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An open mind is one of the most important things travelers need when jet setting around the world. You might not always know what you’re ordering off a menu or why the toilets look so different from back home, but that’s just part of the adventure!
Every country has its quirks, so some people have been opening up on Reddit about the things no one bats an eye at in their own nations. Below, you can learn all about these unique things that make nations special (while simultaneously confusing foreigners) and read conversations with travel experts Alyse of The Invisible Tourist and Dave and Deb of The Planet D!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
In Canada, we put maple syrup on snow and wait for it to get all gooey then we eat it
#2
In Denmark our way of caring for our children baffles a lot of foreginers.
i.e. we find it natural to leave them unattended, they are left in their prams to nap basically everywhere, usually outside no matter what time of the year it is.
Carla Campbell 1 year ago
We can't even send our kids to school without worrying they'll be shot. (USA)
To learn more about the cultural differences visitors find when traveling internationally, we reached out to Australian travel expert Alyse, also known as The Invisible Tourist. Alyse was kind enough to share a list of things that are perfectly normal in the Land Down Under that might be surprising or confusing for tourists.
“There are quite a few!” she told Bored Panda. “Having Christmas in summer is awesome. We have our extended holiday period over Christmas and New Year's to relax, enjoy beaches and to catch up with family and friends. School kids call erasers rubbers, thongs are what you would call flip-flops, and a slippery-dip is a slide at the local park.”
“We always welcome visitors from abroad with a warning about our Drop Bears,” Alyse added. “These are vicious koalas that jump from trees onto unsuspecting tourists, and the only way to soothe them is with Vegemite (spoiler alert, only visitors believe Drop Bears are real).”
#3
Throwing cheese down a hill then running after it
Charlie the Cat 1 year ago
The Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is an annual event that takes place in Gloucestershire, England. The event involves rolling a 7lb (3kg) Double Gloucester cheese wheel down the almost-vertical Cooper’s Hill, near Gloucester. Competitors chase the cheese wheel down the hill, and the first person to cross the finish line is crowned the winner.
#4
Thanking the bus driver.
Downunderdude 1 year ago
I rarely take the bus, but thanking the driver doesn't seem at all odd to me. Like thanking your waiter. Or the checkout person. Or the taxi driver. Isn't it just common courtesy?
The travel expert also noted that Australian slang can be confusing for foreigners. “To get by in Australia, it's essential to shorten words then add an O or IE to the end - arvo (afternoon), barbie (barbeque), mozzie (mosquito), cozzie (swimming costume/bathers), servo (service station/petrol station). An exception to this ends with an A - Macca's, our word or McDonald's.”
“If you're wanting to purchase alcohol for a party, you won't find it in our supermarkets,” Alyse continued. “We have separate stores that sell alcohol only that we call Bottle-o's."
You also probably don't need to worry about snakes if you're taking a trip to Australia. "Visitors are surprised that there aren't snakes everywhere, like social media would otherwise have you believe," Alyse says. "I've maybe seen a real snake in the wild once or twice in my entire life.”
#5
In the UK, its definitely how we treat our friends. At uni quite a few people, especially Americans got pissed at me for insulting them. That's just how we act. Only worry when we're being polite
#6
Thirty days of confinement to a room in your house after having a baby and only leaving to go to the doctor.
Not sleeping by your significant other when they are going hunting the next day because you "have power" that will affect the kill.
Not stepping over things while pregnant to prevent the soul from leaving the baby.
Also, never touching meat while on "your time" because the "power" will spoil the meat.
Dancing for four days without water or food in the early summer to help the people...
I am on a reservation in the United States. The US has some 500+ tribes but many have the same beliefs and traditions.
So, there US you have something totally bizarre to you that is completely normal to us
There are some food names that might confuse visitors in Australia as well. “Cilantro is called coriander here, peppers are called capsicums, aubergines are called eggplants and courgettes are called zucchinis,” Alyse explained. (As an American, I have to say that sounds like a hybrid of British and American terminology…)
“All Aussie kids grow up eating Fairy Bread (bread with butter and sprinkles), Sausage Rolls (meaty pastry), mini Meat Pies and Tim Tams (choccie bikkies) for snacks at parties,” the Invisible Tourist shared.
#7
We let cheese melt, throw some schnaps in there and eat it with bread cubes on a long fork.
Oh and if your bread falls off the fork you'll have to do some silly stuff like sing a song or jump naked in the snow...
#8
The friendlier the language the closer you are to a beating, the dirtier the language the more we like you.
Alyse also shared some of her most memorable moments from traveling abroad when she noticed local customs that were different from what she's used to. “Ordering food from a vending machine rather than a waiter in Japan, then sitting down inside and having it brought to the table,” she noted. “Paying for a chair on the beach is weird for us in Europe. We just throw a towel down anywhere on the sand at home.”
“Getting drinks/food from a waiter rather than the bar in continental Europe (ordering it all from a bar must come from our British ancestors),” the travel expert continued. “Having to tip for everything in the USA. We understand why now, but it adds so much extra on top. Not having the taxes included on price tickets in the USA, and having to fumble for change at the register to pay the difference. Paying to use the toilet in the UK and Europe, as we don't need to do that.”
#9
Apparently white gravy is a thing that's not very common outside of southern America...
#10
The fact gum is illegal here in Singapore may be odd to foreigners, but there's a reason for that. The reason being people constantly spitting gum onto the ground, sticking it on cars and elevator buttons, making everywhere you went covered in gum. And when the gum dried up, it would become very hard to remove.
We were also curious if there were any customs from other nations that Alyse wished Australians would adopt. “Australia can be a great place to live, but being an island continent has its challenges,” she noted. “Many of us would love to adopt European high-speed or Japanese-style bullet trains to travel between our capital cities. Most visitors don't realize how far away everything is here, for example Sydney to Melbourne is 9 hours drive (870kms), and Melbourne to Brisbane is 18 hours drive (1776km). Heck, even flying from Sydney to Perth or Darwin is 5 hours.”
“The other would be not tolerating drugs and other crimes,” the traveler added. “Countries in Asia have very strict consequences for such things, and therefore crime and delinquency is much lower than major cities in Australia. We tend to go a bit easy here, in my opinion.”
If you’d like to learn more about Alyse’s travels, get some tips for your upcoming trips or learn more about Australia, be sure to visit The Invisible Tourist!
#11
We have like a whole years worth of child leave here in Sweden and are encouraged to split between the parents, so there is lots of dads at the park with their kids.
Heard an American ask what was up with all the 'mannys'? -_-
#12
In Bulgaria we nod for No and shake for Yes. This doesn't make us an impression but foreigners get really, really confused.
Tip: Listen to what we say, not how we move our head. :)
Tiny Dynamine 1 year ago
It's the only country in the world that does this and no-one is sure why.
We also reached out to travel experts Dave and Deb of The Planet D to hear a Canadian perspective on this topic. "There are so many things that Canadians find perfectly normal that may seem strange to foreigners," the travelers shared.
"The first thought that comes to our head is that we call our one-dollar coins a Loonie. When Canada changed from dollar bills to coins, the new coin had an engraving of a loon on it. A loon is an aquatic bird that is very common in Canada. So instead of calling it a dollar, Canadians called it a Loonie," Dave and Deb explained.
"When the two-dollar coin came out a few years later, it had a polar bear on it. Instead of making a nickname to do with the polar bear, Canadians ended up calling it a Toonie. It rhymes with Loonie and totally makes sense to us."
#13
We call flip-flops 'thongs' and erasers 'rubbers'.
#14
In the U.S. we have dry counties where stores cannot sell alcohol, but if you drive 4 miles up the road you can buy all the booze you want. Like just sell me my damn booze.
Dave and Deb also shared their thoughts on customs they've observed in other countries. "Something I find really weird about our neighbors to the south is that they wear their shoes indoors," they told Bored Panda. "Most Canadians don't walk into their houses with shoes on, and when we visit our friends and neighbors, we always take our shoes off. In America, it is common to leave their shoes on. To us it is weird. There is a lot of gross stuff on the streets and sidewalks, why would we want to bring that into our house?"
#15
In Iran it is common to say no out of politeness when offered something. Only if the other person asks again will you say yes. Actually, you might even say no multiple times.
Cab drivers will do this too for instance. You ask how much you owe them and they'll say something along the lines of "oh don't worry it's worth nothing" to which you then reply by insisting on paying. Only then will they tell you the price and bla bla bla.
#16
We burn a Viking galley in January with a +-1000 men with burning torches walking around town all dressed up in anything you can imagine with one main squad dressed up in handmade Viking armour with weapons (diffrent each year), then we burn the boat in the town centre. Then we go to lots of town halls drink and dance for the whole night only to get home in the early hours usually worse for wear.
Dave and Deb also admitted that they wish Canada would get on board with the heated toilets you can find in Japan. "We loved the Toto toilets that washed and dried our private parts, and that warm seat was so welcoming. They even had Toto toilets in the park's pavilion at Nikko National Park during our hike," they noted. "It was heavenly. Canada should adopt that, and we'd also never have to deal with the 'Great Toilet Paper Shortage' again."
#17
Eating fries covered with cheese curd and gravy.
Mia Black 1 year ago
It absolutely is. When we went from Germany to Canada for a few weeks this was a must try. I searched or route beforehand and decided we will try it in the sugar shack. On our way maaany kilometres before and after the shack people told us to try it there :-D
Load More Replies...
Verena 1 year ago
My Australian niece was longing for it when she visited me in NL. She was twelve and the closed she could get was in Belgium friet met stoofvlees (fries with a very specific sort of goulash). She couldn't understand that the Dutch and Belgians refuse to drown their perfect crispy fries in gravy to end up with mashed potatoes. They do love their mashed potatoes and gravy, but just cook the potatoes, then.
Cydney Golden 1 year ago
Mayo on fries is excellent too. I had it in Amsterdam and was hooked.
Lise Brouillette 1 year ago
Québec's national dish. And cheese curd and gravy is the basic recipe, there are a thousand variations.
Tracy Wallick 1 year ago
I went to Canada with a few people in my division for about a week, night before we went home most of the group got a little drunk (I don't drink, so I was the odd one out). My chief, who wasn't all that impressed by poutine earlier in the trip, acted like he was having a revelation from god trying it after getting a little toasty, it was hilarious
Huddo's sister 1 year ago
When I visited Canada my sister got poutine after wanting to try it for ages. She didn't like it, but I did, but I only had one bite because I was worried about gluten contamination. Would have easily finished it if I had felt confident it was gluten free!
#18
Colombia: Putting cheese in our hot chocolate. You put in a bit of cheese in the cup, it melts and you take it out with a spoon and eat it with bread. No, it doesn't make your chocolate taste cheesy, it just melts in a nice way.
The first time I did this with foreigners they were completely beside themselves.
Zedrapazia 1 year ago
I am Swiss, we have the famous chocolate and the cheese, and I still want to poke everyone who wants to eat this in the nose. How can you?!
"Canada has a lot of quirkiness," the travelers shared. "I sometimes think we are quirkier than other countries, and we all seem to like it that way. It is a huge country, and there are many quirks in different regions. For example, when visiting Dawson City, Yukon, it is customary to drink the Sour Toe Cocktail that contains an actual dead human toe. When visiting Newfoundland, visitors (Come from Aways) can become honorary Newfoundlanders when they drink Screech rum and kiss a cod fish."
If you'd like to hear more about Dave and Deb's travels or learn fun facts about the great nation of Canada, be sure to visit their blog The Planet D!
#19
In the UK we don't have one tap spout in a sink that you control the temperature of. We have two separate spouts: one hot that strips the flesh from your bones and one cold that gives you frost bite.
#20
Sitting naked and silently in a hot and sweaty room with other people
#21
* Need some groceries? Get on your bike and stuff everything in your *fietstas*.
* Kids need to go to school? Bring them in your *bakfiets* (freight bicycle).
* Trying your best to talk Dutch to someone? Get an answer in English.
#22
Saying sorry to random people if they bump into you, even if it wasn't your fault.
#23
In Singapore, when I go to a foodcourt/coffeeshop/foodhall, I can reserve a table or a seat by placing a packet of tissue/my handkerchief on the spot. No need to leave my bag or bottle or anything else to reserve the spot before I walk over to a food stall to buy food. I come back and my 20cents packet of tissue is still there. Basically, no one will dare steal your spot/tissue or move it away. Pretty convenient eh.
I heart Boo-BI-es 1 year ago
Love the name of this restaurant in the stock photo, Dank burrito 🌯. Perfect spot when you get the munchies!
#24
Shabbat elevator service. In Israel, in a lot of places, the elevators are programmed to stop at every floor going up and down, so that the religious people don't have to push buttons and therefore "operate machinery" on Shabbat. So, if you wanna get to your floor on time, just take the stairs.
#25
Celebrating the attempted terrorist attack by Guy Fawkes.
Explained it to my friends girlfriends from Portland and she thought it was the most bizarre thing ever.
Duvet Woman 1 year ago
The way that's worded sounds like we celebrate that Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament. The celebration is that he didn't manage it. Hence putting the " guy " on the bonfire.
#26
Here in England we get totally drunk because the sun is shining. It's reason enough to finish work and go straight to the nearest pub with a beer garden then drink until closing.
I imagine in some countries you'd never be sober if that happened.
#27
In England it's pretty common to greet someone by saying something along the lines of "you alright?". I said this to my American friend and she responded by asking what I wanted?..
#28
Groundhogs Day must seem incredibly strange to non-Americans.
#29
In Belgium we have neighborhoods where 90% of the people living there speak French yet they are forced to speak Dutch in all official capacities unless they specifically ask for French after the fact. Call the police, they speak Dutch first, then you have to ask them to speak French to you. Receive official documents from the community? In Dutch first, then you have to ask for them in French.
And that's really just the tip of the iceberg.
Hawkmoon 1 year ago
Living in a totally French-speaking area, I rarely encounter this kind of problem, but I remember, the very first time I went to "Mons" (name of the city), I asked myself questions when I no longer saw the signs " Mons" on the highway, but signs for "Bergen", which is the name of the city in Dutch. I wondered if I hadn't taken the wrong direction somewhere.
#30
At the longest day of the year, everyone has to gather in a large field and jam a large wooden p***s covered in flowers into the ground. Then we dance around it. Historically this was to ensure a plentiful harvest but nowadays it's just an excuse to get drunk.
#32
Sitting in circles on birtdays and putting sprinkles on bread as breakfast or lunch.
#33
There are beaches where you should be naked (do not have to but you should be, besides maybe little kids or what ever)
No pixeling / blackening titts in TV, beer and wine for 16 year olds.
And I guess the most important on parts of our "highways" you can drive as fast as you want (which is actually pretty touristy here).
#34
Kissing people on the cheek (even the one you don't know personally) to say hello.
Welcome to France guys o/
#35
Something I noticed is that students (perticulary Greek, Italian, French) that come to the UK find our drinking culture strange. As where maybe they would go out and have a few drinks then go home we will go home once we are dragged back vomiting at out door.
P.s. not really something I'm proud of just something I noticed
Ample Aardvark 1 year ago
Drinking just to get drunk (instead of enjoying a nice drink or just to get a bit buzzed) was always weird for me
#36
We call the clear water as "sky juice"
#37
Climbing up a super oily tree trunk along with a bunch of bare chested men with the goal of grabbing a bunch of s****y prizes tied at the top.
EDIT: It's called Panjat Pinang.
Brocken Blue 1 year ago
That sounds like an excellent spectator sport, to be honest. I’d watch
#38
We eat the inwards of sheep and they are delicious! We call it "κοκορέτσι". It's the greatest greek dish. It's like 4 x gyros!
Hans Georg 1 year ago
I am fairly sure it is innards and not inwards, but we have something similar in Germany too.
#39
Brunost (goat cheese)
It's pretty normal in Norway, Denmark & Sweden
Edit: Should've said that it's a type of brown colored goat cheese, which contains from whey as one of the main ingredients.
#40
Calling some random dude "your man". Equal in meaning to "that guy".
What do you think ?
Stardust she/her 1 year ago
Why has this website decided to stop including the “read more” button and hidden all the comments and posts that got cut?
Mike Fitzpatrick 1 year ago
Eating a taco with utensils would be worthy of it's own TV show, lol.
Load More Replies... Pille P 1 year ago
Estonia - midsommer festival is famous for people jumping over a bonfire. Usually a really big one is made (think 3 meters tall) but for jumping a few smaller ones are lit. We have funny sports too - sauna marathon - in February people run from sauna to sauna in the hopes of visiting them all, kiiking - for security tied to a swing with stiff poles holding the seat and then try to do a full circle (winner has the longest poles), wife carrying obstacle course
Emma S 1 year ago
We have something called bank holiday Mondays in the UK. Generally the first Monday in January, the day after Easter Sunday, the first and last Mondays in May and the last Monday in August. The banks are closed, and most shops are either closed or only open for a few hours. Children won't be at school and most people won't be at work. Scotland and NI have some extras. Then we sometimes have extra ones throughout the year if there is something going on for Royal Family. The Queen's funeral and the King's Coronation were also marked by a bank holiday Monday.
Tempest 1 year ago
In China it’s not normal to tip waiters. If you attempt to they will look offended and reject it. I’m not Chinese but have been living in China for a while. First time my friends and tried tipping a waiter we thought we did something wrong by how offended he looked. Also usually if a local invites you for a meal, that means it’s usually on them. But I think this is a common practice among older generations.
Sue Lynn Chan 1 year ago (edited)
Whenever we eat at restaurants or other eateries, we would often argue about paying the bills for everyone.
Jessie 11 months ago
In the Netherlands (in my region at least, there are many farms here) each year we have an ‘Easter Fire’. The organization collects all the wooden waste from the area (bushes, branches, trees, pallets etcetera). Everything gets thrown onto one massive pile which can be up to 5 meters tall, then at 22:00 they set it on fire and people party around it all throughout the night. I once saw it burning 2 days later. It was traditionally for celebrating the end of winter and quite literally clearing the fields to get ready for spring and summer, now it’s just for fun.
Jessie 11 months ago
On one particular island in the Netherlands (Ameland) there is also ‘Sunneklaas’. Men dress up in self-made costumes and walk through the streets at night, the women have to stay inside. If any women go outside during the night they will be (gently) chased and have to find some house to get into. At the end of the night everyone comes together and the women have to guess who is in the costumes, then they party all night. During this time anyone who tries to visit when they are not from the island will be chased away because the people do not want ‘outsiders’ to know the specifics of the tradition. It’s all pretty mysterious, this year a filming crew was attacked when they tried to film Sunneklaas so the islanders are very serious about it.
SomePeopleCallMeMaurice 1 year ago
As an American, I haven’t felt we learn much about other countries’ societies or traditions, so I particularly find this fascinating. I’ve always felt I live in a…more…self interested country…? I’m trying to be polite because haters.
sofacushionfort 1 year ago
I was watching YouTube on traditional English breakfast. They showed the egg-frying method of plopping it into a vat of molten lard, then retrieving it with a slotted spoon. So are self-unalived Britons still barred from burial in consecrated cemeteries, and this is a patient work-around?
Someone_from_the_Netherlands 1 year ago
Celebrating 'Sinterklaas'. It's a typical Dutch thing (together with Belgium) to celebrate this on the 5th of December each year. More info can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinterklaas We are celebrating this for years! Please note: Zwarte Piet =/= Blackface. No (political) discussion about that, because it's a celebration for children that has nothing to do with that...
Petra Schaap 1 year ago
for all the foreigners reading this: Zwarte Piet has been the subject of the most hate fueled discussion ever in the Netherlands because there are so many ways to explain this tradition. Its getting completely out of hand. Saying "its just an celebration for children" is an opinion, not a fact. I will get downvotes for saying this :-D
Load More Replies...
Stardust she/her 1 year ago
Why has this website decided to stop including the “read more” button and hidden all the comments and posts that got cut?
Mike Fitzpatrick 1 year ago
Eating a taco with utensils would be worthy of it's own TV show, lol.
Load More Replies... Pille P 1 year ago
Estonia - midsommer festival is famous for people jumping over a bonfire. Usually a really big one is made (think 3 meters tall) but for jumping a few smaller ones are lit. We have funny sports too - sauna marathon - in February people run from sauna to sauna in the hopes of visiting them all, kiiking - for security tied to a swing with stiff poles holding the seat and then try to do a full circle (winner has the longest poles), wife carrying obstacle course
Emma S 1 year ago
We have something called bank holiday Mondays in the UK. Generally the first Monday in January, the day after Easter Sunday, the first and last Mondays in May and the last Monday in August. The banks are closed, and most shops are either closed or only open for a few hours. Children won't be at school and most people won't be at work. Scotland and NI have some extras. Then we sometimes have extra ones throughout the year if there is something going on for Royal Family. The Queen's funeral and the King's Coronation were also marked by a bank holiday Monday.
Tempest 1 year ago
In China it’s not normal to tip waiters. If you attempt to they will look offended and reject it. I’m not Chinese but have been living in China for a while. First time my friends and tried tipping a waiter we thought we did something wrong by how offended he looked. Also usually if a local invites you for a meal, that means it’s usually on them. But I think this is a common practice among older generations.
Sue Lynn Chan 1 year ago (edited)
Whenever we eat at restaurants or other eateries, we would often argue about paying the bills for everyone.
Jessie 11 months ago
In the Netherlands (in my region at least, there are many farms here) each year we have an ‘Easter Fire’. The organization collects all the wooden waste from the area (bushes, branches, trees, pallets etcetera). Everything gets thrown onto one massive pile which can be up to 5 meters tall, then at 22:00 they set it on fire and people party around it all throughout the night. I once saw it burning 2 days later. It was traditionally for celebrating the end of winter and quite literally clearing the fields to get ready for spring and summer, now it’s just for fun.
Jessie 11 months ago
On one particular island in the Netherlands (Ameland) there is also ‘Sunneklaas’. Men dress up in self-made costumes and walk through the streets at night, the women have to stay inside. If any women go outside during the night they will be (gently) chased and have to find some house to get into. At the end of the night everyone comes together and the women have to guess who is in the costumes, then they party all night. During this time anyone who tries to visit when they are not from the island will be chased away because the people do not want ‘outsiders’ to know the specifics of the tradition. It’s all pretty mysterious, this year a filming crew was attacked when they tried to film Sunneklaas so the islanders are very serious about it.
SomePeopleCallMeMaurice 1 year ago
As an American, I haven’t felt we learn much about other countries’ societies or traditions, so I particularly find this fascinating. I’ve always felt I live in a…more…self interested country…? I’m trying to be polite because haters.
sofacushionfort 1 year ago
I was watching YouTube on traditional English breakfast. They showed the egg-frying method of plopping it into a vat of molten lard, then retrieving it with a slotted spoon. So are self-unalived Britons still barred from burial in consecrated cemeteries, and this is a patient work-around?
Someone_from_the_Netherlands 1 year ago
Celebrating 'Sinterklaas'. It's a typical Dutch thing (together with Belgium) to celebrate this on the 5th of December each year. More info can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinterklaas We are celebrating this for years! Please note: Zwarte Piet =/= Blackface. No (political) discussion about that, because it's a celebration for children that has nothing to do with that...
Petra Schaap 1 year ago
for all the foreigners reading this: Zwarte Piet has been the subject of the most hate fueled discussion ever in the Netherlands because there are so many ways to explain this tradition. Its getting completely out of hand. Saying "its just an celebration for children" is an opinion, not a fact. I will get downvotes for saying this :-D
Load More Replies...
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