Turns out men aren't so good at taking hints from women. For example, if she invites you "up for coffee" after a date, coffee isn't coffee (usually). And if she breaks out the lingerie, that's a sign.
german900 asked women of Reddit: What's a common hint that men don't pick upon?
Submissions have been edited for clarity, context, and profanity.
Not picking up on obvious interest.
There was a guy in college that I liked for a good year. We had dinner together after class two or three times a week, just the two of us. I tried to drop hints all the time, complimenting him and such.
Then Valentine's Day comes around and I ask in advance if he wants to get dinner that day. He immediately says yes and suggests we go somewhere different, since we usually ate at the same place all the time. I eagerly agreed.
We meet there and it's all decorated for Valentine's and he apparently had no idea it was valentine's day. I said "I guess you're my valentine's this year then! Lucky me!" and he turned bright red.
It never worked out and I got over him a bit after Valentine's. Then about a YEAR later we are talking and I bring up how I had the hugest crush on him, like a fun memory, and he goes absolutely bug eyed. Surprised, he is rapid firing questions to dissect how he could have known. After about fifty questions a look on his face made it clear it had finally dawned on him.
After that, I learned--just say it. "I like you. Can I buy you dinner sometime?" is the tried and true way. For me, at least.
Edit: sorry I got lost reading the comments and how so many were hints that a woman was not interested that I started writing my post. Then I saw the original question and realized it said "common". My bad.
Coffee isn't coffee at night.
Want to have something to drink inside (after a date).
Guy: No, I'm good.
Girl: Are you sure?
Guy: Yeah
A coffee at this hour? Oh good heavens no, I'd never be able to get to sleep.
Dating in your 30's.
Yup, sometimes I know it's an offer for sex and I'm still like, "Sheesh, it's just so late... My hips been hurting all night... Am I even going to be able to get it up this tired with my knee like this? Best not risk it..."
Haha. This is so true. I've turned down guaranteed sex and I honestly remember laughing on my way home thinking "20 year old me would be so pissed right now."
Maybe he didn't want to have sex with you.
Not appreciating an effort to be sexy.
If you come home and she's wearing lingerie that might mean she wants to have sex. When you see that she has dressed up for you be dramatic about how much you appreciate it.
If I'm wearing matching undies and bra, I planned it. Otherwise I'm in a tank top and whatever colorful hideous bullsh*t came out of the Walmart multipack.
Needing to feel funny.
I have a girlfriend so maybe this is why I did not pick up the hint but I have always been bad picking up hints.
At family football watching party:
Me: Just chit-chatting with everyone
Girl: OMG you are SOOO funny, laughing a lot
Me: Say thank you and keep on talking
Girl: slowly moves closer to me
Me: Oblivious to the situation
Girlfriend: Hey, why don't we go grab a drink in the kitchen
Girlfriend: You know she was hitting on you right?
Me: No, I was just happy someone actually found me funny
People find me funny all the time. I have to remind them that looks aren't everything.
My husband is the same way. He didn't believe me that a friend of a mutual friend was obsessed with him until she purposely left crusty underwear in our car. I let her sit in the passenger seat to be polite (he was driving) and the gross undies appeared by the shifter when she got out for a few minutes. I put them back into her bag and she pulled her little stunt AGAIN when we dropped her off. Such a strange way to try to pick someone up haha.
When guys have no idea what consent is.
I've straight up told a man that I wanted his d and he still wasn't sure I really wanted sex.
"Ah, really? I mean, like, I'd kinda rather keep it, myself..."
When sex communication is lacking.
Was playing video games, husband watching. I quit, saying "I'm going upstairs to play with myself."
Cue me coming downstairs a couple hours later and asked him why he didn't join. He said he thought I was going to take a nap. I asked him what part of I'm going to play with myself sounds like nap time.
ffs
Honestly when I read that I thought it said "I'm going upstairs to play by myself" as in "I can't focus with you watching me."
I don't know, if my wife told me this I'd think she was intent on masturbating and leave her to it.
Bedtime fashion language, or lack thereof.
My pajamas. Strappy, silky or barely there? I'm not really ready to sleep.
Socks, long pants, long sleeved shirt? I'm tired. Cuddle me. I might snore.
19.5 years of marriage. He'll get it one day. ;)
LOL It almost sounds like he just thinks you're hot no matter what you're wearing, so he doesn't see your clothes as a clue but just one of the many ways you're attractive. Maybe a long-sleeved tee that has "not tonight, honey" written on it?
You know, I bet there's a ton of money to be made in message sleepwear like that. Something sexy with "I'm wearing this because I want to have sex with you tonight" written on it. Comfy clothes with, "Not tonight, honey." Comfy clothes with, "I want to be comfy but I also want sex, with you, tonight" written on it.
Wow, straight guys are bad at this.
Guy here but my experience went like this once:
Her: What are your plans after work Friday.
Me: Probably watch Terminator 2 and microwave a Hot Pocket.
Her: That sounds awesome, mind if I join?
Me: Sure, but I only have one Hot Pocket.
Her: That's ok :-)
Me in my mind: Wow, she really likes Terminator 2 and half a Hot Pocket. That's cool. I hope she's ok with the ham Hot Pockets. God, Terminator 2 is like the perfect movie, always takes it up a notch every scene...continue to play the entire Terminator 2 movie in my head...
Edit, wow this blew up. Thanks for the props and it seems a lot of people can relate to one part of the story or another. I'm not super well versed in reddit awards but it looks like silver and gold??? Thanks people...long live Terminator 2!
Me: Sure, but I only have one Hot Pocket.
"Can I have some?"
"No."
"Aurora borealis at this time of year, at this time of day, in this part of the country, localized entirely within your kitchen?"
"Yes."
"May I see it?"
"No."
Respect the ring.
"I have a boyfriend/husband." equals " I'm not interested!"
It does not mean "I'm taken but please keep flirting with me."
Story time: One time I told a customer this (at a store) and he still kept talking to me. A co-worker saw it and paged for me to the stockroom. That was my excuse to leave him and I stayed in the stockroom for like ten minutes, just passing time. Came out and he was standing there waiting for me. I quickly walked to the bathroom, he followed me there and waited for me to come out. He tried talking to me again but I acted like I was busy and walked past him. I asked the manager to tell him to leave and he did. When I got off my shift at night there was a car in our empty parking lot. I got scared and had to be escorted to my car.
There was this guy who was hitting on me and I told him I had a boyfriend. He then said that another girl he'd hit on once also told him that but he didn't believe her because I guess she was flirty or something so he followed her home and rang her doorbell. He told me that he hid in the bushes and it turned out the girl actually did have a boyfriend because he was the one who opened the door. I had to show him pics of me and my ex to get him to leave me alone.
Not knowing how to flirt.
If I ask you a personal question I probably want you to ask me the same thing.
This is at least in part how I have concluded that a guy isn't actually interested in me. We hit it off on Tinder, had a great chat, he was flirty. But really, I was the one asking the questions 90% of the time and once I stopped, the conversation died down.
Maybe I just sabotaged it too early by stopping to speak to him, but I felt like besides telling me I was cute, he didn't have much else to say and he wasn't interested enough to ask questions.
My current boyfriend is like that at times. Our first few dates were a lot of me asking questions. He didn't really even flirt much. Left me feeling like "is he even into me?"
Turns out, he's just quiet and a bit socially awkward at times. Over time he got into the groove of learning how to flirt with me and ask questions. Some guys just don't know how to get that flow going right away.
One word answers.
My biggest one right now: if you are constantly messaging me and I am replying one or two word answers like yup, hah, or cool, I really don't want to talk to you but I feel bad not replying.
Flirtatious touching isn't necessarily an invitation.
Touching you. Like your hair or your arm. We don't touch guys we aren't at least attracted to or comfortable with.
Edit: Yeah I'm pretty sure like half of you totally ignored the "or comfortable with" part. Read the situation. If it's a date and she touches you that is a good sign. If you guys are friends it probably just means she feels safe with you.
You gotta be careful with this one though. Some girls are just naturally touchy. And from a bad experience with this type of person I barley touch any of my female friends or coworkers. Like not even to get their attention.
Critical caveat. This is one of those things where you have to know a lady's baseline behavior before you notice a divergence from it. If a lady's just touchy with you and you don't have much context, it could go either way.
Which means pretty much that touching isn't a clear sign, which is why guys ignore it to begin with.
Like most things: what is an obvious hint coming from one girl is just someone's baseline mannerisms coming from someone else.
Your server is (probably) not flirting with you.
If a woman is in a job where she's serving you, the customer and being friendly, cheerful, smiling and making eye contact with you, she doesn't want to bang you. It's her JOB to be nice to literally everyone.
I worked at this upscale bar. My coworker was facing away from the customers and scowling about something, just seething with frustration and rage. I almost saw steam coming out of her ears. I was legitimately worried about her. In her 180 degree turn towards the guests, I saw her transform in front of me eyes, putting on the most convincing display of genuine excitement and hospitality towards a couple customers at the bar. This beaming smile with a friendly inflection in the voice. My eyes must have been popping out of my head, that shit was borderline scary
I had a roommate that was very neckbeardy. 100+ pounds overweight, little to no personal hygiene or effort into appearance. We ate at a Buffalo Wild Wings twice a month or so and he left his number for so many cute waitresses because "they were totally flirting with him" despite me explaining what you said.
Every time I'd ask the next day if she called and shockingly none ever did.
"Leave me alone" means leave me alone.
Multiple times, I've had a guy try to chat with me on public transport, in a waiting room, on an airplane, etc. It's usually places I'm not really interested in having a conversation, so I'll give a short but polite response and turn back to my phone/book/music. Probably nine times out of ten, they continue to attempt to talk to me.
That shit is so annoying. Even worse when you're wearing headphones and they refuse to take the hint.
I was once wearing headphones and reading in the library and a guy STILL continued trying to hit on me.
Me too. Then get huffy when I didn't respond. "Don't you want to talk to me?" Dude, you're causing a scene at a woman sitting literally next to a sign saying QUIET ZONE.
Some comments on OP's thread.
ITT: Men hoping to hear hints women give them that they want to sleep with them.
Actually ITT: Women saying how often they give men hints to f*ck off.
Me: Paranoia that women are all being curt and dismissive to get rid of me.
Women ITT: Actually giving strong hints to f*ck off and die.
People Reveal The Turnoffs That Make Them Not Want To Have Sex With Their Significant Other
Sex and relationships can be very dramatic.
It's not always fun and sweat. More often than not, it turns into wine and snores.
The truth is, it's not difficult to turn someone off.
One minute you're a hot dish. The next, you're stale meatloaf.
The question is, who is responsible?
Or is this relationship dead?
Redditor NeedSomeSparkInLife wanted to know who would be willing to share, so they asked:
"What makes you not want to be intimate with your SO?"
I'm an easily turned off person.
So it doesn't take much.
Desire
Bored Season 5 GIF by The OfficeGiphy"Taking a moment to realize I'm the only one that makes sexual advances in the relationship. Makes me not want it. People think men only want sex for face value but a lot of men actually want the feeling of being desired more so."
Relative-Hour-9359
Anger Issues
"I've always heard of fighting then having sex after. Fighting has always made me not want it. The last thing I want to do when someone pisses me off is have sex with them. What made it worse is she always wanted to when we were arguing which made the argument worse when I refused."
DaMoonRulez_1
"I think you're supposed to resolve your fight, realize that you care for each other a lot, move past it, then have the passion because of that. Not fight right into sex."
Ksp-or-GTFO
Take a Shower
"My ex and I were together for nearly 7 years, but his hygiene never improved, so we stopped being intimate like, 3 years before I finally broke up with him. He showered only once a week, but he worked in kitchens, so he was sweaty and greasy all the time."
"He had an infected tooth, so he constantly had bad breath, but he refused to visit a dentist, even when he had the money to afford dental work. He stopped working out within the first year of us being together, which sucked because he would get jealous if I went to the gym by myself or with my girlfriends, but he refused to come with me."
GreenChorizo
Sober Time
"Personally, the only issue I have is my SO's drinking. He just becomes an unattractive person when he's drunk. It's one thing if we're both out socializing and drinking together occasionally, but he drinks almost every day, sitting on the couch in front of the TV and to the point of sloppy drunkenness way too often. His face changes, his posture changes, his personality changes... I just get so turned off."
WeptSiren3113
Hang Up
Art Hello GIF by LINDSEY L33Giphy"When they are glued to their phones non stop! Put that s**t down and look at me before we go to bed!"
Palmwine
"I really dislike this too. Makes me feel alone in the relationship."
RealBrownPerson
No phones in bed. Hard rule for many of us to follow.
Step Back
Be Quiet Go Away GIF by Ryn DeanGiphy"When I make a move, and then get the feeling she's not really in the mood/would only do it to please me. I want us both to have a good time, not only me. So when she seems not into it, I take a step back."
Level-Plate8372
Calm Down
"To be brutally honest, her anxiety and insecurity makes sex such a hassle. She doesn’t believe anything I say about wanting her, she can almost never relax during sex, she doesn’t take time to enjoy it, and if God forbid I have any trouble finishing, she takes it more personally than anything, which of course puts more pressure on me to finish, which then makes it almost impossible."
Ben_Franklinstein
When at Wal-Mart
"When they’ve done something really nasty/unkind that day. Cruelty is the most ugly thing a person can show, in my eyes. I had a boyfriend that I went to Wal-Mart with and he ended up flipping off and storming right past the sweet little old man that checks the receipts at the door."
"It was partially about how I used to check receipts and I remembered how I felt when people treated me like that- but I also remember the look on the little old man’s face and just how disgusted I was with my partner being so nasty about it."
"I couldn’t touch him after that and I got grossed out when he touched me. And then I started to notice how he was nasty to other people as well. It eventually led to our break up."
spxdergirl
33 Years In
"My husband used to dislike his job - he’d come home and do nothing but bi**h. After awhile, I just gave up trying to cheer him up with sex - you can only try so long. So, we had a long dry spell - like, whatever you think a dry spell would be, it’s longer. When someone is constantly annoyed, well, it’s hard to feel amorous."
"Anyway, he early retired (54) like a month before Covid kicked in and by autumn that year, well, let’s just say we’re back to what we were like when we first met. He’s not pissed off all the time. (I’m retired as well, and let’s just say, afternoon nookie is such a perk, as is morning nookie and 3am nookie because you can sleep in!) I’m glad we stayed together. Going on 33 years and we’re just so happy."
NicInNS
Rage
Angry Inside Out GIF by Disney PixarGiphy"Feeling angry. I hate feeling angry. I don't like being around other people when angry. So I'll go for a walk, a drive etc, and just clear my head."
jackfaire
It seems like "dead bed," as some folks call it, can stem from many things, from mood, attraction, hygiene, and more.
Do you have anything to add to this list? Let us know in the comments.
People Who Have Accidentally Sent A Nude Photo To The Wrong Person Describe The Fallout
Whether everyone would actually admit it or not, most people live on their phones.
They can take care of last-minute work tasks on the go, confirm plans with friends via text, and entertain themselves while scrolling through multiple social media pages.
However, one must be super cautious and focused when juggling between all those open apps.
Because being a multi-tasker comes with a risk that involves mixing private and public lives with unintended, and very embarrassing, effects.
Curious to hear from strangers about a more NSFW faux pas, Redditor sollyman7999 asked:
"Ever sent a nude to the wrong person? what happened, how did they respond?"
Families can be close-knit but even they can have their hard limits.
WhatsApp, Doc?
"Sent a d*ck pic to my family whatsapp group instead of my girlfriend, who requested it. I got a lot of laughs from my sisters, a well done from my father, and not a single word from my mother, who to this day denies it happened. It was a horrible experience."
– Loud_Essay_7286
Sis Came To The Rescue
"I was meaning to text my boyfriend the picture, but must have still been in the iMessage chat to my dad at the time, and sent it without checking. Seeing that the nude had been texted to my dad, I immediately called him — I was going to ask him to delete the pictures, and that they were inappropriate and were supposed to go to my boyfriend. That way he wouldn’t see the images themselves; he would just know I had taken nudes. Somehow, by the grace of God, my SISTER answered his phone, as she was living at home at the time. I begged her for help, and she was able to delete the images off his phone. My dad never knew the incident ever occurred. I asked my sister how I could repay her, and she asked me to never ever bring it up again. I owe her one, eternally!"
– sjohns90
Sorry, Bro
"I was 26 at the time. Just shaved my junk. It was looking mighty presentable, so I decided the GF needed to see. I mistakenly sent it to my older brother. He replied with, 'I don't think that was meant for me.' I died a little inside. It was never spoken of again."
– ianj2807
Mother Approves
"Not me but my wife. She has sent a very explicit nude of hers to her mother instead of me."
"End result; 'Masallah, you're beautiful' as response from my mother-in-law, then similar responses from her sisters and sisters-in-law because yeah, her mother forwarded it."
– zztri
Leaders got more than they ever expected.
The Boss Gets A Surprise Message
"I accidentally sexted my Boss thinking I was talking to my Husband. He send back 'I don’t think this was meant for me' I sent him the biggest apology ever and we never spoke about it ever."
– Livinginthemiddle
At Attention
"I did the same thing with my platoon sergeant. D*ck pic with the caption 'love you' that was supposed to go to my ex. He just replied 'I like you, but this isn't love.'"
"Kill me."
– Reddit
Pay attention to which social media app you're using.
"Cute Lil Boobies"
"I have one like this that haunts me. When Instagram FIRST came out, like before I had ever even heard anyone talking about it, I thought it was a new photo editing app that let you put cool filters on your phone pictures and kept a little album for you, like any normal photo editing app would do. Keep in mind back then there wasn't really social media centered around pictures so I had no concept of that. I took some nudes on there and put lil filters on them and stuff and sent them to a boyfriend, then didn't think of it again"
"MONTHS later I get a text from a (very kind) ex saying 'did you know your cute lil boobies are on Instagram and everyone can see them?' I was mortifiedddd lol. Apparently he could find my profile because it recommended it via contacts or something, which I also had no concept of at that time, not many socials did that back then. So I have no idea how many people saw those pictures. Oops."
"To add insult to injury I wasn't signed into the account anymore so I was DESPERATELY trying to remember what email and password would get me in."
– Zenki_s14
For All To See
"Sent to the wrong person? No"
"Posted to my facebook feed? Yes"
"Few family members unfriended me, got a few DMs asking did I realize what I did, two DMs asking if I had more (not family - before you ask)"
– Craigothy-YeOldeLord
Nude Co-Worker
"I did once some years back. I (f) sent a snap to (f co-worker). I had absolutely no idea until I got a snap from her telling me I looked nice and asked if she was supposed to return the favor. Told her it was completely up to her but it was an accident! She sent me one back anyways. We left it at that and we would bring it up every once in a while and just giggle about it. Haven't seen her since I left that job but this question definitely brought this memory back lol."
"EDIT: I made this comment, went to bed, and didn't think about it this morning until I opened reddit not long ago. I was reading the comments and yall were making me laugh! It's so weird to have the most upvoted comment be me about sending a nude to a co-worker lol"
– MistressManor
And for others, it's all intentional.
Just Playing With The Homies
"The homies and I used to just randomly send each other photos of our family jewels and then make fun of them for looking. I miss it more and more every day."
– 28756
No recipient was harmed during this incident. I have multiple text threads, and it's very confusing to respond to one in which certain friends are also on other message threads.
One time I responded to a group thread explaining to them that I was going to come up with an excuse to back out of another invite mentioned on a different thread.
I guess I should have double-checked which thread I was sending it to because I informed the wrong thread of my plan.
At least there weren't nude photos involved.
My heart goes out to those who've shared their embarrassing stories here.
Let them serve as reminders to confirm your messages before tapping "send."
When people talk about living life to the fullest and having independent, solo experiences, they often reference the importance of traveling internationally to experience more of the world.
But in the midst of describing the wonders of traveling in another country, they fail to detail the things that could go wrong, or how a local might try to scam an unknowing and unprepared tourist.
Curious specifically about this phenomenon in Europe, Redditor subuubalaa asked:
"What should people avoid while traveling to Europe?"
The Fines Can Be Incredibly Steep
"Another thing which primarily applies to Giethoorn, but also any place in general."
"STAY OUT OF PEOPLE'S YARDS."
"For those who don't know, Giethoorn is a small village where instead of streets there are canals. It is quite a tourist attraction where they can rent boats to travel through the canals. However, some people fail to comprehend that it's still an actual village and people live in the houses."
"It has occurred on multiple instances that tourists walked into the gardens of residents to take pictures."
- ThePotatoSauce
The Menu Should Speak For Itself
"Avoid any restaurant that tries to strong-arm you into entering."
- Kanguin
Who Knew?
"Watch out for pickpockets in Western Europe. There is a stigma that Eastern Europe like Romania and Bulgaria is dangerous but pickpocketing happens more in Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, etc."
- trustabro
Just Keep Walking
"Street scammers in Paris, anywhere really, I just mostly see it in Paris."
- missingtoothtyler
Keep an Eye on Your Stuff
"I hung my purse over the back of my chair at a restaurant on my first day in Bangkok."
"We were eating dinner and my tour guide came over to where I was sitting, and he was holding my purse. He asked if it was mine, and I said yes. Then he told me that he saw some guy take it but he was able to get it back before they left the restaurant with it."
"Turns out my guide was the 'guy' who took it to teach me a lesson. He did this to a couple of other people in our group to encourage us to be careful with our stuff. I spent the rest of the trip white-knuckling my purse so it worked for me!"
- starrfast
Your Future Looks Expensive
"In Sevilla, they hang around the cathedral. A woman will walk up and hand you a flower, then insist on telling your fortune. Just drop it and walk away."
- blitzen13
Seriously, Protect Your Belongings
"Do not put your bag/purse/backpack on the back of your chair when you sit down to eat, especially outside."
"Thieves look for this, in groups of three or four. One of them will come from one side of you as a snatcher, and the rest will stand in a group very close to you taking or smoking, etc., pretending that they don't know the snatcher."
"Then the one guy will snatch your item, and run right through the group, in case someone is quick enough to chase. They will 'accidentally' be in your way."
"Happened in Rome, but locals recognized it and broke it up."
- nctkcmo71
Instant Retaliation
"A guy tried to do the bracelet trick to me, but I knew it and told him no before he tried anything. He jabbed me in the side as I walked passed. I was so p**sed."
- Tortuga917
No Directions Needed
"Also: DO NOT STOP to 'help' people asking for directions. You're a tourist, you look like a tourist, and you're the last person someone would legitimately ask for directions."
"They're trying to get you to stop so they can pickpocket you. It's usually a woman, too, looking 'helpless.' Just keep moving."
- ThaneOfCawdorrr
Fake Disabilities
"Be careful if you encounter the fake disabled people in Venice. My dad fell into that trap. A guy pretending to have a limp and speaking disability came up to us and asked for money. I switched to Dutch and told my dad not to give him any. My dad gave him a 20 euro banknote."
"The guy walked away without a limp and started talking without issues a few meters away."
- DoctorWhoTheF**k
Try to Blend In
"Avoid letting the taxi know you don't know where you are or where you are going, the bad ones will drive you in circles and run the tab up."
"Also, one thing that opened Germany up for me while stationed there was one interaction. I would ask in German, 'Sprechen sie englisch,' do you speak English, followed by 'Mine Deutsch ist schei**e,' my German is s**t."
"Everyone from women at the bar to elderly people would laugh hysterically and then immediately switch to English in good spirits. They just like to see you try, and then they are more than happy to help you out."
"So my advice would be to learn a quick-fire phrase that you can pop off too quickly to avoid fumbling and starting the interaction on a bad foot."
- Spirited-Tadpole-508
Scamming the Scammers
"I managed to find one of the bracelets they peddle on the ground midway through my trip. Threw it on every day when I was out in public and didn’t get hounded at all after that."
"I assume they probably thought I was a fool already caught in the trap, but man, the peace of mind was great!"
- brounchman
Please Be Polite
"Don't assume that everything will be open during the hours you'd expect in your home country. This is true no matter where you're going. It varies by country and region, but in my experience, grocery stores, banks, post offices, etc., had much more restricted hours than they do in the US."
"In the US, it's rare for a grocery store to close before 9 PM, if it's not open 24 hours. In Europe, it's normal for grocery stores to close quite early, and for things to be closed on weekends, though this varies by country."
"Also, mind your manners. In America, you can often skip over the formalities without being seen as rude. In Europe, this is much harder. Be more direct about what you want, and more polite about requesting it."
"Part of what perpetuates the unfortunate 'rude American' stereotype is that Americans tend to find European manners blunt, and Europeans tend to find American manners invasive."
- frisky_husky
Stuff Can Be Taken from Anywhere
"Don't leave stuff lying around anywhere. Don't put your stuff next to you on the table if you're sitting outside at a restaurant. Someone can just run up to you from behind, grab the phone/wallet and run away."
"Don't leave stuff in a rental car."
"Don't even put stuff in the trunk of the rental car after you park it. I've heard that in some touristy places, thieves will employ local kids to sit at the parking lots and see who puts their camera, laptop, or purse in the trunk of the car before walking away."
- TheChoonk
It's All About Playing It Smart
"I've seen it in Paris, France, Barcelona, Florence... any popular tourist destination is going to have pickpockets."
"These scams vary, and you should read about them before you go so you're aware. Some of the ones I've seen:"
"1. People in costumes (mostly Roman centurions) will accost you for pictures with them, and demand an absurd amount of money for the pictures."
"2. People will shove an object or a flower into your hands and then demand money. You may have to very aggressively say 'no.'"
"3. Someone will approach you with a map and ask for directions (their accomplice is behind you while you're distracted, and helping themselves to your stuff)."
"4. Someone will lay out paintings on the ground near monuments like cathedrals, and when you inevitably step on one (because you're looking up at the Duomo, not at the ground) they'll demand an absurd amount of money for the painting you just stepped on."
"Basically, you just have to understand that if you're a tourist in a city, no one is going to have a good reason to talk to you. No one needs directions from you, no one needs a petition signature from you, and anyone trying to stop and talk to you in a major tourist destination is likely a scam."
"If you do get into a situation where someone is demanding money from you (maybe you stepped on a painting or took that ill-advised picture with the Centurion) just say, 'Okay, let's go find a police officer, and I will pay you in front of the police officer.' That usually gets them to back down quickly."
"You may have to be aggressive about not letting people touch you or put something on you. My husband had to yank his arm away from someone trying to tie a bracelet on him outside of Castel Sant'Angelo. I had to quickly move away from someone shoving a rose in my lap on the Spanish Steps."
"And also, watch your stuff. Don't absentmindedly sling your purse over the back of a chair. Don't leave your phone on the ground next to you while you have a picnic on the Seine."
"I have a black purse by PacSafe that has some anti-theft features, like a lock so I can lock it to a chair at a cafe and a lock on the zipper so it can't be easily zipped open. Sure, a determined person could break into the purse, but it's all about not being an easy target. It's enough of a deterrent that if someone does try to help themselves to the contents of my purse, it'll be too much trouble and they'll go pick someone else."
"That being said, don't let the fear of being pickpocketed deter you from traveling! Rick Steves has a story about a family that had their passports and thousands of dollars stolen from them immediately upon arrival in Amsterdam, and they still had an amazing trip. Just be aware and have a plan in case the worst happens."
- evilcaribou
A lot can happen while you're traveling, and while being stolen from or scammed could easily happen in your hometown, there's something about suddenly being without your possessions or having to pay a hefty sum of money when you're in new territory.
But as the very last Redditor in this thread pointed out, this shouldn't stop you from traveling the world! As long as you are well-prepared and stay alert, you should be able to have a wonderful journey.
Sometimes, in order to find the love of our lives, we have to explore what's out there.
Often encountering people who we know fairly early on are just not a good fit.
In some cases, they're perfectly nice people but don't ignite the spark in us and lack any kind of chemistry.
Then there are those who truly astound us, and not in a good way.
The sort of people where describing them as "not the sharpest knife in the shed" would be an understatement.
Sometimes, this is clear from the minute we meet them. Other times, the realization comes a bit later.
"People of Reddit, what was your “I’m dating a f*cking idiot” moment?"
Oh, Dear...
"Watched a doc that explained how sharks have electricity receptors which they use to hunt. he said 'that's not possible'."
"Sharks are supposedly millions of years old but we only invented electricity a hundred years ago'."- Key-Lie250
If You Have To Prove It...
"He thought the outlet plug covers (for childproofing) meant the outlet was out-of-order."
"He literally had nothing plugged into the walls of his entire living room."
"He also mentioned how smart he was any chance he got.... usually a prime indicator."- Airport_Fart
It's Certainly A Hustle. HOWEVER...
"He kept applying for jobs and getting denied instantly."
"At the time, I didn’t understand and was upset for him."
"Come to find out, this 26-year-old was applying for jobs driving armored trucks for banks."
"With a record for stealing money from cash registers."
"I didn’t know at the time that he had ever been arrested, but this man literally had robbery and theft on his record, and couldn’t understand why an armored truck company wouldn’t hire him."- cathherine
When It Rains, It Pours...
"My ex didn't think it rained over the ocean because there was enough water there already."
"She was shocked it rained when we were on a cruise."- 1_disasta
Let's Hope She Didn't Test This Theory...
"How alcohol content percentage works."
"We argued for months that 10% as alcohol content remains the same even if you halved the bottle."
"She said nope, if you halved the bottle then the alcohol content would be 5%."
"Engineer graduate that too."
"She works for a software firm."
"For 12 years."
"Sigh."- baboyadobo
Some People Just Don't Grasp The Concept Of Math...
"My ex thought he could play hockey and found what he thought were the holy grail of skates."
"He bought them for $200 (I don't know the price as it was a long time ago)."
"His friend, who lived in a city an hour and 20 minutes away, told him he got the same skates for $195."
"So my ex, in his old Camaro that cost $50 in gas round trip, returned the skates he got for $200 and drove 1 hour and 20 minutes to get the skates that were $5 cheaper."
"That should have been the biggest red flag."
"But sadly, it turned out I was the f*cking idiot who stayed with him for a few more years."- Flipgirlnarie
"I had to explain to a grown woman that 20% is not always $20 when converted to currency."- DahvRom
Double Whammy...
"Was just lounging about one Sunday and skiing came on the TV."
"At one point the commentator said that contestants reached 100 km/h at that point in the race."
"The ex literally shouted bullsh*t at the telly."
"I looked at her and asked why..she replied that there was no way that they could tell how far they'd go in an hour since the race was only two minutes long."
"Another time, 'I have an aunt who lives in London, is that near England'."- Allydarvel
One Step Behind
"I introduced him to my stepsister."
"He said, 'weird, you guys look nothing alike'."- Saminotsammy
Get Out Of My Kitchen!!!
"He was trying to make cookies and kept opening the oven for extended periods of time, letting out all the heat."
"When I told him he was letting all the heat out by opening the door wide open and staring at the cookies, he told me I didn't know how ovens work because the temp setter said 400 so it was 400."
"Took an hour to bake 1 sheet of cookies and said 'I don't know why it's taking so long'."
"Also insisted on doing this on Thanksgiving, tying up my oven and was pissed off when he found out the turkey would take 3hrs to cook."
"As I'm sure you can imagine... Did not work out."- pocket4129
Liking Them Doesn't Make You One Of Them...
"It was when vampire-related shows and movies were in the height of their popularity."
"He became obsessed with vampires."
"When we would go outside, he started to act like the sun was hurting him, and he would shield his face with his hands while groaning in pain."
"Think of Jim from The Office with his vampire prank... only he was more dramatic... and serious."- not-a-real_username
Some Like It Hot...
"When he left the window open in the middle of summer because the air conditioning made the house too cold."
"He didn’t turn off the air conditioner and argued that it wouldn’t have made a difference."- Lovable_Minion
Dogs Do Love Car Rides...
"I went on a couple dates with a woman who owned two large energetic dogs."
"When she bought them she was informed that she'd need to walk them every day to get them exercise and burn off energy."
"To save time, instead of walking them she'd take them for a drive and thought that accomplished the same thing."- diiejso
So Much For Going Green...
"We drove past a windmill on a windy day."
"She commented how it was too windy out and they should turn the windmill down."
"She was dead serious..."- ink4n3
Washington And Jefferson Do Look Sort Of Alike... Don't They?...
"She found a coin in the couch and exclaimed 'WOW this is a REALLY big nickel'
"To which I responded 'That's because its a quarter'."- 404-soul-not-found
As Forest Gump once said, "stupid is as stupid does," so intelligence doesn't always go hand in hand with kindness and generosity.
Nor can we be too sure that these instances are what ultimately led to these relationships coming to an end.
Though, one can't blame someone for dumping anyone who thought they'd turned into a vampire...