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
GiphyNorway. 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
GiphyHere'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
GiphyWear 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.
Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.