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).
Image source: Offthepoint, Axel Houmadi
#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.
Image source: Kinnakeet, John Price
#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!!!!”
Image source: VenomousJackalope, Pete Nuij
#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.
Image source: GoTron88, Connie Azak
#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!
Image source: starcaster, Rob Deutscher
#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”
Image source: Mr_Nexxus, Suresh
#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.
Image source: tazbunny
#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?!
Image source: Lyle-Z-Crocodile, Matt Byrne
#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.
Image source: badgerbother89, CGP Grey
#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.
Image source: ScramblesTD, Ronald Langeveld
#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.
Image source: TL10, Florida Fish and Wildlife
#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.
Image source: willpunchyou, Miguel Alcântara
#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.
Image source: interface2x, osseous
#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…
Image source: shradicalwyo, hilary bird
#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.
Image source: Horst724
#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.
Image source: creaghlj, Silas Baisch
#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.
Image source: Green7000
#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.
Image source: Jebus905, Olivier Guillard
#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…
Image source: clear_7, Ben Kim
#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.
Image source: starcaster
#21
Another NYC one: Walking to work one day and I hear shouts of “OH MY GOD IS THAT JAY-Z?!?! GET A PICTURE QUICK”
No, midwestern tourists, that is not Jay-Z. That man looks nothing like Jay-Z. He’s at least 150 pounds heavier than Jay-Z. Being a black dude in a Lambo doesn’t automatically make him Jay-Z.
Image source: ParaTodoMalMezcal, guigzy
#22
I used to be a street artist in the New Orleans French quarter. One day I’m sitting by my paintings, reading a book and some lady came up and put a dollar in my coffee. I guess she thought I was begging. Her heart was in the right place, but she ruined my coffee.
Image source: reddit, rsseattle
#23
Lived in DC and now in downtown Miami so I’ve gotten used to tourists and don’t really mind them. One incident does still stick in my craw. 8:30 am. Dupont Circle station. I need to put 20 cents on my fare card. An entire troupe of boyscouts are at all of the machines trying to figure them out like it’s some sort of complicated puzzle. They were spread out throughout the entire room so that there wasn’t a single open machine. I almost killed children that day.
If you go to DC and are going to ride the metro and don’t want to piss off locals:
If you have a big group, don’t go during rush hour.
If you can’t figure out the machines, just use one.
Stand on the goddamn right on the escalator.
Let people off before you get on.
Don’t talk to me.
Image source: voice_of_craisin
#24
I lived in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland for a while, and on my bus-commute home, I overheard an American woman trying to figure out if it was the correct bus to get her to the village where I lived, but she didn’t know Italian and was holding up the line. So, just to be nice, I offered to translate for her and solved her problem. She didn’t say thank you and sat down for the ride.
When we arrived, we started walking up the hill from the bus station next to each other, and I asked “so, where are you from, and why are you visiting my tiny village?”. She responded “I don’t talk to strangers” and sped up.
I just laughed at her and replied, “What, are you a 7-year-old little girl? I just helped you on the bus back there, and now you’re being rude to me?” No response.
Image source: bouffanthairdo, Marjan Blan | @marjanblan
#25
Amsterdam: any tourist with a bike is a “damn tourist”
Image source: webdevop, Noralí Nayla
#26
PHILADELPHIA IS NOT SMALL all those landmarks you want to see? The art museum, The liberty bell, The love statue, Market Street, South Street, The Macy store where Wanamaker was, independence hall, pat’s and Geno’s s**tties cheesesteaks? They have miles in between each other. You will not be able to walk that in a day. Also rocky wasn’t real and that was a 20-mile MONTAGE that Sylvester Stallone ran. Good luck.
Image source: suitology
#27
Coastal Maine checking in – people lose their s**t over lobsters and shell out tons of money for anything with a lobster on it.
Cheap shot glass? Eh. Cheap shot glass with a lobster stuck on it? I’ll give you $7.75 for it!
Lollipop? Whatever. Lollipop shaped like a lobster?! Definitely worth $5, better get one for each kid back home.
Normal pullover hoodie? Boring. Hoodie with a motherf**king LOBSTER embroidered on it at $50 a piece?!? Oh my GOD just take my money!!
Image source: gymger
#28
I work near Times Square (tourist capital). My biggest gripe is escalators. When exiting, FFS don’t just stop and stand right at the bottom or top, then look surprised/annoyed when your getting shoved out of the way. If you haven’t noticed, there are a lot of people here, some of which also need to exit the escalator.
Image source: reddit
#29
Anyone who comes to Los Angeles, assumes Hollywood and the actual Hollywood neighborhoods are the same. actors rarely hang out in Hollywood. that’s where you find the heroin addicts.
Image source: rikjames90, Gabriel Santiago
#30
I live near Niagara Falls, and it seems like every time I go there are a couple of people attempting to sit on, hang on, or even get past the guard rails for a better photo opportunity. Idk if they just don’t realize how fast the water is actually moving or what, but I’ve had a panic attack for them every time I’ve seen this
Image source: BronusSwagner, Trae Gould
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