" My niece was almost traumatized by this . "
The purpose of traveling is to open your mind and eyes to new experiences and worlds. But sometimes, something catches you so off-guard that it’s worth sharing. So, luckily, a few travelers shared their experiences with us whenokbud44asked: “Travelers of Reddit, what shocked you the most when visiting another country?” Here’s what they said below.
1.“Tipping culture in the US!! Been there numerous times, but never get used to that bullshit.”
2.“How good the food is in Europe. The quality and taste blew me away, especially the bread and pastries. Even the sandwiches you pick up at the train station are fresh, tasty, and healthy. I never had one stomach issue during the whole trip.”
— emmery1
" Same here ! Italy is the best ! I was worried about going to England because I turn up hearing the food was so spoiled . It was delicious everywhere I went . "
— KentuckyCandy
3.“In the USA, the billboards that advertise every kind of stuff, like medical and lawyers' ads (and for the last, really camp ones).”
4.“I was recently in Germany andFranceand had several occasions to take the subway. I’m 67/F and WITHOUT EXCEPTION, someone offered me their seat when I got on. I am nondisabled and honestly, was a little offended at first, but then I realized how respectful everyone was being and saddened to think this would never happen in the States.”
— Madcat20
" Always been that way in the US . My female parent was pregnant with me and take the tube to her dad ’s theater . No one offered her a seat , and she was ( gesturing ) out to ( gesturing ) here . Four hours afterward , she pass away into proletariat . I heard that story a crowd of times , and any prison term I see a significant rider standing , I pop the question my seat , and I ’m about your age , too . The quietus of them are sitting there staring at their phone . "
— VapoursAndSpleen
5.“Trains. The ubiquity of trains that are cheap, reliable, and clean. The state of US rail infrastructure makes me straight up angry.”
6.“How slow service is in Jamaica, but how fast they drive cars. I really needed to slow myself down and take in the scenery, fresh air, and actual serenity. Food typically took about two hours, but it was made from scratch… with love. Always an amazing experience in the islands.”
— Snoo-15186
" I lived in Shreveport for a few twelvemonth , and regularly vacation in Jamaica . This is rightful in both places . It took us six month to adapt to eating out in Shreveport ; we had to contrive for an supererogatory 60 minutes around eat on if trying to make a show or something after , and bequeath the house when we thought we might be hungry in the future , rather of waiting until it was time to eat . "
— uncre8tv
7.“Paying to use public bathrooms is something I’ll never get over, no matter how much I travel.”
8.“In the US, you don’t get the full price on a sticker until you are surprised at the cash register.”
— Mitka69
" I ’m from the US , born and elicit , and I ca n’t tolerate this . travel in Malaysia right now , and broadly when I see something that ’s nine Ringgit , it ’s literally just Nine Ringgit . Not nine and 8 - 11 % and 15 - 22 % . Oh , and in the US , are those percentages calculated on the basis of nine ? Who fuckin knows . "
— Reasonable_Power_970
9.“How fucking old everything is. Obviously, living in the US, our old stuff is about 300 years old, max. I traveled to Prague (my first time out of the country) and stayed in the old town. We went to a bar, and I noticed that the chairs looked very old. When I asked, the bartender said that they’ve had the same furniture since the 1800s. Additionally, I asked how old the bar was (or the general building the bar was in), and he told me it was built in the 1400s on top of some other building in the basement, which was from the 1100s.”
10.“Infrastructure. I am currently living in the Southern EU. Northern Europe is 10000 light years ahead in infrastructure and air quality. No. Everything I saw screams quality and organisation.”
— ComplexTop9345
11.“Brit here, who’s been living for many years in the US. The biggest shock I got when I first arrived was the massive gaps on the sides and at the bottom of bathroom stall doors.”
— nonamethxagain
12.“How social people are!! Everyone out at night in Vietnam. People will randomly start friendly conversations. Food is affordable.”
13.“The abject poverty that exists in close proximity to ridiculous wealth.”
— i_am_not_a_sissy
" Manila , the Philippines , was the worst example I ’ve in person construe of this . Hundreds of people live on under the freeway at the end of a street with five - star hotel . Also , hoi polloi living in cardboard boxes on the edge of a sewage ditch right outside the logic gate of a US technical school company ’s pristine campus . "
— gmwhiz
14.“More curious than shocking, but in 2006, we traveled to Hong Kong, where they drove on the left side of the road, and then we hired a taxi driver to take us to Mainland China. The driver efficiently switched to right-side driving when we crossed the border into China, despite driving a Hong Kong vehicle where the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. Blew my mind.”
15.“How much of the same patterns of culture and society exist all over the world. There are hot women and cool guys in every nation. Every country has corrupt politicians or its version of liberal/conservative battles, etc. The details are different, but generally speaking, we are all the same.”
— Mr_Ashhole
" hoi polloi need the same things : Decent home , decent income , someone to make out , and peradventure , a kid or two . cultivation have an impact on the how and why , but we have far more in common than not . "
— tanstaafl90
16.“US food portions are massive.”
17.“Every person in Greece knew English, even in the small places, and the elderly, I was shocked.”
— ihavenevereatenpie
" Every person I met in Greece knew like four languages , and I felt like a moron day by day . "
— BridgestoneX
18.“How clean and litter-free Japan is despite barely having public trash cans.”
19.“Netherlands and how clean it is. Their biggest celebration, ‘King’s Day,’ with hundreds of thousands absolutely plugging the streets in Amsterdam. The streets were absolutely filled with garbage, climbing over piles of trash that were filled on our way back to Airbnb. By dark, the streets were filled with cleaners. People, with large brooms, swept the garbage into piles. By breakfast, everything was immaculate again. Not a sign that a massive drunken party had happened. It was truly astounding!”
— boredoma
20.“We visited Crete last year. Beautiful island. But you could not throw toilet paper in the toilet. So anytime you went to the toilet, there was a smelly waste basket next to the pot.”
21.“I am an American and was told repeatedly that food portions in American restaurants are huge compared to the rest of the world — and then I visited Budapest. In the less touristy restaurants on the Buda side of the river… holy cow! ‘Excuse me, you appear to have brought me a meal for a table of four!’ Portion sizes were insanely huge. Shockingly huge.”
— mykepagan
" They probably thought you were Hungary . "
— junklardass
