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Digital Etiquette For The Excited Travelers

The founder and managing director of The Mobile Culture, Michael Matthews, gives eight tips for how to properly click or swipe away on your mobile devices while on vacation.

1. Don’t play “stump the tour guide” by looking up the sights you’re visiting on your mobile phone and sharing your findings with the group.

“The tour guide knows something interesting,” Matthews said. “They know local pieces of information. They have these local nuggets that now they’d be offended by even sharing because how can they compete with Wikipedia?”

2. If you post to Facebook, Twitter or a blog, make sure the others you’re traveling with know you’re writing or sharing photos about the trip.

Laws vary from state to state, so it’s not only important to know them, it’s equally  import to ask permission to photograph people and let them know the images may wind up online.

3. Don’t “tag” people in photos online without prior approval.

Not only will the person you tag see it, but all the people who will visit his or her wall will also see it. Can you image having your work colleagues that you may have Facebook  friended see you in your skimpy bikini guzzling back a beer? Also in the same vain, some tweets or photos shouldn’t be posted until you’re home –or not at all.


5. Be careful about posting critical comments online about a destination or trip.

“Posting commentary considered ‘negative’ about an area you’re touring for the first time disappoints and can even offend others who are envious that you’re able to take a vacation,” Matthews said.

6. Unless you’re riding on a bus, train or plane, take off the headphones.

Travel is about the sights, smells and sounds. Not only is wearing headphones rude, it can be dangerous if you can’t hear the noise of an oncoming car or a bus.

7. Get in front of the camera.

“With the help of the Internet and Google images, I can see thousands of pictures of the Eiffel Tower,” Matthews said. “I can see plenty. So when I see another picture of the Eiffel Tower, why aren’t you in front of the Eiffel Tower?”

8. Turn down the screen brightness.

A great traveler’s trick is to use your smartphone or tablet screen as a flashlight.  It’s great in a pinch, but watch out, you can get some fellow air travelers very angry if that goes off in a darkened cabin.

Do you follow any of all of these digital etiquettes? Tell us of the times you were offended by “rude” techies!

Source: Fox News Travel

Image: SailAway Yacht Charter Consultants, Inc.

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