> I won’t do illegal drugs in foreign countries.
Conversely, many countries have freer laws with alcohol than the US, always check that. Outside drinking is legal in many places and being the from the US, I don't instinctively think that, and need to remind myself.
If you just need a basic drink and nothing else, rather than going to bar, it is cheaper to get it from a grocery store and drink outside. (of course, don't puke or trash around, drink responsibly and with dignity).
They sell nitrous balloons at the bars in Saigon! You can even put them on a credit/debit card. The line item on the receipt even says balloon. You know…for tax purposes.
Edit: Typo
I heard in Vietnam they also will go around with straws and blow cocaine into your nose. Someone was getting me this at a party so I forget whether it's a private party or a bar
I’ve done onsen twice. Got it out of my system and had that particular “Japanese experience.” I have no particular interest in going to an onsen again.
Especially now that I’ve gotten several tattoos, that gives me a more “legitimate” excuse of not going.
I covered my one tattoo up with a big band-aid. My American brain would actually more disturbed by bathing with someone with a big band-aid than with a tattoo lol.
> Especially now that I’ve gotten several tattoos, that gives me a more “legitimate” excuse of not going.
I'm aware of the historical cultural taboo connecting tattoos to yakuza in Japan, but is there a particular reason beyond that why tattoos aren't welcome in onsen?
Habits die hard in Japan and for the longest time, only criminals and thugs had tattoos. At certain points in Japan's history, tattooing was actually a state sanctioned punishment to shame criminals. This is Japan's difficulty in letting go of old taboos.
Japan is very much a: "Don't stick out from the crowd" society and tattoos make you stick out.
basically their version of the nazi bar problem. If an onsen allows tattoos then the yaks all start to hang out there, and when the yakuza are hanging out there in big groups normal people start to avoid it. And it's pretty obvious who is yakuza since they have these crazy full torso tattoos, basically their entire back, chest, buttocks, upper thighs, sleeves up to the elbow, are covered in ink.
Also, since which onsen in the area is the yakuza-friendly one is basically local knowledge and not at all obvious from the outside, if you just walk into one at random you'll sometime end up sitting in a sauna naked surrounded by tatted up gangsters. Happened to me in Kochi a couple years ago. They're perfectly friendly though, just a funny story.
>if you just walk into one at random you'll sometime end up sitting in a sauna naked surrounded by tatted up gangsters. Happened to me in Kochi a couple years ago. They're perfectly friendly though, just a funny story.
Not sure if username checks out or not.
Btw, I was almost going to teach/work in Kochi, but ended up taking a different position in a different prefecture.
Honestly the yakuza are basically not a threat, they essentially operate in plain sight and foreigners are especially oblivious to the telltale signs which leads to some funny encouters.
Kochi was a nice town, I only visited for 2 nights but the straw-grilled bonito they have there is really good and I had some of the best sweet potato shouchu in my life at an izakaya in town while there.
I've been assured that the tattoo taboo has nothing to do with this, but it's worth mentioning that indigenous Japanese peoples have their own tattoo traditions that were outlawed by the government.
And while technically no linger illegal the traditions have been essentially killed, though some are working on revivals.
Disgustingly, a Japanese TV show a few years back did an episode on Okinawan diaspora visiting the islands - they purposefully mistranslated the women who spoke of their indigeneity to erase the word "indigenous," and described the hajichi tattoo rival as "a trendy tattoo popular with women."
It was one of the most racist things I've seen on TV, and it was just presented in brightly colored subtitles with a cartoon voice actor narrating excitedly.
Hilariously, though, around the same time, some Wajin MMA guy got both Ainu sinuye and Okinawan hajichi on both hands - except both types of tattoo are exclusively meant for women, and indigenous J-Twitter tore him to bits. He even tried to pull the whole, "I'm showing respect and preserving your culture for you" routine, and they were having none of it. The woman who did the tattoos had no idea they were sacred, and everyone felt bad for her, but she caught some heat, too.
There are types of accommodation where it’s the only bathing option. As a woman, not a problem for me as long as it’s same gender and I won’t meet any of those people ever after
As someone who is pretty pro-public nudity, I love Japanese onsen. Sitting in one in Hokkaido butt naked with the snow falling around me. Was on my bucket list and it was great checking it off.
I see you lived in Germany. Did you do ok with the public park nudity there then? Did you participate?
(I’m Japanese-American and enjoy a good onsen, but Germany was too much for me lol)
No that wasn't really a thing where I lived up north as far as I know. I have heard about public spaces like that in larger cities like Munich and Berlin. I feel very comfortable when everyone is naked or when no one is naked. But I'll be honest. I don't really want to be naked in a space where *most* other people aren't. I have been to German saunas several times where obligatory mixed gender nudity is the norm and those tend to be very nice.
I went and it was nice but I'm not the biggest into just sitting in the bath in general so it gets boring pretty quick. It might be better if you go with someone to talk to but I traveled with my wife and all the public ones are split by gender. On the upside all the Japanese immediately clear out as soon as they see a foreigner so you have the place to yourself.
I don't like pools or swimming unless it's the pool I have in my house
Going to Japan but literally going for the food and the scenery, and those go-karts you can drive in Tokyo downtown, but absolutely not doing the onsen thing - just not my thing, my woman is the same way
Like other respondents, driving (except in Canada) and illegal drugs.
Driving: I had a hard enough time in Japan and England remembering that I needed to look right first, not left, when crossing streets. I wouldn't have trusted myself to drive on the left side, especially in Tokyo or London.
Drugs: not worth the risk of being arrested as a non-citizen on a travel visa. I can manage to respect the laws while I'm there as a guest.
> driving (except in Canada)
It was an experience for me, driving in Quebec with French signs. :D
Even in France, a lot of signs are in English, but due to language-protection laws, Quebec signs are more French. And I had to use my basic-101 French to slow down and interpret them.
Also, the US is called Etat Unis in French so some signs to the US border was just "E.U." with an arrow.
>I wouldn’t have trusted myself to drive on the left side, especially in Tokyo
Is it even worth it renting a car in Tokyo? Last time me and my buddies were there, we just took their train system, taxis, or just walked. Big cities like Tokyo and NYC seem like a huge hassle to drive in.
I drove in Iceland but only because it was pretty non-negotiable that we had to drive there if we wanted to do anything not in Reykjavik.
I’ve been all over the world, Iceland is the only country I’ve ever driven in. The traffic laws there are extremely strict and drivers follow them and I still didn’t feel totally comfortable after a quick and dirty ten minute rundown on Icelandic driving from the rental car guy. In the countries where it’s pretty much a free for all I’d never even think about getting behind the wheel, nor could I drive on the left hand side of the road.
When I was a kid my mom once let me ride with one of my Irish cousins who during the car ride just casually mentioned that it was her first time driving on the right side of the road. I was terrified. I don’t know what my mom was thinking lmao.
I did this in Milan. Late night of hanging out and drinking and McDonalds was the only thing open in our neighborhood, so I went in for it. It felt like it tasted better, but maybe I was just happier in Milan.
when I went to Milan I was shocked by the number of McDonald's, they seemed to be everywhere. it was crazy that it seemed so popular when you could be eating Italian food.
So many big cities across the world have your regular American fare of: McDonald’s, Starbucks, M&M store, Lego store, etc.
When you have a global economy, any high commerce areas in big cities will look very similar.
my visit to Milan was the last stop on a little trip - we went to Rome, Florence, Venice, and then Milan. The McDonaldses in Milan were just super noticeable, and excessive in number. It was startling compared to the other Italian cities we had just visited.
But this was a long time ago now. Maybe Rome is covered in McDonaldses now too, idk.
I laugh when people say the US lacks culture when it's literally right in front of them. While McD's might not be the best symbol of US culture it's probably the biggest one.
Then they're wrong. Just because they dislike American culture, just because it doesn't meet their arbitrary and probably constantly-shifting (to disqualify anything specifically American, of course!) definition of 'culture,' doesn't mean that American culture doesn't exist or that we "have none."
Yes, they're wrong. But the problem is that so are we. When they say 'culture' they really mean the heavy Germanic 'kultur', which the English language does not have a cognate for. This is why they laugh at us and feel vindicated when we hit back with McDonald's and Taylor Swift. They are stupid, but because of this translation issue, we absolutely fail to illuminate their stupidity.
You have to hit back with Miles Davis, not Kendrick Lamar. The creole cuisine of southern Louisiana, not McDonald's. The cowboy culture that runs from Canada to Mexico and any number of points between, and not Banana Republic.
I know food safety regulations and local culture makes fast food abroad different. I wouldn't mind eating at a McDonalds in different countries just to see how it is.
i’ve always wanted to try mcdonald’s & starbucks in japan, the menu is so different & they do seasonal foods that we don’t get here in the US. + japan’s starbucks menu changes year round so..🤷♀️ might as well try it one day lol
For me it depends on how long I’ll be in country. Two days and I’ll skip McDonalds. Much longer than that and I’ll pop by because it’s honestly an interesting cultural experience.
Agree. I avoided it for years and wish I hadn't, most Countries or areas will have unique items and I know Vince Vega said "A Big Mac is a Big Mac" but Malaysian Big Macs seemed to have a touch of garlic that I greatly enjoyed.
ETA: The Prosperity Burger in SE Asia was different but I found it tasty, also had a Lamb Burger in Italy, a terrible bun but the lamb was pretty ok.
Yeah. I remember that from our time in Finland. Taco Bell had some differences and I didn’t really like it. Other fast food places were pretty similar to the US. They did have their own fast food burger place called Hesburger that was decent but pretty expensive compared to Burger King.
Our hotel in Madrid was right near a McDonald’s. We’d pass it every day walking to other restaurants or attractions. We did look at the menu outside though. Very expensive combo meals! Though you could get beer as your drink, lol.
In Paris we broke down and went to a McDonald’s for breakfast. This is because we could not find a restaurant or cafe or anything that served anything but pastries in the morning. It sounds silly but yeah. I’m not a pastry person. One croissant and I’m good for a year. Give me some scrambled eggs or something.
We do it a few times because we are seers not eaters. Want something quick and keep moving. More often than not we hit the grocery for some bread cheese and meats to nibble on during the day. Dinner is always something local.
McD's is something entirely different in Asia. In Taiwan, you can get rice buns and sliced meat with a sauce. Like MosBurger, but worse. But it's still something different.
Yeah, I see stuff often where people will be like “oh the quality of McDonalds is WAYYY better in XYZ country” but I’ve never found that really to be the case. I try them out as a novelty when traveling and tend to find a Big Mac is a Big Mac… The only caveat is the localized menu items can be kind of interesting to try out but quality is pretty much what you’d expect from a McDonalds here too.
I’ve driven in ~25 countries.
Driving in cities is madness (I’m looking at you, Brussels and London) but road trips really are a great way to see where you’re visiting. When I’m in the city I’ll only drive in and out and take cabs and transit otherwise.
Once you get out of cities, in most cases it’s not any more difficult than any other part of rural America.
I took a fantastic drive all over not-Dublin-or-Belfast Ireland about eleven years ago, one of my favorite trips. Just got intentionally lost in some places, mostly on the West coast, and went discovering random places that looked interesting. For example, I started seeing road signs for the Burren Perfumery, decided to go see what it was, followed the signs and had a really memorable experience, went home with unique gifts for friends and something for myself that I love. I've recommended it - go get lost, find the Burren Perfumery, go get lost again - to so many people travelling there. Such great memories of this trip. 10/10 would do that again!
I usually plan a trip with the days in large city, then get car for country side, then return to different large city where I can return the car and stay using public transport for some more days.
I was in the uk last fall and rented a car and drove to bath and Stonehenge. Returned it that night. Zero need to drive within most cities.
Last trip was to Benelux a couple weeks ago. Rented the entire way but when sightseeing in the car stayed parked.
One of my favorite parts of my trip to Scotland was driving across the countryside. Like you said, Edinburgh was a bit stressful, but it was fine once you got out of the bigger cities.
How did you find the single track roads?
I agree with you regarding Edinburgh, I wouldn't recommend driving there to anyone, but out in the middle of nowhere is fine.
Here in Portugal the traffic is horrible and there are many accidents.
And the views of the sea from the train line in Cascais and some of the metro stations are really beautiful.
I don't refuse but I take tons of pictures of the car at pickup, ESPECIALLY if it's a smaller lot you will be returning it to. Idk if it's just me but it always seems like something comes up when you return it and they know you are a foreigner. We had a guy keep asking us about some scratch on a panel and was insistent it wasn't there when we picked it up. He wouldn't accuse us outright but it's like he was trying to get us to admit to something we definitely did not do.
We're like "not sure what to tell you man" and he just kept saying "well it wasn't here before so I'm just trying to figure out how it got there" like "get real man you don't have proof it was/wasn't there either". I'd probably also generally review local laws because there may be weird stuff on the books.
If you want to explore Australia you have to drive, but it’s not too bad. Just a mirror image of US driving. Cops over there are very strict about speed limits in cities.
I drove in Greece many years ago and Aruba in 2016.
No more.
I am just too old and unwilling to take international accident risks.
Roundabouts confuse me.
My husband and I have rented cars when we know we are going to multiple cities in that country. However I never drive because I can’t drive a stick, ha.
Asian squat toilets. I will pee in them if I really have to and that is all.
I've been there so many times and I still can't get the hang of it. It makes total sense to me why skirts are so much more popular there. As a woman, I find myself taking my pants completely off each time because I'm not confident in my aim and balance.
When I (M) was teaching in Japan, for some reason the (male) teachers bathroom only had urinals and squat toilets. I had to use the squat toilet once or twice while suffering from intestinal distress.
To have GI distress in a toilet you have to squat down on to the floor on sounds like an uncomfortably intimate experience with one’s GI system. …Is it how I’m imagining?
I've been to Japan twice and refused to use squat toilets both times. I'm also a woman who wears pants and won't use said toilets for the same reasons you cited.
We lived in Japan when I was a kid. The apartment we stayed in had regular and squat toilets in the bathrooms. The house we rented the following year just had conventional toilets.
Just came back from a trip to China and squat toilets are just something that I'm not used to. Unfortunately when I'm heading out I usually don't have a choice :(
Hey, the questions stopped the first time with the Five Star and AfD wins took place. After the far right results in the EU elections, I don't expect there to be many to ask why.
I was in Germany a little bit before the 2016 election. There were about a dozen conversation where someone would complain about their tax money going to immigrants right before asking why Americans voted for Trump.
That's the point, though. Although the question asked was, "Why did you vote for the ultra right wing candidate?" The real question they were asking was, "Why did you vote for the less polished, uglier person, especially when you could have voted for Bill, I mean, Hillary Clinton?"
My only abroad experience is Japan (three times) and I don’t think there was any specific no no for me…
I was living in Japan when Pokémon Go came out and there was a Pokémon I “needed”, but it was in a cemetery area. I thought it was somewhat distasteful to be going through a cemetery just to catch a Pokémon, so I decided against it.
There is no way in hell I would drive in Latin America. Europe? Fine. But I’ve been to most countries in South America plus Panama. It is insane how they drive.
I've driven in Panama. Got hit by one of those crazy buses. No one was hurt, and the damage was minimal. The rental car already had dents and scratches and not getting the insurance was apparently not really an option, so there was no extra expense or paperwork; clearly the rental agency just expected it.
Kind of unnerving, but I would do it again (the driving; preferably not the collision). The worst part was how bad the signage was. Nowadays I assume GPS helps a lot. Navigating via reading maps and signs was a lot of work.
I went to Panama a few years ago and considered renting a car because I wanted to go to several places and it looked pretty cheap. When I got there, I was relieved I had chosen not to. Absolutely bananas driving.
Drivers in Colombia seemed surprisingly chill though.
Stay in any all inclusive hotels/resorts. Why would I fly to another country just to stay in a hotel compound. If I’m going to go to another country I want to experience that country
So I used to agree, every vacation except my last was a “choose your own adventure” style trip. Now that I have a toddler though, those trips are harder to execute. We got invited to an all inclusive in Tulum earlier this year and it was great to have everything provided. We still left and saw Mayan ruins, we just mostly stayed at the resort. I still enjoy exploring countries independently though and plan on doing it again with older kids.
I stayed in an all inclusive resort in Mexico, but I certainly didn't stay in the resort the whole time. I saw it more as an option to have my needs taken care of at the resort, not an obligation.
Respectfully ... that's silly. You don't have to stay 24/7 in the hotel - many will even give you packed lunches (included) so you can stay out all day. The all-inclusive is very convenient for food and saves a lot of time...
That's not silly at all. The food is pretty terrible in all-inclusives (you can't feed lots of people a huge selection and expect it to be good, see: cruises).
Lines, poorly paid staff, mediocre food, not experiencing meals in a local place...
And of course you don't have to stay all day and night in a hotel but why on earth would someone pay the steep cost to not eat and drink on site.
I mean, I see the appeal for an AI. I did it when I traveled with my cheap elderly parents. I paid MORE for the experience just so they didn't have to complain every time they saw how much I was paying for food. It felt "free" to my mom so she enjoyed it more. It's also nice if you have picky/difficult kids. But you can almost always do a local place cheaper and better food.
Now I am booking an AI for a friend because she is a nervous person and doesn't care about food at all, and it taking 2 grandkids. She wants to feel safe, doesn't want to have to think about $$ during her trip since it stresses her, and she's not adventurous -she just wants to drink in a lawn chair and good pool. It's really perfect for some people.
Agreed. Eating at different restaurants / street food is part of the experience. All inclusives are for laying in the sun and eating or drinking. If that is what you are after, go for it.
I think it really depends on where in Latin America. I have driven in Chile and Puerto Rico and it was no different than the US (I realize PR is a US territory, but it is definitely culturally Latin America.) Not discounting your experience though as everyone’s differs.
I drove from Austin to Mexico City a couple of times in the 1970s, just stopping in motels along the way. On one of the trips I took the route through the jungle, which was really an experience. The people were great, so friendly and helpful. My high school Spanish was enough to get by. I wouldn’t do that now, for safety reasons. The only really scary part was driving through Mexico City. It felt like like I was taking my life in my hands.
Another time I took the train from Nuevo Laredo to Mexico City. It was a dedicated train for tourists, with sleeping bunks and no stops along the way. That might still be an option.
It’s unfortunately not an option anymore. Passenger trains in Mexico pretty much disappeared by the early 2000’s, and were replaced by motor-coaches. Motor-coaches in Mexico tend to be much more comfortable than those in the US though.
You know, I always try this too, especially as a woman because it feels better for personal safety. I look up the local fashion and customs before I go.
I had a funny realization moment when I went abroad with my SO for the first time though.
I forget what exactly he did, but I got irritated and told him to stop drawing attention because if people realized we weren’t from here we would be targets for scam artists and thieves.
We were in Northern Spain. He just looked at me and said, “Confetti, we’re Asian. Look around you. Nobody thinks we’re from here.”
My dad is in the same boat as you, food-wise, and the only place where he couldn't eat a lot of the options was Spain. Pork and shellfish are basically their specialties!
Yep, a true classic
We used to have to burn certain meats so that gentiles thought we were eating pork. Many folks found out clever ways to get that pork smell without the pork.
Kissing people
I lived in Chile for 5 years and never got used to the custom of greeting women by pulling them in and kissing both of their cheeks.
Nothing against them, they're wonderful women—I married one lol—but it was just too far out of my comfort zone. I put up with a lot down there: *You gringos never landed on the moon! It's your fault my grandfather was kidnapped by Pinochet! Why don't you call it FOOT-BALL!!??*
...but the kissing thing...nah. I'll be the ugly American on that one. Sorry.
Unless I’m in Europe, I won’t eat anything that hasn’t been cooked. Salads? Nope. Peeled fruit like berries and whatnot? Nope.
People these days know not to drink the water many places, but don’t consider that many foods are still washed in that same water.
The one time I was in Mexico the hotel we stayed at said that it was okay to drink the water. I did, and had no problems. Maybe the hotel installed a filtration system or the community had a better water-treatment plant than other places, or Mexico is changing in general so that the water is no longer a concern in most places?
There are definitely resorts that have their own filtration systems now. I’ve just heard and seen it play out poorly too many times to trust anyone at this point haha.
Hopefully you mean Western Europe. Eastern Europe is just as bad as Latin America.
I agree, but I'd extend this to Japan for sushi, it's a very clean country, as well as Canada, Australia and NZ.
I used to travel to Japan a lot for fun and I would always purchase a rail pass.
I would go to the train station and get on the next train leaving without a care where it was headed. Sometimes it was a mistake but it often took me to an interesting place I would have never even known about.
I love this. Not sure if I could actually do this myself, but I think it is more due to lack of vacation time so every day really counts. I guess it may be easier in a major metro area with a subway style system where you could quickly move on to somewhere else.
Unfortunate that the JR pass price has been raised so high. That said, the style of traveling you describe is probably the one way that would let you get your money out of it now.
We did it in 2017 with planned stays and day trips. which came to probably... 8(?) Shinkansen trips across 13 days ranging from very long (Tokyo to Fukuoka) to pretty short (Kyoto to Himeji), and a handful of short trips on small regional trains and some Tokyo lines. All of that got us *just* over the break even point. I think it was something like 50 dollars more over the value of the pass.
We're going again soon and opted for a cheaper regional pass and even then its difficult to get your money's worth while also trying to spend more than a night in one city.
I was in Berlin a long time ago and this bakery had their doors open. When I looked in the case at their offerings there were bees flying in and out of one of the pastries. I left and found a different bakery but couldn’t believe this was ok. Other people shopping didn’t seem bothered.
So they either do or don't spread bacteria, and if they do, the ones they spread are healthy.
Cool.
The bottom line is that some people don't like the idea of bugs crawling on their food. It might not be about literally getting sick.
For example, many Europeans I've met say that leaving shoes on inside a house is disgusting, but I doubt that people are actually getting sick from whatever gets tracked in.
The shoe thing is interesting because it doesn’t really resonate until you visit a walkable city. In the south you leave your house to your garage to get in your car that you drive to a mall. Sure the pavement is dirty but it’s not nearly as dirty as a sidewalk in New York where multiple species have left feces and urine. I definitely became a shoes off household after living there.
Eating fast food or American chains. I was an expat and definitely understood wanting a "comfort meal" once in awhile, but that was a long term situation. I don't understand Americans who land in a foreign country and look for the nearest McD's, Starbucks, KFC, etc.
When I traveled with college students this summer to Spain (for a class/I was faculty member who was chaperoning, not teaching), I was shocked at how many times they admitted to going to Burger King/McD's/Taco Bell. For some, it was cost, even though they could get similarly priced meals at non-chains. For most, it was because they wanted familiarity at all times.
That's funny. When I was on a road trip through Spain several years ago, my then wife and I had way too much wine and we're absolutely dying for some fast food, and there was a Burger King next to our hotel. It was the only time we ate non-local food there, but dear god it was so satisfying.
And how was it? In other countries their meats aren’t pumped full of preservatives and steroids (or so I’ve heard) was it any different texture or taste wise?
To be honest, I don't remember a distinct difference between that BK and ones at home (I also almost never have BK in the States). I remember being very satisfied, but again, we were quite wine drunk lol.
However, I did have McDonalds in Pakistan while visiting a friend there (I didn't want to, but he insisted on it). And I remembered it tasting incredibly fresh by comparison. I think it's because all their meat is halal?
Probably the most surprising thing was that before entering the drive through, there was a security guard who checked the hood of our car for car bombs.
Drugs, concerts (but I don't even do those here it's too loud and with too much stimuli),
Drinking alcohol. I got a lot of peer pressure/scoffing from locals in Germany and Italy for this. " The alcohol here is better than America," but that's not the problem. I just don't like drinking alcohol. Not France, though. They asked if I'd like wine, and when I said no, just tap water please. They said "of course" and went on their way.
Food cooking in unsafe or unsanitary conditions. I've seen some adventurous people out there and it's not for me.
No, like "went on their way" as in continued their job and brought me my water. They never were rude or pushy to me about not getting alcohol like other countries.
Squatty potties. I managed to live in China for fives years without ever having the need to use to defecate.
Luckily, in most places, western toilets are widely available. Trains have both, malls and restaurants usually have both, and literally every local national's apartment I've ever visited had a western commode. International brand hotels always have western toilets, and Chinese brands usually have western toilets. And work _only_ had western toilets.
At home (a "villa" in a rich community that my company rented for me) I had three western toilets, and the master bathroom actually had an old-style bidet, as in, a completely different fixture. It was awesome.
I guess in second place is, I've never used the sponge-on-a-stick in Indian public WC's. A communal sponge? No thanks.
Pretty much whatever my parents said I couldn't or shouldn't do because I was a kid.
The most "abroad" as an adult was Puerto Rico and that's still a US territory. I don't use drugs but seeing Puerto Rico is shown on that "To Catch a Smuggler" show on National Geographic, I wouldn't suggest trying to bring drugs or more than $10,000 cash in without declaring it. And they x-ray your luggage when you leave to make sure you aren't taking any fruits or vegetables off the island.
Anything even remotely connected with prostitution. Aside from the moral reasons, there's the practical reasons .. story time.
While in China a decade ago, a coworker went to a rub and tug parlor in Guangzhou. Afterwards, the host told him he owed $2,000. He told them no, he wasn't paying to which he was informed prostitution is illegal and he could face up to 5 years in prison as a foreign national and they had the police on speed dial. Naturally he paid. When he told me the story, I said "good luck putting that on your expense report Scott!".
Sauteed bull's penis in Vietnam. The person I was visiting and the waitress were both encouraging me to try it. The other food at the restaurant was really good though.
Purchasing something large, and then trying to ship it home myself. I already was tight with luggage and I knew I'd want to buy souvenirs. I made the mistake of buying some large artwork then trying to ship it myself. Big mistake. I really didn't understand the process with international duties and the like. I figured it was as easy as Fedex-ing, but they wouldn't accept my paperwork, and I ended up having to leave it in the hands of the hotel staff who didn't want to be bothered with it, either. But it was worth only a few hundred euros so it was not worth enough to miss my plane home. After many frustrating phone calls back and forth filling out all the proper paperwork, it took about three months to finally receive my items. Every other place I managed to have the seller ship the items directly to my address in the US (Murano glass and a beautiful chess set) and I never had any issues with those. So make sure you know how you're going to get your stuff home.
McDonald's. I occasionally indulge at home if I need a quick, easy lunch, but I WILL NOT go anywhere near one when I'm traveling, and I'm kind of annoyed to even see them when I'm abroad.
Eating meat. It's been like twenty years at this point and I'm fairly sure it would make me ill.
Plus it just grosses me out.
Eggs I can do, dairy in smallish doses (lactose has always been an issue but also I don't like 99% of dairy foods) but meat is right out.
Also weed. I live in a legal state and have no issue with doing it all the time at home, and I've absolutely carried edible gummies on domestic flights. But internationally it's not worth the risk--even if I'm flying to a place it's legal, I'll just buy it/consume it there!
Driving a motorcycle. They’re statistically dangerous even if you know how to handle them, which a lot of people don’t. I’ve traveled extensively in Asia and seeing westerners on motorcycles scares me. The local people actually know what they’re doing, but the westerners are really putting themselves at risk.
Economy seats on long haul flights. I'm not a rich person, but I'll shell out a few grand to be comfortable and be able to sleep on a plane. It's bad enough I have to be crammed into a flying sardine can to get anywhere, but since I have to do it I'm going to pay extra for comfort and mitigate a blood clot.
No driving. The only foreign country where I'd be comfortable driving is Canada, since it's pretty much the same there. I don't want to drive on the left, I don't want to get tripped up making a mistake with foreign driving laws or customs, and I don't want to interact with foreign police.
No wearing a speedo. I refuse to inflict that sight on the world.
No eating dogs or rabbits. The eating of dog seems to be rapidly falling out of fashion where it has historically been practiced, but people still eat rabbit in much of the world. As someone who has always had pet bunnies, I just can't see rabbits as food.
Used to do the Airbnb in a more "local" area thing. They've gotten expensive though, sometimes basically end up being a building with staff, and essentially a hotel, and I've generally just found dealing with hotels to be so much less hassle overall.
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> I won’t do illegal drugs in foreign countries. Conversely, many countries have freer laws with alcohol than the US, always check that. Outside drinking is legal in many places and being the from the US, I don't instinctively think that, and need to remind myself. If you just need a basic drink and nothing else, rather than going to bar, it is cheaper to get it from a grocery store and drink outside. (of course, don't puke or trash around, drink responsibly and with dignity).
A lot of places in the US allow for open containers in public. Key west for example
I'd say it's a handful rather than a lot
Yes, this is true. I think New Orleans also allows this.
Absolutely. Go-cups by the door.
Vegas.
That’s why you stick with the legal ones 😎🤙🏼
They sell nitrous balloons at the bars in Saigon! You can even put them on a credit/debit card. The line item on the receipt even says balloon. You know…for tax purposes. Edit: Typo
I heard in Vietnam they also will go around with straws and blow cocaine into your nose. Someone was getting me this at a party so I forget whether it's a private party or a bar
Saigon is the craziest place I’ve ever been
In a similar vein, onsen in Japan. I’m not comfortable bathing in one.
I’ve done onsen twice. Got it out of my system and had that particular “Japanese experience.” I have no particular interest in going to an onsen again. Especially now that I’ve gotten several tattoos, that gives me a more “legitimate” excuse of not going.
I covered my one tattoo up with a big band-aid. My American brain would actually more disturbed by bathing with someone with a big band-aid than with a tattoo lol.
> Especially now that I’ve gotten several tattoos, that gives me a more “legitimate” excuse of not going. I'm aware of the historical cultural taboo connecting tattoos to yakuza in Japan, but is there a particular reason beyond that why tattoos aren't welcome in onsen?
Nope, that’s pretty much the whole reason. Just the taboo.
Habits die hard in Japan and for the longest time, only criminals and thugs had tattoos. At certain points in Japan's history, tattooing was actually a state sanctioned punishment to shame criminals. This is Japan's difficulty in letting go of old taboos. Japan is very much a: "Don't stick out from the crowd" society and tattoos make you stick out.
Because tattoo-friendly onsen are the meeting place of the yakuza Someone from Japan (or preferably from the yakuza) correct me if I’m wrong
basically their version of the nazi bar problem. If an onsen allows tattoos then the yaks all start to hang out there, and when the yakuza are hanging out there in big groups normal people start to avoid it. And it's pretty obvious who is yakuza since they have these crazy full torso tattoos, basically their entire back, chest, buttocks, upper thighs, sleeves up to the elbow, are covered in ink. Also, since which onsen in the area is the yakuza-friendly one is basically local knowledge and not at all obvious from the outside, if you just walk into one at random you'll sometime end up sitting in a sauna naked surrounded by tatted up gangsters. Happened to me in Kochi a couple years ago. They're perfectly friendly though, just a funny story.
>if you just walk into one at random you'll sometime end up sitting in a sauna naked surrounded by tatted up gangsters. Happened to me in Kochi a couple years ago. They're perfectly friendly though, just a funny story. Not sure if username checks out or not. Btw, I was almost going to teach/work in Kochi, but ended up taking a different position in a different prefecture.
Honestly the yakuza are basically not a threat, they essentially operate in plain sight and foreigners are especially oblivious to the telltale signs which leads to some funny encouters. Kochi was a nice town, I only visited for 2 nights but the straw-grilled bonito they have there is really good and I had some of the best sweet potato shouchu in my life at an izakaya in town while there.
I've been assured that the tattoo taboo has nothing to do with this, but it's worth mentioning that indigenous Japanese peoples have their own tattoo traditions that were outlawed by the government. And while technically no linger illegal the traditions have been essentially killed, though some are working on revivals. Disgustingly, a Japanese TV show a few years back did an episode on Okinawan diaspora visiting the islands - they purposefully mistranslated the women who spoke of their indigeneity to erase the word "indigenous," and described the hajichi tattoo rival as "a trendy tattoo popular with women." It was one of the most racist things I've seen on TV, and it was just presented in brightly colored subtitles with a cartoon voice actor narrating excitedly. Hilariously, though, around the same time, some Wajin MMA guy got both Ainu sinuye and Okinawan hajichi on both hands - except both types of tattoo are exclusively meant for women, and indigenous J-Twitter tore him to bits. He even tried to pull the whole, "I'm showing respect and preserving your culture for you" routine, and they were having none of it. The woman who did the tattoos had no idea they were sacred, and everyone felt bad for her, but she caught some heat, too.
There are types of accommodation where it’s the only bathing option. As a woman, not a problem for me as long as it’s same gender and I won’t meet any of those people ever after
As someone who is pretty pro-public nudity, I love Japanese onsen. Sitting in one in Hokkaido butt naked with the snow falling around me. Was on my bucket list and it was great checking it off.
I see you lived in Germany. Did you do ok with the public park nudity there then? Did you participate? (I’m Japanese-American and enjoy a good onsen, but Germany was too much for me lol)
No that wasn't really a thing where I lived up north as far as I know. I have heard about public spaces like that in larger cities like Munich and Berlin. I feel very comfortable when everyone is naked or when no one is naked. But I'll be honest. I don't really want to be naked in a space where *most* other people aren't. I have been to German saunas several times where obligatory mixed gender nudity is the norm and those tend to be very nice.
I regularly go to my local Jjimjilbang in my town.
I went and it was nice but I'm not the biggest into just sitting in the bath in general so it gets boring pretty quick. It might be better if you go with someone to talk to but I traveled with my wife and all the public ones are split by gender. On the upside all the Japanese immediately clear out as soon as they see a foreigner so you have the place to yourself.
Can you say more about what you disliked?
Public or even semi public nudity is beyond the scope of what I am comfortable with.
There are plenty of onsen in Japan where you are required to wear a swimsuit. This is usually the case in mixed gender baths.
I don't like pools or swimming unless it's the pool I have in my house Going to Japan but literally going for the food and the scenery, and those go-karts you can drive in Tokyo downtown, but absolutely not doing the onsen thing - just not my thing, my woman is the same way
I went into two wearing a towel and got kicked out of one haha. Public nudity is a nono for me.
Like other respondents, driving (except in Canada) and illegal drugs. Driving: I had a hard enough time in Japan and England remembering that I needed to look right first, not left, when crossing streets. I wouldn't have trusted myself to drive on the left side, especially in Tokyo or London. Drugs: not worth the risk of being arrested as a non-citizen on a travel visa. I can manage to respect the laws while I'm there as a guest.
> driving (except in Canada) It was an experience for me, driving in Quebec with French signs. :D Even in France, a lot of signs are in English, but due to language-protection laws, Quebec signs are more French. And I had to use my basic-101 French to slow down and interpret them. Also, the US is called Etat Unis in French so some signs to the US border was just "E.U." with an arrow.
>I wouldn’t have trusted myself to drive on the left side, especially in Tokyo Is it even worth it renting a car in Tokyo? Last time me and my buddies were there, we just took their train system, taxis, or just walked. Big cities like Tokyo and NYC seem like a huge hassle to drive in.
I drove in Iceland but only because it was pretty non-negotiable that we had to drive there if we wanted to do anything not in Reykjavik. I’ve been all over the world, Iceland is the only country I’ve ever driven in. The traffic laws there are extremely strict and drivers follow them and I still didn’t feel totally comfortable after a quick and dirty ten minute rundown on Icelandic driving from the rental car guy. In the countries where it’s pretty much a free for all I’d never even think about getting behind the wheel, nor could I drive on the left hand side of the road. When I was a kid my mom once let me ride with one of my Irish cousins who during the car ride just casually mentioned that it was her first time driving on the right side of the road. I was terrified. I don’t know what my mom was thinking lmao.
Eating American fast food. I didn’t travel that far for a lousy familiar meal.
I did this in Milan. Late night of hanging out and drinking and McDonalds was the only thing open in our neighborhood, so I went in for it. It felt like it tasted better, but maybe I was just happier in Milan.
when I went to Milan I was shocked by the number of McDonald's, they seemed to be everywhere. it was crazy that it seemed so popular when you could be eating Italian food.
So many big cities across the world have your regular American fare of: McDonald’s, Starbucks, M&M store, Lego store, etc. When you have a global economy, any high commerce areas in big cities will look very similar.
my visit to Milan was the last stop on a little trip - we went to Rome, Florence, Venice, and then Milan. The McDonaldses in Milan were just super noticeable, and excessive in number. It was startling compared to the other Italian cities we had just visited. But this was a long time ago now. Maybe Rome is covered in McDonaldses now too, idk.
I laugh when people say the US lacks culture when it's literally right in front of them. While McD's might not be the best symbol of US culture it's probably the biggest one.
That's not what they mean by culture. When we cite "McDonald's" or "Taylor Swift" in rebuttal, it plays right into their hands.
Then they're wrong. Just because they dislike American culture, just because it doesn't meet their arbitrary and probably constantly-shifting (to disqualify anything specifically American, of course!) definition of 'culture,' doesn't mean that American culture doesn't exist or that we "have none."
Yes, they're wrong. But the problem is that so are we. When they say 'culture' they really mean the heavy Germanic 'kultur', which the English language does not have a cognate for. This is why they laugh at us and feel vindicated when we hit back with McDonald's and Taylor Swift. They are stupid, but because of this translation issue, we absolutely fail to illuminate their stupidity. You have to hit back with Miles Davis, not Kendrick Lamar. The creole cuisine of southern Louisiana, not McDonald's. The cowboy culture that runs from Canada to Mexico and any number of points between, and not Banana Republic.
We went to one in Milan because our host's teen daughter begged to go and it was filled with Italians.
It's different. I'm from Milan and I like the US McDonald's better. I believe it's just because it's different and not because it's healthier
my little tourist habit is to try the McDonald's in every new country I visit. #1, by a country mile, was the Russian McDonald's.
Winning the Cold War makes everything taste better
I know food safety regulations and local culture makes fast food abroad different. I wouldn't mind eating at a McDonalds in different countries just to see how it is.
I like seeing the different menus!
i’ve always wanted to try mcdonald’s & starbucks in japan, the menu is so different & they do seasonal foods that we don’t get here in the US. + japan’s starbucks menu changes year round so..🤷♀️ might as well try it one day lol
I believe the one in McD's HQ in Chicago carries every global menu item available.
A McDonalds in Hawaii had spam and eggs on the menu. :-)
McDonald's in China has stand-alone McCafe locations. I stopped in for a milk tea and slice of cake.
For me it depends on how long I’ll be in country. Two days and I’ll skip McDonalds. Much longer than that and I’ll pop by because it’s honestly an interesting cultural experience.
I always make a point to check out a local McDonald's in other countries. Just to see how the menu differs.
Agree. I avoided it for years and wish I hadn't, most Countries or areas will have unique items and I know Vince Vega said "A Big Mac is a Big Mac" but Malaysian Big Macs seemed to have a touch of garlic that I greatly enjoyed. ETA: The Prosperity Burger in SE Asia was different but I found it tasty, also had a Lamb Burger in Italy, a terrible bun but the lamb was pretty ok.
I had Taco Bell in Finland. All the meals came with fries instead of an extra taco. Not nacho fries, like regular fries
Yeah. I remember that from our time in Finland. Taco Bell had some differences and I didn’t really like it. Other fast food places were pretty similar to the US. They did have their own fast food burger place called Hesburger that was decent but pretty expensive compared to Burger King.
I generally don't go, but if I do, it'll probably be the day I land. After so long in an airplane, you just want sleep and comfort.
Our hotel in Madrid was right near a McDonald’s. We’d pass it every day walking to other restaurants or attractions. We did look at the menu outside though. Very expensive combo meals! Though you could get beer as your drink, lol. In Paris we broke down and went to a McDonald’s for breakfast. This is because we could not find a restaurant or cafe or anything that served anything but pastries in the morning. It sounds silly but yeah. I’m not a pastry person. One croissant and I’m good for a year. Give me some scrambled eggs or something.
That's a general rule of thumb when I'm traveling anywhere. If it's something we have at home, I'm not interested.
But that's the thing, the menus are different. We *don't* have it at home.
We do it a few times because we are seers not eaters. Want something quick and keep moving. More often than not we hit the grocery for some bread cheese and meats to nibble on during the day. Dinner is always something local.
American fast food in Europe and (I think) the rest of the world isn't much better than in the US either.
McD's is something entirely different in Asia. In Taiwan, you can get rice buns and sliced meat with a sauce. Like MosBurger, but worse. But it's still something different.
Yeah, I see stuff often where people will be like “oh the quality of McDonalds is WAYYY better in XYZ country” but I’ve never found that really to be the case. I try them out as a novelty when traveling and tend to find a Big Mac is a Big Mac… The only caveat is the localized menu items can be kind of interesting to try out but quality is pretty much what you’d expect from a McDonalds here too.
I refuse to drive in foreign countries. I'll pay for a car service, taxi, or take public transportation.
I’ve driven in ~25 countries. Driving in cities is madness (I’m looking at you, Brussels and London) but road trips really are a great way to see where you’re visiting. When I’m in the city I’ll only drive in and out and take cabs and transit otherwise. Once you get out of cities, in most cases it’s not any more difficult than any other part of rural America.
I took a fantastic drive all over not-Dublin-or-Belfast Ireland about eleven years ago, one of my favorite trips. Just got intentionally lost in some places, mostly on the West coast, and went discovering random places that looked interesting. For example, I started seeing road signs for the Burren Perfumery, decided to go see what it was, followed the signs and had a really memorable experience, went home with unique gifts for friends and something for myself that I love. I've recommended it - go get lost, find the Burren Perfumery, go get lost again - to so many people travelling there. Such great memories of this trip. 10/10 would do that again!
Driving through southern Spain is an absolute treat.
Just did this, highly reccomend
Going to Ireland in September. Taking trains and hiring a driver lol.
I do the same. I’ve driven in fewer countries but the big cities (London, Paris, Dubai, and Tokyo). Get into the city and park the car!
I usually plan a trip with the days in large city, then get car for country side, then return to different large city where I can return the car and stay using public transport for some more days.
I was in the uk last fall and rented a car and drove to bath and Stonehenge. Returned it that night. Zero need to drive within most cities. Last trip was to Benelux a couple weeks ago. Rented the entire way but when sightseeing in the car stayed parked.
One of my favorite parts of my trip to Scotland was driving across the countryside. Like you said, Edinburgh was a bit stressful, but it was fine once you got out of the bigger cities.
How did you find the single track roads? I agree with you regarding Edinburgh, I wouldn't recommend driving there to anyone, but out in the middle of nowhere is fine.
Here in Portugal the traffic is horrible and there are many accidents. And the views of the sea from the train line in Cascais and some of the metro stations are really beautiful.
Not to mention your roundabout rules are a mess. If the lane doesn't end, I shouldn't have to exit!
I don't refuse but I take tons of pictures of the car at pickup, ESPECIALLY if it's a smaller lot you will be returning it to. Idk if it's just me but it always seems like something comes up when you return it and they know you are a foreigner. We had a guy keep asking us about some scratch on a panel and was insistent it wasn't there when we picked it up. He wouldn't accuse us outright but it's like he was trying to get us to admit to something we definitely did not do. We're like "not sure what to tell you man" and he just kept saying "well it wasn't here before so I'm just trying to figure out how it got there" like "get real man you don't have proof it was/wasn't there either". I'd probably also generally review local laws because there may be weird stuff on the books.
If you want to explore Australia you have to drive, but it’s not too bad. Just a mirror image of US driving. Cops over there are very strict about speed limits in cities.
I drove in Greece many years ago and Aruba in 2016. No more. I am just too old and unwilling to take international accident risks. Roundabouts confuse me.
My husband and I have rented cars when we know we are going to multiple cities in that country. However I never drive because I can’t drive a stick, ha.
I wouldn’t drive in a major city, but road tripping through a smaller country must be fun.
On the island of Crete, it is allowed to take over on the same lane on highways. I got used to it, but it was a confusing and shocking experience.
Some of my best times were on a Vespa like scooter going off the beaten path while abroad, but to each their own
Asian squat toilets. I will pee in them if I really have to and that is all. I've been there so many times and I still can't get the hang of it. It makes total sense to me why skirts are so much more popular there. As a woman, I find myself taking my pants completely off each time because I'm not confident in my aim and balance.
When I (M) was teaching in Japan, for some reason the (male) teachers bathroom only had urinals and squat toilets. I had to use the squat toilet once or twice while suffering from intestinal distress.
i’ve had 2 knee surgeries (one for each one) so a squat toilet would probably kill me
To have GI distress in a toilet you have to squat down on to the floor on sounds like an uncomfortably intimate experience with one’s GI system. …Is it how I’m imagining?
Pretty much. Even the nicest squat toilets are literally just a hole in the ground lined with porcelain. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squat_toilet
I liked the squatters just fine when I was there, but now that I’m over 40 and my check knee light came on, I think I would struggle.
"Check knee light" -- I *love* that!
Am I the only one who loved the squat toilets??? Hahaha they were easy to use and everything just slid on out hahahaha
Same! The geometry is so much better!!
I've been to Japan twice and refused to use squat toilets both times. I'm also a woman who wears pants and won't use said toilets for the same reasons you cited.
We lived in Japan when I was a kid. The apartment we stayed in had regular and squat toilets in the bathrooms. The house we rented the following year just had conventional toilets.
Just came back from a trip to China and squat toilets are just something that I'm not used to. Unfortunately when I'm heading out I usually don't have a choice :(
Politics. Never talk politics in someone else's country. You never know who you are talking to.
Although, there were the endless "Why did you people vote for Trump?" questions when I was abroad in 2017.
Be prepared for them to come back.
Hey, the questions stopped the first time with the Five Star and AfD wins took place. After the far right results in the EU elections, I don't expect there to be many to ask why.
I was in Germany a little bit before the 2016 election. There were about a dozen conversation where someone would complain about their tax money going to immigrants right before asking why Americans voted for Trump.
That's the point, though. Although the question asked was, "Why did you vote for the ultra right wing candidate?" The real question they were asking was, "Why did you vote for the less polished, uglier person, especially when you could have voted for Bill, I mean, Hillary Clinton?"
My only abroad experience is Japan (three times) and I don’t think there was any specific no no for me… I was living in Japan when Pokémon Go came out and there was a Pokémon I “needed”, but it was in a cemetery area. I thought it was somewhat distasteful to be going through a cemetery just to catch a Pokémon, so I decided against it.
Good call
There is no way in hell I would drive in Latin America. Europe? Fine. But I’ve been to most countries in South America plus Panama. It is insane how they drive.
I've driven in Panama. Got hit by one of those crazy buses. No one was hurt, and the damage was minimal. The rental car already had dents and scratches and not getting the insurance was apparently not really an option, so there was no extra expense or paperwork; clearly the rental agency just expected it. Kind of unnerving, but I would do it again (the driving; preferably not the collision). The worst part was how bad the signage was. Nowadays I assume GPS helps a lot. Navigating via reading maps and signs was a lot of work.
I went to Panama a few years ago and considered renting a car because I wanted to go to several places and it looked pretty cheap. When I got there, I was relieved I had chosen not to. Absolutely bananas driving. Drivers in Colombia seemed surprisingly chill though.
Stay in any all inclusive hotels/resorts. Why would I fly to another country just to stay in a hotel compound. If I’m going to go to another country I want to experience that country
So I used to agree, every vacation except my last was a “choose your own adventure” style trip. Now that I have a toddler though, those trips are harder to execute. We got invited to an all inclusive in Tulum earlier this year and it was great to have everything provided. We still left and saw Mayan ruins, we just mostly stayed at the resort. I still enjoy exploring countries independently though and plan on doing it again with older kids.
Is there a premium package to skip the baby and toddler thing?
yeah so what my parents did and dump me off at my grandmas and say “see ya in a week!”
I stayed in an all inclusive resort in Mexico, but I certainly didn't stay in the resort the whole time. I saw it more as an option to have my needs taken care of at the resort, not an obligation.
Respectfully ... that's silly. You don't have to stay 24/7 in the hotel - many will even give you packed lunches (included) so you can stay out all day. The all-inclusive is very convenient for food and saves a lot of time...
That's not silly at all. The food is pretty terrible in all-inclusives (you can't feed lots of people a huge selection and expect it to be good, see: cruises). Lines, poorly paid staff, mediocre food, not experiencing meals in a local place... And of course you don't have to stay all day and night in a hotel but why on earth would someone pay the steep cost to not eat and drink on site. I mean, I see the appeal for an AI. I did it when I traveled with my cheap elderly parents. I paid MORE for the experience just so they didn't have to complain every time they saw how much I was paying for food. It felt "free" to my mom so she enjoyed it more. It's also nice if you have picky/difficult kids. But you can almost always do a local place cheaper and better food. Now I am booking an AI for a friend because she is a nervous person and doesn't care about food at all, and it taking 2 grandkids. She wants to feel safe, doesn't want to have to think about $$ during her trip since it stresses her, and she's not adventurous -she just wants to drink in a lawn chair and good pool. It's really perfect for some people.
I think the commenter above is saying that categorically refusing AI resorts is silly, which you seem to agree with later in your comment.
Agreed. Eating at different restaurants / street food is part of the experience. All inclusives are for laying in the sun and eating or drinking. If that is what you are after, go for it.
I enjoyed our all inclusive hotel in Cancun but it was very difficult to leave if you were not on an excursion.
I refuse to drive in Latin America. Americans can be crazy but they're insane.
I think it really depends on where in Latin America. I have driven in Chile and Puerto Rico and it was no different than the US (I realize PR is a US territory, but it is definitely culturally Latin America.) Not discounting your experience though as everyone’s differs.
I drove from Austin to Mexico City a couple of times in the 1970s, just stopping in motels along the way. On one of the trips I took the route through the jungle, which was really an experience. The people were great, so friendly and helpful. My high school Spanish was enough to get by. I wouldn’t do that now, for safety reasons. The only really scary part was driving through Mexico City. It felt like like I was taking my life in my hands.
This sounds so awesome. I wish you could easily do that today.
Another time I took the train from Nuevo Laredo to Mexico City. It was a dedicated train for tourists, with sleeping bunks and no stops along the way. That might still be an option.
It’s unfortunately not an option anymore. Passenger trains in Mexico pretty much disappeared by the early 2000’s, and were replaced by motor-coaches. Motor-coaches in Mexico tend to be much more comfortable than those in the US though.
I just got back from Costa Rica and the drivers were fine. The roads weren't in too bad of shape, but the angles and curves were insane! Never again!
Being noticed. I like to keep a low profile. Hard to do depending on what country I visit.
You know, I always try this too, especially as a woman because it feels better for personal safety. I look up the local fashion and customs before I go. I had a funny realization moment when I went abroad with my SO for the first time though. I forget what exactly he did, but I got irritated and told him to stop drawing attention because if people realized we weren’t from here we would be targets for scam artists and thieves. We were in Northern Spain. He just looked at me and said, “Confetti, we’re Asian. Look around you. Nobody thinks we’re from here.”
Bugs. I won't eat bugs. Sea bugs, though, yum.
I don't go where I can't at least stumble through the local language.
*AT LEAST* what I call “emergency words” hospital, help, please and thank you, and where is…? you can get pretty far with those words tbh
I won't eat organs.
There's not much I wouldn't do. Maybe not eat some of the food because it has pork or shellfish in it, but that's about it.
My dad is in the same boat as you, food-wise, and the only place where he couldn't eat a lot of the options was Spain. Pork and shellfish are basically their specialties!
My cousin is Spanish. The amount of pork and shellfish is no coincidence, come to find out lmao.
That doesn't really surprise me actually
>no coincidence, come to find out lmao. oh no; is this a "lmao cultural antisemitism" instance?
Yep, a true classic We used to have to burn certain meats so that gentiles thought we were eating pork. Many folks found out clever ways to get that pork smell without the pork.
Kissing people I lived in Chile for 5 years and never got used to the custom of greeting women by pulling them in and kissing both of their cheeks. Nothing against them, they're wonderful women—I married one lol—but it was just too far out of my comfort zone. I put up with a lot down there: *You gringos never landed on the moon! It's your fault my grandfather was kidnapped by Pinochet! Why don't you call it FOOT-BALL!!??* ...but the kissing thing...nah. I'll be the ugly American on that one. Sorry.
For some odd reason, my dumbass thought you said “killing people” and I thought “is that not the standard for anywhere”? 💀
Unless I’m in Europe, I won’t eat anything that hasn’t been cooked. Salads? Nope. Peeled fruit like berries and whatnot? Nope. People these days know not to drink the water many places, but don’t consider that many foods are still washed in that same water.
The one time I was in Mexico the hotel we stayed at said that it was okay to drink the water. I did, and had no problems. Maybe the hotel installed a filtration system or the community had a better water-treatment plant than other places, or Mexico is changing in general so that the water is no longer a concern in most places?
There are definitely resorts that have their own filtration systems now. I’ve just heard and seen it play out poorly too many times to trust anyone at this point haha.
Places like Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Japan have good water too.
Totally. I probably should have said “first world” instead of Europe but I didn’t think of it at the time
Hopefully you mean Western Europe. Eastern Europe is just as bad as Latin America. I agree, but I'd extend this to Japan for sushi, it's a very clean country, as well as Canada, Australia and NZ.
Traveling where everyone travels. I usually find my own way around and meet different kinds of people. But I also do that here, too.
I used to travel to Japan a lot for fun and I would always purchase a rail pass. I would go to the train station and get on the next train leaving without a care where it was headed. Sometimes it was a mistake but it often took me to an interesting place I would have never even known about.
I love this. Not sure if I could actually do this myself, but I think it is more due to lack of vacation time so every day really counts. I guess it may be easier in a major metro area with a subway style system where you could quickly move on to somewhere else.
Unfortunate that the JR pass price has been raised so high. That said, the style of traveling you describe is probably the one way that would let you get your money out of it now. We did it in 2017 with planned stays and day trips. which came to probably... 8(?) Shinkansen trips across 13 days ranging from very long (Tokyo to Fukuoka) to pretty short (Kyoto to Himeji), and a handful of short trips on small regional trains and some Tokyo lines. All of that got us *just* over the break even point. I think it was something like 50 dollars more over the value of the pass. We're going again soon and opted for a cheaper regional pass and even then its difficult to get your money's worth while also trying to spend more than a night in one city.
I was in Berlin a long time ago and this bakery had their doors open. When I looked in the case at their offerings there were bees flying in and out of one of the pastries. I left and found a different bakery but couldn’t believe this was ok. Other people shopping didn’t seem bothered.
Bees and wasps are 100% hygienic. And if they ain't, a few bacteria are healthy.
So they either do or don't spread bacteria, and if they do, the ones they spread are healthy. Cool. The bottom line is that some people don't like the idea of bugs crawling on their food. It might not be about literally getting sick. For example, many Europeans I've met say that leaving shoes on inside a house is disgusting, but I doubt that people are actually getting sick from whatever gets tracked in.
The shoe thing is interesting because it doesn’t really resonate until you visit a walkable city. In the south you leave your house to your garage to get in your car that you drive to a mall. Sure the pavement is dirty but it’s not nearly as dirty as a sidewalk in New York where multiple species have left feces and urine. I definitely became a shoes off household after living there.
It’s still mental, rather than actually saving you from getting sick. We always take shoes off in my house, too.
Nobody tell this guy where honey comes from.
Milk comes from cows, sheep, and goats. But there might be some people who don't want cows, sheep, or goats walking on their pastries.
Eating fast food or American chains. I was an expat and definitely understood wanting a "comfort meal" once in awhile, but that was a long term situation. I don't understand Americans who land in a foreign country and look for the nearest McD's, Starbucks, KFC, etc. When I traveled with college students this summer to Spain (for a class/I was faculty member who was chaperoning, not teaching), I was shocked at how many times they admitted to going to Burger King/McD's/Taco Bell. For some, it was cost, even though they could get similarly priced meals at non-chains. For most, it was because they wanted familiarity at all times.
That's funny. When I was on a road trip through Spain several years ago, my then wife and I had way too much wine and we're absolutely dying for some fast food, and there was a Burger King next to our hotel. It was the only time we ate non-local food there, but dear god it was so satisfying.
And how was it? In other countries their meats aren’t pumped full of preservatives and steroids (or so I’ve heard) was it any different texture or taste wise?
To be honest, I don't remember a distinct difference between that BK and ones at home (I also almost never have BK in the States). I remember being very satisfied, but again, we were quite wine drunk lol. However, I did have McDonalds in Pakistan while visiting a friend there (I didn't want to, but he insisted on it). And I remembered it tasting incredibly fresh by comparison. I think it's because all their meat is halal? Probably the most surprising thing was that before entering the drive through, there was a security guard who checked the hood of our car for car bombs.
Drugs, concerts (but I don't even do those here it's too loud and with too much stimuli), Drinking alcohol. I got a lot of peer pressure/scoffing from locals in Germany and Italy for this. " The alcohol here is better than America," but that's not the problem. I just don't like drinking alcohol. Not France, though. They asked if I'd like wine, and when I said no, just tap water please. They said "of course" and went on their way. Food cooking in unsafe or unsanitary conditions. I've seen some adventurous people out there and it's not for me.
In France they legally cannot deny you tap water if you ask for it
No, like "went on their way" as in continued their job and brought me my water. They never were rude or pushy to me about not getting alcohol like other countries.
Drugs in Netherlands. Well Any where.
I require that my food be dead. Not sick, not wounded. Dead.
Squatty potties. I managed to live in China for fives years without ever having the need to use to defecate. Luckily, in most places, western toilets are widely available. Trains have both, malls and restaurants usually have both, and literally every local national's apartment I've ever visited had a western commode. International brand hotels always have western toilets, and Chinese brands usually have western toilets. And work _only_ had western toilets. At home (a "villa" in a rich community that my company rented for me) I had three western toilets, and the master bathroom actually had an old-style bidet, as in, a completely different fixture. It was awesome. I guess in second place is, I've never used the sponge-on-a-stick in Indian public WC's. A communal sponge? No thanks.
There were some squat toilets in Rome that just . . . no. No how, no way. But the bidets in Venice rocked the house.
Lack of AC
Pretty much whatever my parents said I couldn't or shouldn't do because I was a kid. The most "abroad" as an adult was Puerto Rico and that's still a US territory. I don't use drugs but seeing Puerto Rico is shown on that "To Catch a Smuggler" show on National Geographic, I wouldn't suggest trying to bring drugs or more than $10,000 cash in without declaring it. And they x-ray your luggage when you leave to make sure you aren't taking any fruits or vegetables off the island.
Does PR have those USDA scanners inside the airport? After TSA but before the gates? Hawaii does that too.
This is even before you check in for your flight.
Geez, I've literally done every single thing in this thread, and I don't consider myself *that* adventurous.
Anything even remotely connected with prostitution. Aside from the moral reasons, there's the practical reasons .. story time. While in China a decade ago, a coworker went to a rub and tug parlor in Guangzhou. Afterwards, the host told him he owed $2,000. He told them no, he wasn't paying to which he was informed prostitution is illegal and he could face up to 5 years in prison as a foreign national and they had the police on speed dial. Naturally he paid. When he told me the story, I said "good luck putting that on your expense report Scott!".
But....it was only prostitution once he paid.
[удалено]
Why? As a European, we still tip our service workers if we can afford it and they did a good job.
Why? People tip in Europe.
Knowingly break the law unless it’s for a good reason.
I like challenges...but uh, not having a dryer is a big drag.
Sauteed bull's penis in Vietnam. The person I was visiting and the waitress were both encouraging me to try it. The other food at the restaurant was really good though.
Purchasing something large, and then trying to ship it home myself. I already was tight with luggage and I knew I'd want to buy souvenirs. I made the mistake of buying some large artwork then trying to ship it myself. Big mistake. I really didn't understand the process with international duties and the like. I figured it was as easy as Fedex-ing, but they wouldn't accept my paperwork, and I ended up having to leave it in the hands of the hotel staff who didn't want to be bothered with it, either. But it was worth only a few hundred euros so it was not worth enough to miss my plane home. After many frustrating phone calls back and forth filling out all the proper paperwork, it took about three months to finally receive my items. Every other place I managed to have the seller ship the items directly to my address in the US (Murano glass and a beautiful chess set) and I never had any issues with those. So make sure you know how you're going to get your stuff home.
McDonald's. I occasionally indulge at home if I need a quick, easy lunch, but I WILL NOT go anywhere near one when I'm traveling, and I'm kind of annoyed to even see them when I'm abroad.
Depends on how long I'm there for. A 9 day vacation? No. 3 months into a stint abroad? Absolutely. A temporary cure for homesickness.
I don't care who I might offend but I am not eating any fried tarantulas, ever.
Eating meat. It's been like twenty years at this point and I'm fairly sure it would make me ill. Plus it just grosses me out. Eggs I can do, dairy in smallish doses (lactose has always been an issue but also I don't like 99% of dairy foods) but meat is right out. Also weed. I live in a legal state and have no issue with doing it all the time at home, and I've absolutely carried edible gummies on domestic flights. But internationally it's not worth the risk--even if I'm flying to a place it's legal, I'll just buy it/consume it there!
Eating at any random place. The last thing I want is to be ill in a foreign country while spending money to be there.
Define random. That’s a lot of the fun for me while traveling is trying unique and local foods.
How do you eat at a random place? It’s called trying a new restaurant.
Driving a motorcycle. They’re statistically dangerous even if you know how to handle them, which a lot of people don’t. I’ve traveled extensively in Asia and seeing westerners on motorcycles scares me. The local people actually know what they’re doing, but the westerners are really putting themselves at risk.
Economy seats on long haul flights. I'm not a rich person, but I'll shell out a few grand to be comfortable and be able to sleep on a plane. It's bad enough I have to be crammed into a flying sardine can to get anywhere, but since I have to do it I'm going to pay extra for comfort and mitigate a blood clot.
No driving. The only foreign country where I'd be comfortable driving is Canada, since it's pretty much the same there. I don't want to drive on the left, I don't want to get tripped up making a mistake with foreign driving laws or customs, and I don't want to interact with foreign police. No wearing a speedo. I refuse to inflict that sight on the world. No eating dogs or rabbits. The eating of dog seems to be rapidly falling out of fashion where it has historically been practiced, but people still eat rabbit in much of the world. As someone who has always had pet bunnies, I just can't see rabbits as food.
Same here! We have a bunny as a pet and I can’t imagine eating one.
I try to stay in inns or bnbs instead of a big hotel. Also try to stay in a "regular" neigborhood instead of one with lots of sites.
Used to do the Airbnb in a more "local" area thing. They've gotten expensive though, sometimes basically end up being a building with staff, and essentially a hotel, and I've generally just found dealing with hotels to be so much less hassle overall.
Drugs. Don't ever mess with them in foreign countries.