Readers response: Have you ever experienced culture shock while travelling? How did you handle it?
<p>When it comes to travelling abroad, it's not uncommon to experience culture shocks as part of your holiday. </p>
<p>Travelling to unique corners of the globe can often come with stumbling onto potentially uncomfortable and unusual situations. </p>
<p>We asked our readers if they have ever experiences culture shocks and how they handled them, and the response was overwhelming. Here's what they said. </p>
<p><span dir="auto"><strong>Alison Mahoney</strong> - Yes, in the mid 60s got fined for kissing my boyfriend in the street in Athens. How things have changed.</span></p>
<p><span dir="auto"><span dir="auto"><strong>Margaret Godfrey</strong> - Yes, First time I went to Vietnam - from Hobart. </span></span>The heat, the sheer number of people just outside the airport door, being grabbed by stall holders in Ben Thanh Market and pulled into their stalls with "You Buy".</p>
<p>Had a good cry later in my hotel, then a cup of tea with another woman on tour. After going to dinner with rest of group, got over myself & thoroughly enjoyed the trip.</p>
<p><strong>Val Beale</strong> - Cambodia was a culture shock for me. Lovely people but so much poverty. Felt overwhelmed. So glad I went though.</p>
<p><strong>Jim Janush </strong>- Yes, the first time I went to South America, though not the first country there I was visiting. It was in the second country I had trouble accepting how different it was to what I was used to, the strange, backwards manner of simple organisation, almost everything.</p>
<p>It grew on me, and after a few days it felt normal, and now it doesn’t feel anywhere near as bad. But the first couple of days were horrific.</p>
<p><strong>Bruce Hopkins</strong> - On a USA Holiday, we took a Day Bus Trip from San Diego to Tijuana, what reality check it was seeing the Mexican/USA Border.</p>
<p><strong>Judi Tracey</strong> - Definitely when l went into the Grand Bazaar in Turkey. It was full of males, drinking coffee, smoking and googling at women. I never felt so uncomfortable and concerned for my safety if a fire broke out!! I couldn’t leave quick enough.</p>
<p><strong>Kristeen Bon</strong> - Bali. Went 25 years ago and hated it…..the heat, the constant harassment, the food, everything.</p>
<p>Went back last year thinking maybe things had changed…..nope, still too bloody hot, locals still harassing you, streets, shops and resorts falling apart……..not even a single comfortable chair on one of the island resorts.</p>
<p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p>
