Which advice would you give tourists who want to visit your country?

@Porcospino (31366)
Denmark
June 12, 2012 7:15pm CST
Personally I would say that Denmark is a relatively expensive country to visit. I would advice tourists to travel around by train, because long distanse busses can be a challlenge for foreigners. There are no visual displays that show the next stop and the driver doesn't announce the busstops either. That isn't a problem for locals who know the area, but it can be a challenge for foreign tourists. Taxis are expensive, the prices are not negotiable, but the drivers are honest. In many countries the taxis outside airport or similar places try to scam the tourists because they know that the tourists don't know the local prices. In my country, taxa drivers generally don't scam the tourists. I would also encourage people to visit some of the places outside Copenhagen. There are many things to see and do in Copenhagen, but there are also many interesting places outside Copenhagen for instanse some of the places on the peninsula. If you visit Odense (the city where Hans Christian Andersen was born) stay away from the Fairytale Garden. It has a beautiful name, and the flowers and the water look beautiful, but the Fairytale garden has really bad reputation, there are a lot of drug addicts and criminals, and most locals avoid the place.
9 responses
@kkaria309 (297)
• United States
13 Jun 12
If you want to visit India, firstly, have a stock of mosquito repellent and a good spf 30 sunscreen ready. Then, be careful to drink purified water because our water can be really hard on the stomachs of people from other countries. As for visiting, you should see Kerela, it is very beautiful and considered God's heaven on earth. You should also visit Punjab and its various cities, they are very lively, colorful and full of spirit [this will cover the north]. Then you should visit Gujarat, its very rich in culture and I guarantee you a unique experience regarding the food, clothes and entertainment. East India would be Bengal and Calcutta, famous for their unique foods and specially the sweetmeats. You may want to travel by train to save money, but be sure to do it in luxury. Local compartments of trains in India are not a cultural experience you want to have, trust me. Delhi, our capital, has the most delicious and most inexpensive food you will find, if you know where to look for it. Just ask for 'Chandni Chouk'. Its the shopping area also and you will find many things super cheap. But be careful not to get ripped off of your money or cheated in any way. Best advice, if you have any doubt, don't buy it. And if you think some bargain is too good to be true, it really is, don't go for it. And finally, do not, in any case, carry all your money with you. Be careful of pickpockets. Get your hotels to get you a good taxi service, so you do not get roamed around unnecessarily [so they can charge extra money]. Don't forget to try the local street foods in all the places you visit, they are super yummy. If you are careful and have a trustworthy friend in India to guide you and show you around, this will be an experience you will never forget and want to relive it again and again.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
14 Jun 12
Thanks for your detailed description of India It is very useful for me, because I have a dream about a trip to India. Actually it has been one of my dreams ever since I was a child. I am sure that India is different from my own country in many ways, and that is one of the things that attract me. I have heard about Kerala. I once watched a travel documentary about India and one of the places that they visited was Kerala. It looked really beautiful. I am thinking about visiting Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the south and some places in the north and in the east. I think that I would easily spend a few months just travelling around and visiting friends, but it is not realistic at the moment, because I need a visa and I need the money for the trip. I hope that my dream about a trip to India will come true one day
• United States
14 Jun 12
You are most welcome. I hope you do make it to India soon and enjoy your trip very much.
1 person likes this
• United States
13 Jun 12
Oh and you will find great fabrics in East and South, cheap clothes in Mumbai and Delhi. Woolens and jackets and blankets in Manali [its a hill station]. Every region has its own unique language, costumes, dances, traditional foods and great sights to see...
1 person likes this
@Torunn (8609)
• Norway
15 Jun 12
First and foremost: be prepared :-) The weather will be bad at some point, so bring water and wind proof clothing even if you come in the middle of the summer. Also, for the summer, bring mosquito repellent and sun lotion. As there's often a cold wind you don't notice the sunburn before it's too late, and mosquiotes are thirsty! I'd also advice not to stay for too long in Oslo. It's more expensieve than the rest of the country in many ways, and it's not that interesting.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
19 Jun 12
I would say the same thing about Copenhagen. I think it is a pity that many tourists only visit Copenhagen. Yes, there are many things to see and do in Copenhagen, but there are many nice places outside Copenhagen as well for instance some of the places on the central part of the pensinsula of and course my own island I have never been to Oslo, and I would like visit "Vigelandsparken" because I am interested in art. I would like to visit other parts of Norway, too. The only place I really remember is Bergen. My ex-boyfriend and I visited Bergen about 8 years ago. I have also been to Norway as a child, but I was only a few years old and I don't remember much from that trip.
@Torunn (8609)
• Norway
19 Jun 12
We went driving around in Denmark when I was about 10. The only thing I remember is that Denmark was very flat. And I think we went riding, that was quite nice. There's some interesting archeological stuff there I'd like to see, and I'd like to go to bird spotting. Possibly bird spotting and cycling at the same time, as it's a bit easier to cycle in Denmark than here. Unless you end up cycling straight at the wind all the time ;-) I haven't been to Vigelandsparken either, I've thought about both that and the Munch museum but so far I've only been to the Viking ship museum.
1 person likes this
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
13 Jun 12
I would say that the United Kingdom is an expensive country to visit. I suggest a train pass is the most economical way to travel around England, Wales and Scotland. I would say that London is worth a few days for seeing the Rive Thames, the Tower of London, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Then it is worth seeing places outside London like Rye with its cobbled street, Hastings with its cliff railway, Bath with its spa or Chester with its Roman Walls. I have met many foreign people looking around Glastonbury and it has a new age feel to it. It has a tor worth walking up and a garden with a well. It has an abbey which tours are available to look around. I would suggest backpacker dorms and bed and breakfast accommodations. I know that supermarkets and self catering mean that staying in a self catering place would be best.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
14 Jun 12
A train pass sounds like a good idea. Originally my husband and we wanted to travel around in the UK for one month. We made a budget for the trip, and we discovered that it would get relatively expensive so we decided to postpone the trip for a while. When we go to the UK we are probably going to stay in Bed and breakfast, relatively cheap hotels or hostels. We found some really expensive hotels when we looked at the different kind of accomodation, those places looked very nice, but they are too expensive for us and we just need a simple place to spend the night. My husband has never been to London, so we will definately spend some time there and visit some of the famous sights. I have read a bit about Rye, and it sounds like an interesting place to visit.
@jlamela (4898)
• Philippines
13 Jun 12
Thanks for this info on visiting Denmark. It's a lovely country and one of my dream countries to visit in Europe. The best advice I can give to tourists when visiting Philippines is take precautions when choosing a place. I would recommend to visit the beaches and countryside because it is more relaxing and quiet. The best places to visit in my country are Davao City, Island Garden City of Samal, Boracay, Palawan, Bohol, Batangas, Ilocos Region, Surigao provinces and Camiguin. The environment and coastline of these regions are fantastic and amazing and the life is quite laid back. Filipinos are hospitable people and we have a special treatment to tourists, it's also cheaper to visit in the Philippines, the cost of living is very low compared to other Asian countries. Foods are great especially in the countryside. We have different celebration of feasts and special holidays. It's more fun in the Philippines!
• Philippines
13 Jun 12
I agree with you jlamela, i would like to add that it is good to visit places in the Philippines that are visited less frequently. There are hidden paradise in the Philippines not yet discovered and exploited by people and those are the places you should go, our province (Romblon) is one. You don't need to have lots of money to be able to enjoy it's beauty. Kindhearted people are always ready to assist.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
13 Jun 12
I am happy to hear that you are interested in visiting my country It was interesting to read your description of the Philippines, because it is one of the countries that I plan on visiting on my second trip to Asia. I have heard about some of the places that you mentioned (Bohol, Palawan and Boracay) One of the places that I want to visit when I go to the Philippines is the chocolate hills on Bohol, but I haven't decided how I am going to spend the rest of time. I am not going to visit the Philipppines in the near future so I have plenty of time to decide. I look forward to spending time at the beach. We have beaches in my country, but we have a cold climate, and I think that it will be a very different experience to visit the beaches in the Philippines.
• Indonesia
19 Jun 12
Im from Indonesia. Many times, people think that Indonesia is only about Bali as travel destination. Well, I used to think like that when I was a little girl. I was so eager to visit Bali. But now, as I grow up and has travel to many places, I decided that there one place that is most beautiful than Bali. Its called RAJA AMPAT. Its a beautiful place, just like heaven. So if anyone here come to my country, RAJA AMPAT must in ur bucket list.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
19 Jun 12
I will remember that I want to visit Indonesia in the future, but I haven't made a detailed itinerary yet. I have heard about Jakarta and Bali, but I am sure that there are many other interesting places to visit. I looking forward to visiting your country one day. Right now I am still saving up for my first trip to Asia, and I will visit Indonesia on the second trip so it is not going to happen in the near future.
• United States
13 Jun 12
Thanks for telling us about Denmark. I have heard many good things about it. Being in the United States I would want to tell tourists first, do not judge all Americans based on one lousy place you visit. I hear this and this drives me nuts. I have been all over our country and I can tell you people are different in each state. If they are native to that state that is. Americans are not simply "Americans" and I am getting sick of that. People are even different in neighboring states like New Jersey is different from Maryland and Pennsylvania is different than New York City and the people in Philadelphia are even slightly different than the ones very close in other parts of P.A. I won't get into how besides, culture, beliefs, language and lifestyles. I never believed people on the West Coast such as Oregon and Washington could be different from the East Coast. Every single state is different. DO NOT judge us all by one measly little place you visit. People are different all over. Even Canada is different in many ways even though we are connected. Oh and one more thing tourists. We tip waiters and waitresses, taxi drivers, coffee barista's and even hotel maids here.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
13 Jun 12
That is a good point. I think that many people tend to generalise when they have had one bad experience. In every country it is possible to have good experiences and bad experiences, and I think it is stupid to judge everyone based on one bad experience. It is one of my dreams to go on a road trip in the US, and I would like to visit many different states and drive around for several months. I would visit some of the famous places that I have heard about, but I would also like to visit some of the smaller and unknown places. Actually I think that it could be interesting to visit every state and compare them, but that is not realistic.
• United States
13 Jun 12
Yep, and by different I don't mean bad I just mean different. For instance, people in the east covet houses, to people out west where there is more immigration there isn't a lot of houses. There are tons and tons of apartment complexes. You don't see many of those, buy a house gain status commercials, like you do in the east. They are also more concerned with conserving the landscape. In some parts of Washington, Oregon and California the parks are just teeming with people, in the east you might see a mother and child on a swing, there is just more of an outdoor lifestyle. Anyway back to the point. I see people who will meet ONE person or one family that they do not agree with on one subject on the internet or in person and then deduce that ALL Americans are like that. You cannot judge all Americans by one state, one city, one town or one person. Everyone is different everywhere, we have our core beliefs of course just as things that are taboo that are not in other countries but that's not what I'm talking about. Those are moral issues. Nice post.
1 person likes this
• India
19 Jun 12
I would advice them not to hear any words from strangers. Each and every country is thickly populated. Among the population most of the people are very very polite and true but there are some people who used to cheat others for money and for other uses. A tourist person cannot distinguish whether a person is a cheater or not. So it is better to make use of tourism help line numbers regarding the money and other problems.
1 person likes this
@mikyung (2232)
• Philippines
13 Jun 12
Hi Porcospino, I would advice the same as you mentioned above. I believe I would add to that, before going to my place, say weeks before the flight, learn the language, grab a nice book regarding my country, know even those simple phrases, by there, tourist can have an idea what to expect- people,religion, transportation, food, weather, safe, place to visit, . For health reasons, make it sure, they are vaccinated - flu, hepatitis and the like. It pays to travel well prepared.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
13 Jun 12
I think it is a very good idea to learn some of the language before we leave, that can help us in many ways. I always buy a phrase book and a dictionary, and I think it is nice to learn some of the common words and expressions. I also try to memorize the words of the most important signs like "open", "closed" and "no trespassing". "No trespassing" is especially important that can save you from some embarassing situations sometimes I also like to read about other kinds of information about the country like transportation, food and the other things that you mentioned. Vaccinations are also important. It is one of things that have to have to check before we travel.
• China
13 Jun 12
friends,if you want to travel to china,i can give you some information:D first,you should parpared some RMB(money of china),so you can buy whatever you want,especially the food. Tibet is a very very beautiful place,if you want to experience the beauty of Tibet,you'd better ride a bike to tibet,or get there with your foot,almost of the beauty are on the way.it's a paradise.but you should have a sufficient parparetion. travel outside is great ,you can feel different cultures,so just do it:D
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
13 Jun 12
I would love to visit Tibet. I have only seen Tibet on pictures, but it looks very beautiful. I read that you need a special permit to enter Tibet in addition to the Chinese visa, but maybe it will be possible to get that permit if I arrange my trip through a travel agency. Many years ago I had a penpal from China and he sent me many pictures from his country. It was interesting to see the pictures that he sent me. I hope that I will get the chance to visit China in person one day. You mentioned that travelling gives us the chance to experience different cultures. I agree with that, actually that is one of the main reasons why I enjoy travelling.