Random Acts of Kindness While Travelling
“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and avoid the people, you might better stay home.” – James Michener
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Guarded. Uptight. Scared.   

It’s easy to feel this when travelling abroad than to let go of our inhibitions and trust our instincts. When travelling abroad I’m often told to be careful of random strangers and scammers. However, more often than not, I’ve come across helpful, friendly and kind locals who have surprised me with their random acts of kindness. From Turkey to Taiwan, I am forever grateful for these personal stories of kindness I’ve encountered abroad:

Istanbul, Turkey

Kindness from strangers can come at the least expected of times and anytime of day or night – we need only to be ready to accept and be open with our hearts.
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It’s past midnight. We find ourselves lost in a quiet, dark and deserted neighbourhood, with the only sound coming from an aggressive stray dog barking in the night. It’s our first night in Istanbul and we are frustrated, thirsty, exhausted and disappointed our apartment-hotel is somewhere among these shabby apartments in need of new paint. If we find our apartment that is. At this rate it seems like we are going to be sleeping on the street for the night.

Until we come across a shopkeeper – the only person in this neighborhood up at this time of night. Being in Istanbul for the first time, past midnight, in a dark neighborhood away from the tourist zone, it would have been easy not to trust. We were hesitant at first and stayed on heightened alert while keeping an eye on our belongings. But by being open to receiving help from locals, we were allowing ourselves to trust – we were the foreigners in this land and we needed local help.

We showed the shopkeeper the name of the hotel. Without speaking any English, he knew where to go – he led us up the hill, up to our hotel. He even helped roll our luggage up the hill without us asking. He wasn’t a bell-hop; he wasn’t looking for money or trying to scam us; he left his shop unattended and unlocked (a true sign of the safety felt in that neighborhood); he was a local man helping a couple of lost tourists in his neighborhood. Once we were at the hotel, he waited until someone came to open the door and we were safely inside. Without his help, I’m not sure we would have found our apartment for the night.

We stayed in that neighborhood for 7 days – and we are grateful for the experience; staying there slowly opened our eyes to this close-knit community where neighbours help one another – whether you’re a stranger or not. 

Pamukkale, Turkey

Small-town hospitality – conveyed through simple acts of kindness.
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Pamukkale is a small village in southwestern Turkey known for its natural “snow white” limestone cliffs with travertines (thermal springs). The ancient city of Hieropolis sits on top of Pamukkale, both of which are world heritage sites.

After spending a week in chaotic Istanbul, it was a nice reprieve to stay a night in a small village where you could hear the birds chirping. It’s a place where you could walk down the street and not get run over by traffic, it’s where friendly locals greet you because they want to – not because they want something from you.

Our first encounter with kindness came on our walk towards the travertines, a mere 15 minute distance away. As we’re walking along a street filled with tourist shops, the owner of a tour agency came out of his shop to greet us and give us a map. We weren’t looking for directions nor had we approached him, but he was so happy to help and hand us a map we accepted. At first, we were taken aback as we thought perhaps he wanted us to buy the map, or up-sell a guided tour from him. But no – he didn’t ask for anything else in return. He was happy to be of service. When you encounter friendly locals when travelling, it makes the trip so much more memorable; you leave with a sense of welcome-ness and knowing the goodness of humanity exists.

Our second encounter of kindness in Pamukkale was experienced on our last morning in the village. We were staying at the Bellamaritimo Hotel – a small, locally-run family hotel. It was a simple hotel with excellent breakfast and one of the most friendliest, accommodating and hospitable owners, Mr. Halim. On all of our travels, this stay was one of the most memorable because of him. On our last morning, we needed to take bus from Denizili to Fethiye. After an excellent Turkish breakfast at the hotel, we were ready to walk over to the bus stop with our luggage when Mr. Halim offered to give us a lift in his beat up red station wagon.

That morning I learned he had small kids – from the toys strewn in the car. That morning I learned people with the simplest lives give the most. That morning I felt closer to the country of Turkey and its people than ever before. This small village and simple hotel with its kind people were the ones that gave us the warmest welcome and have stayed in my heart all these years.

Taipei, Taiwan

“Remember there’s no small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” – Scott Adams
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On its own, this next random act of kindness may not seem so out of the ordinary, but when you encounter it over and over again – in a short amount of time, and realize this type of friendliness is ingrained in the culture, the act of kindness becomes much more noticeable.

Over the course of our 5 days in Taipei–the only time we’ve spent in this city and country — we had locals stop to let us know our shoelaces were untied. Not only once, but multiple times. These small acts of kindness have a profound effect. Even in this busy, self-absorbed world – people in Taipei, young and old, with and without headphones on, stopped and took a minute from their own world to engage with us before going back to their day. The destination doesn’t make the trip – the people do. Thank you Taipei – you opened my eyes to your kindness.

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These are only a sliver of the many stories of kindness I have encountered when travelling. The more I travel, the more I know people from around the world are the same – friendly, kind, giving people.

Share some of your stories in the comments below of kindness you’ve encountered when travelling!