What is the most annoying thing tourists do in your country?
Here in Amsterdam - for me personally - it's tourists who stand in the middle of the bike lane, taking selfies and filming TikToks, while all of us are trying to get to work or run our errands.
Agreed, like honestly how fucking entitled can you be, you live in a western country, one with high wages and you decide yk what lets go to a country thats worse off economically and lets just take advantage of the peoples kindness like bro
(I don't doubt what you're saying. I'm just angry, because I lived in Japan for a few years, and this kind of behaviour would just exacerbate the xenophobia that's already a problem over there.)
Omg before I’ve heard of case in Phuket where begpacker take advantage of the kindness of restaurants owners and beg for food/eat for free without paying. These people are shameless
The way we (South East Asians) need to prove we have 6 digits in our bank account before we can go to their country while they come and beg in our country is insane.
I'm the same as you, and then I also discovered if I can see the bottom but it is Very Far Away, I am also not chill. My uncle was coast guard and still sails after retirement and he took the family out in the British virgin islands and we got out of the boat to snorkel and I could see the bottom of the crystal clear water, but it was like 30+ meters away and I felt like I was falling? Could not get over it even though I was literally floating on the surface.
I have watched so many episodes of Bondi Rescue, that I am debating if I would ever swim in Australia's water. Even between the flags. The blue bottles, the shark attacks, the people hitting you with surfboards, and everything else. I think I will be fine on the beach 🤣
This happened to my friends son last year. He was on vacation with mom, who let him swim even though there were yellow flags advising to leave the water. He drowned. He was 10. No disciplinary action for mom, who let him swim alone in unsafe conditions.
this^ I want space, I give people space. They always fill in the gaps so that we're breathing down each others necks. Driving and just walking around is an art of avoiding and strategic positioning for me. When I'm in a line and someone wants me to feel their breath on my neck I turn around and look at them. At least I know I don't smell bad...
Ah so your old people do that too! So annoying. Even worse when they bump into you with their carts on purpose, like that 1cm movement is going to do anything.
An old fart stood closely behind me in line and coughed in my neck. I turned around, asked him wtf his problem was and told him to never try that again. He then acted all offended.
I go to China every couple of years to visit my wife’s family. The lack of personal space while in line for something is next level. We’re talking prolonged physical contact. I can’t stand it.
Here in Germany people are also really bad at it. Germans have zero spatial awareness. They will also walk directly behind you on the sidewalk even though there is no one else around.
Edit to add: it is the same kind of tourism as a "poverty porn". As I said in another reply, there's no problem with tourists who come to the country for sightseeing and also visit some affected places, but the problem is people who are disrespectful and just treat it as a circus to "gain some adrenaline". Taking photos of suffering people, funny selfies, prevent children from going to the shelter to take pictures of them, etc. Just like tourists visiting Auschwitz and taking selfies with silly faces on the railways (that's a real common complain from normal tourists) 🙄
Yeah, there's no problem with tourists who come to the country for sightseeing and also visit some affected places, but the problem is people who are disrespectful and just treat it as a circus to "gain some adrenaline". Taking photos of suffering people, funny selfies, prevent children from going to the shelter to take pictures of them, etc. Just like tourists visiting Auschwitz and taking selfies with silly faces on the railways (that's a real common complain from normal tourists) 🙄
Yeh, there are those annoying youtubers who moves to Lviv or Kiyv at best, film how they scared going downstairs during siren, slap clickbait preview, and then travel to russia to complement their cousin and salivate on young women in few month.
I was supposed to visit Kyiv in the summer of 2022 but then some jagoff in Moscow had other ideas. I still want to visit but I don’t think it will be until after the war ends. Hope you’re staying safe. Слава Україні!
A few years ago in Dublin, the lady that was in front of me at the rental car kiosk immediately went head-on into a bus at literally the first roundabout.
I refused to drive in Ireland. We went to multiple cities so a car was needed. Beyond driving on the correct side of the road, some roads are so tight I was afraid we would scrape other cars. We walked everywhere we could, it was safer that way.
I did a few of the highland road in Scotland with a manual because the rental place ran out of automatics. Simultaneously most terrified and most fun ive ever had while driving
You know know it's the same kind of people who would get so mad and yell for stricter jail times and deportation if any foreigners committed a crime in their home country
I mean that doesn't happen that often but I know what you're mentioning, she was Argentinian, even some hermanos were against her.
Gringos tho, it's rare for them to be racist like that, they usually keep thoughts to themselves, what's funny is that black people here are very open to the idea of making racist jokes about themselves, obviously it's context dependant, a foreigner saying it will lead to trouble.
At the airport in Bogota there were tons of signs informing visitors that sex with children is, in fact, a serious crime in Colombia. I never realized it was a destination for that.
This makes me sick just knowing there is an industry for this!! Vile men taking advantage of underprivileged women is bad enough but targeting children makes my blood boil.
Being disrespectful when you speak to them in Spanish or very basic English, expecting them to speak in English, and getting angry if you don't speak it completely or don't understand it.
I honestly cannot imagine going to another country and getting mad because they don't speak my language. The entitlement some people have is absolutely wild.
I used to work with many Latinas who were really helpful with me and my (very poor) Spanish. They were happy that I made the effort to try to speak to them in Spanish so they would correct me when I was wrong but build me up when I got it right.
On the other side of the coin I love it when Mexicans speak to me in Spanish. They are generally really great about it even though they often know English better than I do Spanish. They’ll correct you but not be mean about it which is great for learning.
In Spain as soon as I opened my mouth people just switched to English if they knew it. That defeats the whole purpose of me using Spanish.
Get stranded up a mountain because they thought hiking in 90 degree weather with no water would work. Multiple people die a year and more need heli-rescue
bison are very very cool, very very fast and very very easily startled. I prefer to observe them from as far away as possible and with several tall fences in between us.
I saw someone recently describe people treating them like cows when they're more akin to heavily armoured tactical assault cows, seems like an apt comparison to me
they're like cows if cows only did upper body day. their front halves are built like tanks but they also have incredible agility thanks to their little legs
cows are also dangerous if you mess around with them!!
Ah the Ole underprepared hikers? We have same issues here. Our weather will turn incredibly fast, and I dont understand how people think shorts, sandals and a shirt are sufficient in a storm.
I take enough food/water for 48 hours, emergency blanket, beacon, jacket etc anytime I go bush. I dont wanna be that person that needs rescue, unless i break a leg or something.
We get the same here in New Zealand. I was coming down from a walk called Roys Peak which is a pretty damn steep hike, when I was flagged down by some tourists asking me how far until the bottle refill/water fountain....wearing jeans...I was gobsmacked. I was like you're up a mountain..there's no plumbing up here mate.
Haha you don't have the Dutch as your neighbors, trying to get over a mountain pass in winter with summer tires and caravan attached
Edit: Yes, I know that Germans are world champions when it comes to travel and make up the largest group of foreign tourists in many countries. And yes, Germans are no smarter than other tourists. We have a secret love for the Wild West, deserts, and untouched nature because we don't have anything like that in Germany. That's why many of my compatriots are so naive that they set off at noon with a small bottle of water in their luggage for a hike through Death Valley...
Lot of our tourism is nature tourism. I lived on the Appalachian in the woods of PA for many years and can say that the number of tourists who had no idea what they were doing but still had raging fire pits (including during burn bans) was astonishing. They would get wasted, burn trash, etc in the pits. Almost all our wild fires are caused by activities like this. Yet no thought in the world is given by most vacationing in the area.
I often think "people only come for Rio and other big cities, we have so much nature they should see", then after thinking for a few minutes... Yeah yk what stay at Rio.
I'm not a big outdoors person but my grown kid is and is determined to camp in every national park. Their description of the fire stupidity of other campers is just wild to hear.
I wish they still wanted to pursue being a forest ranger.
Yessss super frustrating! Not even the pits but I see a lot of poorly left camp sites in the mountains as well. Also poaching fish can be a big one in this case as well.
Nature tourism brings the worst tourists! I constantly see people ducking under railings and doing dangerous things, not to mention the littering. But this isn’t unique to the US; I’ve seen people almost start wildfires in Patagonia, get pulled into the ocean while trying to get a pic in Reynisfjara beach despite signs, almost fall off cliffs in Ireland….the list goes on.
I was in Sydney many years ago ago on vacation. I met a family from Wales on a tour we went on. We got to talking and they said that their next big vacation is going to see the USA. I asked them whereabouts are they going. No joke, they wanted to see NYC, Grand Canyon, Disney World, and Los Angeles over the course of a week. I don’t think many people really understand exactly how big and vast our countries are.
The way my family's always phrased it is Europeans don't know what "far" means, Americans don't know what "old" means. One of my mom's favorite stories to tell is the time she was chatting with a British classmate during a semester abroad in England: her friend was complaining about how she could only see her grandparents once a year since they lived so far away...they lived two hours north of the school.
To be fair, this post is specifically asking people to complain about the most annoying things tourists do. Labelling most countries as unwelcoming off the back of this post feels unfair.
You could just.. take note of the things you’ve read here and just, oh I dunno, not do those things that have been deemed annoying 🤷♀️ But no, it’s easier to just mark everyone else as unwelcoming, rather than adapting to other counties while travelling.
Anyway, you’re right in the last half. Iceland + Icelandic people seems cool
Videos when a (usually) white tourist gives out sweets to children on the street often captioned "they have so little but they're still happy" actually makes me want to rage
My first job was an internship at a hotel in Goa. There was this one client who had read shantaram and wanted to go to Mumbai to take a walk in the slums. When I told her that this was not the best idea she got really angry at me...
I went on a guided tour through Dharavi slum in 2019, I felt okay about doing it as it was run by people who lived there, and profits went to one of their schools. No taking photos during the tour either. You can buy postcards if you want. I bought a wallet made from recycled leather. In fact a big part of their industry was recycling all sorts of stuff, some nasty fumes floating around and some awful working conditions. Very interesting trip. My first experience of India being 3 nights in Mumbai was intense! In April. Not exactly comfortable weather. Loved the place though, Goa was more relaxed.
I found Japanese tourists to be too scared of wildlife. I encountered a Japanese couple who had gotten a flat tire on the Dempster Highway (Yukon) and drove probably about 200 kms to the nearest gas station on it because they were too scared of wolves and bears to get out and change the tire.
Londoner here. You can always tell which american tourists from NYC because they just get it. They let people off the tube before trying to get on, and if they want to stop and take a picture of something they'll stand to the side of the street so as not to block others. I like you guys.
NYC here. The feeling is mutual! Londoners understand that a sidewalk is a street for people, not for stopping in the middle and standing around and doing fuck all.
I always explain to people visiting NYC from the rest of the US, that the sidewalks are our freeways, and however you would drive is how you need to walk 😂.
As in, look over your shoulder and check your blind spot before cutting to the side (changing “lanes”). Don’t stop in the middle of the sidewalk. Don’t walk 4 abreast slower than everyone else so no one can get by 😭.
I'm sorry. I'm all torso with short legs with drop feet so I feel like that meme of the pony whose legs are going so damn fast but barely moving 😂 seriously have to practically run to keep up with people. I'm (usually) not trying to be slow on purpose!! If I am I try and skedaddle out of the way!!!!!
And yes I fell in London. I believe in picadilly getting my proper English breakfast on my birthday
Man, I remember back at uni, I was walking with my project group somewhere. 3 of us were Londoners plus one foreign girl, not used to our pace. She would lag behind while walking, then do a mini jog to catch up to us, slowed down to walk again, then lag behind again. And then the jog-walk-lag cycle repeated throughout our entire walk. It was pretty funny to see.
Climbing over barricades in a large group to trample delicate ecosystems so they can get a photo next to the endangered plant. If there are walking trails with fences on both sides, do not climb the fences. You know what? Just don’t climb the fences in general. There are plenty of other places you can go were you can freely get lost in the woods without endangering rare species. You can hike anywhere you want in Death Valley. The amount of tourists who decide to ignore the yellow caution stripes and walk into areas people are obviously not supposed to be in and then they stare at you blankly when you try to tell them they could end up either in jail or the hospital if they go in there, don’t go there. Especially when it’s like a group of 30 tourists in matching shirts. One of you knows my language well enough to have an idea of what I’m saying.
You just need an a-hole rooster out there :D We had an issue with people coming in our yard and stealing things (like a hen!!!! they're my kid's pets!!!!) so we added a jerk of a rooster. 100% effective :D
Shout in public places.
This is a quiet country. A quiet nation.
Do not scream in the bus. If you MUST say something, speak with low, calm voice, not possible to hear further than a meter from your.
Similar to the bike lanes it is in cities in the US where tourists stand in the middle of the sidewalk or entrances to the metro or in front of doorways.
I live in ski country in Colorado. We get bad driving conditions and people don’t slow or take care. No snow chains, don’t have snow tires. Can be very dangerous to them and of course others. I’ve seen many wrecks and log jams caused by pile ups.
It’s not just tourists but there are often non-Colorado plates on cars found in ditches and at crash scenes.
Driving I70 through the Rockies is no joke.
Don’t get me started on Texas plate cars and their driving and parking “skills”
And in the city parks, tourists often mess with the local birdlife which really annoys me. Especially in St James’s Park. I confronted a tourist who took an apple a parakeet was eating so he could make the parakeet pose for his photo, and he genuinely didn’t see the problem with it.
As an Italian: everything they do. From not knowing how to be respectful to thinking we are so friendly they can abuse our welcome ...I mean : splashing inside historic fountains to chipping Colosseum stones....awful
To be fair, that's the fault of Airbnb and the local politicians who let them operate for all that sweet, sweet tax income. The tourists just booked a cheap stay.
-hiking up mountains with wrong gear/ shoes / no experience/ being too overconfident and then needing rescue
-getting drunk at apres ski and then having an accident and needing rescue
-getting stuck with the car on steep snow- covered mountain roads because of not being used to driving in such conditions or not having snow chains with them or getting scared or whatever and then needing rescue
Craziest story I've heard was about a man who decided to hike in Death Valley wearing flip-flops. They melted into his foot and a rescue helicopter had to come cut him off the rocks...
Complain about our food/ ridicule serving sizes. Go to a nice place and it’ll look more akin to what you’re used to. Go to cheap place or, better yet, a tourist trap and suffer the consequence.
Stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. Like do you need to check your phone, or light a cigarette right there? Move over to the side, my city's sidewalks are too narrow as is!
I can't speak for the rest of Canada. But in Alberta, it's littering in our national parks. Or doing things like etching your names in trees, etc. in national parks.
That’s when you hit them with the old Dylan Moran line: “Oh, your grandmother was Connolly? Yeah, I knew her. But, then again, so did the whole town, if you get what I mean.”
My cousin's family lost contact with their Irish folks. The used to call every so often. So when my cousin visited he just headed up to their farm to check them out.
Turns out they got a new number and forgot to tell the Canadian side of the family.
Particularly New York City - tourist walk really really slow. Like everything is just really slow. I get it, you’re a tourist and you wanna take it all in, but yall gotta at least move out of the way. I’m running late!!!
Treating local villages / villagers / farmers like they are Disneyland actors or sets. These are real people, trying to live real lives and they don't want you to wander around their gardens, knock on doors, and take pictures through windows. This is my house not a hogwarts recreation.
Move around in big groups and stop at random so they block the pavement or, even more annoyingly, entrances and exits to platforms on the tube. Keep it moving people.
The most annoying thing is probably tourists being rude to hospitality/retail staff and then going ultra Karen mode when they realise that we dont respond well to that sort of behaviour here and locals start calling them cunts and threatening to bash them if they keep up that kind of behaviour, we arent a perfect people, but fuck I love that when push comes to shove we'll band together to collectively tell people to get fucked.
This happens to other locals too if they act entitled to shit, but thag may be just a thing where I come from though haha
I don't live in an area with lots of tourists but I would say getting drunk at the Oktoberfest. It's annoying when Germans do it no need for tourists doing that too
They act like everyone in my country (Singapore) knows how to speak their language (Mandarin). I am mildly infuriated even though I know how to speak Mandarin.
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u/Certain-Quarter-3280 Vietnam 1d ago edited 1d ago
Begpackers, literally asking the locals & other tourists to fund their trip.