30 Folks Online Share Things That No Tourist In America Should Under Any Circumstances Do
Not too long ago, we have covered the issue of tourists not really understanding the limits and restrictions of the place they are visiting, i.e. Hawai’i, and then causing a lot of trouble along the way, leading to all of the reasons why Hawai’ians don’t really want visitors any more.
So, why not get ahead of things and nail down some of the actions, behaviors and… things to not do while visiting the U.S., as shared by folks on AskReddit, particularly in this modest thread.
Bored Panda has crafted a curated list with some of the best responses to the now viral question, if visiting America, what is something that [people] should NEVER do?, which you can check out below. And don’t forget to give us those upvotes if you genuinely agree or like the submissions, because we love you, and comment some of your don’ts in the U.S. in the comment section below.
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Don’t talk about how you think a holiday or American custom is stupid if you are invited to someone’s home. We had a guest from Germany once, who was invited to my parents house for Thanksgiving . The whole day she talked about how it wasn’t a real holiday and it was just an excuse for fat Americans to eat more. It was extremely insulting and made the day unpleasant for everyone. If you are invited to someone’s home, at least try to to be polite.
If you find yourself in Florida, absolutely do not swim in the lakes, ditches, or channels. Any standing body of water can (and does) have alligators in it. Also possibly water moccasins. And maybe even diseases.
Do NOT go into the wilderness unprepared. If a trail says 2 miles and 2000' of elevation gain, that's not a nature walk.
Do NOT approach wild Animals. Yea, the moose looks big and stupid, but he'll kill you. So will the bears, mountain lions, alligators, snakes.
Have a cousin lives in anchorage Alaska. He sent me a pic of a moose laying in the yard across the street. I said oh, it's like on northern exposure (a television show on at the time.). He said no. His was a city moose. The moose on NE was a country moose. I asked what's the difference. He said city moose are somewhat used to people around and tend to be not aggressive. The country moose will just flat out kill you.
Don't underestimate the size of the U.S. We get a lot of international visitors who think they can hit Disneyworld and the Grand Canyon in one or two days. America is huge. We've got 50 states for a reason.
Also, don't expect things to be extremely walkable, or assume a decent public transportation system will be available to you. Urban areas usually have good public transport but truthfully, America is built around having a car. We have drive thru everything - banks, pharmacies, fast food, and in some states, liquor stores.
Don't get weirded out if Americans wave and randomly want to chat you up. We're a pretty talkative bunch, but do watch out for hot-button topics (for example, politics...we're a hot mess right now).
Also don't assume that because of where you are people aren't friendly. Us New Yorkers are assumed to be assholes but really we're not all bad.
Underestimate distances. When I was a tour guide, far too many customers asked how many HOURS the train to New York was [in seattle] and I had to put their jaw back in when I said 5 days.
I think Europeans are just unaware of how massive the US as a single country really is. I have a friend in the UK whose mind was blown when he realized that Paris is a hundred miles closer to him in Manchester than I am in northern Arizona to Bakersfield, CA where my kid's best friend lives.
I looked this up on Google maps, and it's also possible that they expect the train ride to be faster than driving.
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The phrase is extremely true: To Americans, 100 years is a long time. To Europeans, 100 miles is a long distance.
Depends on the American. You are assuming when only Europeans arrived? Natives count back 10000 years...I don't see that in European history. btw: believe even the United States is older than almost every current European country
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Picture this: pretty much every class in every school has a map of their country on the wall. Kids grow accustomed to the scale of THAT map without really grasping the differences of scale to other countries. "Look, its only a hand span from London to Edinburgh on our map, and that's just a (6?) hour drive, and its only a hand span on the Canadian map from Toronto to Vancouver!"
I have done this in Vegas. The strip looks smaller from a higher window so you think you can easily walk it, but it is a tough walk when it is so hot out
To be fair we Europeans are used to a decent train system with a lot of conections and fast speed trains. USA trains are really obsolete
True but it is still a huge distance. Seattle to NY is 2,800 miles (4500 KM). Or to put it another way Seattle to NY is equivalent to London to Baghdad.
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My mom told me a story of when she had met someone who had planed to take a trip to California and completely explore Santa Ana and San Francisco in only one day. By car. That's a 12 hour drive, I do t think you can completely explore both in one day for the first time.
It takes approximately two to three DAYS to cross Texas east to west. About 2.5 top to bottom. Hell, it can take 3 hours to drive from the south part of the Houston metropolitan area (Galveston) to the north (Spring, The Woodlands). People regularly drive 30-60 minutes for work. Places like LA and NY are worse
It's funny to read this, as I live in Ontario Canada, and you can fit Texas into our province at least 2 or 3 times. It takes more than two days travelling west just to leave our province. To go across the country can take 4-5 days starting from Ontario or even longer starting from the Maritimes. Many ppl are surprised by how big Canada really is
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2-3 days with high speed train. And not all Europeans travel on high speed trains, do they?
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I always like how the UK people fuss about having to drive 10-20 miles in any direction for any reason. I'm like..I lived in a small town for 14 years. If you wanted to go see a doctor, 25 miles out of town. Work at a decent paying job...35 miles out of town. Do some heavy duty warehouse shopping...better make that 50 miles out of town. An airport....Ok..now you're at 125. But it was commonplace to have to drive long distances. Now if you live in NYC, you don't even have to own your own car...but you still may have to schelp a few miles around the city each day to get to work, laundry, food, public transportation.....
Or China and Africa. One would think this wouldn't be so bad since maps of those places with the USA supervised are pretty common. Africa=3 USA... Ok it's enormous. Australia & China are both about equivalent to one USA. They are huge.
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Well, thinking that between NY and Seattle are 'hours' of travel is just having no idea about where Seattle is. In Europe if you travel byt train from one end of the continent to other it is few days as well. It's the same, I think it was just a problem with being sure that Seattle is on the Atlantic coast too.
Not really, our trains are a lot slower here. You can ride the Orient Express across all of Europe (Istanbul to Paris) in a day and a half and that is one of the "slower" trains because it stops more. NYS is about the size of France, Albany to NYC is about the same distance as Rennes, Bretagne to Paris, the train from Albany to NYC takes 4.5 hours, the train from Rennes to Paris takes just under 2, a full 2 if it has the extra stop in Normandy. I grew up near Albany taking that train frequently and studied in Rennes and took that train frequently - the TGV in France is not only much faster but much more comfortable than the Amtrak here and costs half as much.
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In the UK there is a saying when we compare the UK to the US. The UK has the History while the US has the Geography .
I love this but only if you consider European history in the United States, is the father and husband of Native Americans... History history is remembered longer than the collective European story
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I'm a Los Angeles native and when people ask how long it takes to get from point A to point B, they are shocked when I tell them anywhere between 20 minutes and 2 hours depending in the traffic.
In April of this year (2022) I drove from St. Louis Missouri to Green River Wyoming before I spent the night at a motel In the morning I drove another 5 hours to my destination in Utah .... A little over 1365 miles (2196.7 Km) and was still no where near seeing the Ocean .... Its a BIG country
Yes it is but, half of Canada no one every takes a trip to it.
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Also works the other way around of course. Americans who only visit Amsterdam in the Netherlands because they don't realize every other Dutch city is within 2 hours :D
I live in Colorado where almost all distance is measured in time because you cannot drive 75mph on mountain roads. I have made more than one 'flatlander' relative angry because I would not give them the distance in miles.
I knew a Japanese gal who was going to do nyc, disney world, hollywood, grand canyon and vegas in a week via our bullet train system.
Reminds me talking to a little girl at the Florida/Georgia line. She was so excited to almost” be to Key West. Didn’t have the heart to tell it she had nine more hours in the car.
Texas here. East to west takes 2 days. North to South 2-3 days. Heck, can take 2 or 3 hours to drive the Houston Metropolitan Area, , Galveston (Gulf of Mexico) up to Spring and The Woodlands. West Texas is pretty empty, flat and takes hours to drive across. It snows up in the Panhandle (north) and hurricanes in the south (Galveston/Houston/Beaumont). Know where you are going, how you will travel, and what is going on in whatever area/place you're visiting.
This is incredibly common. In the states, we forget that their countries are roughly the size of our smallest states and our country is bigger than their entire continent. You can do 22 countries in as many days in Europe, but here, if you wanted to see every state and what it has to offer, you easily need 6months.
Too true...we go to Idaho a couple times a year, 900 miles and change...and hit only three states (CA, NV, ID).
Load More Replies... Many years ago, our company in El Paso, Texas, did some business with a company in Taiwan. One of their employees was coming to the U.S. and had to change planes in Dallas, Texas. She asked if my boss could come for lunch during her layover. You could hear the amazement when she was told that it was a 9-10 hour drive or a 2-hour flight. She said, "but isn't it in the same state?". Yup.
Can do it in four, if you are lucky. Leave New York at 15.40 (e.g. Monday) Lake Shore Limited to Chicago, arrive next day at 11.12 (Tuesday). With same day connection depart on Empire Builder at 14.15 (Tuesday) - two nights on train, arrive two days later in Seattle at 12.25 (Thursday). BUT, and a big BUT, because of freight train interference if the first train is late, as often happens, you will have to stay in Chicago overnight, go out on Wednesday, arrive Friday in Seattle. I ride our trains a lot, enjoy them mightily, but am resigned to delays, and rarely try for a same day connection.
Henry Rollins mentioned something like this during one of his stand-up specials (yes, he does comedy as well, he's a man of many talents,) that in (continental) Europe, you're always just a few hours train ride from being in another country, but in *America,* the same amount of time will just land you still in America.
Yeah, when we moved we learned it was 1254 miles from Seattle to San Diego. The US is on a CONTINENT people. They tend to be large.
i was really astonished when my American friends said that they were going to the mall and they drove us for almost two hours. In my country, Belgium a two hours drive is a vacation destination to the coast or the Ardennes.
Three days on Amtrak. 48 hours from Seattle to Chicago. And 22 hours from Chicago to New York. That's all.
That's not underestimating distances. That's underestimating how crappy and slow public transportation is here!
On internet it's written 2 to 3 days max, also your train is super slow.
In the time & distance it takes to go cross the country-coast to coast-they could easily visit a couple of different countries.
Wow! My local train takes no more than one hour from one end to the other. It must be cool to go so far by train.
Henry Rollins mentioned something like this during one of his stand-up specials (yes, he also does comedy,) about how in Continental Europe, you're always just a few hours train ride from going into another country, but in *America,* you're more likely to still end up in America for the same travel time.
It's not neccessary the under-estimation of distances. Customers might have expected 24-30 hours with a high speed train.
Why a photo of the Kendall/MIT subway stop in Boston (Cambridge)? Someone missed their stop lol.
Whether you agree with it or not (and the Redditland consensus is not), but please do not leave a restaurant without tipping (unless you've had really bad service). Again, the debate on this can be had another day, but right now, IRL, these servers depend upon these tips.
Punishing your server will not cause his employer to suddenly begin paying a living wage.
Wear clothing that has any imagery associated with Hells Angels. I was once at the convention centre in San Francisco during the setup of an event, and happened to be wearing a t shirt that had a variation of the “death head” logo on it (I had no idea - it was a cheap t shirt bought in the U.K. that I liked the look of). There was a guy riding round on a fork lift that kept staring at me and talking to his buddies. Eventually he came over and asked if I was associated at all with the Hells Angels. When I said no, he basically told me that if I was spotted outside wearing that t shirt by a member of the gang, I’d be in a whole heap of trouble. He was so insistent that he virtually escorted me back to my hotel to change it. At the time I couldn’t believe it, I was like “mate it’s just a t shirt I bought for 10 quid from TK Maxx” but in hindsight he probably did me a favour.
If pulled over by the cops, do not exit the vehicle unless they ask you to. The cops might sit in their vehicle for a while, & then they will approach the window & expect you to talk to them while sitting in the car.
If locals tell you not to go to a certain part of town, listen to them. Similarly, don't go touring drug or gang territory.
I'm going to restore that car so I can take my children on a great adventure in it. Then I will marry the daughter of the owner of the local candy factory.
Don’t talk about GRAPE
Guns
Religion
Abortion
Politics
Economics
Legoboy514 said:
Raccoons are cute… but from a distance.
seapancaketouchr replied:
I had two f*ckers break into my condo and steal my dogs food. And as they went over the wall of my patio it was like watching a fat middle aged man do an obstacle course.
Don't go to the hospital unless absolutely necessary. The memes don't lie, they'll charge you $2,100 for a s***ty Walgreens splint and an x-ray.
Aw that's how much my broken finger cost in 1999. Nice little clean break, go to hospital, get an xray, get a little $4 splint and a bill for $2100. I was a teen and learned that sometimes, if you think it's broken just wrap it up and don't do anything to worsen it. Hospitals are only for major health issues
Visiting south west USA? Cali. Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, ect. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE HEAT, all to often people try a hike in 113° and end up needing rescue. And that's no good for anyone.
And don't UNDERESTIMATE it either! Northern Arizona is quite a bit cooler than southern Arizona, but it's just as dry and the sun is just as intense. HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE and either cover up or slather on that sunscreen or you'll end up rounding out your trip with a very expensive hospital bill.
Do not attempt bribe a police officer. It's common in some countries, but it will land you in a world of s**t here.
You can in many South American countries and Mexico. My dad has bribed himself out of many speeding tickets 😁
Don’t assume that the price shown on an item for sale is your price for said item.
There are almost always taxes that are added to the price when you go to pay.
If you’re in a New York City subway, try not to make too much eye contact or look too long at people around you. Old guy lighting up a crack pipe near the door between cars? Just ignore the smell. Woman near you screaming at the top of her lungs at her silent child? Keep listening to your music. Someone digging through their bag, muttering to themselves, and throwing rose petals on the floor like they’re preparing for a seance? Just keep staring blankly at your phone. Trust me.
This is the kind of post that reminds me why I want to leave society.
Give retail employees a hard time about paying sales tax. We know you don't live here—the register and the government don't care.
Don't think the laws are the same everywhere. You can walk with an open alcohol container in Vegas but not many other places. Alcohol laws, pot laws, firearms laws, smoking - lots of very different laws depending on the state and city where you are.
Always check first! And don't just ask a local... they might think they know but could be wrong. Google it and search that state's (and sometimes local) laws.
Don’t forget to put eggs and milk in the fridge. We do stuff to them that makes them require refrigeration.
Edited; it’s not homogenization. Just know that the way we process them makes them, much like Americans, spoiled without Air conditioning.
541mya said:
Don't take pictures with the people dressed up in costumes in LA/ NYC.
nsci2ece replied:
They'll immediately expect payment for it.
This only applies to photos where you pose directly with them. Taking photos of them from a distance is fine.
Also Vegas! I made a ton of money and I was on vacation. People just took pictures with me in my costume (nun outside but fishnets and leather & fishnet gloves, spiky heels) and was just passing me money I didn't know what was going on. Then realized that that was people's actual jobs!
If you are coming to the Midwest or northeast during winter be prepared and don’t think sunshine means warm weather. It can be deceptively cold. :)
Objective-Dingo6603 said:
Do not take anything from national parks.
floorwantshugs replied:
Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints*.
*on the designated trails. Do not under any circumstances step on the cryptobiotic soil.
Themasterofcomedy209 replied:
Unless you want to become another missing 411 case where people speculate if you were abducted by Bigfoot.
Staying on the designated path isn't just to protect the environment. It's also for your own safety. Our national parks still have plenty of apex predators like bears and mountain lions.
Do not take pictures of the Amish. It's really rude to them.
Ok but like literally, just don't take pictures of people without permission. Not just people with specific religious views, but literally any strangers. Just because yes it is fully legal to take photos of people in public, it doesn't mean it isn't creepy, weird, and/or rude.
macaronsforeveryone said:
Don’t cut in line. We hate that.
EnchantedPancake replied:
About a year ago I had a dumb [woman] drive in front of me at the Starbucks drive thru. I was so happy she did too. As soon as it was her turn to order, I layed into my horn for as long as it took for her to become frustrated and leave because her order could not be heard LMAO. No one deserves to get walked on like that.
When visiting tourist places, if there are signs instructing you to “stay on the path” or “please do **not** touch” or “**no** flash photography” or a guide at the place asks you to please refrain from doing something….
DO AS THEY (or the sign) ASK! It’s no different than when the tourism is in reverse.
If you're driving through a neighbourhood where people have their shirts off, do not stop for anyone. You have reached the bad part of town and want to leave it as soon as possible.
Maybe not true for all places but in the land of limitless guns and crazy people it's not a bad rule of thumb.
probably right - move like you know where you are going and keep your chin up. literally.
If you're visiting Las Vegas, do *not* engage with anyone that asks if you'll be in town tomorrow night. They're trying to rope you into a timeshare presentation and even though they'll offer free show tickets, meal vouchers, and even cash, it's not worth it! The tour and "short" presentation will be way longer (and obnoxiously higher pressure) than you'd expect and they know damn well after you've invested a few hours you're not going to leave without the promised reward that they only give you at the very end.
These people are most often found at the entrances to malls or casinos at what can be easily mistaken for information booths. Either just say "no" no matter how long you're actually still going to be there or flat-out ignore them.
Also don't accept the cards being handed out by people in brightly colored shirts on the strip unless you want a promo for strippers.
The rewards the timeshare guys promise always turn out to be cheap garbage also
[Do not] haggle. There are times it’s appropriate to haggle in the US, but none of them are going to come up on your tourist trip. In the US, haggling is basically reserved for high-ticket items and certain services. You can’t haggle for things in a store or at a restaurant. The people you’re talking to usually don’t have the power to change the price, and if they do, they still won’t want to. The exceptions would be of the thing in the store is damaged (and they might not reduce the price, they might just take the broken one from you and find you a decent one), or if the person you’re dealing with is a criminal (ex; the guys who sell stolen purses, fake sunglasses, and bootleg DVDs in the street in some cities). Goods in stores or at kiosks have a set price based on pretty specific metrics, and everyone pays the same. No one’s going to cry or try and convince you if you walk away.
Haggling is ok if you're at a flea market, lawn sale, or something like that. It's expected. Regular stores... no.
Don’t get in someone’s personal space. Stand at *least* 3 feet and preferably 6+ feet away from everyone. It is very uncomfortable for Americans when you stand too close and it can even be threatening. Plenty of countries are the same way but specifically Americans.
Leave your car with your purse sitting on the front seat. Thieves will smash the window and steal it.
Note: this post originally had 46 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
I feel like we as an American culture tend to be more tolerant to those that are only visiting here than we are to our own citizens. That being said don't be a jerk, research the laws on the individual states you will be visiting, and be sure to wear your seat belt and you'll be fine. Most of us are actually very kind and don't mind helping lost visitors find their way and will even smile at you while we do it (I do all the time I guess I look approachable to foreigners)
As with every country I’ve visited it’s easy to be liked in the U.S. if you are polite, thoughtful and think ahead. I’ve been lost one way or another in pretty much every country I’ve visited (I kinda enjoy wandering and being temporarily misplaced doesn’t bother me) and I’ve always found that polite requests are met with smiles and help, on one occasion in NJ I ended up in an awesome bar with a great bunch of people. I’ve been pulled over by the Police, followed the rules and I spent more time talking about where I’m from in England than explaining why my sorry a*s was sat at a green light. BP is a bit harsh on the U.S., you have a beautiful country and friendly folk. So much to like!
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Many of these rules seem like they’d be applicable anywhere. I understand the ones about tipping and storage of milk/eggs, but many just fall under the “Be a decent human being”. Also, I would think one shouldn’t approach the wildlife no matter where you are.
Yeah but in some countries wildlife is pretty tame compared to say ,warmer climates like Australia.
Load More Replies... This isn't as necessary anymore. We are not interested in a gun crazy nation that overturns human rights and let's KKK become cops. It's not hyperbole, many of my colleagues and one friend have canceled their trips to U.S. destinations. It's just become too intolerable, we're good.
Hell a fair number of us want to leave as it is, but due to income issues can't.
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Just take your trash with you. And no one cares if you were there so don't write your name places. Take only pictures and leave only memories.
I just wanted to tell you your username is great :-)
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Wear plenty of sunscreen if you come here in the summer. When I was in college, I worked at a theme park that got a lot of international visitors, and I saw so many lobster-red Europeans who weren't used to that much sun.
the author left out the dangers of ROAD-RAGE. Do not curse, flip off, yell at, or challenge someone for their rude, inconsiderate, or even dangerous driving habits. A certain percentage of the time, this justifies vigilante action with firearms so to teach you proper manners. Where I live in Houston, there are at least two road-rage killings every month. Do not even drive fast and aggressively. This justifies a bout of road-rage with some people. So beware. Drive gently & practice the ethic of forgiveness. Just smile and politely wave if some idiot is after you. That will be enough satisfaction for all but the insane.
Don't assume because we're Americans we don't speak foreign languages. I was working in a SoCal restaurant in the 70's, couple from France came in & started talking garbage about how stupid Americans were. Having taken French for four years I bit my tongue until their order came up, "accidentally" knocked the guys beverage into his lap apologizing in perfect French that not only are we stupid we're extremely uncoordinated...No tip for me...C'est la vie...😈
I would add try not to be put off by the friendliness. We are happy to meet you and many will do anything to help you and make your trip pleasant. Traveling outside of North America is expensive and we are generally curious about you and your culture and welcoming.
I feel like this should be on the list; DON'T WEAR EXPOSED BANDANAS. Certain colors, like black, white, red, and blue will literally get you jumped no questions asked. I like in a small innocent non-affiliated suburban town, but when family comes to visit, and that family is in hells angels or a Crip, THEY WILL straight up HATE CRIME YOU. My mom knows a guy who ok got beat up for having a red bandana in his back pocket.
A lot of these are also appropriate for Canada except in Canada don't refer to them as American they prefer to be calling Canadian
Why would you visit a school if you aren't visiting one of your children?
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Do NOT A*S-U-ME because we're American we don't speak foreign languages. Was a SoCal waitress in the 70's, French couple came in talking garbage about how stupid Americans were etc...I bit my tongue having taken four years of French, waited til their order came "accidentally" knocked the guys soda in his lap while apologizing in perfect French that not only are we stupid...we're REALLY Uncoordinated. 😈 C'est la vie...
Oh and last but not least, if you decide to move to this great place - don't try and make it like what ever country you came from. We have had our limit already.
1. DO NOT GO ON SCHOOL PROPERTY. EVER. FOR ANY REASON. Yes, yellow school buses are a real thing. DO NOT GO ON SCHOOL PROPERTY TO TAKE PICTURES OF THEM. A Dutch couple on vacation in rural New York State saw the busses parked at my kid's school and waltzed up to take pictures. They got to spend the rest of the day in the Sheriff's office answering lots of questions about their intent. 2. The laws in one state are not binding in another and my be totally different! Just cuz it's legal (or illegal) in NYS does not mean you can or can't do it in Pennsylvania, or Vermont, or Ohio, or Connecticut or Massachusetts or any other state for that matter. 3. Most americans do not own guns. They are mostly owned by a smaller population that owns MANY guns. 4. We do not use the Metric System. Deal with it. A mile is 1600 meters. The speedometers are graduated in both miles per hour and kilometers per hour. Need to estimate a distance? Look at the speedometer or use your calculator on your phone.
No. By all means, you should visit. There's loads to see and do here. It's a more accurate summation to say, "Don't assume that the rules, laws, and customs of your country are universal." Which is good advice for a tourist in literally every country.
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Yeah I'd love to visit florida ,texas and georgia..the home cooking looks amazing there..that being said nothing else appeals.
This bias a*s article shows you how white racist pieces of s**t think. Some of this is ok but most of the view of a piece of s**t who doesn't understand anything but his own bias
this is an entertainment blog. If you are not happy here, please find some other place to amuse yourself. There are three billion websites online. Surely one of them will be what you are looking for. And please stop playing the race card about everything.
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Yeah, my determination to never visit the country has not been swayed by this article.
Don't mess with Texas. We have a speed row for the death penalty. We also have lots of prisons. Enjoy your stay
I once had an idea of visiting my dad's uncle in Chicago... But the more i know about America the less i want to end up there...
I’ll put it plainly: don’t. Don’t visit the US. It’s pretty shitty here. We have no culture to immerse yourself in, and any semblance of it is trite, or stolen and poorly imitated. The natural beauty you can find elsewhere in much more civilized countries, and for much less hassle. Plus, while most any worthwhile travel is costly, it is extremely overpriced here, as is most anything else.
I feel like we as an American culture tend to be more tolerant to those that are only visiting here than we are to our own citizens. That being said don't be a jerk, research the laws on the individual states you will be visiting, and be sure to wear your seat belt and you'll be fine. Most of us are actually very kind and don't mind helping lost visitors find their way and will even smile at you while we do it (I do all the time I guess I look approachable to foreigners)
As with every country I’ve visited it’s easy to be liked in the U.S. if you are polite, thoughtful and think ahead. I’ve been lost one way or another in pretty much every country I’ve visited (I kinda enjoy wandering and being temporarily misplaced doesn’t bother me) and I’ve always found that polite requests are met with smiles and help, on one occasion in NJ I ended up in an awesome bar with a great bunch of people. I’ve been pulled over by the Police, followed the rules and I spent more time talking about where I’m from in England than explaining why my sorry a*s was sat at a green light. BP is a bit harsh on the U.S., you have a beautiful country and friendly folk. So much to like!
Load More Replies... Many of these rules seem like they’d be applicable anywhere. I understand the ones about tipping and storage of milk/eggs, but many just fall under the “Be a decent human being”. Also, I would think one shouldn’t approach the wildlife no matter where you are.
Yeah but in some countries wildlife is pretty tame compared to say ,warmer climates like Australia.
Load More Replies... This isn't as necessary anymore. We are not interested in a gun crazy nation that overturns human rights and let's KKK become cops. It's not hyperbole, many of my colleagues and one friend have canceled their trips to U.S. destinations. It's just become too intolerable, we're good.
Hell a fair number of us want to leave as it is, but due to income issues can't.
Load More Replies... Just take your trash with you. And no one cares if you were there so don't write your name places. Take only pictures and leave only memories.
I just wanted to tell you your username is great :-)
Load More Replies... Wear plenty of sunscreen if you come here in the summer. When I was in college, I worked at a theme park that got a lot of international visitors, and I saw so many lobster-red Europeans who weren't used to that much sun.
the author left out the dangers of ROAD-RAGE. Do not curse, flip off, yell at, or challenge someone for their rude, inconsiderate, or even dangerous driving habits. A certain percentage of the time, this justifies vigilante action with firearms so to teach you proper manners. Where I live in Houston, there are at least two road-rage killings every month. Do not even drive fast and aggressively. This justifies a bout of road-rage with some people. So beware. Drive gently & practice the ethic of forgiveness. Just smile and politely wave if some idiot is after you. That will be enough satisfaction for all but the insane.
Don't assume because we're Americans we don't speak foreign languages. I was working in a SoCal restaurant in the 70's, couple from France came in & started talking garbage about how stupid Americans were. Having taken French for four years I bit my tongue until their order came up, "accidentally" knocked the guys beverage into his lap apologizing in perfect French that not only are we stupid we're extremely uncoordinated...No tip for me...C'est la vie...😈
I would add try not to be put off by the friendliness. We are happy to meet you and many will do anything to help you and make your trip pleasant. Traveling outside of North America is expensive and we are generally curious about you and your culture and welcoming.
I feel like this should be on the list; DON'T WEAR EXPOSED BANDANAS. Certain colors, like black, white, red, and blue will literally get you jumped no questions asked. I like in a small innocent non-affiliated suburban town, but when family comes to visit, and that family is in hells angels or a Crip, THEY WILL straight up HATE CRIME YOU. My mom knows a guy who ok got beat up for having a red bandana in his back pocket.
A lot of these are also appropriate for Canada except in Canada don't refer to them as American they prefer to be calling Canadian
Why would you visit a school if you aren't visiting one of your children?
Load More Replies... Do NOT A*S-U-ME because we're American we don't speak foreign languages. Was a SoCal waitress in the 70's, French couple came in talking garbage about how stupid Americans were etc...I bit my tongue having taken four years of French, waited til their order came "accidentally" knocked the guys soda in his lap while apologizing in perfect French that not only are we stupid...we're REALLY Uncoordinated. 😈 C'est la vie...
Oh and last but not least, if you decide to move to this great place - don't try and make it like what ever country you came from. We have had our limit already.
1. DO NOT GO ON SCHOOL PROPERTY. EVER. FOR ANY REASON. Yes, yellow school buses are a real thing. DO NOT GO ON SCHOOL PROPERTY TO TAKE PICTURES OF THEM. A Dutch couple on vacation in rural New York State saw the busses parked at my kid's school and waltzed up to take pictures. They got to spend the rest of the day in the Sheriff's office answering lots of questions about their intent. 2. The laws in one state are not binding in another and my be totally different! Just cuz it's legal (or illegal) in NYS does not mean you can or can't do it in Pennsylvania, or Vermont, or Ohio, or Connecticut or Massachusetts or any other state for that matter. 3. Most americans do not own guns. They are mostly owned by a smaller population that owns MANY guns. 4. We do not use the Metric System. Deal with it. A mile is 1600 meters. The speedometers are graduated in both miles per hour and kilometers per hour. Need to estimate a distance? Look at the speedometer or use your calculator on your phone.
No. By all means, you should visit. There's loads to see and do here. It's a more accurate summation to say, "Don't assume that the rules, laws, and customs of your country are universal." Which is good advice for a tourist in literally every country.
Load More Replies... Yeah I'd love to visit florida ,texas and georgia..the home cooking looks amazing there..that being said nothing else appeals.
This bias a*s article shows you how white racist pieces of s**t think. Some of this is ok but most of the view of a piece of s**t who doesn't understand anything but his own bias
this is an entertainment blog. If you are not happy here, please find some other place to amuse yourself. There are three billion websites online. Surely one of them will be what you are looking for. And please stop playing the race card about everything.
Load More Replies... Yeah, my determination to never visit the country has not been swayed by this article.
Don't mess with Texas. We have a speed row for the death penalty. We also have lots of prisons. Enjoy your stay
I once had an idea of visiting my dad's uncle in Chicago... But the more i know about America the less i want to end up there...
I’ll put it plainly: don’t. Don’t visit the US. It’s pretty shitty here. We have no culture to immerse yourself in, and any semblance of it is trite, or stolen and poorly imitated. The natural beauty you can find elsewhere in much more civilized countries, and for much less hassle. Plus, while most any worthwhile travel is costly, it is extremely overpriced here, as is most anything else.
