Are We Turning Back into the Jungle?

The Lost Etiquette of International Travel

I have just returned from a trip to Italy that has left me deeply concerned. Crowded airports, full flights, endless waiting times… All of this could be considered part of the travel experience. But what truly struck me and saddened me is the alarming loss of education, courtesy, and common sense in the behaviour of many travellers.

• Out-of-Place Attire: Between Comfort and Neglect

Travelling comfortably does not mean dressing as if we were going to the beach. On recent flights, I have seen passengers boarding wearing rubber sandals, worn-out shorts, tank tops, and even people walking barefoot through the cabin.

There is a big difference between informal and careless.

Clothing communicates, even in transit. Comfort should never be an excuse to lose decorum.

• Mobile Phones: An Extension of the Ego

If there is one undeniable protagonist of the current chaos, it is the misuse of mobile phones. In airports, many speak loudly without any regard for their surroundings; on planes, videos or voice notes are played without headphones.

When did it become acceptable to invade other people’s auditory space?

The lack of discretion with phones has become a cultural problem. This is not just about etiquette rules but basic respect. Not everything we think or feel needs to be shared, much less out loud.

• Inappropriate Conversations on Flights: No Filter, No Awareness

Inside the plane, where space is limited and proximity inevitable, courtesy should be the basic rule of coexistence. Yet, the opposite abounds: loud voices, personal topics, constant complaints, lack of filter.

The airplane is not a private living room. It is a shared space.

Lowering your voice, avoiding inappropriate or sensitive topics, and being aware of your surroundings is a sign of international education and, also of human sensitivity.

• Absent Education in Airports

On the ground, the situation does not improve. Queues spark arguments, corridors are blocked without consideration, and staff are often treated harshly, demanding, or even hostile.

A concrete example: a family of two adults, two children, four trolleys, occupying the entire width of a main corridor (London airport) blocking the passage of hundreds of people without any intention to move aside.

When did we lose awareness of shared space?

Kindness does not slow down travel. On the contrary, it improves the experience for everyone.

• An Urgent Call to the Contemporary Traveller

Travelling is an opportunity to discover the world, but also to show the best of ourselves as human beings. Yet, what is multiplying today is a type of traveller who acts as if only they matter.

From attire to tone of voice, from phone usage to respect for common spaces, the etiquette of the international traveller is dangerously fading away.

Courtesy takes no space in the suitcase, but it leaves a mark on every destination.

EDDA