If you travel internationally, you’ll quickly find that every country in the world will have, of course, its differences. Their foods will be different. The things you can see and do will be different. Each country will have its own unwritten rules (here are some of them, as written by their respective residents). They’ll have their individual social norms, too (here are a bunch of them, depending on where you are).
However there are certain things – usually small stuff – you may find in other countries that help visitors immensely. Most people in the U.S. probably wish they had them here. Take a look:
Crosswalks
I remember the first time I visited the U.K., I had a hard time with the whole “drive on the other side of the street” thing. Not so much when I was in a taxi or bus, but when I was crossing the street. I’m so accustomed to traffic going and coming from certain directions. However in some parts of the UK, there are road markings painted on the ground that will say LOOK RIGHT or LOOK LEFT, to remind a tourist (or non-visitor!) which way to look.
Crosswalks in South Korea have lights on the ground. It makes the crosswalk safer, especially if you’re busy looking at your phone. They’ve been so successful that a similar system is part of a pilot program in Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, there are crosswalks in Israel that have seats available for while you want for the light to change.
PC: fightmilk22 / Reddit
Transportation
You’ve probably heard of (or experienced) overpacked trains in Japan, especially during rush hour. With so many people in such a small space, some men have taken the opportunity to sexually harass females next to them, and the women can’t tell who is touching them. So Japan has developed women-only cars.
Waiting for the Women Only train on the Keio Line // PC: っ / Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 3.0
Some bus stop benches in South Korea are heated AND have wireless charging available for your phone.
Theme Parks
Speaking of seats, Hong Kong Disneyland has something ingenious – the rails to demarcate the queues have fold-down chairs built into them!
PC: alfredogzc / Reddit
Alert to see the Northern Lights
The Northern Lights are sometimes visible in the continental U.S. (a friend of mine who lives in MN posted pictures of them from her house the other night!). But in other countries where they’re a regular occurrence during “season,” there are all sorts of alert systems out there. Several places in Iceland, including at least one of the B&Bs we visited, will call your room if the lights were showing that night.
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