The Best Ways to Deal with Culture Shock when Traveling

Discovering new and different cultures while abroad is one of the most exciting parts of travel. However, sometimes these differences can become overwhelming. Perhaps they cause you to pause, and try to understand how things work. Other times there may be more of a physical reaction, as you are confused, stressed or unhappy. No matter what the reaction, culture shock is not a pleasant experience.

However, experiencing this reaction is completely normal. When you go abroad your daily routine, culture, food, and the attitudes of people around you are no longer familiar. The process of recognizing, understanding, and adapting to these changes is called culture shock, and it happens to everyone. The more you travel, the less it impacts you. In fact, if you learn to deal with the negative aspects of culture shock then it can turn into a positive thing!

The 4 Stages of Culture Shock

Culture shock stages will hit everyone a little differently, but generally there are four main stages involved. While individuals experience these stages, they do provide a guideline of how we adapt and cope with new cultures.

• Stage 1 - The Honeymoon Stage : The first stage of culture shock is often positive; everything around you is always interesting. You’ll be infatuated with the language, with the culture, the food and the people… it’s like being in love.
• Stage 2 - The Frustration Stage : In this stage of dealing with culture shock, everything hurts. You don’t understand anything because of the language barrier. You might start feeling a little homesick and a lot like you’re resenting your decision to go abroad.
• Stage 3 - The Adjustment Stage : You begin to feel more familiar and comfortable with the culture, people, food and language of the new environment. Details of the local language may become more recognizable, and you can actually make small talk with vendors at the fruit market. You’re finally starting to feel a part of the community during this stage.
• Stage 4 - The Acceptance Stage : During this stage, you’ve arrived at a new normal, and while you might not understand everything, you may even find yourself adopting some new habits. You feel familiar and able to draw together the resources you need to feel at ease.

How to Deal with Culture Shock While Abroad

No matter where you are in the world or what type of cultural differences you’re encountering, you’ll find something on this list to help you overcome the shock of cultures.

Learn about the country and the people, their history, their cuisine, and you might find more to love than you think. Get to know as much as you can about what's considered polite or rude and prepare yourself for some of the differences before you go there.

Try to understand the world the way your host culture does, and put yourself in a local’s shoes. This new perspective might just give you the leverage you need to love a new part of the country. It might open a door that allows you to respect a culture a little more.

Things are different all over the world: customs, transport, language, etc. There are plenty of ways to experience misfortune when travelling. When you find yourself having negative feelings towards your host culture, find a healthy distraction to relieve your stress. Take the time to look after yourself and you’ll find it’s easier to enjoy travelling to new places.

Get involved in the local community as much as possible. Making local friends is the perfect way to learn about a country, and build reasons to love it just a little more. Interact with the local community, and you’ll see they you have a lot more in common than you’d expect, even if their way of life is confusing sometimes.

Make an effort to learn a few basic phrases in the local language. Even if you’re only in a country for a day or just a few hours, try to pick up some phrases and words to help your interactions. It's not just a way to understand more of the culture, but also to make friends.

Modulo is Here to Help

For anyone who wants to overcome culture shock by making friends with travellers around the world, or foreigners who want to make your domestic trip more enjoyable and convenient by speaking local languages with local people, check out our classes at Modulo. We offer personalized courses in 6 languages: English, Chinese, Japanese, French, Thai and Korean lessons conducted by professional native-speaking teachers.

As countries worldwide are beginning to end their lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, travel and tourism are again becoming possible, so it’s time to go out and explore the world! Dealing with culture shock is part of the travel experience, and it makes you stronger. It's a challenge, but an introduction to a valuable memory. Don't let culture shock stop you from going abroad!