If you’ve done quite a bit oftraveling, you’ll know that you can have vastly different experiences around the world depending on whatcountryyou’re in and how well you fit in there. In one place, you might be considered crazy if you smile at a stranger while walking down the street. Meanwhile, in another, you might be called rude if you don’t strike up a conversation with the bartender before ordering a beer.
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Dear female travellers travelling alone in India: don’t travel alone.
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To learn more about where you can find the friendliest locals in the world, we reached out to globetrotter Alyse, akaThe Invisible Tourist, to hear her thoughts on the topic. Alyse was kind enough to have a chat withBored Pandaand share where she’s encountered incredibly kind people.“I’m sure many readers will agree when I answer this question with Japan, people genuinely go out of their way to help if you need it,” the travel expert says. “For instance, I’ve been surprised when a lady in Osaka walked me from the train station to my hotel. And another time when I caught the wrong train, a lady jumped off onto the platform to direct me where to go and therefore missed her train… Just selfless encounters like this.““The locals in Thailand are also some of the friendliest I’ve ever encountered, too!” Alyse added. “The genuine smiles on their faces are so heartwarming, it’s no wonder Thailand is known as the ‘Land of Smiles.'”
To learn more about where you can find the friendliest locals in the world, we reached out to globetrotter Alyse, akaThe Invisible Tourist, to hear her thoughts on the topic. Alyse was kind enough to have a chat withBored Pandaand share where she’s encountered incredibly kind people.
“I’m sure many readers will agree when I answer this question with Japan, people genuinely go out of their way to help if you need it,” the travel expert says. “For instance, I’ve been surprised when a lady in Osaka walked me from the train station to my hotel. And another time when I caught the wrong train, a lady jumped off onto the platform to direct me where to go and therefore missed her train… Just selfless encounters like this.”
“The locals in Thailand are also some of the friendliest I’ve ever encountered, too!” Alyse added. “The genuine smiles on their faces are so heartwarming, it’s no wonder Thailand is known as the ‘Land of Smiles.'”
Some of the nicest people I’ve come across in travels:Japanese and Balinese, also New ZealandersThe rudest and most disrespectful:Russians and Chinese.
I feel like men and women may have VERY different experiences in some countries. India for example. I found it very friendly/respectful as a big/tall western man, but I’d not want my wife or daughters traveling alone there.
This highly depends on who you are. Race, gender, ethnicity, nationality play a huge role.
On the other hand, we were curious if Alyse has ever met locals who weren’t exactly welcoming towards her. “For me personally, I did have less-than-friendly encounters with locals in Vienna and Prague,” she shared. “Now, it is a cultural difference there for locals to not be overly enthusiastic when meeting visitors, which is understandable, but separate vendors in each city refused to give me change when I paid for street food. I had to insist, and felt as though they were trying to take advantage. Hopefully that has changed there now.”
People posting nicest places needs to post if they’re a man or woman. Going to someone of these places as a woman is down right dangerous yet men see it as “nicest people ever”.
The world is filled with nice people and I keep travelling to remind this myself: you will find great people in any country.
Nicest place I’ve ever been was New Zealand. The land is gorgeous, the people are lovely, and welcoming. I live in Niagara Region, which can be very touristy, and all over NZ was just so pleasant.Worst place I’ve ever been is the Walmart next to Walt Disney World in Florida. There was a shooting as we were leaving, heard the gunshots while pulling out of the parking lot.
Alyse also suggests that travelers be extra mindful of locals in places that are known to suffer from over tourism. “Kyoto, Bali, Santorini, Venice, Dubrovnik, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Paris are just a few places where locals are fed up with tourists,” she noted. “We don’t want to make their lives more difficult, so it’s important to be as respectful as possible when visiting.”
I haven’t travelled the whole world but I felt safe and comfortable travelling in Germany, and totaly scared for my life in China.
I understand Mandarin/Cantonese and went to Guangdong for a holiday. Worst holiday ever because I understood how rude they were. When I tried on clothes at a mall shop and didn’t find anything which I liked, the sales girls b*tched out loud to each other that I shouldn’t be trying anything if I wasn’t going to buy anything. At another shop, I asked if they had a certain design in stock. When they offered an alternative, I tried it on, and I could hear them complaining out loud about me being a nuisance just because I asked if they had a particular design in stock. Plus, they did it deliberately loud Mean Girls style, like they wanted you to hear what they were saying. I had people scold ME for exclaiming ‘hey!’ when THEIR spit accidentally landed on my shoe. One lady in her 20s cut the line when I was just about to pay, and then yelled at me. Ordering food at a semi-popular dessert store meant being body slammed like we were at a mosh pit. I was never so glad to leave a country.
We also asked the expert for some tips on how travelers can have better experiences with locals when abroad.
“And overall, try to keep our voices down. No one likes an annoying tourist, but we can amplify the positive aspects of tourism through thoughtful exchanges with locals,” she added.
Nicest people - Thailand; people were just friendly and helpful for no gain; I remember the nicest lady who saw we were confused and helped us to cross the street and then she couldn’t speak English so she found someone else who spoke English so we could get directions and then made sure we got safely to building.Runner Up - Wierdly Americans; seemingly always open to starting a conversation and trying to assist you or give you helpful tips
Nicest? Easily Canada- some very nice people up that way!Meanest was easily Germany, though I did find their rudeness to be almost comical haha. I still like them though and appreciate their blunt manner!
Finally, Alyse suggests to “try and opt for small businesses as much as possible rather than global conglomerates during your trip.““This helps to keep tourism money within the local community who rely on it, rather than it being sent offshore,” she explained. “This applies to restaurants, accommodation, retail, traditional handicrafts and cultural experiences… As tourists, we have the power to funnel our money to where it is needed most.“And if you’re looking for even more travel advice from Alyse, be sure to visitThe Invisible Touristor check out herbook!
Finally, Alyse suggests to “try and opt for small businesses as much as possible rather than global conglomerates during your trip.”
“This helps to keep tourism money within the local community who rely on it, rather than it being sent offshore,” she explained. “This applies to restaurants, accommodation, retail, traditional handicrafts and cultural experiences… As tourists, we have the power to funnel our money to where it is needed most.”
And if you’re looking for even more travel advice from Alyse, be sure to visitThe Invisible Touristor check out herbook!
I haven’t been to all that many foreign countries, but I thought New Zealanders were quite nice. Sarcastic and teasing at times, but nice in general. I got really, super-bad vibes in Rwanda, like I was hated. That was difficult.
We were also lucky enough to get in touch with King Siu ofTravel, Eat, Drinkto hear about some of his experiences with locals around the world. “I’ve been to over 30 countries on six continents, and I’m happy to report that I’ve found friendly people everywhere I’ve been,” the travel expert shared.“There were definitely spots where I wasn’t sure what kind of reception I’d receive, but that was less about whether I thought I would find friendly people there and more about whether they would be friendly towards me,” King noted. “There were many reasons for my hesitations, but the main two were how they would react to someone of my ethnicity (as an Asian, I kind of stand out everywhere I go outside of Asia), and how they would feel about a foreigner in general, as geopolitical issues can create tension.”
We were also lucky enough to get in touch with King Siu ofTravel, Eat, Drinkto hear about some of his experiences with locals around the world. “I’ve been to over 30 countries on six continents, and I’m happy to report that I’ve found friendly people everywhere I’ve been,” the travel expert shared.
“There were definitely spots where I wasn’t sure what kind of reception I’d receive, but that was less about whether I thought I would find friendly people there and more about whether they would be friendly towards me,” King noted. “There were many reasons for my hesitations, but the main two were how they would react to someone of my ethnicity (as an Asian, I kind of stand out everywhere I go outside of Asia), and how they would feel about a foreigner in general, as geopolitical issues can create tension.”
Nicest was Indonesia , so friendly and genuinely so. I’ve been many times and always have the same experience (touristy parts of Bali exempt)Most unfriendly , Israel. They just looked so miserable all the time and any time I tried to start a chat I just got a dead eyed stare back at me.
Ireland = nicest, I was surprised as I’m English but everyone was very friendly. France = rudest.Edit: Runners up for nicest, Greece.
Taiwan is awesome and the people are super welcoming and nice
“I’ve also found that the more a place differs from where I am from, the friendlier the people tend to be towards me,” King pointed out. “Logically, one would assume that it would be the other way around, but that’s not what I’ve found.““When I stayed in a favela in Rio de Janeiro (which is probably the scariest thing I’ve done to-date, and not something I recommend you do without doing extensive research and taking the proper precautions), once I got over the possibility that I could be killed or kidnapped and got to know the people in that neighborhood, I would say that they turned out to be some of the friendliest and most generous people I’ve ever met,” he shared.
“I’ve also found that the more a place differs from where I am from, the friendlier the people tend to be towards me,” King pointed out. “Logically, one would assume that it would be the other way around, but that’s not what I’ve found.”
“When I stayed in a favela in Rio de Janeiro (which is probably the scariest thing I’ve done to-date, and not something I recommend you do without doing extensive research and taking the proper precautions), once I got over the possibility that I could be killed or kidnapped and got to know the people in that neighborhood, I would say that they turned out to be some of the friendliest and most generous people I’ve ever met,” he shared.
Meanest in Morocco, lots of catcalling and no respect for personal space. Nicest I am going to say America from personal experience.
Best: Japan. By far the worst of what I’ve experienced: Turkey. God I hate everything about that country.
“People are naturally curious, and the opportunity to learn new things and have a new experience in a safe environment brings out the best in people,” King says. “This isn’t like someone trying something new because that often puts someone in an uncomfortable situation, and people don’t like feeling vulnerable. In this scenario, they are in their comfort zone as the local dealing with you, so there is no feeling of losing control to deter them from the experience.”
The French. I am not a huge world traveler so I’m no authority, but in my experience the French folks I met were not very friendly, and liked to make fun of people and any attempts to speak their language.”
We also asked King about any experiences he’s had with locals who weren’t particularly welcoming. “In my experience, their unfriendly attitude towards foreigners often stems from the fact that the foreigners are being disrespectful,” he noted. “Usually, it’s not on purpose, but when you’re traveling to a new place, especially if they have a different culture or religion, make sure you do your research about the local customs and behaviors. I’m sure we’ve heard of the extreme cases where idiotic tourists damage historical or religious monuments, but sometimes it’s just simple things like talking too loudly or eating on public transit.““When you’re traveling, you are a guest, and just as you’d behave yourself and do your best to not be an idiot when you’re visiting a friend’s house, it’s your job to know how not to upset people who live in the places you visit,” the expert added.
We also asked King about any experiences he’s had with locals who weren’t particularly welcoming. “In my experience, their unfriendly attitude towards foreigners often stems from the fact that the foreigners are being disrespectful,” he noted. “Usually, it’s not on purpose, but when you’re traveling to a new place, especially if they have a different culture or religion, make sure you do your research about the local customs and behaviors. I’m sure we’ve heard of the extreme cases where idiotic tourists damage historical or religious monuments, but sometimes it’s just simple things like talking too loudly or eating on public transit.”
“When you’re traveling, you are a guest, and just as you’d behave yourself and do your best to not be an idiot when you’re visiting a friend’s house, it’s your job to know how not to upset people who live in the places you visit,” the expert added.
Vietnam is probably the friendliest place ive been.
For me thus far, nicest: Denmark. I don’t think I met a rude person once. They score very high on reported happiness quizzes. Close second would be Costa Rica.Meanest: France, but I still wouldn’t say they were mean. People in the Loire valley were great, Parisians were a little less nice. But still much nicer than the stereotype, which I think comes from Americans who believe that everybody understands English if you just slow it down and shout it.
King also recommends that tourists be extra mindful of respecting the local religion when traveling.“Just because a place shares the same language and many of the same values, don’t assume that you don’t need to be mindful of how you’re behaving,” he added. “Even in the U.S., acceptable behaviors can differ greatly across the country. It’s often more difficult because everything is so similar, yet some things are completely different. Take, for example, attitudes on public transit. Someone in Florida would think you’re crazy for taking public transit, but in NYC, it would not even be a topic of conversation.”
King also recommends that tourists be extra mindful of respecting the local religion when traveling.
“Just because a place shares the same language and many of the same values, don’t assume that you don’t need to be mindful of how you’re behaving,” he added. “Even in the U.S., acceptable behaviors can differ greatly across the country. It’s often more difficult because everything is so similar, yet some things are completely different. Take, for example, attitudes on public transit. Someone in Florida would think you’re crazy for taking public transit, but in NYC, it would not even be a topic of conversation.”
Thailand. Nicest people.
The meanest is probably Manila Philippines. I’ve been there 3 times and every time I encounter the coldest least friendly people I’ve ever met. I heard good things about other places away from Manila so I’ll have to experience that first.
“If people are reacting badly to you, it’s not usually because they are unfriendly, it’s usually because you’ve done something they view as wrong or unusual,” King pointed out. “Before you start attacking me for blaming you for someone else being unfriendly, I want you to think about the last time you judged a tourist for doing something you thought was annoying or offensive and how you’d treat that person if they immediately started to talk to you after the offending incident.““If you’re American and reading this, I want you to think about what you thought or shouted the last time you were driving and someone with an out-of-state license plate did something stupid on the road,” he added.
“If people are reacting badly to you, it’s not usually because they are unfriendly, it’s usually because you’ve done something they view as wrong or unusual,” King pointed out. “Before you start attacking me for blaming you for someone else being unfriendly, I want you to think about the last time you judged a tourist for doing something you thought was annoying or offensive and how you’d treat that person if they immediately started to talk to you after the offending incident.”
“If you’re American and reading this, I want you to think about what you thought or shouted the last time you were driving and someone with an out-of-state license plate did something stupid on the road,” he added.
Nicest customer service: MexicoFriendliest locals: South Africa, Southern USAWorst customer service: RussiaLeast friendly locals: Northeastern USA.
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If you’d like to have better experiences with locals when traveling, King suggests doing your research before and finding out what behavior is acceptable (and what is not).
“If you’re traveling for work, research the local business customs. Do you need to arrive at meetings half an hour early or bring a gift? Think about the types of interactions you will be having in that place, and find out how to behave so that you don’t offend everyone around you,” he explained.
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“Finally, I would like to add that popular culture and media often create a misrepresentation of places beyond our borders, so keep that in mind and give each new place you visit the benefit of the doubt,” the travel expert shared.
If you’d like to keep up with King’s travels or gain even more tips from him, be sure to check outTravel, Eat, Drink!
Most Irish people and Japanese are welcoming and humble.When I went to Vietnam, a vendor slapped my hand for giving the wrong amount of money.
I’m French (not from Paris).I haven’t been all around the world yet, but so far, the nicest people I met were….Americans. All over the East Coast, from NYC to Key West, I met a lot of really outgoing and friendly people, always willing to help out or eager to chat.And the meanest, I’d say Italians. I always felt like they were a little rude.
I did Greece in summer, everyone, everywhere was fantastic.As for mean or nasty folks. Well you get them everywhere (except Greece).
Nicest people - Philippines (yet to meet anyone that isn’t kind or welcoming)Meanest people - Russia (not everyone, but few people seemed to care about anything at all… strange).
I’m latino. Germans treated me terribly. Malaysians loved me and were all super nice.
This might sound strange but I find Americans the nicest.I mean I suppose it depends where, but in general you are all such a welcoming happy bunch it makes me feel uncomfortable as a moody Brit when you engage me in conversation and I’m like, eh alright hi 😂.
I would rank the nicest folks in El Salvador, Japan, Thailand and Denmark.Rudest, possibly Belgium but I was only in Brussels and sick and had trouble navigating the health care system. Not so much rude as just…not friendly. Probably not a good sample, though.Irish, Americans, and Brits are all very friendly people, and accommodating when you’re a tourist. Most recently, felt very welcome on the Central Coast of California and into Santa Barbara. In fact, most places we went to greeted you with a “welcome in”.
I’ve traveled internationally for 45+ years( 55F American) and I’ve found warm, friendly, welcoming people everywhere except Italy. Special shout out to Ireland!
Rudest is unarguably Hong Kong. Of the three times I’ve visited I’ve always had a sh*tty encounter
Bosnia was a hugely friendly and welcoming place.
Everyone mistakes Japan’s social politeness policy for niceness.Female who has been traveling since my early 20s:So far the friendliest , most genuine , people were in Mexico.A certain less famous Caribbean island felt dangerous and like everyone wanted something from me or to take advantage of me (I was young with nothing to offer even).Japan experiences have been mixed with surprisingly more negative than positive.It’s hard to say any place I’ve been so far had solidly mean people… though I’ve traveled to mainly non- Caucasian majority countries .
Best: southern Spain. I really don’t know if it’s the same all over the country. I had quite the opposite impression of Madrid, for instance, but southern Spain has wonderful people, full of humanity, and the strongest culture I have experienced anywhere. People there work to live, not live to work.Shout out to America, too. I experienced some of the friendliest, most hospitable people ever over there. It was a bit overwhelming.Worst: Morocco. Constant, unrelenting harassment. Saudi Arabia was bad too, because the people could be threatening or cheat you - but they could also be the opposite, so I can’t pass judgement.
Friendliest would be Bali, meanest would be Egypt.
Lived in Italy a bit - pretty bad. as a woman, men were AWFUL. Catcalled and everything for first time in my life and I was a young student. The people also so judgey and rude to foreigners. I once got yelled at a grocery store for putting my basket on the conveyor belt (for a sec so I could reach for my wallet before unpacking). She yelled at me so hard I cried and never returned to the store. So yeah. Lots of bad stories.Also worst maybe the French in Paris, they’re def sick of tourists understandably. But don’t take it out on em.Best - are from Philippines! The sweetest people and so welcoming.
Been to ~55 countries —Nicest:Turkey, Philippines, IrelandMeanest:Egypt (tout overload), India (to each other)All were worth going to.
Mexico has the nicest, most laid back people IMO. Germany was the meanest… Very very intense.
I’ve met lovely people all over, but I would have to say the nicest were Italians. I hit my head at the Vatican and had a flurry of people exclaiming at me with Italian concern. At least I think it was. But the French were also lovely, as were South Africans.The worst people I’ve encountered were in the Dominican Republic. They were rude, demanding and condescending everywhere we went.
I think both of mine come from the same country.Nicest: HawaiiMeanest: New JerseyWe were only in Newark for one night before flying back to the UK, but given how lovely everyone else in every part of the states I’ve visited has been, New Jersey was a surprise.
Spain. Been there three times, always very nice people. France might be the meanest.
I’ve been to over 20 countries across the world (Germany, UK, France, Belgium, Mexico, multiple Caribbean countries, Canada, Guyana, Brazil). All had nice and not-so-nice people.Germany was interesting. They weren’t the friendliest at the airport and customs and the first time I was there I had this worry that I’d made a big mistake. But I ended up enjoying my stay there because people were very genuine. I got invited to dinners and drinks from almost strangers that I’d met at a hostel. I’ve been back multiple times.Mexico had some of the nicest people. Get past the shops which seemed almost cut-throat and abrupt and I met some really beautiful people. Also got invited to dinners and drinks from almost strangers.Canada was a little disappointing. I think I was expecting everyone to be friendly as with the stereotype. But they were just normal. Bored restaurant staff, bored check-in clerk at the hotel, sort of abrubt service when I was renting gear.Haiti was pretty bad. Mostly because of very aggressive vendors who literally grabbed my arm and shoved merch in my face. When I said no a couple got angry and almost pushed me out of the way to talk to the next person. But the restaurant staff at the couple places I ate were fine.Brazil was awesome. Everyone there seemed to treat me like I was some long lost cousin. Oh, but I got my phone stolen.
Nicest - USA, TurkeyBest service - Japan, but the people in general were not particularly nice outside of the service industryWorst - Tunisia, Spain.
Context: I’m Irish and white.Nicest: Americans, Indonesians, JapaneseMeanest: Australians - though I just think they hate tourists in general.
Friendliest country unironically Iran or Afghanistan. You get invited for dinner almost every day. People are eager to help you, and they take a personal pride in travellers experience of their country. You feel looked after like a beloved relative.Unfriendliest maybe China, but that can be related to language barrier aswell.
It depends, are you attractive or ugly?
France is the only country I’ve been to where it doesn’t seem to matter. They can be really rude
My experience - the warmer the climate, the kinder the people.
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