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Different cultures have different traditions, quirks, and habits. At this point, we all know that. And yet we rarely question our own until we go somewhere else and realize that, actually, this is not something the rest of the world does. Cue the surprised Pikachu face.
One Redditor asked people to share things from their countries they thought were normal, only to find out while traveling that they were anything but. The replies were full of fascinating examples, ranging from oddly specific potato peelers to unexpected types of toilet paper. Scroll down to read them.
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#1
Australia: Honestly, noisy birds. Going overseas and standing in nature/quiet suburban street and NOT hearing a constant white noise of bird calls feels very weird.
WindySwede 3 days ago
Just the sound of Magpies (Australian) is really cool to me! Link below.
RELATED:
#2
Canada: Not mocking physical differences to your face.
Visit India or Korea and strangers will tell you exactly what is physically unappealing about you.
#3
Netherlands: When it's somebody's birthday, you don't just congratulate the person who's birthday it is.
Everyone kisses *each other* while saying something like "congratulations with X's birthday!".
So when I visited Mexico I kissed my mother in law on a family member's birthday, while saying "felicidades!!". She froze, blushed and said: "ehm ,thanks, but... it's not my birthday today".
Short awkward moment. Luckily my wife stepped in to explain that Dutch people are just weird.
Someone_from_the_Netherlands 3 days ago
We are not weird, this is normal behavior in our beautiful country.
#4
Italy: I thought social distance and respect of personal space were a thing all around the world. Then I went to India and China.
Biytemii 3 days ago
Omg this was absolutely jarring when I traveled to India to meet my husband's family. First time I went into a grocery store there I thought I was going to have a panic attack. People just shove through, move your cart, while you are holding it, literally just people pretty much on top of you with no regard for other people in their surroundings. I did finally get used to it lol along with taking your shoes off to go into most shops.
#5
China: Cook Chinese food in my apartment without setting off the smoke alarm.
Walk the streets at midnight without worrying about safety.
A farmers' market with more than 30 kinds of vegetables.
Free public toilets on the street.
Food delivery arriving in 20 mins.
A park with old ladies dancing all night.
A national football team that loses all the time.
Daisydaisy 3 days ago
"A park with old ladies dancing all night"! We need this in my home town! 😍
#6
New Zealand: I couldn't believe it when I went to the USA and Europe in summer and didn't get sunburnt after 10 minutes.
Hippopotamuses 3 days ago (edited)
The sun in NZ is brutal. Reaching back to my school days (1970s), I think it's something to do with hole in the ozone layer above Antartica.
#8
Ghana: Greeting everyone you meet on the street including strangers. That's not normal in Germany.
#9
France: Price tag being always full taxes. When I went to San Francisco I was surprised and embarrassed to leave things I wanted to buy because the taxes made my cart over budget.
#10
Philippines: Priority lines for the elderly, people with disability (all kinds), and pregnant women in all establishments. We have a separate line for them and they're the ones only allowed to use them. This includes exclusive counters/cashiers, grocery line, and train cabin, and all. Haven't seen one in any other countries Ive visited.
Rick Murray 3 days ago (edited)
Most larger supermarkets around here (France) do that. Ordinary people can use them to, but they can (and often will) be bumped if a disabled person turns up. When mom was in a wheelchair after cancer surgery, a Karen refused to move her stuff so the checkout girl took her hand-held beeper and scanned all of our stuff ignoring the Karen. And just to ram the point home, she then started to do the person behind us. 👍 I hope she didn't get in trouble for that, but the rules of the priority queue are very clear and written right there.
#11
Finland: Drying cabinet above your skink for dishes.
#12
Turkey: There is some but the most obvious one is this:
We Turks grow up with street cats. As kids, we play with them outside and we’re used to seeing them everywhere, every day. And honestly, at first, most of us don’t really get why street cats in Turkey are such a “thing” globally, until we realize other countries don’t have nearly as many as we do.
#13
In Denmark, we leave our babies outside on the streets in the cold, when we want to have a cup of coffee in a café or going to the cinema. This is the most respectful thing to do, but other countries don’t do it..
#14
Belgium: I was pleasantly surprised when I went to New York last year and never had to pay to use a public toilet. You could just walk into a public building and use the restroom.
#15
Jordan: Having woman's only/men's only gyms. I just thought that was the norm, the way public bathrooms are. It didn't occur to me that it's because we're more conservative.
#16
Iceland: Stale fruits and vegetables. I still remember the shock of tasting an orange that was sweet rather than sour and slightly bitter and a fresh corncob rather than one from a can or a frozen bag.
Karl der Große 2 days ago
Having fresh fruit year round is amazing in the US. Very, very few fruits are only available seasonally. I don't want to know about the environmental havoc that makes this possible.
#17
Most typical spanish tourist mistake it's thinking everybody share the shame schedule as us, here normal business are open until 20:00 and most bars and restaurants until 00:00.
So going out for dinner at 22:00 and finding everything closed it's one of our cultural shocks in many places.
#18
Canada: I didn't realize how abnormal it is to leave your doors unlocked until I started making international friends.
#19
Ireland: Drinkable tap water and not bothering with bottled.
Hanging around outside without being eaten by bugs.
Not owning an umbrella. Ignoring the wet and wind.
Small talk and making jokes with literally anyone.
Respecting the queue.
Loose fruit and veg without packaging.
Did I say that out loud? 2 days ago
To be fair, that could be anywhere in the British Isles, except for the bugs. Seriously, those Scottish midges are even worse than the wild haggis.
#20
South Africa: High fences with barbed wire. Didn't see it once when i was in England.
#21
Us Bulgarians nodding in the opposite direction for yes and no. Had a fair few confused situations and laughs the first time I went abroad.
#22
El Salvador: That toilet paper goes in the toilet, not in the bin.
#23
United Kingdom: The alcohol culture. It really isn't that strange to see people in the beer garden with a pint at 10:30am on sunny days. In most other countries, a morning drinker is considered an alcoholic... but, not in England. Not when the sun is out.
#24
Expecting ice in my cold drinks. Yes typical American.
Bored Jellyfish 3 days ago
Got used to no ice in drinks when living overseas. I can’t revert back now and am especially annoyed by the ploy some businesses use to put in as much ice as possible in your glass so they can add less drink products in it to boost profit.
#26
Poland: 10+ different tea varieties in almost every house. My grandmother would give me cherry tea for upset stomach and I caught a stomach bug on a vacation in Montenegro. Asked my mother to buy some tea and she only found chamomile.
#27
Germany: Waiting at a red light. I thought rules are meant to be followed, imagine my surprise when I learned that this is apparently a very uniquely German thing to think.
Also, bread. The quality of bread drops significantly outside of Germany.
zububonsai 3 days ago (edited)
German here. I'm a delivery driver in my side job (Berufskraftfahrer). Even in my free time not at that job I follow the "wait at the red light no matter what" ritual because if police would catch me walking at red and fine me, I'd be obliged to tell my DHL bosses. Thanks no thanks. My friends respect my decision and just walk without making fun of me or wait with me (its not like every German is a robot). //And the "bread cold turkey abroad" is real 98% 🥹.
#28
Republic Of China: Toilet paper inside a box (Interfold like facial tissue）…..apparently you guys only use TP rolls.
#30
United States of America: Complimenting or striking up convos with strangers while out and about. I'm not sure if it's purely a Texas, US, or just suburban vs urban thing but I know I'm used to when I'm out and about just being like "Oh I like your shirt!" "I like your makeup!" etc. as I pass by someone if I feel inclined.
When I was in Toronto visiting a friend I noticed that people generally just didn't seem to want to be bothered, even for something positive and friendly like that. Again I'm not sure if this is a country to country thing or just an urban vs suburban divide thing, but it stood out to me.
#31
South Africa: Wearing shorts basically everywhere, even to church.
David Paterson 3 days ago
As an Australian, a big shock for me in South Africa was the unavailability of sunscreen. People wear shorts and short sleeves everywhere without sunscreen.
#32
India: Dry Vs Humid Heat.
Grew up thinking Indian summers were the ultimate boss level—insane temps, full humidity (at least my region).
Then I experienced dry heat in the US/Canada at much *lower* temperatures… and it somehow felt worse. Got brutal tan lines and my skin literally hurt to touch.
Completely changed my perspective, turns out “how” it’s hot matters way more than the number on the thermometer.
#33
Canada: My husband is American from the south. When I visit I can't wear my shoes indoors. I'm sorry. I have a fresh pair of socks on, my feet don't smell, I just cannot physically make myself wear shoes indoors.
#34
Thailand: Cheap and Affordable food 24/7
Cleaning butts with water.
Geobugi🇰🇷🇰🇭 3 days ago
How old is that post? The times where you can get a proper meal for 50 baht everywhere are sadly gone. It is still not very expensive but surely more expensive than before covid, sometimes very expensive and the quality declined too. Now sugar is added very often to replace better indegients
#35
Ghana: I thought it was normal to eat rice with stew, until I spent one week in Burkina Faso.
#37
Philippines: I thought it was normal to eat with a spoon + fork pairing.
Kristy Marion 3 days ago
Thailand too. And you eat with the spoon, it's rude to put the fork in your mouth
#38
Canada: First time I went to Thailand I got mocked ruthlessly by locals for having an insane sun burn. Some people tried pointing me towards a pharmacy so I could buy some cream/sunscreen, bust most of the locals just got a good laugh out of it.
