel. While Stanglwirt is now known for its laundry list of world-class amenities (including a fantastic wellness program), tennis is in fact what put it on the map. Through tennis management firm Peter Burwash International, Stanglwirt expanded its entire tennis program in the 1970s and 1980s, including building more facilities to accommodate tennis camps—a novelty at the time.
They drink differently in London than we do here in New York. For one thing, pubs open—and close—a lot earlier. For another, expect to buy a round for your friends at a pub, and count on them to buy you a drink in return. (All of which may explain why they drive on the wrong side of the road.)