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The 19 Biggest Mistakes Most Tourists Make In Major Cities, As Revealed By People Who Travel A Lot (New Answers)
Article created by: Mindaugas Balčiauskas
Traveling is one of the most exciting things we can do on this planet. Seeing the beautiful nature of a different country, embracing another culture, and tasting foods we’ve never had before can all be amazing experiences. The logistics of traveling, however, can be a bit overwhelming. When you’re a tourist who doesn’t know much about the country or city you’re in, it can be easy to make embarrassing mistakes or fall into tourist traps. Luckily for us, Reddit users have been sharing all of their tips for avoiding common tourist mistakes in their countries, so we’ve gathered a list of some of the best tips to help you be a more informed traveler. Whether it’s a way to save you some money, avoid an awkward interaction or ensure you’re not unintentionally rude, this list has got you covered. Keep reading to also find an interview we were lucky enough to receive from author and creator of the blog The Invisible Tourist, Alyse.
And when you’re finished reading these tips, you can check out even more in Bored Panda’s last article on the same topic right here.
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#1
Worst mistake: not learning a little bit about the culture ahead of time so you are not accidentally rude.
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#2
For families traveling, spread out your packing.
If you are a family of four and bringing two suitcases, spread the clothing for each person between both cases. (IE: Half of each person's clothing should be in one case and half in the other.) That way if one suitcase gets lost, then everyone still has at least half the clothing that they need.
#3
People that don't speak English also don't speak slower and louder English.
And the insane mime work isn't really helping.
#5
US - Only visiting New York and/or Florida and then believing they've seen "America."
Obviously you're not going to be able to visit every state and eat in every rural diner, but don't just come to Times Square and then believe you've formed an opinion about life in the US.
#6
Australia. Not putting sunscreen on the back of their knees while going snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef or just not wearing sunscreen full stop
#7
Make sure when addressing to someone in France to start with a greeting. Not saying Bonjour could be considered very rude.
#10
Florida's kind of an unfamiliar country, right? Protip: It rains in Orlando. A lot. Bring rain gear and don't scream at your kids at Disney World because they're tired and/or wet because you planned poorly.
#11
Not do their research properly, I mean like average cab fares, average food costs etc. I’ve seen Caucasian tourists come to my country (Malaysia) and get out of a cab paying RM280 for a ride in the city, that’s idk $70 or more USD? The average 1 hour cab ride from my suburb to the airport only costs RM80, maybe 20-30 USD. Tourists get scammed so badly and they don’t even know
#13
Walk into tourist trap restaurants.
Do a bit of research first.
It's especially bad in London, stop walking into Angus Steakhouse and Bella Italia people.
#14
Europeans coming to America and not leaving a tip to the servers, just because it's not the custom in Europe.
#15
Women Wearing shorts or showing a lot of skin in a Muslim country... please, people, do your due diligence and then be respectful of other peoples religions/cultures especially if you are in their country.
#16
In Sweden, drinking from your wine or beer glass before your host has made a toast. No matter how thirsty you are always wait until you hear “Skål!” then you’re good to go.
#17
Using the money exchange at the airport.
I had a picture somewhere of a rates at Stanstead. 20% spread _each way_. Selling Pound for 4 PLN, buying for 6PLN.
#18
My friend telling locals in a poor part of the Dominican Republic that he has a Mercedes-Benz S550 back in NY on top of showing all the most luxurious pictures of what he does in America which then lead people to believe me and him were super rich americans. This may not be the worst but telling people you have a car like that when your a poor country is never a good idea as some of these folks basically will look at you like a walking atm
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