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Five Unwritten Rules of Travelling Well

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10.08.2026

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Five Unwritten Rules of Travelling Well

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Created in partnership with IHG Hotels & Resorts.

The best trips don’t happen by accident. They’re the result of a handful of decisions most people never think to make — where to actually stay, what to skip, how to let a place breathe. The five-star reviewed restaurant that peaked eighteen months ago, the schedule so airtight there’s no room for anything to actually happen: these are easy traps to fall into. The travellers who consistently come home with better stories have simply learned to sidestep them. Here’s what they do instead.

Learn Three Phrases, Not the Whole Language

Three phrases are all it takes: hello, thank you, and some version of “what do you recommend?” Not fluency, of course — just enough to show that you bothered. Most tourists don’t. The ones who do get met differently —........

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