What do you have on your actual or mental to-do list when you plan a vacation for yourself or your family?

You probably included maps of the area, reservations for lodging or campsite, money and credit cards, a guidebook, list of clothing to pack, that sort of stuff.  I’ll discuss a suggested list of things to take with you in another blog, but this BLOG is dedicated to 8 actions that will significantly enrich your VBS experience.

1. Get oriented to your VBS location. Acquire a map of the country and specific area you will be visiting. AAA is an excellent source for maps. You can go to the internet and print out maps of almost any place in the world.

2. Learn some history of the country.  It will help you understand why the people feel the way they do about certain things or events. Many countries, regions, and cities have a visitor or tourist information webpage. These are an excellent source of information.

3. Learn about the mores and customs of the people. In some countries stores close in the afternoon, then stay open later at night. Maybe you will be in an area where the restaurant dinner hour doesn’t begin until 8:00 PM but your usual eating time is much earlier. You may need to plan to avoid stress on your metabolic system.

4. An interesting reference to determine acceptable dress and behavior is The Global Etiquette Guide to Europe: Everything You Need to Know for Business and Travel Success. A companion book, The Global Etiquette Guide to Asia: Everything You Need to Know for Business and Travel Success – by Dean Foster, is also available on Amazon.com.

5. Learn some basic phrases.  You don’t need to speak the language, but learning some basic phrases will help.  Learn the days of the week, numbers at least one to twenty, basic greetings – they may change depending on the time of day, left, right, straight ahead, and the invaluable phrase, “where is the restroom?.

“You don’t need to speak the language, but learning some basic phrases will help. i.e., Where’s the bathroom?”

1. Learn about social interaction.  For example, the acceptable distance between two people in conversation can vary from country to country. Getting too close or too far apart can leave a wrong impression. Behaviors we don’t even think about at home can hurt our effectiveness as VBS team members, with the children and other volunteers.

2. Many countries operate on a 24-hour clock. That is, 2:00 PM is 1400; 8:15 PM is 2015. Try thinking in 24-hour terms for a few days to get used to it.

8. U.S. an appointment at 2 o’clock means 2 o’clock.  That can be quite different in other countries. You may have to wait. Speaking of time: Other countries don’t always view time the way we do in the U.S.   In the Waiting may be viewed as customary, not as an offense. A Pakistani friend of mine invited me to a party at 1600. I arrived at 1615. He and his wife were still in their grubbies, preparing for the party. Thinking I had misread the time on the invitation I was told, “Oh, no one ever arrives until 1730 – 1800.” Since that time I have always asked him whether he was referring to Pakistani time or American time.

Next Week: 10 Ways to be Part of VBS Next Year