Article created by: Monika Pašukonytė
Traveling is a beloved part of many people’s lives and a way of discovering new things regarding landscape, people, and culture. Yet, speaking of culture, sometimes it might be a good idea to research a thing or two before getting to a location, to avoid some major misunderstandings due to certain things having a very different meaning to people from other parts of the world compared to one’s own country. People were addressing their local rules of etiquette, answering one Redditor’s question: “What’s extremely offensive in your country, that tourists might not know about beforehand?”
Do you have something to add from your own country? Please share in the comment section below!
In France hearing "praying for you" after hearing about someone having trouble is pretty much like hearing "I won't move a finger to help you in any way but it would be rude to say it like that". We mostly are not very religious people (clergy were seen as the accomplices of tyranny during the revolution and kept this image afterwards) and most people think that praying is a convenient way to not be helpful while pretending you do something.
U.S.:
Dear Asian and a very small selection of European tourist,
Do not approach me and ask if you can touch my hair, and, No, you can not take a picture of you and your friends touching my hair.
What the hell is the matter with you?
Thanks,
A black guy
Do not call Scots English unless you want to be stabbed.
Canada here. It's not offensive... but very annoying when people raise a fuss about not being able to pay in US currency.... or if stores do accept it they accept it at par. Stores are not banks, and you are in another country. You have no idea how often I had to deal with this working at a gas station near a camp ground like 200 miles north of the border.
U.K. Don't try to antoganize the Queens guards, they're not decoration they're serving soldiers. Have a good gawp but leave them be.
Swedes have a HUGE sphere of personal space. If you're American, and you're talking to me, you are standing WAY too close to me. Shields up.
A Hongkonger here.
Many of us really hate people treating Hong Kong as China, some of us even loath being addressed as a Chinese.
Though Hong Kong is being ruled (in some eyes, colonized) by China, we have different lifestyle, local culture, language, political and law system than China.
And for the foreigners who speak or are learning Mandarin/Putonghua, though we appreciate the effort you try to speak in one of the spoken Chinese languages, Cantonese is the mother tongue of most of us. Though many of us understand Mandarin, I'd say you better off speak in English instead.
*Edit: firstly thanks for all the upvotes. Just want to clarify a bit, we, most of us to be precise, do not reject being a "Chinese" in cultural sense, and I personally am proud to be a "Chinese" BUT "Chinese" here has nothing to do with the nation "People's Republic of China".
In France:
Talking about your god or religion without being invited to... Because a lot of people are angry atheists and it can go loud very quickly.
They don't care if you just ask innocent questions by curiosity, but people don't want to hear others talking about their religious beliefs like they are the truth.
In Canada, please take your shoes off before entering someones home.
Hungary: please try to start the conversation other than the Hungary/hungry joke. Every English-speaking Hungarian has heard it a million times. It's not offensive, we're just really tired of it.
Ireland; if you're in a pub/at a bar DO NOT order a 'Black and Tan' or an 'Irish Car Bomb'.
The former was the common name for the Royal Irish Constabulary Special Reserve during the Irish war of independence. They're infamous for their violent and extreme treatment towards the Irish people. Order a 'half and half' instead.
The latter is because we don't want to be associated with terrorists and people tend to make a mess drinking them.
There are a few places where it is okay to order these but they're more of an exception rather than the rule.
Canadian here. Calling the Inuit, Inuvialuit (or any of the other far north aboriginal nations) Eskimos is seen as really ignorant and offensive if not downright racist. It means "eater of raw meat" and was a name given to them by non-Inuit people.
EDIT: This applies mainly to the inhabitants of Nunavut/NWT. (TIL!) Okay, "extremely offensive" might be an overstatement, "Ignorant and politically incorrect" is probably closer to the mark. Also, inaccurate terminology (thanks u/anarchybabe101!)
Thailand, Don't touch people on their heads, it is the highest point of the body so therefore it's the most respectful part.
Also never point your feet at a Buddha statue, it's considered very rude.
Also, if you step on money, you'll be thrown in jail, it has the king's face on it and disrespecting him in anyway (like stepping on his image or saying you hate him) will get you a 1 way ticket to a not very nice prison.
Romania: do not give someone an even number of flowers. That's reserved for funerals.
America is a very diverse country, with a diverse culture and people's political mindset. I would really warn people not from America from just launching into politics and our problems as a country as a open discussion, especially if you don't know the person. Sure some Americans might love to talk about it, but for many including me it's just not polite conversation to talk about Trump, Clinton, Guns, and what the Beeb said about the latest school shooing when you first meet someone. Many (not all!) of us know our country has flaws, and we really do know that we aren't perfect, but it's quite rude to point this out without provocation and with lots of pontification of your home country. Sure there are exceptions to this, and yes some love to talk politics, but I think a silent majority in America really doesn't care about it, and having an outsider bring it up can come off as rude and negative towards them. Trust me, I have been outside my own country for many years, and I don't think you can get a big picture of what America is by reading sensationalist news items about our culture or what you might think is a lack thereof. Sometimes it's laughably absurd, but sometimes it's just plain offensive.
A special note that maybe in your country you love talking politics, and think it's important to have this conversation, but for many (not all!) Americans you'll come off as boastful and rude. Also we don't have the sense of sarcasm and irony you might have in your own country.
When I lived in the Middle East showing the bottom of your feet (like when your legs are crossed) was offensive, saw expats do it all the time though
Dutch here: Taking the last cookie/snack from the plate.So imagine this. You are at a typical and you are sitting on your spot where you will SPENT THE REST OF YOUR LIFE (or evening) and the host has brought a bowl or plate full of delicious snacks. Go ahead and eat away, because that's the only way we enjoy the party. But beware... if there's only one snack left, god forbid anyone takes it. Because that would be impolite for the potential other person that would like to have it. There's a word for it, but it escapes me **-edit-** Apparently it's actually pretty common in most places.... who knew
Canadian here, don't feed the wild animals. No matter how cute that seal looks, don't feed it because you're changing its natural behaviour and that can mean an untimely death. Also, that moose calf is ugly/cute but it's mom will stomp your head in if you get too close. If you see a bear, stay far away from it. If you're hiking please stay on the trail, and for the love of god if you go into the woods please be prepared to spend the night because you stand a good chance of dying if you get lost.
The Netherlands, lots of tourists think we can smoke weed everywhere we want. This is not the case, you can only smoke it in the coffee shops or at home. So don't smoke on the street.
GERMANY: There are some parts of the autobahn with no speedlimit. But mostly there is a speedlimit on the German highways.
