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Whether it's skinny-dipping in Venetian canals or taking silly selfies at Holocaust victim memorials, sometimes just a few people can tarnish the image of all travelers.
At a time when international tourism is back to over 90% of its pre-pandemic levels, Reddit user Potato_Warrior420 got interested in which behaviors locals detest the most.
So they made a post on the platform, asking everyone to share the annoying things that visitors do in their country that they absolutely hate. Here are the most popular answers to the question.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
In Finland we have thing called "jokamiehenoikeus" which means that everyone has a right to walk around any forest, no matter who owns the land, government or private people or company. We are allowed to swim in the lakes, collect berries, hiking, sleep in tent and so on without asking permission as long as we don't do any harm to the nature.
But there is a very big rule of "kotirauha", which means respecting other people homes. It is absolutely forbidden to go to anyone's yard or garden, pick apples or berries from garden, go to a beach which is part of someones yard and so on.
Nowdays quite lot of tourists know about jokamiehenoikeus, but they misinterpret it and may come to someone's yard, use their patio furniture, steal berries from garden and so on. And when tenants try to get them leave they start to argue.
Most absurd one I've heard is tourist coming to ask someone to move their sheep away from their own yard because they wanted their wedding photos taken in their yard and didn't want sheep in the background. They couldn't stop laughing and asked the happily wedded tourists to kindly to get the f*ck off.
We are happy if you want to enjoy our peaceful forests and swim in our lakes, but please respect people living here.
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#2
Litter
#3
Please stop trying to go hiking in the summer. They have to send the helicopters every time.
When it's 80F at *sunrise*, know that it is only going to get worse. We're not staying inside because we're lazy Americans, it's because the sun is a deadly laser.
Love, The Southwest.
Gordan Blažević 10 months ago
In my country of Croatia it happens all the time. Mountain range (high) next to coastline. Tourist start to climb in flip flops. They got stuck, dehydrated etc. We have a service to rescue them. It's free, for tourists, it's financed from state budget. Many locals think it's unfair and that rescued tourists should be charged for rescuing them with helicopters and specialized equipment, by people who put their lives at risk to save them. It's controversial topic here. They also start to swim between islands, that are apart enough that it takes for katamaran 90 minutes to reach from one to another...
#5
Harass the queen’s guard. It’s s**t pay, they’re in a baking hot costume and some jackass wants to be “funny”. Just don’t do it.
#6
Americans wanting to pay with $US, complaining about the exchange rate, angry that their change wasn't in $US.
#7
Asking or expecting people to fund their travels. Begpackers.
Simon Chen 10 months ago
Oh, that is bad. I have seen people doing this in cambodia. Cambodian people were giving them money because they had a small child. That was the most disgraceful thing i have seen there.
#8
Interact with wildlife. No, it's not safe to go up to the elk and take a selfie. It's not funny or safe to feed bears. You might not die, but the bear you habituated will, and we can only hope it's before it [ends] someone else.
DennyS (denzoren) 10 months ago
It always amazes me when people go up to animals like these or monkeys...do people realize how strong monkeys are...geez.
#9
Smuggle contaminated food in.
Biosecurity laws matter here! (Australia)
Bernd Herbert 10 months ago
When I went to New Zealand I thoroughly cleaned my hiking shoes to avoid bringing any pests. bio contamination is a thing, please respect local eco systems
#10
Call everything here by the location name in Lord of the Rings. It was decades ago folks, maybe come to NZ to learn our culture including Te Reo Maori. You're not climbing Mount Doom, it's called Ngauruhoe and it's immensely sacred to the local Iwi (tribe). You're in a UNESCO dual world heritage site and our oldest national Park. Appreciate the place for all the things it is, not just Peter Jackson's choice of film locations.
Squishy 10 months ago
This just sounds a bit holier than thou to be honest, what's the harm in wanting to see something and pretending it's something different? I can understand if it's a respect thing but I don't understand how this is disrespectful. It's fun to get lost in a world that's not your own. Cant someone just respect them both?
#11
Whale watching is a huge tourist industry where I live, however we have strict laws and guide lines for whale viewing to keep from disturbing their transit and feeding habits, as well as to keep viewers safe.
Yes, the photos in ads and on websites show the best moments from other tours, but that does not mean [or entitle you to] having the same experience.
I hate tourists getting upset that the whales aren't jumping out of the water for them and in some cases getting angry or even ask for a refund when the whales don't put on a show.
If you want to have them do tricks for you then go to a country that allows the capture and abuse of marine animals and give them your money instead. If you want to see them undisturbed in their natural habitat, then you can either take a whale tour and hope for the best, or move to where the whales are and spend everyday on the water and accumulate experiences. I've been here for 15 years and on the water most of the summers, and have only seen whales breach a handful of times, but regardless of their activity it has always been a cool experience seeing them.
LaserBrain 10 months ago (edited)
Have to agree with you there. For chrissakes stop harassing the whales. Every boat that gets near them stresses them out.
#12
Tell me everything thats wrong about where I live and how much better it is where they live.
#13
We get tons of tourists at the huge national parks in the west. Every year a couple of tourists wander off the established trails to explore...
These parks are larger than many countries. It takes a lot of time and resources and luck to find and rescue them.
#14
Chinese tourists try to touch my kids hair. She’s a cute little redhead with curly locks. Kinda like strawberry Shortcake. They do this all the damned time. I had to physically smack some of their grubby hands away and threaten to beat their asses. I’m not small either. 6’4” 230. If they don’t approach they take hundreds of pics. I’m in the US.
#15
Walk through the vineyards, past the signs saying please DO NOT ENTER OUR VINEYARDSs. in 4 different languages....
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 10 months ago
Used to work in wineries in NorCal. it's even more dangerous of you decide to explore near a cannabis grow. They will shoot at you.
#16
Go swimming when they don't know how to swim and/or don't understand how rips work.
Rayne OfSalt 10 months ago
Happens a lot here in Australia. The ocean is dangerous. Listen to the lifeguards. Also, if you're a backpacker from Germany, do NOT go for a swim in ANY body of water in north queensland. Crocodiles can and do eat you. Yes, this has been a problem specifically with German tourists.
#17
Ride bikes. People come to Amsterdam and rent a bike even though they haven’t been on a bike for years, or have never biked through busy city traffic, and then they go biking through our busiest streets during rush hour. It’s horrible.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 10 months ago
I'd fit right in. I haven't driven a car in 20 years. Been almost two since I was even in a car. I bike every day in a major city. I'd be fine.
#18
Everything. I'm in Tromsø and especially the asian tourists. They lay down in the streets to get a glimpse of the Northern lights. Everyone knows to let the people off the bus before entering it, but not the tourists. They just push themselves on, stand in the middle so that nobody can get off or get ro a free seat. Europeans, the italians and spanish call friends etc with facetime and use speaker. That annoys the hell out of me. Also we dont have a single store in the city centre, everything is tourist shops that sell trolls and other stupid s**t.
#19
I dont hate this per se but some visitors making plans to visit several states during a weeklong vacation not realizing the size of the united states its make me laugh mostly
#20
In Albania , the British and Australian tourists are always drunk and annoying. And sometimes they start fights. It’s always the brits and Australians.
Pizza Lover 10 months ago
The Brits cause quite a mess in Portugal too. It's. Always. The. Brits.
#21
Say how cheap it is as we experience massive inflation and a cost of living crisis. Easy to say when you earn 3x or 5x local salary and stay for a week.
Pizza Lover 10 months ago
"PORTUGAL IS SO CHEAP OH MY GOSH" It's cheap for you because your country has higher salaries, but loads of locals struggle with rent
#22
I’m in DC. People get in the water like it’s a water park at the monuments and memorials. Especially the WWII Memorial. This is not allowed. There are signs. But it’s not enforced.
#23
Feed the seagulls
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 10 months ago
You can't trust the seagulls, they lie. They lie and lie and lie. When a seagull tells you to do something DON'T DO IT! Especially if it turns up in the middle of the night when you're suffering from sleep paralysis. Don't trust the seagulls.
#24
Rudely shove you out of the way to get pictures of literally everything
Nimues Child 10 months ago
And the selfie sticks....how dare you object to them bapping you with them while they take their "perfect shot"?
#26
Just the Brits, they can't drink with moderation, and have no shame about everything that comes with that.
#27
Decide they like it so much they want to stay and gentrify entire neighborhoods and displace thousands, just so that they can have their eternal vacation.
#28
Act like its a giant amusement park. I will never forget this lady loudly screaming ‘OMG LOOK AT ME I’M SUCH A LOCAALL’ while almost hitting three actual locals on bicycles because she barely knew how to cycle and was zigzagging over the bicycle lane.
cerinamroth 10 months ago
Oh my, especially coming from Scotland... The amount of Americans just treating it like an amusement park because they once had one ancestor a few hundred years ago from Scotland and arrive in the country fitted out head to toe in tartan but with no idea what Irn Bru is... ;-)
#29
Here in Nebraska, at a tourist welcome center, some Chinese visitors were disappointed that Kearny was no longer a fort and there were no Indians out hunting buffalo for them to take pictures of to show people when they got home.
#30
Just watch an episode of Bondi Rescue and try not to punch your screen
What do you think ?
ToastedFroggy 10 months ago
People need to remember that just because a group of tourists from any country act like a**hats does not mean that everyone from that country will act the same. There are stupid people from every race, creed, country, religion etc just as there are good people also.
ToastedFroggy 10 months ago
People need to remember that just because a group of tourists from any country act like a**hats does not mean that everyone from that country will act the same. There are stupid people from every race, creed, country, religion etc just as there are good people also.
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