
As someone born in New York and living in Florida - I've become something of an unintentional expert on tourist tragedies. Tourists in both places end up making mistakes that leave locals beyond baffled.
Native New Yorkers will tell you that the lines for the major attractions are almost never worth it. (The view from the top of the Empire State Building isn't that good, guys. Try Top of the Rock instead!) And listen carefully ... just because Steve Irwin could cuddle with gators doesn't mean you can. Alligators are docile compared to crocodiles, sure - but they can and will - rip you apart. Don't try it. Don't encourage your kids to get closer for a better picture. Don't walk your foofy pets near the waters edge. Foofy looks like a taco to the local gators and everyone knows tacos are life.
Reddit user @prettyaccurate asked:
What is one common mistake tourists make in your country?
The answers left us laughing, kind of baffled, and definitely looking up whether Amazon sells sunscreen in bulk. Some entries have been edited for language (tourists who don't listen make locals really mad, you guys.) Bust out your pencils and take notes - these are important bits of knowledge.
Men In Silly Hats
People think the Royal Guard in London are just men in silly hats that are not allowed to move.
They're military men who will knock you the f*ck out if you mess with them.
- LeahUK
Drive Times
Underestimating the size of the country. No you can't do a day trip to Cairns from Brisbane, it's like a 2 day drive. Even Sydney is like a 12 hour drive.
Actually, same with NZ. People think you can do the whole country in a week. Spoiler alert, you can't.
My Brother in law's family came from England to Florida for the first time. Then, they drove from south Florida to North Carolina.
For reference that's easily a 14 hour drive. The longest they had ever been in a car before was MAYBE 3 hours. I have never seen more miserable people in my life than when they arrived in NC.
Lol It's so true! I can't even count how many times I've had to explain that NYC is a 4 hour drive (through horrendous traffic if you're stupid enough to take 95) from Boston.
- Huckdog
Taxi
They trust taxi drivers.
Never trust one if you're in Greece, you're just asking to be overcharged. Stick to renting a car or at the very least, ask some locals for typical prices beforehand.
Norway Will Kill You, So Wear A Jacket
Norway. Tourists arriving by Cruise ships, they bus to where the path to popular mountain treks begin, then they start out in sandals or high heels and wearing shorts and T shirts.
Most make it part of the way, and then local volunteer rescue services have to help them back down as they are cold and exhausted (we've even flown in Nepalese Sherpas to build stone steps up the hardest parts some places.) Some make it all the way up and by then it's dark and they get lost, and again we'll have to send out volunteer rescue crew or a rescue helicopter.
There are signs where the buses drop them off warning them to be dressed properly, and there are volunteers stationed there during high season actually telling them that they should not be doing the hike because of weather, or because of what they are wearing.
Sunblock
Here's what happens: Tourist arrives at the hotel and immediately runs out to "take a quick look at the beach." It takes 20 minutes to get a sunburn in Florida (ten for translucent squid people.) So they get a nice starter sunburn they can work on all week. Y'all need to put sunblock on as soon as the plane lands.
We also get a lot of fishing tourists (sports fishing in salt water is free here, and there are a lot of great places to fish). They will go out in groups of 5-7 people in a single small boat, they have no idea of the local weather or geography, and they tend to either fall in, get themselves completely lost, or hit a reef and start to take in water. They also tend to not be able to speak English or Norwegian so communication with rescue services are extremely difficult.
- Roffvald
Drunk and Dressed In Orange
Backstory: It was a thing in the Netherlands that on the 30th of April we celebrated our queen Beatrix' birthday. It is printed in all tour guides in other countries. Her actual birthday is in January, but they celebrated in April because that was the birthday of our late queen Juliana (Beatrix' mother) - and also because the weather is better in April.
BUT
A few years ago Beatrix abdicated the crown and now we have a king. His actual birthday is on the 27th of April so now our 'Kingsday' is actually on the 27th, there's no celebration on the 30th anymore. This has not been amended yet in most tour guides across the border. So every year on the 30th we see tourists dressed in Orange, which is the color of our royal house. They are super drunk in the streets looking for the parties; but those were 3 days prior. And because most tourists only stay for a day or 2 there is no way for them to know.
New Zealand Sun Is Different
WEAR SUNSCREEN WHEN GOING TO NEW ZEALAND!
I have lived in New Zealand my whole life and holy f*ck the sun is strong. I burn so easily if I don't wear sunscreen. A family friend of mine who is from Australia came over here for a holiday once. We were all getting prepped for a beach day and my mum tells us to put on sunscreen. My family friend (who is very very tan) says, 'I don't burn, I'm good.'
My mum then questions him, telling him the New Zealand sun is different to the Australian sun. He says, 'It's actually hotter in Australia so yeah nah, I'll be fine."
My mum doesn't want to force this kid to put sunscreen on so she just lets it go and we all go to the beach. Fast forward to the end of the day and my family friend is burnt to an absolute crisp. Like he couldn't move. The worst sunburn I have ever seen. I've never seen someone use that much aloe vera before. Always remember to listen to the locals, they know what they're talking about.
The Sound of Hitler?
Austrian here. Tourists assume any of us have actually seen "The Sound of Music." I regret to inform you that most Austrians haven't even heard of it.
Don't do Hitler impressions, they can get you arrested or fined. (To be fair, tourists mostly do that over in Germany, but it's illegal there too.)
- FairFolk
There were some Chinese tourists who all did Nazi salutes in front of government buildings, and they were surprised to be arrested.
Germany is a bit more lenient than Austria. In Austria you could get 1-10 years of prison for saying "Sieg Heil" or doing a Hitler salute. The law prohibits the deliberate belittlement of any Nazi atrocities.
- FairFolk
German here. It's illegal and you will get arrested if the police see you doing it. Locals will absolutely punch you if the police don't see it. Hint: there's always a police presence near certain historical locations.
- Alphager
I spent my formative years in rural Mississippi. I have seen men in KKK uniforms marching in person.
The first time I saw footage from Spanish Easter celebrations, I was pretty freaked. It was a good lesson in fighting my own preconceptions.
Canada
Trying to use American money (it's Canada)... Common enough that it's often accepted in tourist areas but they usually get screwed because they'll take it at par
Buying the tiny overpriced bottles of maple syrup (go to a f*ckin' grocery store! Any one!) or paying the ridiculous price for fake "Native American sculptures" and other miscellaneous tourist schlock.
Expecting anyone to actually speak French outside of Quebec
I've heard stories of people who expect to go skiing in July or August but I'm not totally sure that isn't an urban legend
Croatia
For visiting Croatia:
Please, please don't go mountain climbing in flip flops or ride a boat without consulting the local sailors. In certain coastal parts we get a wind called "bura" which can be strong enough to break down trees, carry off rooftops, smash your boat into the shore and give you hypothermia in mid summer. They pop up really suddenly, sometimes within a few hours.
The local mountain rescue has a Facebook page where they post status updates of every time they had to save a dumbass tourist that decided hiking without checking the wind, in flip flops and with no water in July is a bright idea. It's not.
Across The Rip
I live in Australia. Swim between the red and yellow flags. It's drilled into us from childhood for a reason. If you see people swimming outside the flags, you can assume they're either idiots or know what they're doing. If you decide to follow them, remember to swim across the rip, not against it.
Not That Kind Of Texas
Wear Cowboy Boots/Hats
I live in Dallas, Texas. This is a modern, big city. Not cattle country north Texas. Tourists stick out like a sore thumb.
The Tulips
Stepping and destroying the tulips that grow in the fields here in the Netherlands. It's down - right rude and disrespectful, and people just want likes and views on their social media!
Seagulls
Feeding the damn seagulls!
It's even funnier when tourists throw more food at the seagulls in an attempt to get rid of them, and they they look all confused as to why the seagulls are still coming for them.
- DJWil93
Poor Doesn't Mean Trashy
Assuming that just because the country is poor and cheap, it would also have to be a completely barbaric sh!thole where they can act like animals and trim their f*cking toenails atop bar tables.
- Inkydye
Homophobic Nuclear Bears
They think Russia is a savage land of drunk backwards fucks and they will be mauled by homophobic nuclear bears if they come here. So they don't...
Quintessential Schoolboy
I live in Bath in the UK. Nearly all of the year our town is swarmed by Chinese tourists who come from the Stonehenge buses because we have lots of beautiful Georgian architecture. Naturally they take photos of everything and don't give a sh!t about people's personal space or privacy.
Once, I was waking home from school and a tour group started taking photos of me! I guess it was because I'm the quintessential "English Schoolboy" in uniform. I'm not a tourist attraction. It was weird.
Dating and the search for love and companionship... What a nightmare.
This journey plays out nothing like in the movies.
Every Prince or Princess (or everything in BTW) seems to have a touch of the psycho.
The things people say during what should be simple dinner conversation can leave a dining partner aghast.
Like... do you hear you?
Redditor detroit_michigldan wanted to discuss all the best ways to crash and burn when trying to make a romantic connection. They asked:
"You're on a date and it's going really great. What can another person say to ruin it completely?"
I once had a guy ask me if I was willing to follow him into the woods, depending on the price of the meal.
Yeah. No steak is worth that.
Plans After...
"Thanks for the ride but I have a date with someone else, I figured you wouldn't drive me if you knew I was going on a date with someone else and I really needed a ride."
"Online dating, talked to her for a while, finally got the courage to ask her out and then she said that as we got there."
iareyours
Mirror Image
“'You look just like my wife!'”
catalinachild
"I did have a guy tell me I reminded him of his son. I don’t believe English has a word to adequately describe my feelings at that time."
UnicornMagicRainbow
"That would definitely do it."
chaotica78
Third Wheel
"'Hope you don't mind if my mother joins us.'"
ofsquire
"Actually had a girl do this on a first date because she had anxiety issues. Honestly wasn’t bad except that 90% of the time she was silent and her mom talked over her."
"I didn’t mind that much and wouldn’t have minded trying again when she was more comfortable except that she was let go at the company we worked at and she deleted her social media profiles and she never responded on her number. Ah well."
Seightx
Liar
"'Hey bro aren't you gay? I made out with you last night.'"
"Random dude I've never seen before in front of my (f) date."
JHXC16
Was he lying though?
Filter Issues
"'You looked better on Tinder.'"
waqasnaseem07
"Isn’t it basic knowledge that everybody looks slightly worse than the worst picture you can find?"
no_user_ID_found
The Past
"'My ex used to do that too.'"
xxIvyOF
"Yep. I’ve definitely had two otherwise-decent-guy date-situations sour because the ex-comparisons just would not stop flowing. No woman wants to be seen as interchangeable—I’m not here to perfectly fill that ex-sized hole in your life. Focusing on the present moment and a future we could build together is a courtesy we need to grant each other in earliest dates of dating."
LarkScarlett
Powerless
"'I'm an alpha, you cant handle my top energy.'"
Midnightgay28
"I actually left a dude in the middle of dinner, in part, for saying this. I ordered an Uber under the table while pretending to listen to him. Went to the bathroom, and never came back. That was when I was young. Now I’d just say, 'How about we enjoy this meal in silence, before we head our separate ways.'”
UnicornMagicRainbow
Mommy...
"'Mother says I should be back by 9.'"
"Saying 'mother says' just feels weird."
bunnyrut
"That gives me Norman Bates vibes."
Werewolf_lover20
"'Mother says alligators are aggressive because they have an overabundance of teeth, but lack a toothbrush.'"
sodaextraiceplease
Obvs...
"'If you were going to be murdered, what method would you prefer. Purely hypothetical. Obvs.'"
Specific_Tap7296
If it looks anything like a Dateline NBC episode... RUN!
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Despite the advancement of technology rendering people left to their own devices–literally–to entertain them, there are some leisurely activities that will never go out of style.
Or so you would think.
Do people still knit to pass the time? Are people actively collecting stamps?
It depends on who's asking.
Curious to hear about hobby trends, Redditor gizehgizeh asked:
"What are once popular hobbies that are slowly dying these days?"

Before we've become conditioned to living on our phones, these activities used to keep people occupied.
Before Texting, There Was This
"Letter writing."
– littlekingMT
Literal And Tangible Joy
"Well the internet killed pen pals for sure. I do remember I had a Japanese girl for a penpal maybe back in 2007 or so. I honestly don't remember how it started, pretty sure some website, but that was a fun experience. But now I can just straight up talk to foreign people real time, lol. But yea getting a physical letter that someone took the time to write and mail still is hard to beat feelings wise."
– skyburnsred
Model Trains
"When I was growing up, every town had a model train store in it. Now I have one in region and everything else has to be bought online."
– Hairy_Effective1172
Pretty Rocks
"Don’t see anyone playing marbles anymore, I had an awesome collection in school."
– sheeple85
"I had some marbles as a kid in the 90s. My grandma got them for me and I had no idea what I was supposed to do with them. I always imagined them as a thing kids in the 40s played with."
– Ryoukugan
People Were Moving Canvases
"Paintball has been dying a slow death since 2006. Sad, really."
– hobo_recycler
Before the general population began hating clutter, collecting was once a "thing."
Precious Coins
"Coin collecting... I'm a silver/gold nut and I'm always hunting for precious metal coins. whenever I go into a shop they get all excited because 'no one under 70 collects coins anymore.'"
– ThatFishySmell99
Post It
"Stamp collecting."
– spooky_scully_mulder
"Collecting in general, really. Of course there are still prominent collectors but it's slipped more into enthusiast and niche territory than being a popular hobby that you might expect anyone to have."
– iuytrefdgh436yujhe2
What A Gem
"Rockhounding was immensely popular back in the 1950's and 1960's. Personally, I think it's a fascinating and fulfilling hobby, but when I go to a meeting at a rock and gem club, I'm usually the youngest one in the room by several decades."
– filthy_lucre
People once enjoyed making things.
Admiring The View
"Stained glass. I learned how to make it from my old man, and my junior high art class teacher also taught it. Very few artisans are still around."
– brobeanzhitler
Metal Vocation
"Black smithing."
– kenworth117
"I bought a forge to try. It’s insanely hard work, and crazy expensive. I still haven’t finished a piece."
– DSentvalue
Scrapbooking
"Yeah. I'm watching the arts and crafts stores around me completely uninstalling their racks for specialty paper. Now the only thing they have is mega packs of repeating colors/images. To boot all the inclusions like papercraft/die-cut things, washi tape, scissors, stickers, etc have gotten so expensive I would rather go buy $5 bags at value village to get an assortment of things versus buying anything new. I really, really miss yard sales for the same reasons."
– Phantasmai
I envy people who have jobs that are basically their hobbies.
Not everyone gets paid doing what they actually enjoy and have a profound level of passion for.
If they do, kudos to them.
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When we first meet someone–whether through mutual friends, at school, or in a new work setting–we generally feel people out to determine if they're worth getting to know.
While the process could take time, some people make our jobs much easier after spotting instant red flags.
Curious to hear about our general radar of people, Redditor xxFluffie asked:
"What is something that makes you immediately dislike someone?"

Some people just think they are absolutely hilarious and never realize they're the only ones laughing.
Next In Line
"They laugh about having screwed someone else over. If you think you're not next, well, you'll learn."
– whiznat
Unfunny
"when you mention you don't like a thing and they immediately do that thing 'as a joke.'"
– wayfinder
Playing Devil's Advocate
"Kneejerk contrarians. People who, no matter what you say you like or believe, just have to dismiss it and say they like or think the opposite."
– BubbhaJebus
People who put others down get slammed here.
Bad Parents
"When they treat their kids sh**ty in public. I don't mean handling tantrums, setting a rule, having to hurry to the train etc. I mean perfectly normal-behaved kids getting in trouble for trailing along peacefully, looking at things, asking questions etc."
"If you don't like tiny humans who learn the world, why have them??"
– raxeira-etterath
Public Humiliation
"Treating people sh**ty in public for laughs. Like being rude to service workers because they think it’s funny. Big red flag."
– Ok_Personality_1080
Simply Uncalled For
"Someone who is a d*ck to other people or animals for no reason."
– xebt1000
Those with ulterior motives rubs people the wrong way.
The Scheme
"If they try to get me to join their MLM scheme."
– spazmcgee1
Hard Sell
"A guy I used to be friends with in high school reached out a couple of years after graduating about a business opportunity he wanted my opinion on because 'you've always been smart', then he set up a Skype call and brought some other dude into the call and they started trying to sell me on what was clearly an MLM scheme. The guy went from friend to 'I'm never talking to you again' in a matter of 10 minutes."
– Mental-Afternoon-164
A Timeline
"Good gawd, this! I've had more than one exposure to this abject bullsh**tery..."
- Back in the late 80's/early 90's I was invited to a meeting of literally the OG "Pyramid" where you're recruited to pay in, and then you go out and recruit others to pay in, and the last in line got f'kall.
- In 1995 I had a coworker try to reel me into Amway, which was a hard no.
- In 2000 it was Pampered Chef, though to be fair they did have useful products.
- In 2009 a coworker tried to get me into some stupid video calling service that was obviously stupid from the description. He even got offended when I called bullsh*t.
– Mystical_Cat
Too much ego is a no-go.
I Can Do Better
"Being a b*tch just to stroke their own ego."
"We get it, you can lift 5lbs more than the 12 year old, you don't have to rub it in their face just because you're slightly better"
– Livia_Pivia
Can't Top This
"Oh, you did <story that's been told>? That's nothing! I did <implausible story>.
"I get the whole empathy through relating common experience, and I'm someone who does that (which drives some people crazy on its own), but there's a big different by empathising through common experience, and one-upmanship."
– Tisarwat
Lacking Conversational Etiquette
"Starting to talk over me when I was already talking."
"Stop it you rude, arrogant jerk."
– R33Gtst
If one or more of these traits sound familiar to you, you're not alone.
We don't have time for braggadocios, pyramid-schemers, and conversation interrupters.
And that's just for starters.
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Children tend to believe just about anything they hear.
That there are monsters under your bed, watching too much TV will make your head explode, and silly faces will be permanent if you make them too often.
The sky is truly the limit when it comes to silly things that children will believe.
Some call it naivitée, other's youthful innocence.
But it's hard not to look back with embarrassment on certain things we believed as a child, that today might simply seem dumb.
Redditor Disastrous_Toe_6548 was curious to learn the multitude of silly things people believed when they were children, leading them to ask:
"What's the dumbest thing you believed as a kid?"
Pleading to deaf ears...
"My dad told me he had hearing loss and couldn't hear me if I whined because my pitch would get too high."
"Would completely ignore me until I asked him questions in a normal voice."
"Trusted him implicitly until I was 12 and he yelled at my younger brother for whining."- Tyrion_Stark.
Get it while you can.
"That they took everything off the shelves when the supermarket closed."- fgyfddg.
Silly superstitions.
"My grandfather used to tell me that if I played with the fire, I'd pee the bed."
"I believed him for a while, until I got older."
"I think he was just trying to protect me from the fire."- teddypa1981.
"Rain, rain go away..."
"That if it was raining where I was, it was raining everywhere in the world."- morningshartz.
Age is just a number.
"My parents used to seem really old to me, so much so I believed they grew up like cave people as children, wearing giant leaves for clothes and what not."- Laleena_.
So that's how they're made!
"That smokestacks from the power plant created clouds."- Scaniarix.
An instant cure.
"The sun gives you sunburns, therefore, moonlight should heal them."- velocipeter.
Better safe than sorry.
"Don't drink and drive meant all drinks."
"My dad was super confused when I told him he wasn't allowed to have any soda until we got home."- hulagirlslovetoparty.
Don't believe everything you see on TV.
"There was an episode of Mickey Mouse where Mickey couldn’t reach something at first, so he tried again and somehow his arm was long enough to reach it."
"As a small kid I believed that if I couldn’t reach something, I should just try reaching for it again and my arm would then somehow be long enough to reach it."- That-Dutch-Person.
The miracle of childbirth.
"That babies are pooped out."
"When I was like 7 I was listening to my aunt as she explained that childbirth was pretty intense and painful for her, and I was all solemnly like, 'yeah, sometimes just my poops are painful, I don’t think I could get a baby out' and she went 'um, WHAT?' and her reaction made me realize real quick that I had f*cked up somewhere and I tried to change the subject while my mind was just reeling lol."- thesoundingfurrows.
Oh to be a child again.
And to believe literally everything you're told.
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