In China, tourist attractions often charge too much, with providers making use of foreign tourists’ lack of knowledge to charge visitors unusual prices. 【小题1】. Here are some tips.

It’s good to do some research about the place you are going on your trip and which goods are its specialties, which prepares you well to bargain (讨价还价). It helps to read others’ tips and experiences and do price comparisons on websites.【小题2】.

Being in a rush gets the bargainer in trouble. Time is not on your side. The provider has all the time in the world, and can sell that thing tomorrow.【小题3】. If you can, plan ahead, take your time and don’t be rushed. If the seller isn’t coming down on the item you want, walk away.

Walking away works very well in big tourist places. If the price is still too high, you give your final offer and walk away slowly while looking at other things. You will usually be called back.

【小题4】

Typically, if shopping for things which are not expensive, you can try to go 25 to 50 percent of the asking price. If the thing is very expensive, it’s better to start lower. Just say 10 percent of the asking price, so you have more room to bargain.

【小题5】. You’ll hear everything from “Now my child won’t have any dinner”, to “You are getting this for less than I paid for it!” These are lies. The seller is making a profit, so don’t worry. They are not going to sell you anything out of the goodness of their heart. It’s a game and it’s fun to play. So play right back and say something like, “Yes, but now I can’t afford to have any dinner, either!”

Thinking about holidaying alone, but a bit concerned about the pitfalls? You needn’t worry if you consider these tips first.

Safety

Unless you positively invite danger—i.e. hanging around a remote park at 4 a.m. with headphones on—travelling alone isn’t actually that risky. The biggest danger is being taken for a ride. Literally, in the case of taxi drivers: always ask for an estimated fare before setting off. Otherwise, try to never look like a tourist. Ensure that someone else knows your journey and commit to regular contact with them.

Plan

Being alone means you can’t use your friends’ phones when yours runs out of juice, or rely on them should you lose your wallet. Put emergency systems in place: write down key numbers (friends, hotels, embassies, emergency services), have change for phone boxes and always keep some back-up money in your bag.

Making friends

This is another common and very valid worry when travelling alone: what if no one likes me? Acquiring new companions is always easier than feared, but still a scary subject. It helps to look approachable—smile at people, have open body language and lose the sunglasses. Read something interesting to start a conversation, or ask strangers a question.

More hands-on methods include visiting expatriate bars, joining tours or using apps designed to help people make friends, such as Meetup.

My mother always told me, “You should explore your own country before stepping out into the world. ”However, it seems like a tough mission to travel all across its expansive surfaces. But luckily for me, Via Rail Canada offered youths between the ages of 18 and 25 the chance to ride the train across Canada for the month of July. The ticket was a bargain $150. My best friends Trevor, Joel and Jeremy and I immediately jumped at the opportunity and secured four tickets on the great Canadian railroad.

For a group of 20-year-olds, this was like the first flight of young birds from the nest. When we approached the train station in the morning, our 22-day adventure from Sudbury to Vancouver was to begin. Eyes baggy from lack of sleep, we jumped on board as if it was the train to Hogwarts in Harry Potter. Although the thought of three full days on those tracks covering close to 3, 000 kilometres crushed our spirits a little, what happened next caught us by surprise.

The three days on board turned into a summer camp on rails. At night, we would climb up the glass-domed train car, which gave us a scenic view of the starry night sky, untouched by the harmful light pollution. Before we knew it, the warm sun rays beating down on our faces woke us up for another day on the rails. To my surprise, a sea of golden grain fields dominated the landscape we were in the Canadian Prairies.

Another day slipped away and we set up for another night in the dome. And this time we were greeted by night sky painted by a fantastic thunderstorm. Lightning was striking at an incredible rate. The spectacular and memorable light show left everyone in the glass bubble in complete disbelief.

Arriving in the Rocky Mountains was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. Before the train adventure, if I could have skipped the travel and arrived at the destination, I would have. That is no longer true. I’ve learned that the journey can be more enjoyable than the destination.