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Non-Americans Share 30 Annoying Things Most American Tourists Do But Shouldn’t When Visiting Their Countries
In order to get those lasting memories, broaden your horizons and grow as a person in many ways, when traveling, you will have to get out of your comfort zone. It’s part of the deal, really.
New customs, different lifestyles, and never-before-seen societal norms may indeed feel challenging for you as a visitor, but it’s all worth the stories you will make when traveling abroad. Some cultural differences when traveling are more testing than others, so you want to gather as much information about the country you’re visiting as possible.
Or, ask the locals! This illuminating Ask Reddit thread may also help, as it has non-Americans sharing things they “wish Americans knew before visiting their country.” From not patting koalas in Australia to not buying bottled water in Iceland, there’s a lot to learn from!
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#1
Don't make selfies in front of the memorial of murdered jews in Berlin.
RELATED:
#2
If you're outside of your home country, YOU are the one with the accent.
#3
We don't tip here. You are making it worse for all of us. The servers get payed according to their skill level, many above the minium wage. But they are startign to get pissy when lockals don't tip them for their mediocre service.
#4
Be careful what you're saying in a public place. We all speak English. We all understand you.
Meilin Kai 2 years ago
Ha. I'm an American in a foreign country, and I'm the one reminding the "locals" who speak to me in English that many of their own people speak English. Besides, gossip just isn't cool in any language.
#5
Africa is a *continent*, made up of 54 *different* countries.
Den Ver 2 years ago (edited)
Americans have been contacted by enough Nigerian Princes soliciting money that they know Nigeria is a country within the continent of Africa. Also, from age 8+, a standard test question involves naming the continents. If someone wants to claim otherwise, they should provide real data and a source. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Downvoted in 60 seconds! Wow. Somebody really hates credible sources and data -- or they hate people who they think are Americans (or maybe there are a lot of angry Nigerians).
#6
I’m from Kazakhstan.
Eating horse is part of our culture. The same way you do not offend people in France when they eat frogs, they same way please don’t offend Kazakhs when they eat meat. We led a nomadic lifestyle and since in the steppes you could not farm, cattle was the main source of food. During the Great Purge in Kazakhstan cattle was taken away from us , in Russian’s attempt to progress our agriculture. It didn’t work and many tried to migrate, but failed due to dehydration and starvation. Over a million Kazakhs died during that period. That’s 40% of the population, it made as a minority group in our own country up until 1990’s.
You do not have to eat it nor is anyone forcing you to, but making rude remarks on it is uncalled for especially since now the majority of youth understand Russian, Kazakh and English.
#7
Don't buy bottled water. Well, maybe buy one and then just refill it at literally every bathroom sink you come across and the quality will be just as good. (Iceland)
#8
Don't ask why we use the Russian alphabet in Bulgaria - we don't! If anything, the Russians use the Bulgarian alphabet - Cyrillic was invented in medieval Bulgaria centuries before Russia was even on the map.
#9
Here, the customer is not always king.
Kristy Marion 2 years ago
It’s a faulty saying anyway. Isn’t it more along the lines of “The customer is always right in matters of taste”? Meaning… If I have customer that loves something, I’m not going to disagree with them. But if they call me stupid and expect me to agree with their demand then I’m sorry, but I will not tolerate bad manners and behaviour. I’ve loved being in service for 27 years but no, the customer is not always right.
#11
if you are visiting East Europe and you are black don't mind the weird looks. People are not racist. They are suprised because some of them haven't ever seen a non-white person
Persephone hates Pomegranate 2 years ago
As a black person who lives in Eurasia, I do get weird looks from people, and brush it off as "some people have never seen somebody who looks like me before." The country is former Soviet, so it makes sense. I just get the ick when people start taking photos of me. True story: I had somebody come up to me, take a selfie without my consent, and leave. Like, no.
#12
To answer for any fellow study abroad kids going to New Zealand, them calling you a "c**t" is endearing, not offensive. I'm tiny so not one to pick a fight with a giant Maori guy calling me a good c**t, but some of my a*****e college cohorts apparently took offense to it and didn't understand the context at all. NZ is the coolest place in the world, to the point where you have to fight to get citizenship there. If a Kiwi is saying "g'daye ya c**t" you're in good standing. I remember having old ladies at gas stations calling me a cheeky c**t, it's a totally different word out in the middle of nowhere.
#13
How the metric system works. We dont sell beer in ounces ffs...
#14
Paris isn't France, France isn't Paris. Don't think you know France if you only went to Paris. Most of the country is really different.
#15
It's Ed-in-BRUH, not "Ed-in-Burrow"
Also, it's sweet that you are coming to Scotland to 'connect with your ancestors' and stuff, well, I think it is, but a lot of Scots you'll speak to will be thinking *"here we go again"* if you talk about it to them, *especially* if you actually describe yourself as "Scottish". And your "clan tartan" is not really...well, real. Tartans being associated with specific families and clans is a Victorian fabrication, since they loved Romanticising about that era. Don't buy into it that much.
Dan Padgett 2 years ago
"My auntie's uncle's twice removed 2nd cousin's parakeet was Scottish, so so am I!" That right aye?
#16
Amsterdam =/= Holland =/= the Netherlands.
Get out of Amsterdam, there are many places that are much nicer than that touristic hellhole.
Don't call the country Holland, it's called the Netherlands.
#17
It's nothing personal, but Norwegians aren't as into hugging as you guys. Sometimes you come off a bit molesty to us, clearly without meaning to in any way. We like you. We'll like you better if you vaguely shrug in our general direction, rather than go for actual physical contact. High fives are fine.
#18
Germany is more than just Bratwurst and Lederhosen. That's just f*****g Bavaria.
German culture is so much more...
#19
German/Brit in Germany here, assuming that it doesn't just have to be one thing, based on personal experience with Americans here:
1. No, the Second World War is not the first and foremost thing on our minds. Yes, we're grateful for the sacrifice that American soldiers made in WWII. No, we are not grateful to you personally for being vaguely related to one of these soldiers (or just being American), Our gratitude is limited to those who participated in the Omaha Beach raids (anyone old enough to have done that is probably not fit enough to make the trip to Germany these days).
2. Not everyone here speaks English, and of those that do, not everyone speaks enough English to tell you what you what. Speaking slower might help, shouting won't. You'll make a lot of friends simply by making an effort to speak German, even if your pronunication is a bit laughable.
3. We do have freedom of speech for the most part. The only major prior restraint is against public advocacy of National Socialism. If you're going to do that, we don't want you here anyway. We also have a flag code, and it's largely the same as the American one. Freedom of speech doesn't mean that we tolerate assholes. Don't be one.
4. Bielefeld doesn't exist. Don't let anyone else convince you otherwise. If you believe that you happen to be in Bielefeld, you have been subjected to hallucinatory mind control.
#20
You can’t do Scottish accents. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve seen Braveheart, no American has ever been able to do a convincing Scottish accent.
Dan Padgett 2 years ago
Mel Gibson couldn't even do a Scottish accent. Also, that's a film, not a feckin' documentary.
#22
Canadians don’t apologize all the time because we’re afraid of you. We apologize all the time because we’re polite.
Also not all of us say *’aboot’ becuz weer kenaydien, eh*? The people on the East coast only *kind of* sound like that, and only on the East coast. Literally no one here talks like Cheech & Chong.
#23
Asking for bull fighting or flamenco dances in Barcelona is like expecting every citizen of Texas to wear Eskimo robes. Yes, same country, but we have no f*****g clue about those things.
Shary Bobbings 2 years ago
Good for Barcelona! Bull fighting is disgusting and cruel, disguised as "culture"
#24
I'm from Sweden, please take your shoes off before you enter someones home.
Edit: I've gotten a lot of comments saying that not all Americans do this. I know, but enough do it for me to notice, it doesn't seem all that uncommon.
Bleble BlebleBla 2 years ago (edited)
It's custom also in Eastern Europe. It's actually logical too, you will bring dirt and who knows what other sh*t with you if you step inside my home with your walking shoes. Plus, consider indoor pets, who then lick their cute feets and might get sick...
#25
Don't invite someone over / for drinks / for dinner and then expect them not to come. If you make an invitation, it's a promise to keep it as well
Edit: what I mean is that when someone says for example 'let's have drinks on Friday' without actually meaning it.
Where I come from (Finland) if I would say this to someone, we would actually get in touch again later that week or latest on Friday and decide on the time & place. From American perspective, it seems to be just something that is said out of courtesy, without meaning the plan will actually take place
Tamra 2 years ago
I've never encountered this. Born and raised in US. There's a difference between "Let's get together sometime" and "Let's have lunch on Saturday". The former expresses interest in a future meeting, leaving the planning for a later, more convenient time. The latter is a solid plan that I would definitely show up for.
#26
I’m from Taiwan and I once met a student from the University of Miami. He’s come here as an exchange student for one year and I took him sightseeing around Taipei. Our first stop was Taipei 101 (one of the tallest buildings in the world) and when we passed by a supermarket, he saw some electric toothbrushes and he said to me: “I didn’t know you’d brush your teeth here.”
I almost forgot, he also gave another Taiwanese student an English name since he didn’t have one. Reminded me of Robinson Crusoe and Friday...
#27
Bali is not the only one that is worth to visit in Indonesia.
Jaekry 2 years ago (edited)
Bali was actually the least interesting place to us. I did like the locals trying to maintain their culture, but tourisme is getting too much. We adored Yogyakarta, eastern Java, Bromo. Lombok took some time to appreciate, we happened to visit during Ramadan, and after Hinduism in Bali, it took some time to adjust. I'm reeally hoping Bali is not becoming, the next Pai (Thailand) or Tulum (Mexico) filled with smoothie bars, coffee shops and 'retreats'...
#28
MADAGASCAR IS AN INHABITED ISLAND WITH ACTUAL HUMANS...not just fricken lemurs. We're kinda like the opposite of Australia in the sense we still have very unique animals but most of them are not deadly.
Edit: can't English despite it being my first language
Edit: my bad for making the stigma about Australia. Just like Madagascar, there's a lot more to it than its animals, who btw aren't all dangerous.
Henrik Schmidt 2 years ago
In fact, the parts of Madagascar with all the wildlife has been reduced to a tiny fraction of the island, specifically because of humans. People going there expecting it to be a jungle will be terribly disappointed.
#29
Portugal is NOT Spain
Edit: Thank you, kind stranger, for the silver!
#30
Romania is not Dracula. Dracula is an invented story!
What do you think ?
sturmwesen 2 years ago
why is this targeted against americans? seems to me most are international issues.
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 2 years ago (edited)
I’m from Scotland and think this thread is bizarre with just targeting Americans. (BoredPanda has a really odd thing against Americans.) There are ignorant tourists all around the world. I feel like most if not all of these tips and comments can be applied to ignorant tourists globally l.
Load More Replies...
Christos Arvanitis 2 years ago
Yes, there are plenty of ignorant American tourists... but there are ignorant tourists from around the world. I'm American and while I despise where our country is going politically, it's getting pretty old how BP is constantly coming up with ways to bash Americans. Being from Boston, I see people from around the world and other parts of the country visit and display ignorance. Why the constant divisiveness BP? Pretty much everything in this post suggests that we are all just a bunch of completely ignorant morons. This is starting to get a little old... do better BP!
Gin 2 years ago
You know what the problem here really is? The activity that these articles always stir up. There are a large number of Americans on BP (which is good, I love how international BP is) and so this kind of article will generate a lot of clicks and comments from them (hardly surprisingly) and that's exactly what Bored Panda wants. It's how they sell their advertising. Doesn't matter if the comments are full of outrage or love sadly. If we really wanted BP to stop we'd have to ignore every single anti-American article. I'd be up for it but realistically that's not going to happen. Too many new people joining daily who'd not know we were ignoring these posts on top of the fact that everyone, quite rightly, wants to push back against it and stand up for themselves. All I can do, as a Brit, is say I KNOW this is not a true depiction of the majority of Americans and I KNOW that ignorant tourists come from any country and be supportive of our friends abroad.
Load More Replies...
No One 2 years ago
Kind of an ironic list. A bunch of people from other countries making negative or ignorant assumptions about “Americans” being ignorant. Right back atcha!
Brina 2 years ago
What's sad is most of the posts showed their own ignorance, while attempting to put down others. The "eskimo" comment, for example. A lot of these people like to s**t talk Americans, but their own naivety about the world definitely shows.
Load More Replies...
sturmwesen 2 years ago
why is this targeted against americans? seems to me most are international issues.
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 2 years ago (edited)
I’m from Scotland and think this thread is bizarre with just targeting Americans. (BoredPanda has a really odd thing against Americans.) There are ignorant tourists all around the world. I feel like most if not all of these tips and comments can be applied to ignorant tourists globally l.
Load More Replies... Christos Arvanitis 2 years ago
Yes, there are plenty of ignorant American tourists... but there are ignorant tourists from around the world. I'm American and while I despise where our country is going politically, it's getting pretty old how BP is constantly coming up with ways to bash Americans. Being from Boston, I see people from around the world and other parts of the country visit and display ignorance. Why the constant divisiveness BP? Pretty much everything in this post suggests that we are all just a bunch of completely ignorant morons. This is starting to get a little old... do better BP!
Gin 2 years ago
You know what the problem here really is? The activity that these articles always stir up. There are a large number of Americans on BP (which is good, I love how international BP is) and so this kind of article will generate a lot of clicks and comments from them (hardly surprisingly) and that's exactly what Bored Panda wants. It's how they sell their advertising. Doesn't matter if the comments are full of outrage or love sadly. If we really wanted BP to stop we'd have to ignore every single anti-American article. I'd be up for it but realistically that's not going to happen. Too many new people joining daily who'd not know we were ignoring these posts on top of the fact that everyone, quite rightly, wants to push back against it and stand up for themselves. All I can do, as a Brit, is say I KNOW this is not a true depiction of the majority of Americans and I KNOW that ignorant tourists come from any country and be supportive of our friends abroad.
Load More Replies... No One 2 years ago
Kind of an ironic list. A bunch of people from other countries making negative or ignorant assumptions about “Americans” being ignorant. Right back atcha!
Brina 2 years ago
What's sad is most of the posts showed their own ignorance, while attempting to put down others. The "eskimo" comment, for example. A lot of these people like to s**t talk Americans, but their own naivety about the world definitely shows.
Load More Replies...
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