Cultural differences are what makes us all unique and what greatly contributes to the excitement of travelling when you get to discover some particularities of a destination that aren't too or at all common in your home country. Eating rotten fish might sound slightly (and literally) off to you, but it’s totally normal in Sweden. Having two passports from the same country is common in Russia, but might not exist where you live. And the practice of eating fried Mars bars might not be the most popular one in North America, but it’s common in Scotland, or seeing police driving Lamborghini as their work car in Italy might not be seen anywhere else.
Check out the list of some strange things from that are only common in certain countries, vote for the weirdest ones, and let us know if you've experienced them in the comments.
#21 In Thailand, People Remove Their Shoes Before Entering A Building
One of the things related to feet etiquette in Thailand is taking one's shoes off before entering a building—that's to keep dirt from the outside outdoors.
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151points
#22 There Are No Street Names In Costa Rica
Although some streets might have names, they might not necessarily have signs, so the addresses in Costa Rica are still described by local landmarks.
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150points
#23 In Some Parts Of Highways In Germany, Speed Limit Is Only A Recommendation
On the federal highway system AKA autobahn in Germany, the speed limit in certain places is only a recommendation and drivers can choose to drive as fast as they want.
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143points
#24 In Slovakia, A Live Carp Is Kept In A Bathtub Before Preparing It For Christmas Dinner
A Christmas tradition in Slovakia is letting the carp that is meant for dinner swim in the bathtub for a few days to clean its tract, since it's a bottom feeder. And, well, people don't take baths unless they want to share the tub with a fish.
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130points
#25 Sitting In A Sauna In Finland Can Be A Competition
World sauna endurance championships were so famed that people from different countries would compete in this extreme activity in the homeland of saunas—Finland.
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127points
#26 People In The Netherlands Don't Use Curtains
It seems that the Dutch don't mind people looking into their homes. This might be coming from Protestant religious traditions and the notion of 'I have nothing to hide.'
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124points
#27 Russians Have 2 Passports
Citizens of Russia have two passports: one national passport that serves more like an ID and a passport for travelling abroad.
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119points
#28 South Koreans Think That Writing In Red Ink Is A Bad Omen
In the past, writing someone's name in red in the book registry meant that the person is deceased.
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114points
#29 In Brazil, Hair Lightening Is Just As Popular As Hair Removal
Some women in Brazil like to bleach their body hair rather than remove it completely in order to keep the light fuzz.
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113points
#30 Unmarried 25-Year-Olds In Denmark Get Covered In Cinnamon
This messy tradition derives from spice sellers in 16th-century Denmark who were famed to be single and were called 'pepper men' and this makes a perfect extra excuse to party more. So why not?
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101points
#31 Some Streets In Japan Don’t Have Names
Due to the different addressing system in Japan, the blocks have names instead of the spaces between them (streets).
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98points
#32 People In Singapore Reserve Seats In Public Eateries
As you need to order food from the counter and risk not being able to find a seat, Singaporeans leave anything from umbrellas to packs of tissues to maintain seats reserved for when they return with their purchased meal.
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96points
#33 There's A Dessert In Turkey That Contains Chicken Breast
Shredded chicken breast in a milk dessert, anyone? Tavuk göğsü is a sweet served in Turkey that might be not to everyone's taste.
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93points
#34 While Taking Photos, Dutch Say “Smile At The Little Bird”
Surprisingly, instead of saying "cheese" (after all, a lot of cheese is made in the Netherlands), the Dutch say "Lach eens naar het vogeltje" ("Smile at the little bird").
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92points
#35 In Sweden, Rotten Fish Is A Food Item
Lightly salted and fermented Baltic sea herring has been in Swedish cuisine since the 16th century and it's famed for its extremely particular taste.
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86points
#36 Swedes Cool Their Drinks Outside
A perk of having cold winters in Sweden is that you can cool your drinks outside in the snow. Perhaps a few countries take advantage of infinite alcohol cooling opportunities outdoors.
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81points
#37 In The Netherlands, It's Common To Answer The Phone With 'Hoi'
No matter how bizarre it sounds, it's normal for the Dutch to answer the phone with the very old-school 'hoi,' that even gave the roots for the nautical term 'ahoy.'
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80points
#38 The UK And Some Other Countries Still Drive On The Left Side
Driving on the left side of the road is a feudal heirtage of the days when it was more convenient to hold and use swords in the right hand and have any opposing traffic on the same side in order to fight them.
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70points
#39 The Swedish Use A Special Cheese Slicer Instead Of A Knife
The Swedish are so serious about cheese that they use a cheese slicer (which is said to have been invented by Norwegians) instead of a regular knife.
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62points