30 Folks Online Share Things That No Tourist In America Should Under Any Circumstances Do

Don’t talk about how you think a holiday or American custom is stupid if you are invited to someone’s home. We had a guest from Germany once, who was invited to my parents house for Thanksgiving . The whole day she talked about how it wasn’t a real holiday and it was just an excuse for fat Americans to eat more. It was extremely insulting and made the day unpleasant for everyone. If you are invited to someone’s home, at least try to to be polite.

If you find yourself in Florida, absolutely do not swim in the lakes, ditches, or channels. Any standing body of water can (and does) have alligators in it. Also possibly water moccasins. And maybe even diseases.

Do NOT go into the wilderness unprepared. If a trail says 2 miles and 2000' of elevation gain, that's not a nature walk.

Do NOT approach wild Animals. Yea, the moose looks big and stupid, but he'll kill you. So will the bears, mountain lions, alligators, snakes.

Don't underestimate the size of the U.S. We get a lot of international visitors who think they can hit Disneyworld and the Grand Canyon in one or two days. America is huge. We've got 50 states for a reason.

Also, don't expect things to be extremely walkable, or assume a decent public transportation system will be available to you. Urban areas usually have good public transport but truthfully, America is built around having a car. We have drive thru everything - banks, pharmacies, fast food, and in some states, liquor stores.

Don't get weirded out if Americans wave and randomly want to chat you up. We're a pretty talkative bunch, but do watch out for hot-button topics (for example, politics...we're a hot mess right now).

Underestimate distances. When I was a tour guide, far too many customers asked how many HOURS the train to New York was [in seattle] and I had to put their jaw back in when I said 5 days.

Whether you agree with it or not (and the Redditland consensus is not), but please do not leave a restaurant without tipping (unless you've had really bad service). Again, the debate on this can be had another day, but right now, IRL, these servers depend upon these tips.

Wear clothing that has any imagery associated with Hells Angels. I was once at the convention centre in San Francisco during the setup of an event, and happened to be wearing a t shirt that had a variation of the “death head” logo on it (I had no idea - it was a cheap t shirt bought in the U.K. that I liked the look of). There was a guy riding round on a fork lift that kept staring at me and talking to his buddies. Eventually he came over and asked if I was associated at all with the Hells Angels. When I said no, he basically told me that if I was spotted outside wearing that t shirt by a member of the gang, I’d be in a whole heap of trouble. He was so insistent that he virtually escorted me back to my hotel to change it. At the time I couldn’t believe it, I was like “mate it’s just a t shirt I bought for 10 quid from TK Maxx” but in hindsight he probably did me a favour.

If pulled over by the cops, do not exit the vehicle unless they ask you to. The cops might sit in their vehicle for a while, & then they will approach the window & expect you to talk to them while sitting in the car.

If locals tell you not to go to a certain part of town, listen to them. Similarly, don't go touring drug or gang territory.

Don’t talk about GRAPE

Guns
Religion
Abortion
Politics
Economics

Legoboy514 said:
Raccoons are cute… but from a distance.

seapancaketouchr replied:
I had two f*ckers break into my condo and steal my dogs food. And as they went over the wall of my patio it was like watching a fat middle aged man do an obstacle course.

Don't go to the hospital unless absolutely necessary. The memes don't lie, they'll charge you $2,100 for a s***ty Walgreens splint and an x-ray.

Visiting south west USA? Cali. Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, ect. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE HEAT, all to often people try a hike in 113° and end up needing rescue. And that's no good for anyone.

Do not attempt bribe a police officer. It's common in some countries, but it will land you in a world of s**t here.

Don’t assume that the price shown on an item for sale is your price for said item.

There are almost always taxes that are added to the price when you go to pay.

If you’re in a New York City subway, try not to make too much eye contact or look too long at people around you. Old guy lighting up a crack pipe near the door between cars? Just ignore the smell. Woman near you screaming at the top of her lungs at her silent child? Keep listening to your music. Someone digging through their bag, muttering to themselves, and throwing rose petals on the floor like they’re preparing for a seance? Just keep staring blankly at your phone. Trust me.

Give retail employees a hard time about paying sales tax. We know you don't live here—the register and the government don't care.

Don't think the laws are the same everywhere. You can walk with an open alcohol container in Vegas but not many other places. Alcohol laws, pot laws, firearms laws, smoking - lots of very different laws depending on the state and city where you are.

Don’t forget to put eggs and milk in the fridge. We do stuff to them that makes them require refrigeration.

Edited; it’s not homogenization. Just know that the way we process them makes them, much like Americans, spoiled without Air conditioning.

541mya said:
Don't take pictures with the people dressed up in costumes in LA/ NYC.

nsci2ece replied:
They'll immediately expect payment for it.

This only applies to photos where you pose directly with them. Taking photos of them from a distance is fine.