A compilation of advice from locals around the world, highlighting specific behaviors and actions that visitors should avoid to ensure a safe and respectful experience.
People Are Sharing The Specific Things Visitors To Their Country Should NOT Do, And I'm Seriously Taking Notes "This is the one thing you could genuinely get bad looks for, or maybe a broken nose in the wrong place at the wrong time.
It's the golden and number one rule."Traveling internationally can be an amazing adventure: experiencing new foods, cultures, and languages. However, there's always the concern that there are things youknow about these places: how to behave, what spots to avoid, and where the tourist traps are. Recently, someone posed the question over on,"What’s one thing visitors should NOT do in your country?" And these 39 answers have me taking COPIOUS notes for my next trip:Australia:"Don't swim outside the flags at the beach. Don't forget to wear a hat and sunscreen. The hole in the ozone layer right above Australia may have healed a bit, but the strength of the sun is NOT the same as it is back home. When someone says 'Howyagoin,' they don't expect or want a detailed reply. The only correct response is 'Yeah, good. You?' Learn the difference between 'Yeah, nah' and 'Nah, yeah'. And it's thongs, not flip flops.""Also, if you're planning on driving to Uluru, make sure you take extra fuel, water, and food. The distance between towns with those supplies will be 100+ km. And if your car breaks down while out bush, don't leave it." Brazil:"Don't use your cellphone in the street. If you are a woman, don't walk alone at night. Also, don't leave your drink unattended. Avoid too-cheap-to-be-real cocktails. Don't accept 'free stuff' from anyone; say a firm 'no' as many times as necessary. Don't enter any"Do not make any jokes about us being American, or part of the USA, and so on. Canadians are very proud to be Canadian, and we do a lot to distinguish ourselves from the USA. Despite the news, we still have a good relationship with Americans, but we do not appreciate any jokes about joining the union. This will probably result in you being lectured on Canadian history at best or getting the cold shoulder at worst. We're generally passive-aggressive. That said, we'd love for you to visit, and we will do what we can to make your trip memorable, but just respect our identity." Chile:"Don't say anything originated from Perú, unless someone else said that before. Don't say aguacate or avocado . While driving, don't expect a pedestrian to stop crossing the street when you are coming. Don't talk aboutif you don't know how the people around you feel about him. Don't be ashamed to eat a sandwich with a fork and a knife." Czech Republic:"Don't: Exchange money on the street . Visit those fancy-looking restaurants next to tourist landmarks, where the staff tries to lure people in . Buytourist path in the Prague city center ." Denmark:"Don’t walk in the bike lane. Also, don’t ride a bike if you aren’t used to it. You’ll put yourself and other people in danger."have something important to say. Asking for directions is fine; idle prattle is not. Keep the small talk to a minimum, too. You don't need to use empty buzzwords and 'polite' phrases. Finns are literal-minded when it comes to a conversation: For example, 'How are you?' is considered a genuine question about how their life has been going, not a meaningless stock phrase that requires a canned reply.") is considered HIGHLY rude here. It's politeness 101 in France. Same for the other words. You say hello to clerks when you enter a store. You say hello to any service worker, basically. You say hello to every person in a room when you enter.""You'll get the most piercing stares if you don't say it. And some people are petty enough to keep repeatingAnd a lot of tourists are not aware of that, and I'm pretty sure our reputation as rude comes from people who didn't say those few words, and were then answered with the same lack of respect." Georgia:"In Georgia, DON’T say 'no' when someone’s grandma offers you food. She will take it personally. And also, you will end up eating anyway, and you will have the meal of your life."Greece:"Greece is a mountainous country, and it also suffers from lethal heatwaves. Hiking or taking long walks in the summer can quickly become dangerous — even deadly. I cannot stress this enough. The number of tourists who have perished simply because they underestimated how extreme our summer heat can be is heartbreaking and frustrating. Our mountains are also considered a 'hard' difficulty level. So please avoid the 'off the beaten path' approach here. It’s not recommended and can easily turn deadly." Hong Kong:"Don't take outside food/drink inside a restaurant. It's the top cause of clashes between tourists and locals. Culturally, we see it as equivalent to theft: You're stealing the restaurant's rent money to use its facilities to consume products unrelated to the restaurant. Keep in mind that rent is often the main cost of running a restaurant, and you'll understand this.""Another thing you should avoid is smoking. Smokers are already one of the most hated groups of people in Hong Kong, even before the fire. The most extreme hate speech I see is usually directed against smokers, not against ethnic groups or sexual orientation, etc. Now, after the fire...expect people to be even more hostile towards smokers.", the famous black sand beach. The ample signage and warning lights to stay the fuck back are not there for show, yet every year at least one numbnuts gets sucked away in the current and dies." India:"Don't waste your entire time in the cities of Delhi, Varanasi, Agra, or Mumbai. Do waste it instead in Aizawl, Kohima, Ziro, Andaman, Lakshadweep, and Auroville. Most of your 'India problems' will melt away, and you'll have a great, relaxing holiday.""Do not only travel to what is being sold to foreign tourists as the 'golden triangle'. It's the noisiest, most chaotic part of India. Tourists travel only there and then complain about their India experience. Go to the south of India, go to the Himalayas. There are so many nice places that aren't the chaotic Gangetic plains. Also, unless you are exceptionally interested in Hindu spirituality, do not go to Varanasi. I'm Indian, and that is such a rough part of the country; I don't think I'll ever want to travel there."Do not say 'top of the morning,' 'luck of the Irish,' or that you're Irish because your grandad was from a place you absolutely cannot pronounce.""Never imply we are part of the UK or the British Isles. Never EVER do that when in a setting where drunk Irish males between the ages of 16 and 40 are present." Italy:"Don't go up in the Alps without knowing what you are doing or having adequate equipment. Mountains are no joke, more so if you want to do complex trails that need specific equipment. Yes, people will try to save you, but you still place yourself and others at risk for nothing.""Don't litter. Don't be unnecessarily loud, especially after 10 p.m.; excessive nighttime noise is one of the reasons people despise tourists. Don't be rude. Don't cut the line. Don't bother others. when you start talking with someone, or enter a place of business; thank people when you're leaving. If you accidentally bump into someone else on the street, apologize (you can say Japan:"'郷に入れば郷に従え.' 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do.' The teaching that one should adapt to the land and environment one visits and follow the local customs and traditions. This is a phrase Japanese people use when they find themselves in other countries or new environments." Mexico:"Don't engage in illegal/shady activities. That means don't buy drugs, don't go to brothels, etc. The country is not as dangerous as the media makes it out to be, but engaging in this type of shit is gonna put you in bad situations.""For the love of everything good in the world, DO NOT try to climb the pyramids. There are literally signs that say do not climb, yet every year we have dumbfucks who still try to climb Chichén Itzá and other monuments. Do not be that person. Also, we speak Spanish — don't demand we speak English in our own country." Morocco:"Hanging around secluded and high-crime areas could get you seriously hurt. Even I wouldn't venture into bad neighborhoods in Casablanca or Salé. Fuck that." New Zealand:"Don't wander off the path. There’s basically nothing in New Zealand's wildlife that will kill you; it's just the bush itself. People wander off, get lost, try to get unlost, and get more lost. Search and rescue will come to find you, but if you keep trying to find your way, you’ll probably just die instead. There’s a lot of bush here, a lot of it is difficult to navigate, and it’s incredibly easy to get turned around.""This. A lot of tourists aren’t prepared for the mountains, and don’t consider how quickly the weather can change and trap them up there." Philippines:"Not every woman you see is an 'escort'; don’t disrespect us. As a matter of fact, don’t even visit for the sex tourism. A friend of mine got harassed by a foreigner assuming she was 'for sale,' and that is so insulting."legit used Southeast Asian food, and it’s a racist depiction. We understand that some things are too different for you, and you don’t want to try it, just don’t make a big fuss over the fact that we like our food. Don’t put your guard down in urban areas that are off the beaten path for tourists. I’ve seen kids use slurs to distract tourists while another one steals their belongings. Don’t wear revealing clothes. We’re still pretty conservative, and a lot of people are uncomfortable with seeing a lot of exposed skin, especially in places where you are expected to be respectful. Do not, under any circumstances, try to find illicit substances. They are there, but getting caught is so easy, and the courts move very slowly. Poland:"NEVER say Poland is Eastern European. This is the one thing you could genuinely get bad looks for, or maybe a broken nose in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's the golden and number one rule.""Speak in YOUR native language and be offended if we don’t. Ask for rice as a side dish for Francesinha." Romania:"Don’t treat people who look unhoused like they are unhoused. They are not, and you will get piss on you for mentioning it.""Do not feed the bears! Do not stop your car and try to pet them or take a selfie. People have been mauled to death." Russia:"If you're in Saint Petersburg, don't take photos with the people in historical clothes. It's a tourist trap, and they will make you pay for the photos, even if they said it was free." Scotland:"Don't play music, watch shows, play games, etc., with the speaker on when travelling by bus/train. Nobody will say anything to you directly, but the glares will burn a hole through your soul. Seriously, please don't.""Don’t upload yourself on social media breaking even the tiniest of laws in public intentionally, especially if there is a sign around telling you not to do so. That's basically just calling the police to arrest you, even when the law isn’t usually enforced. South Africa:"DO NOT get out of your car when you visit the national parks and you see lions. They are wild animals and will attack you. The same goes for elephants, hippos, and rhinos. Don't ask where all the wild animals are, and if we ride them to school. We are a civilized country and have internet and tarred roads, and sometimes we have working street lights.""Don't feed the wildlife. Can't tell you how many times I've driven past tourists stopping to feed baboons. Not only are they very dangerous, but this makes the baboons venture closer and closer into urban areas, and chances are they may be culled. Likewise, tourists keep opening their windows or getting out of their cars in national parks to take closer pictures of wildlife or feed the animals. This has actually caused quite a few fatalities." Spain:"Don't refer to a group of Catalan people as 'Spanish' within their hearing range unless you know how they feel about being called Spanish." Sweden:"DO NOT sit beside someone on any public transport if you can avoid it. Bonus points if you choose to stand up if every inner seat is taken. And don't tip. Don't ever tip." United Kingdom:"Don't ignore the queue. If you don't think there is a queue visible, then it's on you to remember who arrived before you and who has arrived since. There is still a queue, it's just a virtual one.""Don't fuck with the palace guards. They aren't toys. They are real soldiers, they are armed, and they will, 100 percent at the very least, yell at you at best and allow their horse to bite you at worst." And finally, the United States:"Don't speed in a small town. Interstate? Sure, go nuts. Matter of fact, use the flow of traffic to judge how fast you should go, which is likely 10-15+ MPH above the posted limit. Small town? Hands at 'Now I need to know: What should people not do when visiting your country? Let us know in the comments. And if you'd like to remain anonymous, you can use the form below.
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