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Landing in the United States for the first time is a lot to take in, no matter where you are coming from.
When non-Americans were asked to list the weirdest things they’ve experienced, these common suspects popped up online: the aggressive tipping culture, the mystery math of sales tax, and the bizarre public bathroom stalls.
The conversation has reached a fever pitch lately. With the FIFA World Cup drawing a fresh wave of international fans, many newcomers are expressing their confusion and surprise across Reddit.
But the list isn’t all bad. Tourists are also discovering the sudden warmth of the American stranger, and the traditions that make this country so uniquely charming.
Whether you’re trying to decode American life or a local who wants to see their country through fresh eyes, we’ve rounded up the internet’s most honest confessions. Here is what it’s actually like to experience America for the first time.
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#2
Quoting my Japanese cousin who came to visit in Houston, TX: I thought those giant trucks were only in movies. Everyone drives them here.
Gold Monkey 6 minutes ago
I don't understand these "I thought those were only in the movies" ones. I never once saw a red double-decker London bus in a movie and thought they weren't used in real life.
#3
In-laws from UK, sister in law from Norway. Visited us in US on the 4th of July one year. Turned on the Nathan's Famous hotdog eating contest. Wonderful mix of disgust, confusion, and awe on their faces.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup was supposed to bring the world to America’s doorstep. According to industry estimates, over a million international visitors were expected to pour into host cities, dropping a collective $6.4 billion and spending close to $5,000 each.
But high airfares, and visa friction for travelers from Latin America, Africa, and Asia have kept the numbers below expectations.
As The Telegraph puts it, “the event might not be the once-in-a-generation tourism boom that Fifa’s Gianni Infantino and his ilk have been promising for much of the past four years.”
#4
A couple of years ago I took my cousins from Naples on their first trip to America to Medieval Times because I thought it would be hilarious and it was. They had no idea what was going on, especially because they don’t speak English, but they loved it.
#5
My ex was Finnish and she was so shocked when two random girls we passed complimented her outfit. She was like "why did they say that? what did they mean by that?" We just do that in the Midwest. That was the only time she was so confused she had to ask me about it. Complimenting strangers.
#6
We took our Saudi exchange student to the State Fair and the funnel cake was THE THING. He wanted video and to talk to the guy who made them... he was enamored.
The tourism slump isn’t just a World Cup problem though. The cracks were already there.
The US saw a 5.5% drop in foreign visits in 2025 compared to 2024, despite being the largest travel and tourism market in the world. Even as 80 million more people traveled internationally that year, many simply chose to go elsewhere.
#7
My elderly grandparents from India came to visit and were walking around our mostly white suburban neighborhood. They came back stunned at the friendliness of Americans. They all said good morning and smiled as they passed. One car stopped near them and asked if they were tired and needed a ride home.
#8
This is from the other perspective, but some years back I was in my small hometown in central Pennsylvania and a couch surfer from Bulgaria was staying at our house for a few nights. I decided to show him around town one afternoon and the most perplexed question he asked the whole trip was why they were playing country music absolutely everywhere.
Experts believe that the US has larger issues as to why it still lags with international tourism, despite hosting the World Cup.
According to the US Travel Association, soaring costs for flights, gas, hotels, and food are actively forcing prospective visitors to rethink their trips.
Hard-line immigration crackdowns and safety concerns are also keeping some travelers away.
“To avoid losing its leadership position the US must invest in promoting its attractiveness, both in international markets and during the summer of football; change perception and position the US as a welcoming destination,” Gloria Guevara, president and CEO of World Travel and Tourism Council, said.
#9
Australian here who has family in the US so I'm a pretty regular visitor. These are things that still weird me out:
Pharmaceutical ads on TV for conditions I've never heard of. They're just making new stuff up to sell pills right?
The arcane tipping system. You tip the person who brings you food but not the one who makes the food?
Fetishisation of the military. They must hear "thank you for your service" 100 times a day.
Prices not including tax. Americans say it's because each state has different taxes, but what's stopping an individual store including taxes in their price tags?
This is changing now but why the penny still exists.
Obsession with being a taxpayer. Every time someone is angry they shout "I'm a taxpayer!" Yeah everyone is you jerk.
olivejuicedrinker (she/her) 42 minutes ago
yea the medicine ads are weird. nobody should be advising you about which medication to take, besides qualified medical professionals
#11
I saw two guys with cowboy hats on going through a drive through.... On horses.... I had no words and still don't.
For the tourists who did come, America is delivering something no itinerary could have prepared them for.
The sticker shock hits first. Prices are higher than most visitors anticipated, and the tipping culture — expected on top of already steep bills — has left many fumbling at checkout screens.
In a survey, 90% reported that they would feel obliged to participate in tipping if they traveled to the US. On the other hand, 71% of non-Americans said that they do not experience pressure to tip when in their home countries.
But the surprises cut both ways. First-time visitors have been floored by the sheer size of everything from portions, roads, pickup trucks, to supermarkets. Some were charmed by the warmth of total strangers, the magic of a Buc-ee’s pit stop, and the variety of food joints.
#13
We’ve hosted a number of German exchange students. We live in the southwest. Their biggest takeaways were:
• The huge yellow school buses, they thought that was just in the movies
• Iced sweet tea and free refills—I can just ask for another one?? One mom even asked me for the “recipe” after her child returned home.
• How far apart everything is
• Ceiling fans, and in every room, they thought this was revolutionary
• Every single building is air-conditioned
• The lack of nearby large places to hike and walk without taking a drive there
• Portion sizes
• Every kid having a smartphone
• Kids are rarely alone without parents—e.g. they don’t bike to school, or walk and wander around town together
They also have a fixation on Raising Cane’s. 🤷🏼♀️.
Culture shock is a psychological response to the loss of familiar social cues. It’s a feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes.
“It’s easy to attribute culture shock to external causes i.e. how ‘different’ our new environment is, but the truth is that culture shock is more about internal factors like how big we perceive the culture gap to be and how effective our coping skills are,” says Dr. Nicola Cann, an educational psychologist.
#15
Buc-ee's. We were driving down to Florida from NYC and were just looking for a quick snack and nothing could've prepared us for *that*. At some point the whole staff did some chant because a pork has been put on a board?? I don't even know. Really clean toilets though, and I enjoyed the jerky they had and the lime fudge.
#16
Any tourist here reading this. You need to see if there's any state fairs on within your vacation period.
The food is an experience.
#17
Visited New York and Boston last year and honestly didn't find anything too out there. Bit bigger, wee bit more brash maybe. Really nice people everywhere.
Then I tried to watch a bit of TV at night in the hotel: wholly hell there was an advert lasting 15 minutes for every 5 minutes of programming. Don't know why anyone bothers.
You would think reading Reddit or watching TikTok would prepare travelers, but research shows it doesn’t.
The shock usually follows a pattern. First comes the high where everything feels exciting and new. Then reality sets in, and the small frustrations start to pile up. After that, a quiet adjustment. And finally, acceptance.
Research shows that most visitors never make it past stage two on a short trip.
Experts believe that although not all people experience these stages with the same intensity or at the same time, everyone experiences all of them at some point.
#18
I'm American but I had a funny interaction with a foreigner yesterday. I live in Seattle and the world cup is happening here so there are tons of people from all over the world visiting right now. Yesterday was the down town art walk and my girlfriend and I were sitting outside a gallery painting fridge magnets. This south American family walks by and the mom points at steam coming out of the manhole cover in the street and asks us, "this normal??" And we replied yes. She seemed flabbergasted. It was cute and hilarious.
#19
Cars were massive. Highways were wide. I felt like the streets were empty (I’m used to crazy density!). The menus and prices did not include taxes, so the final bill is always a surprise. And the grocery stores had way too many options.
To add, other things I learned as a new immigrant:
- I had to learn what drywall was, first time visiting my MIL’s house. It apparently gets damaged so easily. A simply bump by the bench, a toy thrown by a child.. (Sorry, mom 😅). The internet wasn’t exaggerating with its paper-like quality. lol
- Floor heating is only for the rich.
- Fully cement houses are very hard to find and unaffordable. Apartments had paper for floors such that you can hear footsteps above. Had to learn city codes for more informed decisions, like at what height a building should be to have concrete floors. Windows aren’t an insulated as EU standards.
- Make sure your stovetop vents are actually connected to vents and don’t just recirculate air.
- People here buy and sell houses like it’s a competition vs staying in your ancestral home and keeping it within the family.
- Banking is outdated.
- You get billed 3 months later after your dental/healthcare appointments.
- Nothing is free except your dreams.
- Neighborhoods are so segregated, you can feel the divide between ethnicities.
- There’s usually just one “Main Street” that’s walkable. You have to drive everywhere, even in the city, due to inefficient public transport.
- Poor biking infrastructure.
- Most of everything is more expensive, so it doesn’t matter if you have a huge take-home salary on paper vs in other countries.
- Government is corrupt, but legally corrupt. Gerrymandering, lobbying, etc.
- There is insurance for everything, but your paid-for security is just an illusion because they will find reasons to NOT pay up.
- Lots of locals not seeing how poverty is tied to widening rich vs poor gap.
- Military respect is expected everywhere, like sporting events may set aside a quiet moment for veterans or whatever.
- Military recruitment ads only seen in poor neighborhoods.
- Tiers of hotels under Marriott and Hilton, etc. In other countries, their hotels are usually 5 star tiers. Here, there’s so many tiers. Foreigners should always check what they are getting in the trip package because their expectation of a Hilton stay is going to be way different in experience.
- Most airports need a face lift, and TSA is inefficient.
#20
Public toilets lack of privacy, why no doors that close nicely but leaves gaps?
I could only go to the toilet in my hotelroom.
We’ve all heard about intelligence quotient (IQ) and emotional intelligence (EQ), but have you heard of cultural intelligence or CQ?
It’s your ability to function and thrive in unfamiliar cultural settings.
Experts believe that CQ can help us adapt to culture shock. The higher our CQ, the lesser the effect of culture shock on our ability to cope in new situations.
A study tracking travelers across 50 countries found that empathy and personality play a significant role in how much stress people experience abroad. The more open and agreeable you are, the softer the landing.
Relationships are the other big factor — the more genuine connections you build with locals, the faster the adjustment.
#22
The card aisle in supermarkets: condolences on the passing of your cat, sympathy following your miscarriage, congratulations on adopting a puppy.
The good news is you can build cultural intelligence before you even board the plane. Read books by authors from your destination. Find online communities centered around the culture. Seek out genuine conversations with people who don’t look or think like you.
In a world that feels increasingly interconnected online, these bizarre and sometimes frustrating real-world friction points are exactly what make travel so vital.
They remind us that there is no single correct way to live… just different ways.
#23
My friends from Japan were totally blown away by the beauty and scale of our national parks.
#24
The old homeless dude complimented my gf cap. I mistakenly thought he complimented both our LA caps and I said "Thank you." He assure me he wasn't complimenting us both by saying, "I was complimenting the lady, jerk".
#25
Through the news media you all seem like not very nice people with race wars, political upheaval and high crime.
In person, you're all super friendly, seemingly always in a good mood to help and chat, open, you love to smile at others, family oriented and just really happy people!
#26
A coworker of mine from another country said he was blown away by the size of the freeways in California.
#27
Been reading twitter and instagram acconts of foreigners discovering what they've decided is pure, concentrated Americana: Buc-ees. Apparently there's a shuttle service in Texas currently specializing in taking world cup travelers there. Hilarious.
Oh and the Scots in Boston have discovered something called 'tailgate parties'. They simply can't believe total strangers will just hand them food for nothing, but absolutely love it.
#28
Family in town from Guatemala to watch the games. First thing they wanted to do when they landed is go to Target and Taco Cabana.
#29
First time we went, we were up in North Michigan and went into a bar there. Honestly we were a novelty, it was like they'd never seen a Brit before and were were showered with drinks and people kept approaching us all night. One guy asked us if we knew someone he knew in England, but no, it's small, but not that small.
Big empty roads was another novelty, but this was over 40 years ago so it's no doubt changed.
#30
I have to admit even as a Canadian close to the border, once I started travelling to the US I found people very decent. Media portrays Americans sometimes in such a negative way....
The American government is VERY different than most of the American people.
#31
Not necessarily non-American, but whenever someone sees Lake Michigan for the first time, their minds are absolutely blown by how HUGE it is. One girl from South Carolina was the funniest, "Ya'll have beaches here?!" Yes, babe. Lots of them!
#32
My brother-in-law is from Italy and his first time in the states we took him to a house party in Oakland. It was basically a kegger. But there was also a band and a karaoke room and a bunch of people smoking. His biggest takeaway... Those red cups are real? Not just in the movies? Those were red solo cups ladies and gentlemen.
#33
Portion size at restaurants.
Drive thru everything.
The amount of plastic bags given at stores.
The bs that is physical junkmail.
How kind and friendly Americans are for the most part. Opening doors, greetings, genuine concern for strangers. I had to ask my husband what they wanted from me!
#34
Wait staff at restaurants desperate to try and keep a glass of water filled on your table constantly. I'm used to having to ask for water if I need it.
#35
It wasn’t recent but on my first visit I was struck by how normalized the slightly overweight male physique was. Like you almost didn’t see any men in their 40s and 50s whose doctors wouldn’t say they should ideally lose 10lb or more.
#36
How big everything was. Cars, supermarkets, serving sizes, roads, parking spaces. Oh and don't even get me started of your traffic lights. Turning right on a red feels so wrong.
#37
Chocolate. The first time I tasted Hershey's I was completely bewildered. I'd never experienced anything like it.
#38
Probably not the biggest thing, but the thing that consistently still catches me off, even after nearly three years here, are the pharmaceutical ads on television. It’s just bizarre and seems completely unethical.
#39
Years ago my brother in law (a lawyer) was hosting a lawyer from Russia. Like a student exchange program, but with lawyers. He stood stunned and wide eyed at the dog food aisle in the grocery store. Their dogs mostly eat whatever. Mostly what the family is eating.
#41
My British friend was surprised by all the lawyer billboards and the massive highway systems (like the over passes and stuff).
#42
My first visit to the US was kind of a culture shock. I did not expect to see all power lines overhead like in third world countries. The massive billboards everywhere littering the main roads, the amount of poverty you see driving through rural areas and on the other end the massive wealth and McMansions in more popular areas. I still have a hard time imagining how only 2 people live in a 4000 sqft home. In general homes are just massive, same with SUVs and Trucks. But the national parks and the vastness of land was just terrific.
#44
That pedestrian walks would just lead into a street or the green. Tried walking to a supermarket once, everyone was staring at me like I was a homeless.
#45
A friend from Latin America asked me where all of the dogs were.
We don't normally have packs of roaming street dogs like they do.
#46
My cousin was in shock at the size of a "medium" soda at Jack In the Box - her words "No human needs this amount of soda." Also, she was very disappointed with the food from both Jack In the Box and Taco Bell.
--take it easy on me guys. She wanted to try them after watching and hearing about them in movies and tv. I'm not force feeding her trash as punishment.
#47
People have easiness on starting to talk with me, a complete stranger, in the middle of the supermarket. And it's just a casual friendly talk which isn't common on countries where that would be the equivalent of distract-and-rob.
#49
The sheer size of everything. you look at the map and think you can drive between cities easily, then realize its an all day trip.
#50
Despite having 15+ booths at immigration, only three of them were staffed. That surprised me.
#53
People's friendliness. I mean, just impressed most people are pretty open to talk and interract.
#54
Handing over your credit card to pay for things, that's an insane amount of trust you have in people. If we pay for a meal at a restaurant, the server will either bring a payment terminal to the table or they will take you to where the terminal is.
Also, credit card use in general. I only use my credit card when I'm abroad, I don't even have it on me most of the time when I'm shopping in my own country.
#55
In a restaurant, the menu had entrees and desserts, and I thought 'These starters are huges, and where are the mains'? Took me a minute and then I realised you guys use that word for the main meal.
#56
The portion sizes at restaurants are way bigger than anywhere else Ive been and I always have leftovers.
#57
As a non-American who gets along super well with you guys and has friends there, it's so nice to see some positivity about the US for once!
#58
As an Englishman:
- the sheer size of everything, the roads, the portions, the people
- why the price on items in a supermarket isn't the same as what you pay at the till
- (I think this one might just be me but) that the yellow school buses are real (I thought they were just in movies)
- the unwalkability of everything. To get to shops from my hotel I had to cross over a major highway if I wanted to walk, so I had to drive everywhere
- (also not really interesting but) in the UK, bottle lids are attached to the necks of the bottle, which is quite annoying, but in America I kept dropping lids, because they aren't attached
- and how friendly people were, making eye contact walking down the road, and people talking to me in the supermarket.
#59
When we found out that “bottomless” chips and salsa didn’t refer anything about our butts and it meant all you can eat - wow we don’t have that.
#61
The cars here are massive and everyone drives everywhere instead of taking public transport.
#63
How absurdly big everything is. You look at a map and think you can just drive to another city, then six hours later you are still in the same state.
#64
A friend flew home to Austin Texas with her boyfriend who was from England and visiting for the first time. We picked them up at the airport and immediately took them to Ginny’s little longhorn saloon, home of chicken poo bingo.
We dragged this poor man into the most Austin experience you could have at the time… a tiny bar on a Sunday with every person you can imagine in Austin: hipsters, cowboys, goths, frat dudes, etc. Everyone grooving together while Dale Watson played, two stepping on the tiny dance floor. In the corner was a crockpot situation with make your own chili dogs. American football was playing on the tvs. The place was packed.
This was the day to come because Sundays is when they do chicken poo bingo. For this, they put plywood on top of the pool table with a numbered grid painted on it and chicken wire encapsulating it. For $1 you get a ticket with a number and wait. What are you waiting for? You’re waiting for the chicken that is in that bingo board cage to poo. And if that poo hits your number, you win. This is chicken poo bingo.
The look on this poor man’s face of the sheer, overstimulating Americanness of the situation was worth it. He was game and joined right in but you could just tell he was thinking what the hell am I doing here.
#65
Had spent a month or so in Boston in ‘18, got the Amtrak down to NYC for a few days before flying back to the uk. Walking out of msg subway station to find myself at the bottom of a man made canyon of skyscrapers was like nothing else I’ve experienced. It was almost a sublime experience.
#66
The thing with the US is you gotta consider just how big and diverse we are. I lived in New England and got culture shocked in a recent move to Arkansas. There’s a ton of America, you could visit a different town every weekend and never run out of novelty for the rest of your life.
#71
I keep visiting but 4 years ago when it was new it was wilderness. Like, real wilderness. With bears. Fascinating stuff, this time I wanna go camping.
#77
People are really friendly and give huge smiles and strike up conversation very easily. Everyone seems to have their volume up a little higher than mine. Portion sizes are very large. Grits are gross.
#78
I am not sure if this is just a New England thing but you can talk to anyone about sports. Everyone knows if the patriots/sox/celtics won last night, which player had a good game, the one dumb coaching move, etc. Coming from another part of the country, I’d never seen so many people care so much.
#79
If you're in the NY area for the games, welcome & enjoy. We might seem rude, but we really are not we just want to get where we have to get to and the art of ignoring your surroundings is typically.
If you're lost or need help finding something just ask.
Food stay away from the tourist traps they suck. You can alway just ask someone where you can get a good lunch at.
Just two things
Wearing your backpack on the front while walking makes you look like a tourist.
Don't block the sidewalk move the hell over to one side and let us pass.
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