Save your soul, help a tourist with kindness

Imagine waking up this morning, jumping into the car and heading down the road. No big deal. You do it every day.

Today, however, it's like you have amnesia. The streets are unfamiliar, there are no recognizable landmarks and you're not even sure where the nearest gas station is or, for that matter, which way is up -- or north.

For added complications, strap on five meters of travel trailer to the back of your vehicle, hook three bicycles to the front and load up with a spouse and a batch of rowdy children.

Congratulations.

You made it to summer vacation. Now can you make it to your destination and all the way home?

The average family is on an adventure that not only has them driving in unfamiliar territory -- where local law might differ from what they're used to -- but one requires them to look just about everywhere else but the road. You know, sightseeing.

How good -- or bad -- your highway experience is really and truly depends on two simple things: driving with extra care if you're a tourist and, if you live in a tourist town, cutting your guests a little slack.

1) Well, expect anything and everything on your drive to work

People who normally drive your streets don't always use their signal lights and tourists, who don't obey the rules of the road in their own towns, are probably no different (smarten up, will ya?) on vacation.

Coupled with the fact that many just have no idea where they're heading (this is an adventure, after all), riding in the blind spot of a motorhome is just begging for trouble.

If you see what appears to be a vacationing family -- it should be obvious by the matching family T-shirts -- give them lots of room to make lane changes, sudden stops, U-turns and, generally, lots of mistakes.

If you're on vacation, do your level best to stay out of rush-hour traffic. You might be looking for Wally World (sorry, I couldn't resist), but everyone else around you is just trying to get to work in one piece. Plan routes around downtown and not through it.

And use your signal lights.

2) Local driving culture

Anyone who regularly drives your streets is aware of the subtle nuances of local driving culture. In our trendy downtown, for example, crosswalks are marked with brick walkways and thick white lines. There are signs, but no lights, and the walkways are located every half block to make the area more foot-traffic friendly.

Anyone who regularly drives downtown knows what a nightmare it is because pedestrians just jump out in front of your vehicle without even looking. Drive here for a year or so, and you'll just about have the hang of it.

So, as a pedestrian, should you trust the visiting driver of a 10-meter motorhome to not run you over, if you suddenly spring out in front of it?

3) Be a help, not a pain ...

Try offering help without being asked for it.

No, seriously, stop laughing. If you're parked beside someone at a stoplight who has a map sprawled all over the dash and a puzzled look all over his or her face, be brave, roll down the window and ask if you can help with directions.

Not sure what to say? How about, "Hi, can I help you with directions?" Shocking, I know. Aside from being regarded as a friendly kind of person (who obviously lives in a friendly kind of town), you'll be doing your civic duty by keeping traffic flowing and helping your new out-of-town guests keep their eyes on the road.

Besides, if you help someone out, fate has a way of paying you back with the same help one day. Don't be cheap with your friendliness.

4) Keep your hands to yourself

It might be tempting to lash out when a tourist cuts you off, but by any and all means, resist. What's worse than a lost and, therefore, angry and frustrated tourist?

A lost, angry and frustrated tourist who wants to punch your lights out because you think he should know where he's going. Heck, the people who live here barely know where they're going. Take any and all incidents in stride, wave, smile and get on with your drive.

Of course, that should be the order of the day with any other drivers and not just tourists, shouldn't it?

5) Empathy, empathy, empathy

Remember that you, too, are a tourist from time to time and that you hate to be hassled by know-it-all local drivers who won't give you the room you need. Now's your chance to earn your stripes and be a goodwill ambassador for your town. You'll meet some interesting people and find out what it is about your area that attracted them to it in the first place. You'd be surprised just how little you know about your own town.

Driving amongst visitors is mostly about common sense and should really be considered a privilege and not a pain. The most important thing to remember is that you have the knowledge of your area.

How you choose to use it is up to you, but, as your mother would remind you, a guest is just that, so treat tourists like they're guests.

Among her numerous accomplishments, Courtney Hansen is the author of "Garage Girl's Guide to Everything You Need to Know About Your Car," the host of Spike TV's "Power Block," the former host of TLC's "Overhaulin'" program and a writer with Wheelbase Media and Auto Shift Weekly magazine. You can email her by logging on to www.wheelbase.ws and using the contact link.