“What's Something Foreigners Think Is Common In Your Country, But Really Isn't?” (44 Answers)

There’s something incredibly exciting about packing for a new destination. The planning, the playlists, the outfits, and the daydreams about food, culture, and scenery all make it feel like you’re stepping into a whole new world. But thanks to social media, movies, and pop culture, we often arrive with a long list of expectations already formed.

We think we know how people dress, eat, behave, or even speak. Some of these ideas come from harmless stereotypes, others from viral clips that show only one side of a place. The reality, however, is usually far more layered. Once you’re actually there, you realize how misleading those assumptions can be. Cultures are complex, people are diverse, and everyday life rarely fits into neat online narratives. Travel has a funny way of gently proving us wrong.

And clearly, a lot of people are out there seeing this for themselves. According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, more than 1.1 billion tourists traveled internationally in just the first nine months of 2025. That’s millions of people crossing borders, experiencing new cultures, and quietly unlearning things they thought they knew. With travel bouncing back stronger than ever, more travelers are realizing that countries can’t be summed up in a single trope or trend.

Sometimes, travelers only truly understand a place once they hear from the people who live there. That’s when stereotypes begin to fall apart. To explore this idea, we spoke with Rakesh, a 19-year-old local who gives guided tours of Mumbai’s Dharavi to foreign visitors.

Living in the community himself, he offers a perspective most tourists never expect. “Dharavi is one of the world’s largest and most densely populated settlements,” he begins. “It’s located right in the heart of Mumbai, not hidden away.” He says many visitors arrive with fixed ideas before even stepping inside. And those ideas rarely survive the tour.

“The first thing people tell me is that they didn’t know Mumbai was so developed,” Rakesh says. “They’re shocked to see massive malls, modern infrastructure, and luxury buildings so close by.” What fascinates visitors most, he explains, is the contrast. “You have some of the most expensive real estate in the country right next to Dharavi,” he adds. For many foreigners, it’s the first time they’ve seen wealth and hardship exist so closely together. That sharp contrast often challenges everything they thought they knew about the city.

Rakesh says one of the biggest misconceptions is about employment. “Some tourists honestly believe that everyone here is unemployed or begging,” he explains. “They’re surprised when they learn about the small-scale industries we have.” Dharavi is home to leather workshops, textile units, pottery makers, food production, and recycling businesses. “A lot of people here work extremely hard,” he says. “These businesses support families and contribute to the city’s economy.” For visitors, this reality is often eye-opening.

“We’re more than a million people living here,” Rakesh says proudly. “And we’re incredibly diverse.” He explains that Dharavi is home to people from different religions, cultures, and regions of India. “What surprises foreigners most is how strong our sense of community is,” he adds. Neighbors support each other, celebrate festivals together, and share resources. Laughing, he says, “They always ask me, ‘How is this possible, Rakesh?’” For many, that unity is unexpected.