Living in a tourist destination, around the canals of Amsterdam or the old city streets of Florence, may indeed sound very romantic, but turns out this is not always the case. In fact, it rarely is. How come? Well, the answer is in the first part of the title; namely, you get a bunch of super excited and very out-of-context tourists.
And so, unbeknownst to you, you become their guide for directions, their local entertainment, your house is on their must-see list, and you get it. So when someone asked people “who live in holiday destinations, what's your most ridiculous 'damn tourists' moment” on r/AskReddit, it was destined to become a one hell of a read.
From people casually walking inside your home, thinking it’s one of the sightseeing spots, to tourists complimenting your English, these are some of the things that happen when you live in places from the fridge magnets.
#1
NYC. Post 9/11, walking past the ruins of the World Trade Center and some middle-aged women tourists are chatting and laughing and posing with the ruins of the WTC behind them for a group shot. I worked there and was lucky not to be in the building when it happened. I was just so infuriated that I yelled out "it's not f**king Disney Land" and they lost their smiles. (Have some decorum, tourists).
Report
357points
#2
Worked at a ski area in western NC and had a lady from Florida ask me what we did with all the snow in the summertime. Told her we trucked it all into a refrigerated cave and she bought it.
Report
332points
#3
I live in Taos, NM...as well as being a ski destination, there is a really, really old (still-inhabited!) pueblo. Lots of Native American people here.
And being NM, we get lots of Texans in the summer. My (Native) friend is a river rafting guide and shared this gem with me:
She was on a raft with a family...mom, dad, teenage son and daughter. Friend points out a bighorn sheep up ahead, everyone starts freaking out.
Texan Mom: "So since there's game, do you ever see the Indians hunting out here?"
Friend: "Excuse me?"
Texan Mom: "Like, the Indians. They still live out here, right?"
Teenage Daughter: (realizes my friend is Native) "MOM"
Texan Mom: "What, I'm just asking!"
Friend: "Actually, most of us just go to the grocery store."
Texan Mom: "Wow, you're an Indian? Your English is like, almost perfect!"
Teenage Daughter: "MOM!!!!"
Report
332points
To find out more about what it's like to live in a place that many of us have on our fridge magnets, we spoke with Kacie Burns, American actor, dancer and singer who moved to live in Florence, Italy. Kacie is now sharing positivity, travel, cultural differences and the quirks of life abroad with her thousands of social media followers, so you should definitely check her out!
When asked what it's like living in such a hot tourist destination like Florence, Kacie said that she lived in NYC for ten years, so she is used to living in a tourist destination. “There are definite pros—the scenery, the accessibility, the blending of cultures because there are so many people from all over the world that visit. However, at the same time, a big con is that it’s almost always very crowded and busy,” she said.
#4
Canadian Rockies - Tourists who pull over on the side of the road to get close-up pictures of bear cubs. Mama bear is nearby and is ready to re-enact The Revenant with you.
Report
305points
#5
In Australia, for some unknown reason, tourists won't swim in-between the safety flags. It's like they think it's the bunny hill of the beach. It's not, the locals swim between the flags because we don't want to die.
Also, if I offer you sunblock and a hat, take it. This isn't Europe, I've gotten sunburnt in 15mims, you will bake regardless of your skin colour/nationality.
It's always so strange to me that Australia gets a bad wrap for all these things that are "trying to kill you" but I think sometimes tourist are just trying to get killed. Soooo many examples of this!
Report
278points
#6
Not a specific tourist destination, but I'm always amused by Europeans who can't comprehend how big Canada is.
I'll be in Niagara or Toronto, and they'll ask for directions to Whistler. "You're gonna want to go West for a long time"
"Like an hour? Two hours?"
"Try a week"
271points
However, living in Florence as a local differs from staying there as a tourist. Kacie thinks that it’s because “it becomes your home—you pass the same beautiful buildings and streets every day, so it becomes easy to be desensitized to it all.” On the other hand, “you also begin to build a community here when it’s your home. You get to know the city and the people living in it like the back of your hand. You feel like you belong, which is an awesome feeling,” Kacie said.
It’s hard not to idolize such a beautiful old city with so much culture like Florence, especially when you’re a tourist. But according to Kacie, to a certain extent, everyone does that and she doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with that. “It truly is a beautiful place, and while—like everywhere—there are the not-so-great things about Florence, it’s hard not to idolize or romanticize a city when everywhere you look looks like a fairytale book,” Kacie concluded.
#7
I find it super annoying when I see people parked on the side of the road trying to lure the Bears closer to their cars with food. Even worse when we pull up and warn them not to and their response is "chill out bro, it's only a bear" ........also, when people just decide to run up to baby deer and bother it, its mom is nearby and will go crazy. There's a reason why there are so many warning signs to not bother the wild creatures and to keep your distance. Oh and littering, take your damn food wrapper and put it in a trash can, a**hole. This is not only the animals' home but it's mine too so show some respect.
Report
266points
#8
Currently live in India / Sri Lanka - white people aka foreigners walking barefoot everywhere... Like Christ, I get you're on your big 'Indian adventure' but put on some shoes. Have you seen how much s**t is on the ground?!
Report
254points
#9
From Ireland. Had more than a few people ask about leprechauns. A friend actually convinced 2 Americans that they live in a commune in Donegal. They went straight out and bought bus tickets.
Report
250points
#10
When I was a teenager, I worked at an airboat rental dock/alligator park near the Everglades. We'd always get a tour bus full of foreigners and yankees coming in from Miami every couple of days during snowbird season.
Had a f**king guy ask "Hey, are we allowed to swim in the water?" while he was standing in front of a 14 foot stuffed gator flanked by four 6 foot water moccasin skins. We'd also get people who'd complain about the heat and the bugs. Like...holy f**king s**t you just came to the largest wetland in the country, what exactly were you expecting?
My favorite was "can you turn down the fan, my children don't like the noise." Then don't sign up to take a ride on a boat that's propelled by a giant propeller.
Report
232points
#11
We had a Japanese couple put their toddler on the back of a baby black bear that was mulling about on the side of the highway.
Natural selection was unfortunately not invoked in this instance.
Report
206points
#12
used to live in a very popular destination for exotic vacations. The one time that will always remember is the time I went to the local shopping mall and eavesdropped into a conversation with Asians showing safari pictures. They were showing pictures of them holding lion cubs. They were explaining how they saw baby lions without their mother and decided to get out of their car and pick them up for pictures. I cannot believe how stupid some people are.
Report
185points
#13
My older brother lives in Celebration, FL. Back when it was first designed and built, people didn't seem to understand exactly what it was. Was it a tourist attraction? A park? A town?
Some of my brother's friends related a time when they were sitting down for dinner and, having forgotten to lock their front door, were greeted by some tourists who decided to just walk around inside their apartment. The visitors had to be told that, no, this isn't a tourist attraction. It's a real home and real people live here, so please leave.
Report
173points
#14
Live in a ski town adjacent to Yellowstone National Park...
People have asked "At what elevation do the deer turn into elk" "Where do the moguls go in the summer?"
My favorite was when I worked at a lodge right in front of the Tetons during wildfire season...
"Can't you guys turn off the smoke? It's ruining my view and we paid way too much for this vacation and I can't even see the mountains." Yes, lady, it's all one big tv screen in front of our hotel...
Report
172points
#15
Tourism in Iceland has been booming the past few years. There's always something in the news (and I have only lived here for about six months)
Dude just drowned here in Iceland because he climbed onto the rocks and was swept away by a wave.
apparently, tourists jumped on icebergs floating around
last summer there was a huge outrage about people relieving themselves in the wild x
And everyone complains that stuff closes at 10 with a few exceptions (one being where I happened to work) It's f**king Iceland people! 350,000 people on a f**king good day, for f**ks sake, there's no need for anything to be open late.
it's quite entertaining.
Report
170points
#16
I work at a beach, and people always complain about the seaweed that washes up, and they believe me when I say that there's a seaweed filter in the jetty (which is a formation of huge rocks jetting out into the ocean to collect sand on one side) and that it was broken and it, instead of sucking the seaweed in, it's shooting it out and the part that would fix it comes from Japan and it's going to be fixed in 3 weeks. Tourists believe this every time.
Report
166points
#17
When my family was in Scotland we met a family planning to travel to the US for a week. We asked where they were visiting and they planned to start in New York and drive across the country to Los Angeles hitting all the major sites in between. Let me reiterate, they planned to be in the US for a week. We tried and failed to convince them this was not going to work.
Report
165points
#18
When I was 14, I worked for the Parks Commission in Niagara Falls. I've been asked a lot of dumb tourist questions during my time there, but there are two that really take the cake.
"Does the Maid of the Mist ride up the falls?" Asked by a grown man. I could understand a 5 yr old child with no understanding of physics, but seriously no adult should ever ask that question.
"Which falls belongs to what country?" Asked by a large Texan (I could tell by the accent and the huge belt buckle). I told him that the Horseshoe Falls were in Canada and the American and Bridal Veil falls were in the US. "NO!" he shouts back to me. "The larger one belongs to the US because everything in the US is bigger!". "Umm ok" I squeaked out. He must have been looking for a fight.
Report
152points
#19
I grew up in San Francisco which is kind of a tourist destination. I remember getting dinner somewhere touristy once and overhearing tourists complaining about all the hills and one of them hoping that the next earthquake would level the city so it would be easier to get around...
145points
#20
Okay here are a few for Australia:
Don't jump off that into the water - yes locals are doing it, but they've been doing it since they were 10
Wear proper shoes - if you're going for a bushwalk, wear the right footwear
You didn't just become a 4WD expert, maybe don't drive there
If you see a warning sign follow it - saw some people dip their kids into the water at a beach which is notorious for jellyfish, everyone else is wearing a stringer suit, except the 5year olds. Also, don't freaking fish there! There's a no fishing sign near my place, it's not to be a buzz kill. It's because the land near the water was used to produce Agent Orange. Those fish will kill you....slowly.
Report
138points