What Years of Traveling Taught Me About Language and Respect

Sawadeeka! Just a reminder: traveling is a privilege, not a stage for superiority.

Recently, 𝐚 𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐡*𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐢 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡. Watching it made me uncomfortable, not just because of the words used, but because it reflects 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥.

Let’s get one thing straight: 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫.

English is not the world’s default language. It’s just one of many. Expecting everyone to speak it, especially in their own country, is not only entitlement, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.

When we travel, we are stepping into someone else’s home, culture, system, and daily life. Thailand does not owe tourists English. Japan doesn’t. Mexico doesn’t. France doesn’t. If anything, we owe them respect.

Travel is not about being served. It’s about learning, adjusting, and sometimes being uncomfortable.

Traveling isn’t just booking flights and hotels. It means: knowing basic local phrases, understanding cultural norms, learning how transportation, food, and communication work, and accepting that things won’t always be convenient.

A simple “hello,” “thank you,” or “how much” in the local language goes a long way. Even if your pronunciation is terrible, locals usually appreciate the effort.

English fluency ≠ intelligence, or class. This narrative that speaking English well equals being smarter, more educated, or more “global” is deeply rooted in colonial thinking. I've met many people who don’t speak English fluently, like business owners, professionals, highly educated, multilingual in other languages. 𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐬.

I’ve traveled to many countries where English is not widely spoken, and I’ve never had serious trouble. Why? Because I research before arriving, I use translation apps, I observe and adapt, I stay patient and respectful, and I don’t assume the world should adjust to me.

Traveling humbles you if you let it. It teaches you that communication is more than language. It’s attitude, body language, kindness, and effort.

When one traveler goes viral for bad behavior, it unfortunately reflects on an entire nationality. That’s why we need to be more conscious, especially in the age of social media.

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞. Travel stories should build bridges, not reinforce stereotypes. At the end of the day, travel is a privilege. And privilege should come with humility.

𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐝𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬.

Khob khun ka