As a Nigerian traveling for the first time abroad, there are certain mistakes we are bound to make. Some of these mistakes can easily be avoided if we carefully go through this article. If you have made any of these mistakes before, then you can really relate and have a little laugh. It is not a crime to laugh at yourself once in a while. Now here are some mistakes Nigerians make when traveling abroad for the first time;
1. Arriving At The Airport Late
If you are a first-time traveler, you don’t want to arrive at the airport late because if that ticket you bought is non-refundable, you will definitely lose that ticket.
2. Being ‘SOFT’ At The Nigerian Airport
People that travel a lot always have good advice for people arriving at the airport in Nigeria and the advice is that ‘always bring your mad side to the airport’. You cannot be too soft at the airport, you should have a little bit of toughness like you know what you are doing. If you act too soft or naive, you can be taken for a ride and even extorted for something you may not be able to explain in the long run.
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3. Packing Too Much Hand Luggage
If you can, avoid carrying too much hand luggage because they may not let you bring it inside the plane because they have certain restrictions on how much hand luggage each passenger can carry and secondly, you may get to your assigned seat on the plane and find out that there is no more space available in the overhead compartment made available in the plane. So try to pack light when handling hand luggage.
4. Carrying Unkown Items On The Plane
This is the quickest and surest way to end up in prison. There are some Nigerians in foreign prison arrested for carrying contraband, some people that carried cocaine and illegal drugs thinking it was an iPhone. You need to know the exact item you have in your luggage or whatever you are helping someone to deliver. No one will want to hear any type of explanation about how you had no idea the content of what you are carrying.
5. Leave Wallet By Seat When Using The Toilet On A Plane
Please note that people can steal anywhere. If you are going to use the bathroom, go with your hand purse or wallet because you never can tell, the person sitting beside you may be a thief.
6. Over Sharing At Immigration
Especially on arrival, sharing too much information or talking too much should be avoided. When a question is asked, go straight to the point. Do not give details about the last prayer you made before leaving Nigeria or your cousin’s cousin child, no stories allowed, just straight to the point answers.
7. Not Taking Enough Money
Life abroad is not easy, it is not cheap either. Always make sure you take enough money to avoid being stranded. Plan properly.
8. Not Doing Enough Research
When traveling abroad, it is always right to do enough research on that country. Know their way of life. Know what is and not acceptable. If you are booking a flight through an agency, the agency probably plans what taxi takes you to your hotel room and every other necessity. If you are traveling without an agency, research and plan how your stay there is going to be like, from hotels to taxi rides, to restaurants, etc. All information you need about that country you are visiting is available on the internet, so RESEARCH.
9. Bargaining Price In Shops
In Nigeria, it is normal to price whenever you are given the cost of a certain item you want to purchase from a store. In certain countries, the price seen on the label is what you pay. You cannot see $50 and price it for $20, it is not done.
10. Preaching In Public
Preaching in public or even in public transportation is normal in Nigeria but the fac it is a norm here, doesn’t mean it should be practiced abroad. Do you know you can be arrested in countries where this isn’t allowed? Your reason for the arrest is simply because you are disturbing public peace.
Other common mistakes are;
- Bribing a police officer
- Not tipping
- Expecting people to say good morning to you
- Disciplining other peoples kids
- Thinking you will become a millionaire when you travel abroad
