Particularly, Asia’s many cultural nuances — local traditional dress, a walk or gait, posture & even their walking direction. 

All such subtleties suggests great familiarity & intent of purpose - perhaps back to work or home. Their natural behavior may be a cultural shield against the usual scammer or pickpockets.

You won’t have this cultural shield. Quite the opposite, in spite of the best suggestions you will always be an obvious “tourist.”

So, our personal travel behavior(s) should probably be based on:

    1. our own cultural experience, 

    2. our travel needs (dinner party vs trekking) & 

    3. our host country’s cultural guidelines. 

Each country has its own guidelines which we should research a bit and practice at home so we feel comfortable, and neither insult locals nor attract the criminal element. 

For example, the Thai people greet everyone with ‘wai’ — a slight bow, palms pressed together in prayer-like fashion.

Higher the hands relative to your face & lower the bow, the more respect or reverence you display.

So Imagine you enter a Thai Seven-11, you greet the clerk with a slight bow with prayer-like hands held below your face to the clerk. BUT, .. moments later you help a very old Thai women get milk off a high shelf by 1^st bowing much lower with hands much higher. Asians truly respect the elderly. 

Practice this ‘wai’ with your traveling friends at home. At 1^st you’ll feel self-consciously silly, but once in Thailand you will sense the local’s appreciation of your traditional respect. It is a good feeling.

Some of our proposed “travel behaviors’ will be obvious like NOT talking loudly in a church or temple. OTOH, we may not realize some of our behaviors that offend: e.g.: letting the bottom of our feet ‘face’ an Asian temple’s altar. 

Our foreign tourist’s “behavior” makes us easy prey: -----

Let’s look more quickly closely at each of the above travel stages and my strategies  

II. Travel Stages:

Much of our typical initial tourist behaviors are a product of pre-travel excitement anxiety, a long flight, and the host airport’s arrival and customs process. The closer to your departure date the more that anxiety melds into that mix. Anticipation & anxiety are the yin-yangs of travel.

Once you've navigated your home airport’s departure process, endured a long flight, and landed to begin an even more intense, somewhat chaotic, often confusing arrival airport’s customs process you are a frazzled heap of exhausted anxiety. 

You are also perfect prey for the airport terminal’s pickpockets and other scammers who recognize & will try to take advantage of your justifiable, malaise discomfort.

A. Pre-flight & Customs:

               [Maybe pplk. "2 SAFETY - PILLAR - Narrow" ] 

Let’s look more closely at this process/scenario. 

Once you are aware that you will experience a mix of emotions and physical numbness, you can plan in advance how to adjust your behaviors to neutralize pickpockets and scammers. 

If you take the time to scan the following elements of my “Pre-travel / long flight / more Customs” process, you can reduce your stress & fatigue and airport pickpockets & scammers.

              [Maybe pplk. "2 SAFETY - PILLAR - Narrow" ]

Yes, I know that pickpockets & scam artists will be hunting us, but this prime PURPOSE of this “Resource’s Safety & Packing Post”. ??? series is to prepare YOU, in advance, to foil them long before you have left home.

Let’s explore how.

1. Pre-trip excitement:

Months before I travel I have decided on the host country and have begun my research. The more I research the deeper I dive and the more excited I become about each new detail – a new site, a train schedule solution, a historical insight. All adds to my continually increasing excitement and anticipation.  I try to imagine it all.

Even those travelers who don’t do the planning, cannot evade the pending foreign trip’s growing anticipation;    sensing, perhaps hoping, it may amaze or even change them.

The professional or business owner dreads the loss of work time, but thrills at the temporary escape from responsibility; the ‘pause’ to catch a long overdue breath, or even to ‘test’ retirement.

Others may relish the opportunity to challenge their life’s direction & validity, self-worth, overcoming fears, probing the ‘possibilities” of a life-long curiosity, and possibility of a whole new passion to pursue. 

Unfortunately, that pre-trip anticipation, excited planning, fantasizing, packing, night-before-flights anxiety, often early morning ride to airport, and check-in intensifies our emotions - both positive & negative. It’s palpable.

                [Maybe pplk. "2 SAFETY - PILLAR - Narrow" ] 

2. The ‘Chute’:   

When I was a young boy in Catholic school (for delinquent kids) we had a large metal tubular fire escape chute that went from the 2nd floor to the playground. 

Throughout my life, that tube would always be my metaphor for my commitment to finish something I had started: “Once in the chute, I couldn’t go back.”. I couldn’t back “up” out of the ‘fire escape chute’ once I had started down.    ……. and, boy, was it fun.

3. Travel day: 

After uneasy sleep, shower & shave, I put on last night’s carefully laid out clothes, check my 2 bags & passport pouch contents -again, pat my cell phone, jump in Uber, drive quietly to the airport, & check-in.  

Sometime after passing thru my airport’s security, I realized I was ‘in the chute.”  My trip had started, no turning back.

"All research, planning & preparation, all lingering worries were ‘in stone", I silently said to myself, “I’m ‘in the chute.’ My trip has started.” 

There was no niggling fear that I forgot to do or bring something, no more research. preparation and planning — my next great adventure had ALREADY begun. A very calming, a fait accompli, .. a done deal. 

Terminology Used in Airports and In-Flight: https://www.ifly.com/airport-info-and-tips/airport-terms

B. Long flight's drain:

In contrast, while I don't particularly enjoy the long flights and airport’s Customs departure & arrival process, I have developed practices that reduce the negatives converting them into the modest price I pay for my next incredible 2 to 3 months travel adventure. 

Some travelers, particularly Americans, dread the long flights across oceans to their destination country. Sitting in somewhat uncomfortable chair, jammed between others with only the occasional walkabout bathroom break, a movie dinner, some reading, snacks, and if you're lucky, sleep.

     ANECDOTE: my friend, a frequent American business flier.

My friend after years of travel between the United States and China coordinating design and manufacture of her company’s furniture products, will no longer travel primarily because of the to & from customs & flight hassle.

My Personal Opinion: Her ‘work’ purpose' killed' any ‘tourist travel desire.”  I understand.

I do NOT dread the flight — its the REAL escape “chute”..          Once, “wheels up” and a plane’s tail drops ominously a little bit as the plane’s wheels retract into the fuselage, I know I have begun passage from Earth up to the Viking’s Valhalla ….  37,000 ft cruising altitude. 

All my life’s home issues are suspended, simply because I can't be reached for next several hours (... no cheap in-flight cellular then). During this many-hour-long reality suspension, I now transform into ‘Scott, the Solo Independent Traveler’--new existence with no other life.

1. My Long Flight Drill:

Over the years I've developed an in-flight routine that simplifies the flight &  eases my plane exit.

a. Overhead compartment:

1. Before entering the plane, if convenient, hand carry in pockets or in a cheap grocery bag in upper daypack compartment for easy access to what you will need/use during flight i.e. books food, etc. 

2. Before sitting down, pull out your plastic bag of stuff.  NOTE:  Avoid that extra bag that will sit under seat ahead of you cramping your feet for entire flight. 

3. Overhead luggage Bin:

    a) Ideally, choose a compartment on the opposite aisle side as your seat so you ‘see’ your bag when compartment is opened, 

b) Position your carry-on bag in the overhead bin upright to bin’s side so less likely to have other’s stuff jammed on top or moved about. 

Example: I turn my daypack on its side jammed against overhead’s side with daypak’s compartments locked with MY airline cable, BUT facing aisle for easy access during flight.

b. Long Flight Time:

              [Maybe pplk. "2 SAFETY - PILLAR - Narrow" ]

Once settled in my seat I do what pleases me (inflight entertainment, reading, sleep,  etc) until the 1^st big meal. Depending on how long before the 1^st big meal, I make a couple of bathroom walkabouts.

1) Bathroom walkabouts: 

I plan for these bathroom walkabouts because I get some stretching exercises, a walkabout, and, oh yes, the bathroom. 

I usually get an aisle seat near plane’s rear for several reasons: 

    a. close to bathrooms, 

    b. close to kitchens in case I want to ask for something (snacks, etc), 

    c. but most importantly, usually a lot of room between emergency exits & kitchen to sneak in some stretching exercises as long as I don’t obstruct attendants. 

My walkabout is a grand loop as far forward as possible, then cross over to & back down other aisle to bathroom & my seat — mainly for exercise.

2) Big Meal … then sleep: 

I find airline meals quite good, particularly at 37,000 feet, but, after a big meal, I take a ½ Dr.-prescribed sleeping pill that knocks me out for ~ 4 hrs. 

Then, only a few more hours of snacks, entertainment, “Foreigner Disembarkation Card” completion, & a pre-landing bathroom visit ....  before everyone else.

C. Arrival & to Customs:

Now the fun begins   …BUT in reverse: …

On landing & taxiing to your gate, your tension & excitement ramps up again. A slow, chaotic de-planing, often long walk down sterile hallways to Custom’s long lines, a brief ‘interrogation’, a 2nd  hike & stand-about at Baggage Claim carousel & Customs & Declaration …. and then … freedom.

You may be tired, sore from the claustrophobic seats, maybe hungry, excitement mixed with the natural anxiety of a totally different world, your circadian clock is about to subtly spin into jet lag mode. 

I know, it makes you want to get back on the plane and go back home. While I am painting a very dreary picture, the reality is with patience, pre-trip research & practical prudence you will suffer little of significance.

Here, in this post, I'll give you the stripped-down version of this process. A more extensive detailed discussion of Arrival > Customs > Freedom process is in my sub-post: Airport arrival procedures. [pplk: sub-post: Airport Arrival Procedures]] 

1. Pre-land & exit: 

Most Folks: After locating ‘all’ their personal ‘seat’ stuff’ AND staying seated until ‘seat belt’ signs turn off, …. half sitting/standing they try to squeeze into the aisle, grab their overhead bag without hurting anyone, 
and then, ….

stand like sardines for the ‘Long Wait” (20 > 30 minutes average) as everyone ahead also gets up and stands…. waiting. 

Remember, handicapped, 1^st class & business class usually get off first.

MY Best Practices: 

If small stuff at your seat is no longer needed, ASAP before landing, put back in your carry-on luggage. If stuff you still want close to you, put in your pockets so you don’t forget them at touchdown. 

Having stored my personal stuff again before landing, I stay seated reading or reviewing my Airport > Hostels transportation & itinerary notes patiently waiting the 20 minutes +/- for the rows & aisle ahead of me to empty. 

Once the seats & most of the aisle ahead are mostly clear, I move into the aisle, take down my carry-on from overhead compartment and calmly walk up the aisle & de-plane among the last (5>10 min).

2. Walk & wait at Customs: 

Depending on the airport, Customs can be close at hand or a long interminable slog down cold impersonal hallways. High Point: bathrooms usually on the way.

Most Folks: Rush to Customs area like drought-parched cattle thundering to the next watering hole.

ONLY to be immediately herded into a series of narrow snaking lines moving very slowly forward to the ‘next’ available Custom Officer’s Passport Approval kiosk.

MY Best Practices: 

Already behind most passengers, I make a restroom stop, splash some water on my face and move on relaxed because often once at Customs we must wait. 

3. Customs Kiosk Process:

At Customs kiosk window you present your passport & “Disembarkation Card for Foreigner” that you got from Flight Attendant before landing.)

Custom Agent checks computer database for your Visa status, perhaps asks purpose of trip while comparing your face to your passport photo, a few more computer inputs, then, often with great gusto, your passport is stamped one or two times, you are Welcomed and told to proceed to Baggage Claim.        Phew! Past the anxious part. 

Emerging Future: At this moment US Airports are replacing hi-tech self-serve passport kiosks with

‘facial recognition cameras’ attended by customs officers. Soon, the entire process will be AI controlled; probably be more accurate & faster.   ON to Baggage Claim.

4. Baggage Claim:

             [Maybe pplk: "s Safety - sub-post, narrow]

Most Folks: scurry to their flight’s Baggage Claim Carousel having their airline & flight number electronically posted above. 

Soon the milling crowd grows at baggage chute or spreads around oval carousel watching for 1st bag to rumble down the baggage conveyor, & land on a turntable before sliding down the chute onto the Carousel’s long continuous rotating belt.

Once their bag is seen, passengers frantically jostle their way to the Carousel frantically grabbing it, then pushing back out thru the crowd.          Does little good to jockey aggressively next to the baggage chute. 

MY Best Practices: 

Arriving at Baggage Claim early birds already have their bags so easier to find mine which may already be riding around the carousel. 

So, position yourself on the same side of Carousel that chute empties onto. There you can see your bag coming down the incoming baggage belt as it approaches the chute and slides down onto the carousel. 

When you see your bag hit the carousel, politely follow it downstream where you can easily & politely get next to the carouse, remove your bag & politely move off to Declarations. (Note: politely)

5. Declaration Process:  

Many countries impose a Customs Duty on certain goods & prohibit other goods. Custom Duties protect a country's economy, residents, jobs, environment, etc.

‘Prohibited’ items enforce a society’s laws: illegal drugs, weapons, certain foods & animals that may carry diseases or bugs endangering their agriculture. 

Most countries provide this info online for pre-trip research …AND …just before landing your flight attendant will give you a “Disembarkation Card for Foreigner” that you must fill out & it usually lists prohibited/restricted ‘no, no’ items.: some food, too much money, etc. 

Remember, your rights are defined by your HOST country, NOT the USA.

Most Folks: Honestly try to comply, but mistakes are possible

My Best Practices:

Don’t play a ‘hide & seek game’ with Customs or you could vacation in a cold/damp prison cell regardless of how well you play women’s basketball.

OTOH, if an Agent finds ‘something’ buried in your luggage you honestly forgot about OR “misinterpreted” its restrictions, quickly be upfront. Agent’s reaction depends on seriousness of infraction of UN-declared items & your apparent sincerity. 

Remember, their country, their rules. They can just randomly choose to look through all your bags or do a cavity search ( Really! ).