Getting lost and traveling go hand in hand and everyone who ventures out into the unknown has experienced asking for directions from a total stranger who barely (if at all) speaks your language. You would assume the local you are asking knows their way around, and you heed their advice which leads you in… the completely wrong direction!
You trusted their advice and after 20 minutes of wandering around, you wondered if they had an evil motive and were trying to get you lost on purpose, or simply made a huge mistake. This is where the RULE OF 3 comes into play.
While backpacking in Mexico, everyone in the hostel soon realized that they had been given the wrong directions numerous times, and in order to save a little sanity, they would need to ask multiple people for the same directions. The actual number differs by country, but the rule in Mexico is the rule of 3, and sometimes 5.
Here is an example of how the process works:
- Venture out with a destination in mind.
- Ask one of the first people you see who looks helpful.
- Wander one block in the direction they pointed.
- Find someone else to ask for directions.
- If the answer was the same as the first, continue one more block that direction. If it was different, head one block in the direction the second local pointed in.
- Ask one more friendly stranger how to get where you are going, then stand for a second and ponder all three sets of directions.
- Take a general average and head that way or choose the one person you felt was most confident and trust them.
TIP: When there is a language barrier, be sure to know the translation for the following words: left, right, straight, and blocks. These will get you closer to your point of interest by making sure you aren't totally screwing up.
When all three sets of directions don't seem right, head towards a more trustworthy source of information such as a tourist info center, hotel concierge, detailed map, or just give in and pay the taxi. Chances are you are headed somewhere none of the locals ever go.
TIP: Walk one block (and maybe two) between asking locals simply to be polite. It would seem very rude to ask someone for directions and then immediately ask the next person on the road showing that you obviously don't trust the first person.
The lesson to learn is that most people are over-generous to lost travelers and want to help in any way they can. If you ask someone for directions in Mexico and they don't know the correct way, they will not tell you they don't know but simply give you the best guess they have.
Well thanks, but no thanks. I would have been better off with a simple “no”. People's generosity has led me astray numerous times which is why I now usually will stretch the rule to a “sometimes 5.”
Planning a trip? Go Backpacking uses and recommends:
- G Adventures for small group tours
- Skyscanner for researching flights
- Hostelworld for booking hostels
- Airbnb for renting rooms and homes
- Rail Europe for train passes
- World Nomads for travel insurance
Lol! As a local of Washington, DC, I'm actually guilty of this, too. Sometimes I'll give directions to tourists and a few minutes later realize I sent them a rather circuitous way. Hope they knew the rule of 3…
The best is trying to get directions to the restroom. How do you say you need to do a number 2 to someone that doesn't understand English? It makes for funny hand gestures.
Mike – I don't think I've ever tried to make the distinction between #1 and 2 when asking for directions to the bathroom! That's on a need to know basis.
I think different people giving different directions for the same destination is a fun way to meet the locals! lol
Love it! Great idea. :)
I think people will understand the #2 intention by your facial expressions… thats a universal language
very true, I ran into several very friendly folks while lost.
You'd never think that giving and receiving directions would be such an art, or is it science? Once in Ghana I asked a man directions, drove around without finding the building, found the man standing still in the same place, and asked him why he had given me what obviously were wrong directions. He looked at me with earnest regret and said, “Oh, Madame, I did not want to disappoint you!”
By saying he didn't know, I presume.
Yes, that's exactly the case, especially in India. People will often nod and give affirmative answers, even if they have no clue what you're saying. Once you realize that, it's hard not to appreciate their desire to help you. But if you're lost, and asking a half dozen people for directions, it can be very frustrating!
Great story Miss Footloose, at least he was polite both times right?
Oh, yes, he was very friendly, very “helpful,” as are most Ghanaians.
My husband once asked a group of business people why estimates for how long it would take to do a job would always come in at half the time it would end up being. (It is a standard business practice and everybody does allow for it.) “Why,” he asked, “do you say two weeks when you KNOW it will take four?”
The answer?
“Oh, but we WISH it would only take two.”
I love this kind of stuff –it's what makes living/traveling overseas interesting!
Nice nice! If I am the one who is lost, I would not hesitate to ask for directions. I'd rather be humiliated or turned down many time than end up in an unknown place and striving with hunger and cold in the wilderness. :)
Where can I find this theme?
Michael, instead of thinking you’re trying to communicate with dinnertime who doesn’t speak English, you should try to remember that you’re actually trying to communicate with someone who’s language you don’t speak ;)