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34 International Customs That Often Surprise American Travelers
The world doesn’t run on one set of rules. What’s totally normal in one country can seem downright bizarre in another. And while those differences are part of what makes life interesting, they can also leave people seriously confused.
Americans took to Reddit to vent about the customs and habits from other countries that just don’t make sense to them. From washing machines in kitchens to milk sold in bags, they had plenty to say.
Scroll down to read the full list and tell us: do you agree with their picks, or do these things actually make perfect sense to you?
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#2
Squatting over holes in a floor to p*o instead of seating comfortably. I physically cannot squat like that due to busting my knees in college. I don't understand how people can do that without splattering their shoes.
#3
Don't people take their kitchens with them when they move in Germany? Like, you rent a flat and it doesn't have a kitchen. So you buy and install a kitchen and when you leave that flat, you take the kitchen with you.
That's just ... interesting...
#6
Ceiling fans. Why does no one have ceiling fans? They are remarkable for increasing the efficiency of any heating OR cooling methods. Side note: I'm from the southern US and ceiling fans are utterly mandatory or our elders and children would curl up and die, but actively moving the air around in your home is great for a lot of reasons besides.
#7
Had English cousins and family overseas that I visited often as a kid. My cousins raaaaaved about beans on toast. I always turned it down because my brain couldn’t comprehend it being a comfort food. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I actually tried it and I felt horrible for being a little s**t about it. So mostly it’s the weird niche comfort foods a lot of foreigners talk about that don’t make sense to me or sounds gross. I’ll give everything cuisine wise a shot now and I’ve been surprised.
#8
Eating dinner super late. I visited family outside the US, and they would often eat dinner as late as 9 PM.
#9
The near universal disregard/ambivalence towards cold drinks. Like, what do you mean you don’t add ice to everything? It absolutely blew my mind when I learned that people in China drink HOT water by default. And no, I’m not talking about tea! I basically never even considered that an option.
#10
I have a ton of European clients who take multi-week trips, often with only about a month between them. When do y’all work? How can we get this lifestyle in the states???
#11
Not sure about the whole world, but still don’t get why Europeans don’t have window screens. Minimally invasive and easy solution to keep out all bugs
Edit: didn’t expect this to get so much traction lol. And TIL, window screens are common in some parts of Europe (guess I shouldn’t have generalized an entire continent). Just have always noted the lack of them while traveling.
#13
The driving habits in Africa and India are outrageous. I mean, if you have not driven there, it's so unnecessarily aggressive.
You don't have to be Japan, but come on. I remember being in Ghana, a relatively peaceful and prosperous nation in the 1990s (It's up and down there) and I saw pairs of burned out busses and vans on the sides of the road, crashed and burned from passing going uphill and crashing head-on.
Your system of blinking lights and hand motions don't work that well!
#14
Think all of America is the same. There are over 300 million people of various cultures living in 50 states with different state governments and education systems. Massachusetts people and Alabama people are both Americans but their approach to life and their culture is going to be vastly different.
#15
Make their country accessible to people with disabilities. I understand older countries have more historic architecture to update for a steeper price, but to just not try at all is bananas. Our friends and family in wheel chairs and other movement disorders deserve to be a part of public life.
#16
Japanese loli culture and how Japanese culture dehumanizes and infantilizes women in general. It's s****y.
#17
Asians, and Chinese specifically, convinced that being physically cold in any way will make you sick. Got a cold? You need to wear more!. Upset stomach? Put on another layer. Hangnail? You guessed it, more heat!
#18
*not* driving long distances
like i get it, you're used to everything being walkable which is awesome....but like....your parents live an hour drive away and you don't visit because it's "a long drive", an hour isn't that long at all.
#19
Non-american lemonade is often a TOTALLY different drink than our mix of lemon, water, and sugar. Other countries often mean something closer to sprite.
#20
Just having a conversation with a stranger is normal in america but when I was in Germany I was treated like a weirdo for smiling and trying to talk to people waiting on for the train. In america especially in the south its normal to have small talk with random people be they 18 to 100
Like yeah I'm smiling its a nice day and I want to get to know the people and culture im visiting and the best way is to talk to them.
Why do yall shun friendly interactions with strangers?
#22
Standing basically on top of each other. Been to many countries in Europe and Asia and we give each other way more space in America. Probably because we also shoot at each other way more.
#23
The whole football hooligans thing. We'll s**t talk but we ain't about to fight over it much less going just to pick a fight.
#26
Eating a lot and somehow not gaining weight. If I so much as breathe in front of a McDonalds I gain 10 pounds.
#27
Treating daily driving like an F-1 tryout. I know I'm not the most aggressive driver but driving in both Italy and Germany made me feel like a grandma.
#30
Stand very close to strangers and touch them without consent. Like bro you don't need to touch my shoulder to tell me to have a good day 😒.
#31
I'm actually scratching my head much more at my own country than what countries elsewhere do, especially as of late.
The formalities of east Asian countries are a bit bewildering though, expectations that you have to uphold for your family, your workplace, etc. Seems toxic to me, but I'm sure they have much more on us when it comes to toxicity - at least they try to care about each other?
#33
Mole. Idk how these abuelitas can throw 50+ of the most random ingredients prepared in the most random way and still get a pretty decent tasting sauce at the end.
#34
Building houses with bedrooms that have no built-in closets, so that you have to purchase a closet that takes up floor space.
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