Travel with BURSA
Our lovely BURSA guest and etiquette expert Tatyana Polyakova told us about travel etiquette, what is her must-have on the road and what impressions she seeks for.
There are no universal travel etiquette rules, each of them may break into the culture of the country you are traveling to or representing.
Somewhere you drink a glass of wine because you cannot refuse from, and there are some countries where a woman doesn't drink at all. In some countries, a woman can easily come out with bare forearms, while in others it is unacceptable. You may get a stone thrown at you literally.
It is impossible to please everyone, but the main thing is to do not offend anybody.
I adhere to the rule that the clavicles, elbows, and knees are always covered, so the extra information cannot be read, and I feel calm. Of course, I'm not sunbathing like that, but when I’m leaving a beach, I get out of the beach dress code. If you are inappropriately dressed, people will certainly look at you, but because you impressed them by your illiteracy, arrogance, and ignorance.
All the things I travel with are multifunctional.
It’s Moleskin, where I always write down impressions and what I have to do. Jackets and sweaters, which are always appropriate and save me from the wind and stranger's gaze. A little cape that covers me from the rain and sometimes serves as outerwear. Scarf, which in modest hotels I can use instead of a blanket or a pillow. I always have a few pairs of comfortable shoes. There are also things to emphasize the evening mood with when I go to a romantic dinner or a theater, and before that, I have been on the move all day. Usually, it's something vintage, marabou, ostrich or crow's feather, something between the Belgians and China.
I always have a Louis Vuitton monogrammed garment bag that I use for many years. There are no wheels, so there is certain independence, most importantly — it is convenient. When you open it you kind of get into the wardrobe, the garment doesn’t get rumpled because it lays in a full length, and I flip it through like a book. I don’t have to iron clothes, I don’t use anything at all in hotels and don’t even know what is in the minibar. It's easier for me to go to the market and buy what I need.
The most important for me in skincare is face moisturizing, I don't use anything other. I have my favorite oils and sunscreen.
What I am most interested in while traveling is communication with people.
In cities where bicycles are popular, you can always drive through the park and get into the community who also ride. In any country, I find a manicure master, because there is also a community centered around beauty shops and you can listen to what the locals talk about.
My friends like luxury but I prefer low-key places.
Walking on an empty beach, I see how a fisherman peels fish, or how a merchant transports his goods by water. This is my cross-cultural theme — observing local life. I also have a stable stomach and easily eat local food.
In big cities, I like to get up and get out early to see the city’s start of the day. I always visit museums, antique shops, flea markets, garage sales.
I know who lived in the city I get to. I like memorial museums and hotels that are famous for their history, see the artist's life and look through the same window an artist used to look every day while writing a novel I've read.
I like traveling alone. Traveling with someone is a big obligation, a broken day, you don't always do what you want. And those who are very pleasant to travel with, you forget to leave the room.