Travel is awesome. It opens your mind, makes you more empathetic, lets you meet new people, gives you an excuse to eat tasty food, and allows you to go on actual adventures. What’s not to love? One of the best things about going abroad is that you get to experience cultures that might be very different from what you’ve known all of your life.
At times, those cultural norms can seem quite bizarre to outsiders. Some of the members of the r/AskReddit community shared the weird and cool things that are completely normal in their home countries but would confuse or amuse tourists. We’ve collected some of their most interesting insights below. Put on your hiking boots, grab your backpack, and scroll down to start your trip.
#1
In Sweden, it's a common tradition to watch Donald Duck (known as "Kalle Anka" in Swedish) cartoons on Christmas Eve at 3 PM sharp. This isn't just a casual thing - it's a national event!
Every year, millions of Swedes gather around their TVs to watch a specific 1958 Disney special called "From All of Us to All of You" (or "Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul" in Swedish, which means "Donald Duck and his friends wish you a Merry Christmas").
Image credits: MEMONONA
#2
I'm Irish, and we tend to swear a lot in ordinary conversations. It means nothing most of the time, just a normal part of speech, but some of my non-Irish friends seemed a bit taken aback by it.
Image credits: ladyblithe
#3
Going to the sauna with the whole family naked. Completely normal where I live but for almost the whole planet it would be very confusing.
Edit: yes, Finland.
Image credits: marsmars124
The global travel and tourism industry is huge and one of the most competitive in the entire world. It also has a large impact on various places’ economies. Statista reports that travel and tourism contributed a mind-boggling $9.9 trillion to countries’ gross domestic product. That comes out to around 9.1% of the total global GDP.
The industry is projected to grow to over $1.1 trillion by the year 2029. That same year, the hotels market, a large chunk of the travel and tourism industry, is expected to grow to 1.8 billion users.
#4
Actually telling people how you’re doing when they ask you how you’re doing. We don’t use a lot of polite phrases just for the sake of being polite, so when people ask “how are you”, it’s interpreted as a genuine question rather than polite smalltalk or a greeting. My grandma once asked a cashier how she was doing and she replied “Not great. I have type 2 diabetes.”
(I’m from Norway)
Image credits: deleted
#5
In India, arranged marriage is still the norm. I went to law school with a guy who already had an engineering degree. He told me he only enrolled in law school because his family expects him to return to India when he's finished schooling and have an arranged marriage. As a result, he keeps enrolling in new higher education programs to postpone his engagement.
Image credits: lostkarma4anonymity
#6
I've been living in China for two years and I still can't bring myself to shout in a restaurant to get a server's attention. I'm British, so I'm so used to awkwardly raising my hand and saying, 'Excuse me' when the server looks in my direction. But in China, oh boy, you just have to shout and hope you're louder than the next table.
Image credits: TyranM97
The number of global inbound tourist arrivals recovered from 406 million during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic to 1.3 billion back in 2023. To put it another way, around every 6th person from around the world traveled abroad that year.
According to Statista, the most popular destination for international tourism continues to be Europe. Especially Southern and Mediterranean Europe. Around 265 million tourists traveled there in the 2022 period.
#7
Cheering when someone accidentally drops and smashes something in a restaurant/pub.
Image credits: JRB0bDobbs
#8
Here in Sydney, the police regularly deploy d**g detection dogs at train stations. They bring them into pubs as well. People visiting from overseas seem genuinely shocked by it, but most people here seem to ignore it.
Image credits: satisfiedfools
#9
In New Zealand being barefoot out of the house is considered normal. Many children walk barefoot to school (they have shoes, just choose not to wear them). You'll also see barefoot people in supermarkets and fast food restaurants
Image credits: StenSoft
With so many people traveling abroad and domestically, mutual empathy starts to matter. A lot! This means that, as a traveler, you should try to be as respectful of other people’s cultural norms as possible. It’s unlikely that you’ll be prepared for everything before you leave on your trip (many norms are very subtle and take time to notice and truly ‘get’), but what matters is the effort you put in.
Learning a bit of the local language and about the etiquette amd taboos goes a long way. Do some online research. Talk to some friends who’ve been where you’re going. Even consider going to a local cultural center for some useful resources.
On the flip side, it’s a reminder for locals to try to be friendly to outsiders. Sure, some tourists will inevitably be loud, rude, and disruptive. But many and more of them are decent folks who are having completely novel experiences outside their comfort zones. A few helpful words, a smile, some recommendations, and a gentle guiding hand can really make their trip memorable.
#10
Rootbeer floats. I tried to introduce this American delicacy to some German friends. They thought I was playing a trick on them. Thought it was so weird and gross they wouldn't even try it.
Image credits: TheBlueSlipper
#11
We pay companies in case we get sick or injured and they decide if we are sick or injured enough for them to use the money we pay them to help us. And we still have to pay more money once they help us.
#12
TV ads for pharmaceutical products.
Image credits: Safe_Chicken_6633
No matter how different people might seem on the surface, there are always things that unite us. Food, for example, is something that’s shared across every culture across the globe. Sure, the recipes, ingredients, cooking methods, and eating etiquette might differ from country to country.
But broadly speaking, you’ll still see folks get together in a communal space to eat together. It’s difficult to imagine any culture not having some type of traditional soup or dumpling to offer. Eating is a way to connect with the people you love and to show respect to someone from outside the community.
Singing, dancing, music, and art—they’re also universal and core parts of the human experience. Even if you don’t speak the local language (well, yet), you can still find other ways to connect with everyone around you. Travel might seem scary initially, but you’d be surprised by how many people are kind to outsiders.
#13
People dying because they don't have free universal healthcare. A lot of people will choose to not get medical attention because they don't have health insurance. So they end up dying. It's cheaper to die than have insane medical debt.
Image credits: Bear-M
#14
Saying "yeah, naaahh" = no. Saying "nah, yeeaah"= yes.
Image credits: bitofapuzzler
#15
Having a maple syrup reserve. The most lucrative heist in Canada's history was the Maple Reserve. Many millions of dollars in maple syrup were stolen. I just listened to the 'My Favorite Murder' podcast episode about it
Image credits: HeathenHumanist
What are some local cultural norms that you think outsiders would find a bit (or even a lot) strange, dear Pandas? On the flip side, what were the biggest culture shocks for you on your last trip? How did you handle them and how quickly did you adapt? You can tell us all about it in the comments.
#16
In Vietnam, you can buy anything you want (and as much of it as you want) from the local pharmacy without doctor's prescriptions
Image credits: Independent-Tree-848
#17
In Asian culture. Relatives fight with each other. Because each one wants to pay the bill for the whole family, eating out.
'I will pay. I am the most elder person. I have responsibility to the family'
'No I will pay. Even though I am young. I earn well enough. To cover. Let me pay this time'
That sorta argument happens.
When I tell it to westerners. They don't believe it.
Image credits: shuttermayfire
#18
Weights and measures.
I’m 5’10” and weigh 195lbs
My over cooks at 350 degrees
My pool is 72 degrees
But
I drive 80km/h
The temp outside is 21 degrees
I buy meat in either lbs or kg
Milk comes in 1 litre bags
Liquor in 26 fl oz bottles
Lumber in 2”x4” (which are really 1 1/2 by 3 1/2) plywood in 4x8’ sheets.
Image credits: dodadoler
#19
In Malaysia, calling older people not related to you uncle or aunty
Image credits: noorx3
#20
In my family's home country, it is normal to "try" things out in food stands, like, just shove your hand in the pile and try one, you like it? You buy by weight from the pile of whatever it is you tried. And it is apparently totally acceptable to just snack on whatever while you shop and browse through the store, as long as you buy something at the end.
I had a massive cultural shock on my first visit ?.
Image credits: Cup-Cait
#21
In my country, eating rice with every meal is a must.
Image credits: YUmmy_BOdy_003
#22
As an American, when i “lived” in England for three months, i realized just how rude and unacceptable Brits view the act of “pointing fingers”.
not that i was ever doing shit like pointing at and/or making fun of people, but just any kind of pointing even remotely in the vicinity of anyone’s direction was just a straight up no-no, regardless of context. my ex-fiancée (who was British) was constantly like “stop doing that” lmao. kinda interesting.
Image credits: shuttermayfire
#23
Living with parents is common in India. People aren't considered 'losers' for living with heir parents. I never understood why being 30 and living with your parents was considered as something 'bad'
Image credits: tittyf**k_00
#24
Congratulating everyone who is present at a birthday party.
Image credits: Prst_
#25
1. No small talks. You don't even acknowledge strangers, no random "How are ya" to people you pass on the street. You can say "Good day" to your neighbours or people you know, but not strangers. When you go shopping, you don't engage in polite banter with the cashier, it's just "Good day", they tell you the price of your items, you say "Card. Thank you. Goodbye" and that's it. No small talk with friends. No small talk whatsoever.
2. You can say "How are you" when meeting a friend, and the normal response to it is to complain about your latest problems. After they're done complaining, it's your turn to say "Ah f**k" and offer some advice or help, or tell them about you being in a similar situation. Complain about your problems, then they offer advice or help. And both sides mean to help, it's not just "Ah, call me one day, I could help you with that".
3. Don't talk about mayonnaise unless you want to divide people and start a war. Don't even think about starting mayonnaise conversation when people are drunk. It's very serious. It's something that's discussed at early stages of relationship and can be a dealbreaker for many.
Edit to add some more.
4. We don't tip. There's no tip culture. No one expects tip. You tip for excellent service, and if you leave a tip, people will be happy, but no one will be pissed if you don't tip.
5. We love to pick mushrooms. Every autumn most people go to the woods to pick mushrooms at least once. And I'm not even talking about the psychedelic ones. Every person in the country has at least basic knowledge about mushrooms that are safe to eat and the toxic ones. I was surprised when I moved abroad and found out how many people in my new home were scared of picking mushrooms because what if they're not safe? They just have no idea at all.
6. Carp fish swimming in the bathtub before Christmas Eve.
7. We celebrate Christmas on the 24th of December, not the 25th, and we open our presents in the evening.
8. SHOES OFF AS SOON AS YOU ENTER THE HOUSE.
9. There's a trash can under the sink in the kitchen and one drawer that has a plastic bag filled with other plastic bags. In every house.
10. You know that gesture when you beat your fist to your chest twice, like “I got you bro”, sign of truth and generally bro vibe? Yeah well in my country’s sign language it means “f****t”.
Image credits: -acidlean-
#26
Waving at magpies. I've done it in the USA and people look to see who I'm waving at and find a bird. I don't stop waving to the birds f**k off because of the superstition that goes with the number of magpies you see.
>One for sorrow, Two for joy, Three for a girl, Four for a boy, Five for silver, Six for gold, Seven for a secret, Never to be told".
#27
Bringing your own alcohol to parties, being naked in saunas, ice bathing, no gendered toilets.
#28
Asking “how are you?” after greeting someone, and no, you are not supposed to answer this question. Goes like “how are you” ping pong. Especially weird when you switch to silence right afterwards (shop/taxi/store).
Image credits: Anitolag
#29
Tipping in addition to paying for a meal or service.
Image credits: Leeser
#30
Apparently ice in a drink.
Image credits: valtboy23
#31
Flashing headlights to warn incoming traffic of police presence or speed traps. Got a few awkward reactions doing it abroad.
Image credits: nuteteme
#32
Coming over around diner time unannounced, fully expecting to be welcome and invited to dine with them.
#33
Adding tax onto the price listed on the tag. That drives non-USA folks nuts.
#34
If we're having a casual gathering at a house, we usually don't sit on long tables but put newspapers on the floor as a makeshift "dining table" and sit around it to eat
I've had parties like this my whole life and it was only when my foreigner friends got culture shock from it did I realize it's not a norm in other countries.
Image credits: Penna_23
#35
Bunny chow ? " an Indian South African fast food dish consisting of a hollowed-out loaf of white bread filled with curry and a serving of salad on the side.".
#36
Saying that we have several loonies in our pants.
#37
Tipping.
It's very strange going to Asia or Europe and walking away from a meal without leaving money on the table or adding an extra $10 to the receipt.
Image credits: SuperJohnLeguizamo
