When your steps lead you to a country with a culture that is completely different from yours, it is not always easy to show that you are not a tourist. Anything can deceive you: the way you talk, the way you behave, your skin, your clothes…When it comes to paying something, the cost can sometimes sound incredibly high regarding the prestation. What can you do to pay the fair price and spend some nice holidays?
Let us take one or two common examples to depict the situation: the taxi issue and the marketplace. If you need to take a taxi to reach your final destination, the taxi driver may increase the fare if he notices that you are not coming from the place. The trend is not systematic, but it does happen. Same thing if you do some shopping in the market, where the prices are not always written on the items displayed. You may pay for something that costs two or three times less if you are not careful. But this is not a fatality!
First tip: get the information while you are in the place. Do not waver to ask people around you, like your host, or ask the internet to see what travelers advise you to do in such cases. If you know the right prices, you will be more able to negotiate when the situation happens.
Second tip: if you take a taxi, take the counter to avoid paying a fare that is too high. The counter will propose you a final price depending on the distance.
Third tip: be tough in negotiations and show that even though you are not from the place, you know how things are going. If you are trying to negotiate the price of a garment for instance, do not hesitate to compare the prices proposed in different shops.
Guillaume Mahot