Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
Travel is awesome. It opens your mind, makes you more empathetic, lets you meet new people, gives you an excuse to eat tasty food, and allows you to go on actual adventures. What’s not to love? One of the best things about going abroad is that you get to experience cultures that might be very different from what you’ve known all of your life.
At times, those cultural norms can seem quite bizarre to outsiders. Some of the members of the r/AskReddit community shared the weird and cool things that are completely normal in their home countries but would confuse or amuse tourists. We’ve collected some of their most interesting insights below. Put on your hiking boots, grab your backpack, and scroll down to start your trip.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
In Sweden, it's a common tradition to watch Donald Duck (known as "Kalle Anka" in Swedish) cartoons on Christmas Eve at 3 PM sharp. This isn't just a casual thing - it's a national event!
Every year, millions of Swedes gather around their TVs to watch a specific 1958 Disney special called "From All of Us to All of You" (or "Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul" in Swedish, which means "Donald Duck and his friends wish you a Merry Christmas").
Torben Møller-Nielsen 1 year ago
Same in Denmark. The show is called "Disneys Christmas show" and is on at the same time every year.
Lyyyy 1 year ago
The same in Finland. ”Samu Sirkan jouluterveydys” meaning ”Jiminy Crickets Christmas Greeting”
Load More Replies...
arthbach 1 year ago
In Germany, there's a similar tradition, but on New Year's Eve. The major television networks show the 10 minute short, "Dinner for One." It's about an elderly woman who invites friends over. Her sight has gone, and her friends have died. The butler impersonates the guests, and drinks their wine.
Pernille 1 year ago
In Danmark we watch "Dinner for one" on new years eve too. I like to imitate the butler when serving guests.
Load More Replies...
WindySwede 1 year ago
It get quit repetitive, it was fun in the 80/90 with two of three channels on TV and no cartoons. But now adult and infinite things online. 😅
Load More Replies...
MC C 1 year ago (edited)
how did this start? It seems strange to me that so many Nordic (according to the comments) countries would be watching an American cartoon character on Christmas, there has to be a story behind this
Mikko Järvinen 1 year ago
Disney is HUGE in the Nordic countries, and especially the Duck universe comics (Mickey Mouse not that much). Don't know that much about the other countries, but in Finland Disney entered the market in a bang in 1951, WW2 had ended some six years ago, food rationing were at last ending, war reparations to Soviet Union were already almost paid and life started to look a little bit normalized already, people started buying cars and also the idea of a popular subscription based comic magazine (or Americans would say "comic book" I guess) started seem viable. So, Disney printed some 400 000 copies of sampler of the Donald Duck magazine for Christmas 1951 and sent them to families for free. Not everyone subscribed for the magazine, but it struck and soon it became a the most popular magazine in the whole country with several hundred thousands of subscribers, usually those were families with several children, but also the parents read it top.
Load More Replies...
Lo Kindred 1 year ago
IDK about anyone else, but we always watch A Christmas Story on repeat Christmas Day
Steve Robert 1 year ago
We used to do the same with A Charlie Brown Christmas, until some greedy billionaire bought the rights and put it behind a paywall.
Travelling Stranger 1 year ago
a Polish yuletide tradition is watching Home Alone on boxing day
Spannidandoolar 1 year ago
My husband with his Danish and Swedish grandmothers (as in, were born and grew up there) and his insistence about watching a Micky Mouse Christmas special every Christmas Eve suddenly makes more sense!
marianne eliza 1 year ago (edited)
The USA did this too. Once upon a time, when over the air broadcast TV was all that was available. We all gathered to watch the Xmas specials, Charlie Brown, Grinch... Only on once a year. Something to look forward to. And on the day, kid friendly dinner, baths, pjs, and then the show. These days it's instant gratification via streaming, on-demand.
John 1 year ago
I miss that from my childhood. Those special once a year shows that we would plan our week around. The anticipation for it to come on was real!
Load More Replies... 
Panda Kicki 1 year ago
And always the worry that Disney will stop selling the right to show it. Has been a close call a few times.
InoueAmani 1 year ago
If it were more widespread, would be giving Coca-Cola santa claus a run for their money
varwenea 1 year ago
I was just in Iceland, and the tour manager said Donald Duck was the only comics available during his youth (1960's). It was in Danish. Every child and adult loved Donald. When I was at the airport leaving Iceland, I saw Donald Duck comics was sold at the bookstore - still the only comics sold.
Sean Of The Spiders 1 year ago
They don't only sell Donald Duck comic books in Iceland though? The Nexus comic book shop has lots of comic books. Unless I've misunderstood your comment? :)
Load More Replies...
Dusty's mom 1 year ago
The only way I can legit watch Donald Duck in the U.S. is to buy a $$ Disney subscription. Lucky Swedes and Danes!
Mike m 1 year ago (edited)
Charlie Brown used to be a big thing in the US around the holidays. At least, it felt like it was. Now, you have shop on "black Friday" to get the true American capitalist Christmas experience. If you're never fought a 450 pound woman for a shopping cart, you don't know what you're missing 🤣
laura lee 1 year ago
It still is ❤️ Charlie Brown and all the Rankin Bass lol
Load More Replies...
Geoffrey Scott 1 year ago
Here in the US most everyone celebrates by watching "Charlie Brown Christmas"
notlikeyou1971 1 year ago
I'd prefer Donald Duck to be on in the US instead of that awful 24 hour marathon we are stuck with of A CHRISTMAS STORY. The Donald Duck Special sounds like fun. It's good to have more variety on tv instead of the same show for 24 hours straight
DetriMentaL (It/That) 1 year ago (edited)
Can't recall who and when. Possibly in my shorter days Bit they'd watch "Dinner for One"?
Marianne Grann 1 year ago
In Denmark we all watch the same program with “Anders And og hans venner ønsker dig en glædelig jul” at 4 pm!
Thomas Francis 1 year ago
Sounds a bit like the "Dinner For One" tradition in Germany and other countries on New Years Eve - a 1960's British TV comedy sketch long forgotten in the UK
Pferdchen 1 year ago
I'm curious. Has "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" made it into the European annual playlist / mindset? That's my favorite Christmas animated special, especially the scene with Max riding at the front of the sleigh :-) I imagine that, like "The Odyssey" is said to, it would lose something in translation of the plays on words and rhyming couplets.
Leekun 1 year ago
Here in Sweden, it used to play atleast once on some tv channel at christmas time. Haven't seen a channel airing it in a while but I usually watch it atleast once. It's kinda my own tradition now xD
Load More Replies...
Stannous Flouride 1 year ago
I'm going to make a date on my calendar and use my VPN to watch it.
Alexandra Nara 1 year ago
so we do with astrid lindgrens movies at 6am this days..was a familiar ritual
sbj 1 year ago
I've always thought Sweden would be a great place to live but on learning this I no longer think so as I hate that Duck
BrunoVI 1 year ago
This comes from the mistaken notion that Donald Duck means Danish Duck and the cultural closeness between the Swedes and the Danes. No, I'm kidding. The Swedes just really love Paul Anka.
Sylwek 1 year ago
Nope, the same every year it's a pain after 45 years ☺️
Load More Replies...
Pablo Ramos 1 year ago
In Sweden if you send your kid on a play date at a swedish family house, they will have dinner or snacks and will leave your kid alone in the room while they eat. Dinner invitation is not included.
RELATED:
#2
Actually telling people how you’re doing when they ask you how you’re doing. We don’t use a lot of polite phrases just for the sake of being polite, so when people ask “how are you”, it’s interpreted as a genuine question rather than polite smalltalk or a greeting. My grandma once asked a cashier how she was doing and she replied “Not great. I have type 2 diabetes.”
(I’m from Norway)
#3
I'm Irish, and we tend to swear a lot in ordinary conversations. It means nothing most of the time, just a normal part of speech, but some of my non-Irish friends seemed a bit taken aback by it.
The global travel and tourism industry is huge and one of the most competitive in the entire world. It also has a large impact on various places’ economies. Statista reports that travel and tourism contributed a mind-boggling $9.9 trillion to countries’ gross domestic product. That comes out to around 9.1% of the total global GDP.
The industry is projected to grow to over $1.1 trillion by the year 2029. That same year, the hotels market, a large chunk of the travel and tourism industry, is expected to grow to 1.8 billion users.
#4
In India, arranged marriage is still the norm. I went to law school with a guy who already had an engineering degree. He told me he only enrolled in law school because his family expects him to return to India when he's finished schooling and have an arranged marriage. As a result, he keeps enrolling in new higher education programs to postpone his engagement.
Chintan Shah 1 year ago
It's not quite as "arranged" as it used to be. These days families introduce the couple to each other and give them a few weeks/months to decide if they want to get engaged. Understandably a shorter courting period than with dating and falling in love, but there is definitely a sense of commitment from both so it tends to work out well in most cases.
#5
Going to the sauna with the whole family naked. Completely normal where I live but for almost the whole planet it would be very confusing.
Edit: yes, Finland.
#6
People dying because they don't have free universal healthcare. A lot of people will choose to not get medical attention because they don't have health insurance. So they end up dying. It's cheaper to die than have insane medical debt.
The number of global inbound tourist arrivals recovered from 406 million during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic to 1.3 billion back in 2023. To put it another way, around every 6th person from around the world traveled abroad that year.
According to Statista, the most popular destination for international tourism continues to be Europe. Especially Southern and Mediterranean Europe. Around 265 million tourists traveled there in the 2022 period.
#7
We pay companies in case we get sick or injured and they decide if we are sick or injured enough for them to use the money we pay them to help us. And we still have to pay more money once they help us.
#8
In Vietnam, you can buy anything you want (and as much of it as you want) from the local pharmacy without doctor's prescriptions
#9
I've been living in China for two years and I still can't bring myself to shout in a restaurant to get a server's attention. I'm British, so I'm so used to awkwardly raising my hand and saying, 'Excuse me' when the server looks in my direction. But in China, oh boy, you just have to shout and hope you're louder than the next table.
Rigor Moreno 1 year ago
I watched a TV show explaining this part. If you're silent and meek in a restaurant, its either you did not enjoy the food or something's wrong. Well... I still respect their colorful culture. :D
With so many people traveling abroad and domestically, mutual empathy starts to matter. A lot! This means that, as a traveler, you should try to be as respectful of other people’s cultural norms as possible. It’s unlikely that you’ll be prepared for everything before you leave on your trip (many norms are very subtle and take time to notice and truly ‘get’), but what matters is the effort you put in.
Learning a bit of the local language and about the etiquette amd taboos goes a long way. Do some online research. Talk to some friends who’ve been where you’re going. Even consider going to a local cultural center for some useful resources.
On the flip side, it’s a reminder for locals to try to be friendly to outsiders. Sure, some tourists will inevitably be loud, rude, and disruptive. But many and more of them are decent folks who are having completely novel experiences outside their comfort zones. A few helpful words, a smile, some recommendations, and a gentle guiding hand can really make their trip memorable.
#10
In New Zealand being barefoot out of the house is considered normal. Many children walk barefoot to school (they have shoes, just choose not to wear them). You'll also see barefoot people in supermarkets and fast food restaurants
Littlemiss 1 year ago
It's not as common as it was many years ago. As kids we didn't wear shoes unless expected to. Mind you, no snakes or venomous creatures here
#11
Cheering when someone accidentally drops and smashes something in a restaurant/pub.
#12
Rootbeer floats. I tried to introduce this American delicacy to some German friends. They thought I was playing a trick on them. Thought it was so weird and gross they wouldn't even try it.
No matter how different people might seem on the surface, there are always things that unite us. Food, for example, is something that’s shared across every culture across the globe. Sure, the recipes, ingredients, cooking methods, and eating etiquette might differ from country to country.
But broadly speaking, you’ll still see folks get together in a communal space to eat together. It’s difficult to imagine any culture not having some type of traditional soup or dumpling to offer. Eating is a way to connect with the people you love and to show respect to someone from outside the community.
Singing, dancing, music, and art—they’re also universal and core parts of the human experience. Even if you don’t speak the local language (well, yet), you can still find other ways to connect with everyone around you. Travel might seem scary initially, but you’d be surprised by how many people are kind to outsiders.
#13
In Asian culture. Relatives fight with each other. Because each one wants to pay the bill for the whole family, eating out.
'I will pay. I am the most elder person. I have responsibility to the family'
'No I will pay. Even though I am young. I earn well enough. To cover. Let me pay this time'
That sorta argument happens.
When I tell it to westerners. They don't believe it.
#14
Here in Sydney, the police regularly deploy d**g detection dogs at train stations. They bring them into pubs as well. People visiting from overseas seem genuinely shocked by it, but most people here seem to ignore it.
#15
Saying "yeah, naaahh" = no. Saying "nah, yeeaah"= yes.
What are some local cultural norms that you think outsiders would find a bit (or even a lot) strange, dear Pandas? On the flip side, what were the biggest culture shocks for you on your last trip? How did you handle them and how quickly did you adapt? You can tell us all about it in the comments.
#16
Having a maple syrup reserve. The most lucrative heist in Canada's history was the Maple Reserve. Many millions of dollars in maple syrup were stolen. I just listened to the 'My Favorite Murder' podcast episode about it
#17
TV ads for pharmaceutical products.
#20
Living with parents is common in India. People aren't considered 'losers' for living with heir parents. I never understood why being 30 and living with your parents was considered as something 'bad'
Passerby 1 year ago
I think this is common in Asia. It's totally normal to live with your parents even into old ages. It might even be respected because it means you are taking care of your parents. I was surprised to learn that this is considered bad in the West. I was even more surprised when I heard that some family expect their child to move out at 18.
#21
Weights and measures.
I’m 5’10” and weigh 195lbs
My over cooks at 350 degrees
My pool is 72 degrees
But
I drive 80km/h
The temp outside is 21 degrees
I buy meat in either lbs or kg
Milk comes in 1 litre bags
Liquor in 26 fl oz bottles
Lumber in 2”x4” (which are really 1 1/2 by 3 1/2) plywood in 4x8’ sheets.
#22
Flashing headlights to warn incoming traffic of police presence or speed traps. Got a few awkward reactions doing it abroad.
#23
As an American, when i “lived” in England for three months, i realized just how rude and unacceptable Brits view the act of “pointing fingers”.
not that i was ever doing shit like pointing at and/or making fun of people, but just any kind of pointing even remotely in the vicinity of anyone’s direction was just a straight up no-no, regardless of context. my ex-fiancée (who was British) was constantly like “stop doing that” lmao. kinda interesting.
#24
In my family's home country, it is normal to "try" things out in food stands, like, just shove your hand in the pile and try one, you like it? You buy by weight from the pile of whatever it is you tried. And it is apparently totally acceptable to just snack on whatever while you shop and browse through the store, as long as you buy something at the end.
I had a massive cultural shock on my first visit 😂.
Raymond Core 1 year ago
That's one way to develop resistance to all the bugs in the region. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" - Neitze
#26
Waving at magpies. I've done it in the USA and people look to see who I'm waving at and find a bird. I don't stop waving to the birds f**k off because of the superstition that goes with the number of magpies you see.
>One for sorrow, Two for joy, Three for a girl, Four for a boy, Five for silver, Six for gold, Seven for a secret, Never to be told".
#27
Coming over around diner time unannounced, fully expecting to be welcome and invited to dine with them.
ZuriLovesYou 1 year ago (edited)
Apparently, this is in the Netherlands. I can't even fathom someone walking into my home without telling me first, expecting to eat my food.
#28
1. No small talks. You don't even acknowledge strangers, no random "How are ya" to people you pass on the street. You can say "Good day" to your neighbours or people you know, but not strangers. When you go shopping, you don't engage in polite banter with the cashier, it's just "Good day", they tell you the price of your items, you say "Card. Thank you. Goodbye" and that's it. No small talk with friends. No small talk whatsoever.
2. You can say "How are you" when meeting a friend, and the normal response to it is to complain about your latest problems. After they're done complaining, it's your turn to say "Ah f**k" and offer some advice or help, or tell them about you being in a similar situation. Complain about your problems, then they offer advice or help. And both sides mean to help, it's not just "Ah, call me one day, I could help you with that".
3. Don't talk about mayonnaise unless you want to divide people and start a war. Don't even think about starting mayonnaise conversation when people are drunk. It's very serious. It's something that's discussed at early stages of relationship and can be a dealbreaker for many.
Edit to add some more.
4. We don't tip. There's no tip culture. No one expects tip. You tip for excellent service, and if you leave a tip, people will be happy, but no one will be pissed if you don't tip.
5. We love to pick mushrooms. Every autumn most people go to the woods to pick mushrooms at least once. And I'm not even talking about the psychedelic ones. Every person in the country has at least basic knowledge about mushrooms that are safe to eat and the toxic ones. I was surprised when I moved abroad and found out how many people in my new home were scared of picking mushrooms because what if they're not safe? They just have no idea at all.
6. Carp fish swimming in the bathtub before Christmas Eve.
7. We celebrate Christmas on the 24th of December, not the 25th, and we open our presents in the evening.
8. SHOES OFF AS SOON AS YOU ENTER THE HOUSE.
9. There's a trash can under the sink in the kitchen and one drawer that has a plastic bag filled with other plastic bags. In every house.
10. You know that gesture when you beat your fist to your chest twice, like “I got you bro”, sign of truth and generally bro vibe? Yeah well in my country’s sign language it means “f****t”.
#29
If we're having a casual gathering at a house, we usually don't sit on long tables but put newspapers on the floor as a makeshift "dining table" and sit around it to eat
I've had parties like this my whole life and it was only when my foreigner friends got culture shock from it did I realize it's not a norm in other countries.
TribbleThinking 1 year ago
I'm guessing this is in a warm country, where being closer to the ground can be desirably cool.
#30
Bunny chow 😅 " an Indian South African fast food dish consisting of a hollowed-out loaf of white bread filled with curry and a serving of salad on the side.".
TribbleThinking 1 year ago
This might be just the place to ask! I knew about "bunny" in SA, but does anyone know what Indian word it might be derived from? For instance, I'd imagined a word that maybe looked like "bhani" originally?
#31
Bringing your own alcohol to parties, being naked in saunas, ice bathing, no gendered toilets.
Graham_Illegal 1 year ago
In my experience, men tend to behave terribly in public restrooms, except when they're uncertain about the next person's gender. In those cases, they're more careful and tidy. Non-gendered bathrooms in Finland or Estonia were by far the most civilized experiences I've had, and I see no reason not to standardize them internationally. The model works in most households, and all it takes is a lock and a bin.
#32
Apparently ice in a drink.
Kristy Marion 1 year ago
I work for an airline with a lot of American passengers and they love their ice!
#33
Asking “how are you?” after greeting someone, and no, you are not supposed to answer this question. Goes like “how are you” ping pong. Especially weird when you switch to silence right afterwards (shop/taxi/store).
#37
Tipping.
It's very strange going to Asia or Europe and walking away from a meal without leaving money on the table or adding an extra $10 to the receipt.
Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
Panda McPandaface 1 year ago
It's not 'guess the country' - tell us the country and then make your point. Too much North America as usual, the ones from the rest of the world were much more interesting.
Solidhog 1 year ago
In my country the government hate cars. They tax you for having a car. Most of the cost of fuel is tax, and then they tax you on the tax! There are not many places left you can park for free. Even the hospitals charge to park when you turn up! But they keep allowing people to build shops and services outside of towns. But our public transport is so expensive and bad that people are left no other option but to use cars.
Steve Robert 1 year ago
It should be illegal for doctors and hospitals to charge patients and their visitors parking fees, which are higher than a co-payment.
Load More Replies...
Seonag Udell 1 year ago
My favourite was learning about Canadian loonies and toonies, and thanks to pandas explaining about it being named after the bird on the tails side.
Paul Gerrard 1 year ago
I would have expected guns to get a mention. The usa seem hell bent on executing each other and seem to consider a right to have arms is entrenched but it wasnt even in the constitution. Its was an amendment. Why not amend it back a bit?. Who needs an AR for protection?
T'Mar of Vulcan 1 year ago
When visiting London I found the people to be very "rude". My brother pointed out that it's because South Africans look each other in the eye when they walk past someone, and Londoners don't. I was always terrified someone was going to bump into me because they never looked up.
Nicola Mawson 1 year ago
So, nice trivia game trying to work out the geographic location of most of these
Panda McPandaface 1 year ago
It's not 'guess the country' - tell us the country and then make your point. Too much North America as usual, the ones from the rest of the world were much more interesting.
Solidhog 1 year ago
In my country the government hate cars. They tax you for having a car. Most of the cost of fuel is tax, and then they tax you on the tax! There are not many places left you can park for free. Even the hospitals charge to park when you turn up! But they keep allowing people to build shops and services outside of towns. But our public transport is so expensive and bad that people are left no other option but to use cars.
Steve Robert 1 year ago
It should be illegal for doctors and hospitals to charge patients and their visitors parking fees, which are higher than a co-payment.
Load More Replies... Seonag Udell 1 year ago
My favourite was learning about Canadian loonies and toonies, and thanks to pandas explaining about it being named after the bird on the tails side.
Paul Gerrard 1 year ago
I would have expected guns to get a mention. The usa seem hell bent on executing each other and seem to consider a right to have arms is entrenched but it wasnt even in the constitution. Its was an amendment. Why not amend it back a bit?. Who needs an AR for protection?
T'Mar of Vulcan 1 year ago
When visiting London I found the people to be very "rude". My brother pointed out that it's because South Africans look each other in the eye when they walk past someone, and Londoners don't. I was always terrified someone was going to bump into me because they never looked up.
Nicola Mawson 1 year ago
So, nice trivia game trying to work out the geographic location of most of these
You May Like 58 Places From Around The World That Look AI Generated But Are Actually Real 51 Safest Places To Travel Right Now 55 Life-Changing Trips And Destinations Around The World That Are Worth The Hype
Jonas Žvilius
Larysa Perih
Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
Related on Bored Panda
