TravelJUN 30, 2022

People Are Sharing 30 Things About Europe That Americans Would Find Weird

Mindaugas Balčiauskas and Adelaide May Ross

179

What do Europe and the United States have in common? Depending on who you ask, the answer might be, “Not much!” But the majority of inhabitants of both places love Europe. Americans live for their summer trips to Paris or Rome and love dedicating the next six months of their Instagram feed to photos in front of the Eiffel Tower or the Colosseum, and Europeans love staying in Europe because it can be incredibly easy and affordable to travel within the continent. There are about as many countries in Europe as there are states in the US, providing nearly unlimited cultural experiences.

But when Americans hop across the pond to Europe, there are a number of cultural differences that might stand out to them, depending on where they visit. Curious Reddit users have been bringing these quirks to light for years, asking for examples of things that are “normal in Europe but strange in America”, what surprises Americans most about Europe, the biggest differences Americans who move to Europe have observed, and things that are socially acceptable outside the US but would be “horrifying” inside. We’ve gone through these threads to find the most interesting responses and gathered them for you to read down below, so if you’re an American planning a Euro-trip, you can avoid some of the inevitable culture shock. And if you’re not from Europe or the US, you can enjoy hearing a bit about European culture from other people on the outside.

Read on to also find interviews with Dani Heinrich, creator of the travel blog Globetrotter Girls, Sarah Hollis, the woman behind The Pack Mama blog, and Erin and Erin of the blog Surviving Europe to hear about some of the cultural differences they have observed from living in Europe and the US. Then once you’ve finished this list, be sure to check out Bored Panda’s last publication on the same topic right here.

#21

People Are Sharing 30 Things About Europe That Americans Would Find Weird

Public transportation across cities, in rural areas and across countries.

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130points

Many of the differences that Americans encounter are pleasant surprises, though. For example, going places where tax is already factored into the price of an item on the shelf can be refreshing. In the US, tax rates vary state to state, so you are never 100% what something costs until you check out. Tipping culture is also very different in Europe. When eating at a restaurant in most European countries, tipping is not required, but if you would like to leave something, 10% should be fine. In the US, leaving a tip of 10% at a restaurant would be an insult to your server, but because they receive actual wages in most other countries, they don’t have to rely on tips.

#22

People in Scotland (Specifically Glasgow) are the nicest I've ever met, seriously. People would have friendly conversations with you at bus stops, and one person even lent me £2 spare cash at a gas station for petrol. It seems to be 90% of people there are like that. Very unusual.

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127points

#23

I lived in Hengelo for a year for work purposes. Bike culture in the Netherlands is absolutely wonderful and I miss it.

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122points

#24

The lack of branding on stores, and it made me completely jealous. You mean, drugstores can exist without ten-foot high signs? Restaurants can look like normal buildings? Revolutionary.

hellosquirrel

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122points

And how could I go through this entire article without mentioning some of the elephants in the room: healthcare and guns. On average, Americans spend about $10k a year on healthcare costs, while the average citizen in the EU spends about 3,100€ on healthcare annually. Aside from not fearing they will be plunged into debt every time they go to the hospital, Europeans also have to worry much less about gun violence. Due to the lax gun control policies in the US, “age-adjusted firearm homicide rates in the US are 22 times greater than in the European Union”, as reported by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. While no one in the world should have to worry about exorbitant medical bills or gun violence where they live, Americans certainly encounter both of those things far less in Europe than back home.

#25

My first trip into Amberg, Germany, a bus pulled up to the station and a bunch of small children got off and wandered into the fußgängerzone completely unaccompanied by adults. That's how safe it was.

That and the more liberal sexuality. According to many of the friends I had, I was the only American they had ever met to even attempt learning German. I had never been told that my accent was so sexy before. That was all it took to go home with some of them.

Definitely worth going back.

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117points

#26

I moved to the Netherlands in 2005 and I think the biggest difference between here and the USA is work. There's a minimum of 21 days paid vacation, you don't have only 3 sick days for the entire year, and if you're asked to work overtime you can say no without risk of being fired on the spot (DO NOT miss at will employment).

It did take about 3 years to be able to call in sick without major guilt and about the same amount of time to learn to take vacation days vs. hoarding them.

Petra_Ann

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113points

#27

The cleanliness in Germany shocked me. While driving through the countryside, there was not a single piece of garbage on the road anywhere. Just about everywhere in the USA has litter almost everywhere.

wzl46

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104points

Traveling and experiencing other cultures is often an eye-opening experience. Especially for Americans who can easily go their entire lives without ever leaving the country, cultural differences when visiting Europe can be vast, but it is important to view any other nation with an open mind and a respectful attitude. Hopefully this list has inspired you to go out and do some of your own traveling this summer, and maybe even learned a thing or two about a nation you haven't yet visited! Be sure to upvote all of your favorite responses, and then let us know in the comments if you have ever traveled from the US to Europe, or vice versa, what did you find most surprising?

#28

The lack of homeless people. I live in Germany and I think I've seen maybe 5 homeless people here, most of which were probably refugees. I went back to the US last year and was astonished at all of the homeless people everywhere. They were literally on every corner. It broke my heart. I had completely forgotten about that part of life there.

twice_it

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100points

#29

I was on a two-day shore leave in Bergen, Norway. I don't know if I just happened to be in the right places at the right time, but everything was clean, and everyone was beautiful and chic. Women, men, everyone. That place seemed perfect.

Ellemshaye

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95points

#30

I traveled around most of Europe with my parents when I was 15. By far, the most surprising part about Europe was how relaxed you guys were with sexuality. I'm from the south and being open about your sexually is generally frowned upon. But in Europe? Boobs. Boobs everywhere.

When we first touched down in Belgium there was a museum which had an exhibit called 'The Art of Orgasm'. I found an ad booklet in Switzerland for watches that was just 20 pages of attractive women making out. One night in a hotel I discovered that most of the channels on the TV were soft core porn.

I shared a bedroom with my parents for most of the trip.

It was a challenging time for me.

DaShazam

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94points

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Mindaugas BalčiauskasBoredPanda Staff

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