When you go to another country, there are things you are going to adore, and other things that, well, maybe not so much.
Case in point, when we go to Japan, I LOVE walking around their Lawson’s and 7-Eleven stores, because they’re so different from ours. I also adore visiting the UK because we don’t have to worry about translation ;-). On the other hand, the whole “make sure you don’t overflow the toilet” in most of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia was a pain. And Iceland, although lovely, was COLD (I hate the cold).
Not surprisingly, there are things that people form other countries are not so thrilled about when they visit the United States, too. In fact, a redditor named MickJof, who’s from the Netherlands, started a conversation a few months ago about what tourists like and dislike while visiting the U.S. as a tourist. Several hundred of travelers chimed in.
Here’s what Mickof wrote, followed by the replies they got (replies are edited only for adult language, clarity and length):
I have been touring the United States for several weeks now, visiting multiple states. I am from Europe. The Netherlands specifically.
This is not my first time in the US but it is my most extensive. It strikes me how vastly different the USA is compared to my country or Europe in general.
I’d just like to give my thoughts here from a European perspective. Which things I think are better here and which are worse. I am also keeping this limited to a tourist perspective, so I’m going to stay away from things that are only relevant when I would actually live here, like healthcare, taxes and politics.
I am aware that the vast majority of Reddit users are American. I do not intend to offend in any way. Just putting my personal opinions here.
Thinks I like
Nature. Raw, wild and untouched and – most of all – VAST. The sheer vastness AND variety of nature and pure wilderness here is definitely unmatched in Europe. Specifically the little nature we have in The Netherlands is laughable compared to the USA.
People are generally approachable and friendly. Yes I do like Americans, at least their overall demeanor. I would be greeted and asked where I’m from even by someone at the 7 eleven. In general Dutch people are quire rude.
Free refills! This is a small thing but really unheard of in the Netherlands. In my country you pay the same price for just one tiny cup of coffee. In fact, all drinks you order are tiny in The Netherlands and you pay for each one.
Traffic lights across the street. I can’t for the life of my understand why we still have to lean over the steering wheel and get a sore neck looking straight upwards at the traffic lights in Europe.
The doggy bag. You MIGHT be able to get to take your leftover with you in certain places in The Netherlands, but it really not the norm and would surely raise an eyebrow if you ask. Here it is normal and I find it very good to not let the food go to waste. Besides, I did pay for it so its nice to be able to take it with me.
Things I don’t like
Tipping! Why the heck do I need to be partly responsible for a proper salary for these people? Also it is just annoying to have to calculate the tip every time. It is also annoying that listed prices are almost exclusively without tax. In my country – and across most of Europe as far as I’m aware – you pay exactly what is listed as the price. No hidden surprises.
The food, especially breakfast. Almost everything contains sugar. Breakfast is never with fresh bread and fresh good meats and cheese. In fact American cheese is awful, but maybe I’m spoiled living in cheese country. For dinner the food isn’t quite as bad, but its still nowhere near the quality and variety that you find in Europe.
Plastic! Too much plastic is a problem in Europe also, but the amount of plastic (and styrofoam or other disposable crap) used here is bizarre. I also find it really bizarre that in every hotel breakfast its all disposable cutlery and plates also. You really NEVER see this in Europe, not even in the cheapest hotels.
Imperial measurements. Gallons, miles, feet and especially Fahrenheit is so bizarre. Also because the conversion factor to metric is odd. Almost all the world, as well as the scientific world, uses metric which makes so much more sense in every way. Why does the US hold on to such an archaic system?
So here are some of my thoughts. Feel free to add your own, or tell me where you agree or disagree. I’d love to read the same perspective from Americans who have visited Europe.
And some of the replies:
- What I hated the most in the US was “resort fees”… That stuff is very scammy and should be illegal — gorogy
- European (Belgian) here who just came back from a one month road trip in the US. I’m so jealous of the magnificent nature you have in your country, I saw so many beautiful sights! Please treasure it. I disagree with the low quality food, I had both really good meals and really poor ones. Best Thai food I ever had was in LA. Also, so many places sell drip coffee just the way I like it, not some watered down espressos. Loved that! Another like were the many (mostly) clean and free restrooms, Having to pay for using a dirty restroom in a rest area along the highway in Europe sucks. That being said, some restrooms in the US really didn’t care about my privacy with one inch gaps everywhere. Driving was so convenient, being a pedestrian not so much. I biked through SF but couldn’t say I felt very safe.
Dislikes were the tipping culture and prices listed pre-tax. I mean, I ordered food or drinks to go a couple of times where I often had to tip in advance only for something to go wrong with my order. Not getting my tip back am I?
Overall I had a great time, met a lot of friendly people and saw amazing nature and wildlife. I can’t wait to go back! — Jakisirtaki - I recently went to the US for the first time as well. I can’t believe no one has mentioned the worse plight of all: inconsistency of faucets operability. I’ve stayed mostly at air bnbs and a couple of hotels and motels as well, and I swear no two water faucets work the same in that country. Turn it, pull it, push it, swerve, pivot, two handles, one handle… wtf is wrong with standards? why not pick ONE system and apply it everywhere? It felt like at each new venue I had to invest 1 to 5 minutes to learn how to extract water from the pipes. And some were STEEP learning curves, with usability so obscure that we had to pool ideas.
- the only system I encountered more than once was the dumbest of all: in the shower, a single dial that inexplicably controls BOTH temperature and pressure at the same time — Zombiehype
- In some countries (like the UK, my country of origin), it’s common for individual success or attempts to start up a business/club/etc. to be ridiculed, sneered at, or politely joked about.
In contrast, Americans seem generally sincere in their desire for other Americans to succeed on a personal level, which is commendable. — littlechefdoughnuts - I like the diversity in the US the most. I’m Asian American (visibly East Asian) and the casual and overt day to day racism in a lot of Europe exhausts me after awhile. Not that the US is perfect but the racism in Europe is like death by a million cuts and everywhere and not even discussed, generally very much in denial. I do prefer the general quality of life in Europe and if I was white, would probably prefer living in Europe over the US, in many regards. — accidentalchai
- I’m an European (Polish) living in the US and I generally agree with this list except that I disagree that breakfast is always sugary and think the US actually has way more food variety than Europe. I think your perception might be biased by the fact that it sounds you’re mostly going through remote places and staying in cheaper hotels (the comment about plastic cutlery at hotel breakfast — more expensive hotels will not have breakfast included but will have a restaurant on premises which uses metal cutlery). — szyy
- Give me a New York everything bagel with egg and cheese and a cup of coffee and I’m a happy camper — Alex_Albons_Appendix
- I’ll add as a New Zealander living here..
Like: sports culture, have-a-go culture, general enjoyment of life, being encouraging of people that are willing to try something or hustle, low barrier to entry for someone starting a business, online shopping, gas stoves, diversity across the different parts of the country, super friendly, most people are big on values, pride in keeping towns tidy.
Dislike: tipping (I know you have it already but seriously what gives), treatment of indigenous history, lack of consumer protection, level of poverty, strange policy making that reinforces lack of trust in government, occasional respect for road rules, hard to access to good quality produce at a reasonable price, no ring-pulls on tinned food.
Just pet peeves. Overall I freaking love being in US!! This country rules and will continue to rule!
Edit: I forgot to add innovation. It feels like this country could invent anything. — dominashe - (In response to above) The treatment of indigenous history is a huge one between NZ and the US, I know NZ isn’t perfect but whoah boyyy is it better than the US. Learned more about the Māori in one month living here than I did about the indigenous Americans in 30 years living in the US.
Curious where you are living in the US though. I find fresh produce more expensive and less of a selection here in NZ than I did in the Boston suburbs. Potatoes, especially, I miss all the potato varieties. — bthks - I loved America till I moved here — 4ever4eigner
- I went to LA recently and found the car centric culture suuuuper inconvenient for a tourist. Every time you want to see a thing, you need to research it beforehand and then drive there. Want to see another thing? More research, then drive. In just about any other city I’ve ever been I would just head to the city center and explore on foot and pop in to whatever place looked interesting.
Admittedly it was a short trip and maybe I did it wrong, but the closest thing to being able to just wander around was in downtown, and even there you occasionally have to walk over a nice 8 lane highway, which is a long way to walk (and be wary of certain neighborhoods and whatever).
That and since a car had to be involved at every step, you couldn’t really stop for a few beers or whatever. I guess locals either plan their days better or drive drunk. — Kelpo - My biggest takeaway from visiting the US as an Australian was how friendly people are. Most aussies are know as being friendly but Americans top us on that front. In America be prepared to engage in chit chat nearly everywhere.
Also the food. There’s some amazing food in the states but it’s hard to find or very expensive. — ewan82 - Surprised nobody mentioned the sh***y public transit system in the US — Mystery_Gem
- I’m from Australia and I’ve lived in the US twice. I agree with the summation here. I also don’t like walking around where people are openly carrying guns, or seeing a gun in the hands of someone. It’s so alien to anything I experience in Australia. Plus the homelessness and hopelessness on the streets is heartbreaking. And the crumbling infrastructure in some places is surprising. Parts of the US are like the developing world due to decades of no investment by governments. — bernadette-welch
- What i found bizzare was not being able to find a restaurant for breakfast on a sunday with less than one hour waiting time. Everything was full and people waiting in line. In my country (Slovenia) people rarely go out for breakfast, especially on a sunday. In US we couldn’t find a restaurant with less than one hour waiting time around Las Vegas. — evadrevakaca
- Add: The water in the toilet bowl is way too high. — astroman9995
- As a Canadian in the USA I still cannot handle American measuring. Oz, Gallons, quarts???? Wtf is a quart?! — MustardFeetMcGee
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