If you’ve done quite a bit of traveling, you’ll know that you can have vastly different experiences around the world depending on what country you’re in and how well you fit in there. In one place, you might be considered crazy if you smile at a stranger while walking down the street. Meanwhile, in another, you might be called rude if you don’t strike up a conversation with the bartender before ordering a beer.
#1
Dear female travellers travelling alone in India: don't travel alone.
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#2
Female, American from DR, raised in NJ in the 80s and 90s. I appear mixed/brown and when I traveled in my 20s and 30s, I mostly did alone.
Nicest people: Japanese. I've lived in Japan and traveled there a lot since. Never had a truly bad experience. People were helpful and once the ice was broken, very friendly; everyone tends to mind their business and customer service was always great, even when the konbini part-timer looked like they'd rather be anywhere but at work. Friendliest people I met were at Kamakura.
Meanest: I wouldn't say "mean" but I am never going to Egypt again. The sexual harassment was unbelievable. Made NYC Construction Sites seem like a monastery by comparison.
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#3
Some of the nicest people I’ve come across in travels:
Japanese and Balinese, also New Zealanders
The rudest and most disrespectful:
Russians and Chinese.
Image credits: waffles4us
To learn more about where you can find the friendliest locals in the world, we reached out to globetrotter Alyse, aka The Invisible Tourist, to hear her thoughts on the topic. Alyse was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and share where she's encountered incredibly kind people.
"I'm sure many readers will agree when I answer this question with Japan, people genuinely go out of their way to help if you need it," the travel expert says. "For instance, I've been surprised when a lady in Osaka walked me from the train station to my hotel. And another time when I caught the wrong train, a lady jumped off onto the platform to direct me where to go and therefore missed her train... Just selfless encounters like this."
"The locals in Thailand are also some of the friendliest I've ever encountered, too!" Alyse added. "The genuine smiles on their faces are so heartwarming, it's no wonder Thailand is known as the 'Land of Smiles.'"
#4
The world is filled with nice people and I keep travelling to remind this myself: you will find great people in any country.
Image credits: GreyAngy
#5
This highly depends on who you are. Race, gender, ethnicity, nationality play a huge role.
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#6
I feel like men and women may have VERY different experiences in some countries. India for example. I found it very friendly/respectful as a big/tall western man, but I’d not want my wife or daughters traveling alone there.
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On the other hand, we were curious if Alyse has ever met locals who weren't exactly welcoming towards her. "For me personally, I did have less-than-friendly encounters with locals in Vienna and Prague," she shared. "Now, it is a cultural difference there for locals to not be overly enthusiastic when meeting visitors, which is understandable, but separate vendors in each city refused to give me change when I paid for street food. I had to insist, and felt as though they were trying to take advantage. Hopefully that has changed there now."
#7
For me, a white woman in my then early twenties, Scotland was by far the nicest country. I found it so endearing that everyone kept calling me “love”.
Image credits: wydhs
#8
People posting nicest places needs to post if they're a man or woman. Going to someone of these places as a woman is down right dangerous yet men see it as "nicest people ever".
Image credits: dumbasstupidbaby
#9
I haven't travelled the whole world but I felt safe and comfortable travelling in Germany, and totaly scared for my life in China.
Image credits: anon
Alyse also suggests that travelers be extra mindful of locals in places that are known to suffer from over tourism. "Kyoto, Bali, Santorini, Venice, Dubrovnik, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Paris are just a few places where locals are fed up with tourists," she noted. "We don't want to make their lives more difficult, so it's important to be as respectful as possible when visiting."
#10
Nicest people ...Ireland. My niece is a harpist, used to go to Ireland every year to compete in an Irish music and dance festival. I'd go with her and my sister to be the driver (needed a van for the harp, no automatics to rent, sister couldn't drive stick). We get into Dublin Airport and get the van, drive to the other coast to a small town called Ballybunion. I've barely slept from the flight over, hotel didn't have a parking lot, had to park the van in a lot a couple of blocks away near the business area. Streets and houses are all on the same level, no curbs. But the houses would have a low curb/fence put up around them as a bit of a boundary. Tired, driving on the wrong side of the road and turning down a narrow alley... drove up on the 'curb' of this one house. High enough that it's like having a jack on the van. Can't drive off of it. Road is the main road but it's one way. I back up traffic for a mile, it's a Sunday so no tow service nearby."
"Gentleman wanders over to us sitting there trying to get the van jacked up high enough to get the tire onto the curb. Oh fook a duck laddie, that's a bang-up parking job. Proceeds to take over, borrows a plank of wood from one of the houses nearby and wedges it under the tire to give traction to back up. Sister tried to give him cash for helping, turns out it's is mother's home. She's off on holiday. Later that week, we saw him in the pub and tried to buy him a pint. Fook no, I've been drinkin' fer free all week tellin' the story about the American that backed up traffic to the next town!'. He bought us pints all night, still friends with him today."
Image credits: Eligius_MS
#11
Nicest place I've ever been was New Zealand. The land is gorgeous, the people are lovely, and welcoming. I live in Niagara Region, which can be very touristy, and all over NZ was just so pleasant.
Worst place I've ever been is the Walmart next to Walt Disney World in Florida. There was a shooting as we were leaving, heard the gunshots while pulling out of the parking lot.
Image credits: MetricJester
#12
Went to Montreal once. Just got to the city and stopped in front of a street kiosk with a city map. Within a couple of minutes of staring at it, a woman approached us and asked if we needed help finding anything. She was local. English, but with a French accent.
I was so confused and startled by this random act of kindness, that my initial thought was she was setting us up for something and I started looking behind my shoulder. The concept of a stranger helping us out for no particular reason was so alien to us that we were on guard for something that never happened. Turns out, people are just nice there and we weren't used to seeing it.
Image credits: -Dixieflatline
We also asked the expert for some tips on how travelers can have better experiences with locals when abroad.
"Definitely try and 'blend in' as much as possible during your trip by learning some basic phrases of the local language (and possible responses!) beforehand," Alyse says. "Find out any cultural differences (for example, why you should never show the soles of your feet in some Asian countries), catch trains outside of rush hours with luggage where possible, dining etiquette, and cover up appropriately at any places of worship."
"And overall, try to keep our voices down. No one likes an annoying tourist, but we can amplify the positive aspects of tourism through thoughtful exchanges with locals," she added.
#13
Nicest? New Zealand by far.
Worst? Isreal. Arrogant and mean.
Image credits: bmwlocoAirCooled
#14
Morocco for both. Had some of the most obnoxious dumba**es harass us but on the other hand had the one of the best meals of my life offered for free by the nicest strangers I’ve ever met one Ramadan there.
I prefer to remember the second but I can see how others would not. And that’d be every bit as reasonable.
Image credits: Mothcicle
#15
I understand Mandarin/Cantonese and went to Guangdong for a holiday. Worst holiday ever because I understood how rude they were. When I tried on clothes at a mall shop and didn't find anything which I liked, the sales girls b*tched out loud to each other that I shouldn't be trying anything if I wasn't going to buy anything. At another shop, I asked if they had a certain design in stock. When they offered an alternative, I tried it on, and I could hear them complaining out loud about me being a nuisance just because I asked if they had a particular design in stock. Plus, they did it deliberately loud Mean Girls style, like they wanted you to hear what they were saying. I had people scold ME for exclaiming 'hey!' when THEIR spit accidentally landed on my shoe. One lady in her 20s cut the line when I was just about to pay, and then yelled at me. Ordering food at a semi-popular dessert store meant being body slammed like we were at a mosh pit. I was never so glad to leave a country.
Image credits: Odd-Cobbler2126
Finally, Alyse suggests to "try and opt for small businesses as much as possible rather than global conglomerates during your trip."
"This helps to keep tourism money within the local community who rely on it, rather than it being sent offshore," she explained. "This applies to restaurants, accommodation, retail, traditional handicrafts and cultural experiences... As tourists, we have the power to funnel our money to where it is needed most."
And if you're looking for even more travel advice from Alyse, be sure to visit The Invisible Tourist or check out her book!
#16
Nicest? Easily Canada- some very nice people up that way!
Meanest was easily Germany, though I did find their rudeness to be almost comical haha. I still like them though and appreciate their blunt manner!
Image credits: nomorechoco
#17
Ireland = nicest, I was surprised as I'm English but everyone was very friendly. France = rudest.
Edit: Runners up for nicest, Greece.
Image credits: Scott_EFC
We were also lucky enough to get in touch with King Siu of Travel, Eat, Drink to hear about some of his experiences with locals around the world. "I’ve been to over 30 countries on six continents, and I’m happy to report that I’ve found friendly people everywhere I’ve been," the travel expert shared.
"There were definitely spots where I wasn’t sure what kind of reception I’d receive, but that was less about whether I thought I would find friendly people there and more about whether they would be friendly towards me," King noted. "There were many reasons for my hesitations, but the main two were how they would react to someone of my ethnicity (as an Asian, I kind of stand out everywhere I go outside of Asia), and how they would feel about a foreigner in general, as geopolitical issues can create tension."
#18
I haven't been to all that many foreign countries, but I thought New Zealanders were quite nice. Sarcastic and teasing at times, but nice in general. I got really, super-bad vibes in Rwanda, like I was hated. That was difficult.
Image credits: Regular_Boot_3540
King says that, for the most part, he's been very surprised by how much he's been ignored while traveling. "Whether I’m wandering alleys in Egypt, markets in Colombia, or small towns in Australia, I’m generally left alone," he told Bored Panda. "The exception being if I’m in a super touristy area, because then I’m mobbed like a celebrity as they try to sell me stuff. However, the locals I’ve engaged with in every country have typically been quite friendly, even when there is a language barrier between us."
#19
Best: Japan. By far the worst of what I’ve experienced: Turkey. God I hate everything about that country.
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#20
Nicest was Indonesia , so friendly and genuinely so. I’ve been many times and always have the same experience (touristy parts of Bali exempt)
Most unfriendly , Israel. They just looked so miserable all the time and any time I tried to start a chat I just got a dead eyed stare back at me.
Image credits: Long-Confusion-5219
"I’ve also found that the more a place differs from where I am from, the friendlier the people tend to be towards me," King pointed out. "Logically, one would assume that it would be the other way around, but that’s not what I’ve found."
"When I stayed in a favela in Rio de Janeiro (which is probably the scariest thing I’ve done to-date, and not something I recommend you do without doing extensive research and taking the proper precautions), once I got over the possibility that I could be killed or kidnapped and got to know the people in that neighborhood, I would say that they turned out to be some of the friendliest and most generous people I’ve ever met," he shared.
#21
Vietnam is probably the friendliest place ive been.
Image credits: Petrich0rium
#22
Nicest people - Thailand; people were just friendly and helpful for no gain; I remember the nicest lady who saw we were confused and helped us to cross the street and then she couldn't speak English so she found someone else who spoke English so we could get directions and then made sure we got safely to building.
Runner Up - Wierdly Americans; seemingly always open to starting a conversation and trying to assist you or give you helpful tips
Image credits: EmpressI
"People are naturally curious, and the opportunity to learn new things and have a new experience in a safe environment brings out the best in people," King says. "This isn’t like someone trying something new because that often puts someone in an uncomfortable situation, and people don’t like feeling vulnerable. In this scenario, they are in their comfort zone as the local dealing with you, so there is no feeling of losing control to deter them from the experience."
#23
Meanest in Morocco, lots of catcalling and no respect for personal space. Nicest I am going to say America from personal experience.
Image credits: kirrillik
#24
The French. I am not a huge world traveler so I'm no authority, but in my experience the French folks I met were not very friendly, and liked to make fun of people and any attempts to speak their language."
Image credits: CountessBloodbath
We also asked King about any experiences he's had with locals who weren't particularly welcoming. "In my experience, their unfriendly attitude towards foreigners often stems from the fact that the foreigners are being disrespectful," he noted. "Usually, it’s not on purpose, but when you’re traveling to a new place, especially if they have a different culture or religion, make sure you do your research about the local customs and behaviors. I’m sure we’ve heard of the extreme cases where idiotic tourists damage historical or religious monuments, but sometimes it’s just simple things like talking too loudly or eating on public transit."
"When you’re traveling, you are a guest, and just as you’d behave yourself and do your best to not be an idiot when you’re visiting a friend’s house, it’s your job to know how not to upset people who live in the places you visit," the expert added.
#25
Philippines is very friendly to travellers. The rudest I'd say were France and Belgium. I honestly can't say I was really personally impacted by that, but coming from Canada it was quite shocking to see how rude some service staff could be to customers.
Image credits: Already-asleep
#26
The meanest is probably Manila Philippines. I've been there 3 times and every time I encounter the coldest least friendly people I've ever met. I heard good things about other places away from Manila so I'll have to experience that first.
Image credits: zaryaguy
King also recommends that tourists be extra mindful of respecting the local religion when traveling.
"Just because a place shares the same language and many of the same values, don’t assume that you don’t need to be mindful of how you’re behaving," he added. "Even in the U.S., acceptable behaviors can differ greatly across the country. It’s often more difficult because everything is so similar, yet some things are completely different. Take, for example, attitudes on public transit. Someone in Florida would think you’re crazy for taking public transit, but in NYC, it would not even be a topic of conversation."
#27
Taiwan is awesome and the people are super welcoming and nice
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#28
For me thus far, nicest: Denmark. I don't think I met a rude person once. They score very high on reported happiness quizzes. Close second would be Costa Rica.
Meanest: France, but I still wouldn't say they were mean. People in the Loire valley were great, Parisians were a little less nice. But still much nicer than the stereotype, which I think comes from Americans who believe that everybody understands English if you just slow it down and shout it.
Image credits: RichCorinthian
"If people are reacting badly to you, it’s not usually because they are unfriendly, it’s usually because you’ve done something they view as wrong or unusual," King pointed out. "Before you start attacking me for blaming you for someone else being unfriendly, I want you to think about the last time you judged a tourist for doing something you thought was annoying or offensive and how you’d treat that person if they immediately started to talk to you after the offending incident."
"If you’re American and reading this, I want you to think about what you thought or shouted the last time you were driving and someone with an out-of-state license plate did something stupid on the road," he added.
#29
Thailand. Nicest people.
Image credits: Used_Start_3603
If you'd like to have better experiences with locals when traveling, King suggests doing your research before and finding out what behavior is acceptable (and what is not).
"If you’re traveling for work, research the local business customs. Do you need to arrive at meetings half an hour early or bring a gift? Think about the types of interactions you will be having in that place, and find out how to behave so that you don’t offend everyone around you," he explained.
But this doesn't mean you can't be yourself when traveling, King says. "It just might be a modified version of you," he noted. "If you think that changing yourself for the situation will be too suffocating and take all the fun out of traveling, I promise that you will have more fun as this modified version of yourself surrounded by friendly people, than the authentic you surrounded by a crowd of hostile locals."
#30
Nicest customer service: Mexico
Friendliest locals: South Africa, Southern USA
Worst customer service: Russia
Least friendly locals: Northeastern USA.
Image credits: ElysianRepublic
King also pointed out that learning the local language can go a long way in creating a friendly environment. "You don’t need to become fluent, as just the basics like hello, thank you, and goodbye will buy you a lot of good will, as it shows you’ve taken some effort to learn about them," he explained.
"Finally, I would like to add that popular culture and media often create a misrepresentation of places beyond our borders, so keep that in mind and give each new place you visit the benefit of the doubt," the travel expert shared.
If you'd like to keep up with King's travels or gain even more tips from him, be sure to check out Travel, Eat, Drink!
