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Being a tourist entails a number of things. On the one hand, you have adventure and excitement, but on the other—there’s the notorious reputation of tourists heeding zero warnings and taking no guff in terms of respecting rules, laws, and customs. To an extreme degree, it seems.
Redditors have recently been discussing unwritten rules in their respective countries that tourists always seem to break. And it sounds like some of these are often made very clear, and even that doesn’t help the case.
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#1
Stop asking how to catch a leprechaun. It's trafficking, and they are a protected species under EU law.
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#3
Do not approach the wildlife in North America. People joke about Australia having all the dangerous animals, then will walk right up to our elk during rutting season and get gored. Same with bears, bison, moose. These animals are NOT tame.
Tourists come in all shapes and sizes, and the reasons why they might end up breaking a rule or two (or several dozen) can differ just as much.
This can range from something as simple as a lack of awareness to an utter absence of respect. It’s one thing to miss a cultural norm or or get blindsided by an overinflated sense of anonymity, thinking rules don’t apply to you in another country. But it’s a whole different can of beans if they travel just to spend their time getting boozed out of their minds.
#4
NZ - No littering. A lot of us here will straight up scream at you to pick your s**t up if you litter in our beautiful country. Tourist or not.
#5
In England please respect the queue. Jumping the queue will bring forth a seething rage and putrid hatred that spews forth tutting and a passive aggressive muttering rant that's loud enough for others, but not you, to hear "Oh no you go ahead mate, I'll just stand back here with everyone else, good job I didn't have anything on at all...." The queue is so deeply entrenched in the psyche of the nation that during the 2011 England riots that lasted a week, during which the social fabric broke down, looters could be seen to queue outside the shops they were robbing. Please respect the queue!
Bored Panda reached out to freelance tour leader Irmante Sungailaite to learn more about the whats, whys, and hows of respectful tourism.
Irmante primarily works with National Geographic Journeys and private clients, taking travelers to a variety of locations across the globe—in 40 countries, to be precise, including Mexico, Central America, Europe, and the Middle East. Irmante herself has visited over 100 countries at this point, but it’s not about the count—rather about the experience.
#7
This one is highly specific, but here in the USA we have a monument called The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The changing of the guard always draws a crowd and you are supposed to remain silent. I've seen a few videos of people talking, laughing, etc. They tend to get yelled at. These are real guards. They carry weapons. They guard the Tomb 24/7/365 in any weather. Do not disrespect them or the Tomb. Stand silently, film, take pics, and that is all. Most of the videos I've seen of people being disrespectful were clearly Americans. Gods forbid these a******s go to another country and s**t all over other people's traditions.
#8
If the locals don't understand English, raising your voice and saying it slowly will not help you be understood.
#9
Do not pick up the cute blue ringed octopus, do not pick up the cute blue ringed octopus, do not pick up the cute blue ringed octopus, do not pick up the cute blue ringed octopus. Do not f*****g do this.
“I’ve seen all sorts of travelers—the most outrageous ones are doing something right in front of the sign that actually says not to do it,” elaborated Irmante on what makes some tourists break rules.
“It depends on the person’s education and manners if they obey the rules, written or not. You can be wearing shorts in a place that it straight up means that you’re not from there. So you’re just giving yourself away. Yet, not following unwritten rules can be complicated sometimes, especially when you know no locals to advise you otherwise.
#10
• Don’t try and do a Scottish accent. Barely any of us talk or sound like Shrek and it just [go away] us off. • Don’t claim to be Scottish just because your great great great great great grandfather was Scottish - newsflash, you’re not Scottish. • Don’t talk about religion - it’s a touchy subject with a lot of sectarianism between Protestants and Catholics. • Don’t mistake us for England, or ask us to speak more English.
#11
In Medellin, Colombia, do not glorify Pablo Escobar. We don't want to hear about the museum, the tour or you greeting his brother. It was awful for those who lived through it and there are so many other things to do.
#12
If there are red flags on the beach it means “NO SWIMMING” Which also means NO SNORKELING. NO DIVING. NO SURFING. NO PADDLEBOARDING.NO BODYBOARDING. NO SELFIES ON THE REEFS. FFS.
The most common reasons for breaking rules, however, are failure to get to know the country’s rules and customs, and being flat out rude, as Irmante notes:
“Tourists either are so ignorant and fail to familiarize themselves with written or unwritten rules when heading to a certain destination or are just straight up rude not to comply with social norms.”
“They might feel that certain boundaries don’t exist to them and that way they cast a shadow of shame on all of the traveling community. Traveling with conscience, understanding, respect and an open mind is really the way to go.”
#13
Don’t pet the fluffy cows and stay on the boardwalks in Yellowstone. It’s actually a written rule, but apparently it’s too difficult to comprehend.
#15
Use of sun protection, I know its technically the same sun, but it works a bit different here in Australia.
Besides getting into heaps of trouble themselves, the [private part]-nilly kind of tourists make those around them have to deal with the consequences of their actions as well.
And this is besides the idea of unsustainable tourism—practices performed by those trying to make a quick buck in the travel and tourism industry that cause harm to the destination’s environment, society, economy and more.
#16
Yosemite is in fact NOT Disneyland. You do need to wear more than flip flops when hiking up a cliff and the bears are not, I repeat, NOT animatronic.
#17
More specific to my region: stand on the right, walk on the left. Stop blocking the escalators like a human iron curtain. The poor government workers have already lost enough of their souls, don't make them mutter "on your left," as you dawdle around in bewilderment.
#18
Do not sit in seats reserved for the elderly, infirm, or pregnant women on subways and buses. South Korea.
Unsustainable tourism is caused by a purely profit-driven approach to tourism, lack of regulation, global economic disparities, consumer demand, and lack of awareness. And that can affect the environment, the people living there and the economy.
And yes, it can get as bad as the travel sector benefiting completely and the people whose land and very soul is being sucked out getting zilch.
#19
Stand to the side and let people off the train before trying to board the train. So many times in NYC I've encountered groups of Chinese tourists trying to bumrush the train as soon as the doors open.
#20
Trying to pet the local moose. Look, I know it's a majestic creature right in the middle of the city but it's a really, really bad idea to start thinking it's Bullwinkle and try to get a selfie with it. On second thought...you do you. Go give him a big old skritch on the snoot. Us locals will be watching...from way over there.
#21
Please, for the love of god, don’t walk up the steps to the pyramids in Mexico. Aside from it being against the rules, it is taboo and incredibly disrespectful to the indigenous communities. Take pictures and admire from a distance but don’t climb them. And especially don’t get an attitude when a local yells at you to get off.
“How and why you go around the globe normally determines what sort of traveler you are. Traveling in groups with a guide or at least having a local guide can give such a great insight into not only how to behave in a certain culture but also gives a chance of a local insight that results in valuable local insight and amazing experiences,” added Irmante.
“Traveling responsibly and being aware helps to avoid making a total fool of yourself and shedding a bad reputation. Being a blasé traveler could become a sustainability issue—but in a social way –traveling is precious and any connections we have on the way could have a butterfly effect—so let it be positive."
#22
Don't swim in brackish rivers in the Nortern Territory. Oh wait, that's a written rule tourist's always seem to break.
#23
"Hi, how are you". In Estonian culture it's rude to ask it if you're actually not prepared to listen to my whole life story. To us this is a very intimate question. To top it off, a surprising amount of times I've been berated by a foreigner for not welcoming them in this exact way. Like I'm supposed to be a psychic and know what culture their from. Or their way is the only universal way to welcome someone. I've been extremely offended by this. Someone came to my country as a guest and didn't even bother to Google how to say hello. 😤
#24
Don’t pose for pictures with the big waves and pretty rocks behind you. Too many people get knocked down by a sneaker wave and are swept out and they drown. (Pacific Coast of California.) Stay away from the edges!
Irmante continued: “As a tour guide and tour leader, I introduce my groups and clients to the local traveling nuances. I make sure to empower my travelers and make them aware of the power they have to the local communities we visit.”
“Being a tourist is probably the worst that can happen when exploring the world. Being in an area allows you to connect your culture to someone else’s. Make a friend in the destination you’re headed to, get a hold of a travel guide covering all of the odd habits, rules, customs and traditions, and at least google how you should and should not behave.”
“Traveling and tourism is such a powerful tool of creation as well as destruction. As a traveler, you hold an immense responsibility to do it the right way. So educating yourself prior to the trip, connecting with locals or someone who can run you through the local rules will ensure seamless yet powerful coexistence and outcome of the travel world.”
“Ignorance is bliss, but not when it comes to respect, coexistence and witnessing the beauty of the world. It’s naive to think that traveling starts with everyone else but you. You as a traveler not only make it but maintain it and spread it to everyone around you. So don’t chew gum in Singapore, carve your name on the Coliseum, take smiley selfies in Auschwitz, bring archaeological artifacts from Iraq, climb pre-Hispanic structures in Chichén Itzá or dangle off a cliff trying to drive through Canon del Pato,” concluded Irmante.
#28
No peeing in public!!! Source: I see specifically mainland Chinese doing this, whether it's in Hong Kong or Toronto. It's disgusting.
#29
When ordering in a busy pub, please have your entire order ready. Don't order two things, then add another one on, then go back to the table to ask Deborah what she wants. And if Guinness is in the order, ask for that first.
You can follow Irmante on her Instagram where she shares her travel experiences.
Also, be sure to share some unwritten rules in your country or area that you see tourists shamelessly breaking in the comment section below!
But if you feel like you need more rules in life, here are some more—also unwritten, also on tourism.
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