The United States is full of diverse cultures, histories, and landscapes, creating a rich and complex national tapestry that takes time to truly understand.So when foreigners come to this unique place of the world, they want to take in as much as possible. However, in their quest for authentic experiences, travelers may end up in awkward and uncomfortable situations.Interested in how they can protect themselves from this, Reddit userAlainasBoyfriendposted a question on the platform, asking the locals, “What should a foreigner avoid while visiting the United States?” Here are the most popular answers they have received.This post may includeaffiliate links.
The United States is full of diverse cultures, histories, and landscapes, creating a rich and complex national tapestry that takes time to truly understand.
So when foreigners come to this unique place of the world, they want to take in as much as possible. However, in their quest for authentic experiences, travelers may end up in awkward and uncomfortable situations.
Interested in how they can protect themselves from this, Reddit userAlainasBoyfriendposted a question on the platform, asking the locals, “What should a foreigner avoid while visiting the United States?” Here are the most popular answers they have received.
This post may includeaffiliate links.
Leave all your stereotypes about America home, it’s a hugely diverse country and your experience in one part of the US will be very different to your experience in another. Keep an open mind and have fun.
Don’t be bullheaded when it comes to the weather. If the locals are worried, you should be worried.
You should avoid any sweeping generalizations about the USA. The US is effectively 50 separate countries. It’s an absolutely massive landmass with pretty much every type of terrain, climate and a huge variety of cultures. Anyone that tells you otherwise probably barely travels.
If it says no trespassing don’t trespass.
If you are visiting a more rural area, like Montana where I live, don’t underestimate the rural-ness. You might not be able to get a hotel in a small town and there are plenty ty of places where there aren’t any hotels or accommodations. You can take highway and run out of gas because there aren’t any gas stations for 70 miles. Also, if it is a dirt road, and there are a lot of them in the rural U.S., don’t ever assume that you will have cell/GPS reception or that the dirt road goes anywhere besides 50 miles into the mountains where you can get stuck or break down. It’s hard to conceptualize for people who live in more populated areas. Your best bet is to plan ahead and read reviews. It is absolutely worth it to visit areas where there is wilderness. That is why I live here. That being said, it’s dangerous in a different way than visiting a city.
If you get pulled over DO NOT GET OUT OF THE CAR. Do not take your seatbelt off, keep your hands visible, move slowly, be polite. Especially if you’re darker skinned in any way.
Don’t go to the big chain type places. Go to the mom and pop little restaurants and coffee shops and specialty shops. You will usually find new cool things you enjoy.OpeusPopeus:To add to this: FOOD TRUCKS!!!
Avoid a hospital visit. Whatever you think it costs, it’s more.N0t_N1k3L:Medical travel insurance that goes into the 7 digits. Someone from my country had the misfortune of having a stroke in the USA. 150k+ in expenses. When I went there it was my number 1 concern: getting insurance.
Anyone wearing a MAGA hat.
Always ask the locals where they like to eat. They know better than any travel blog.
I feel like this answer changes depending on where you are coming from. Certain parts of the country REALLY dislike certain nationalities. There’s no way coming here as a german/swede or European is the same experience as middle eastern/African/Asian.
When visiting the U.S., it’s best to avoid discussing sensitive topics like politics and religion with strangers, even if they bring it up. Also, be mindful of local customs and etiquette, as they can vary widely. And of course, don’t forget to tip in restaurants—it’s a common practice here. Enjoy your time in the States!
I was in a bar in Russia once and the bartender told me he wanted to visit the US and to go to Alabama because of the song sweet home Alabama.Literally the only time anyone has said they want to go to Alabama to me, don’t go to Alabama foreigner.
It’s not uncommon for perfect strangers to greet you, unlike most of the world where people tend to keep to themselves. If someone says “How are you doing?” it’s not really a question, just a greeting.
Taking weed across state lines. It’s not legal everywhere.
Honestly, most of the bad areas will be intuitively bad to any human being with basic decency and common sense. That said, I would avoid Texas.
America is HUGE and things are a lot further apart than Europeans realize.UnspecificGravity:The flight from London to New York is only about an hour longer than the flight from New York to Seattle.
Don’t smoke in public buildings, this is illegal.Don’t smoke in someone’s house, apartment, or condo without asking for permission. This isn’t illegal, but it’s still extremely rude.
Ordering a large at a restaurant, or especially a movie theater. I don’t care how hungry you think you are, you will not eat/drink it all in one sitting.
Heavily depends on where you are going….but don’t assume the price you see is the price you pay. Sales tax isn’t included on most price listings and Tip is expected for food service.
DO NOT TRY TO BRIBE COPS. As f****d up as American cops are bribery does not fly. Unless you’re wealthy or powerful.
I find a lot of foreigners have about 2 1/2 inches of a personal space bubble, while us Americans value our space. Keep at least a 2-3 feet distance when conversing with strangers. I’ve had an Italian guy come so close I thought he was going to kiss me. Very uncomfortable for someone who isn’t used to a lack of personal space.
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Don’t interact with police unless you absolutely need to.
If there is garbage on the street or on the floor of the establishment, there are other regulations being ignored. If the floor isn’t clean, the rest of the place isn’t clean either. I know that sounds very snobbish and privileged, but coming from absolute poverty and climbing my way out, it’s absolutely correct.
If you’re visiting a well-known and large city (New York, Boston, Seattle, Las Vegas, Houston, etc.) Avoid contact with people passing out CDs or offering to give you free things because they will try to charge you for it once they reel you in.
If you’re visiting Alaska, DO NOT visit rural or remote areas alone, especially if you’re inexperienced.Alaska has the highest missing persons rate (about 168 missing people per 100k of the population, and we have 730,916 residents as of 2023), and the VAST majority of the state is unpopulated, unexplored and untamed wilderness. There’s even the Alaskan Triangle, a huge expanse of land between Anchorage, Juneau, and Utqiagvik (formerly known as Barrow) where more people go missing, along with disappearing aircraft, alleged paranormal and extraterrestrial sightings, and much more.My advice, if you’re a first-timer to Alaska, is to stick to Southcentral Alaska. You’ve got Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley, where there’s plenty of tourist attractions. If you’re feeling more adventurous, there’s whale-watching and glacier tours in places like Seward and Homer. If you want somewhere further in the interior, there’s a two-hour drive to Talkeetna, or a another 6 hours to Fairbanks!
Avoid looking lost and unorganized in areas of big cities with high crime rates. Dress functionally, always keep the illusion of knowing where you are and where you’re going, pay attention to your surroundings. Bad people will target folks who look lost and unorganized more often than people who appear oriented.
Don’t expect the US to be pedestrian-friendly. Some of our larger cities are, but even they pale in comparison to EU cities. You need to drive here. NYC is basically our only major city that’s not true of, but even there, public transport is not as good as that found in a lot of European and east Asian nations. You should expect to have to rent a car as part of your vacation expenditure if you don’t have other accommodations.
Gary Indiana!! Do not, under any circumstances, go to Gary, Indiana. Ever
The heat. If you’re going to hike in the desert, bring plenty of water.
Generally, you should tip at sit-down restaurants with full service (ie waiter comes and takes your order, brings food, refills drinks and clears your dishes). At these places, traditionally the minimum is 15%, but most people I know tip closer to 20% standard.
Hollywood Boulevard.Ok_Response_3484:My cousins came from Oklahoma with preteens/teens and I tried to warn them that it wasn’t really a good place and especially not for kids. They didn’t listen. When I saw them that night, their mom said “I should have listened to you. It was horrible”
Don’t do the kiss on the cheek greeting. Well, as someone already mentioned, the US is 50 separate places with different customs, but the peck on the cheek, if that’s common where you’re visiting from, isn’t so popular here. It was something I had a hard time getting used to when visiting friends in Colombia.
Don’t lock anything valuable in your car. This includes the trunk.
Look up the crime rates of any city before you go there so you know which areas to avoid.
The typical touristy places. This is a massive country with so much more to offer than Disney, Las Vegas, Hollywood, etc.
For the most part, the US is reasonably safe as long as you’re not looking for the dangerous parts. For example, don’t visit the ghetto – the worst parts of the US are arguably more dangerous than the poorer parts of some other developed countries.Hollywood is a tourist trap. Honestly, the entirety of LA is just a difficult place to visit and it’s not set up well for tourism.New York can be a bit dirty as a city, mostly due to high density. It’s a great city to visit with a lot to do, but it can be overwhelming if you’re alone since it’s so big.Chicago is actually a pretty nice city to visit, the reputation is mostly due to the bad areas, but if you’re visiting, you’re probably going to be in the city where it’s reasonably safe.
In Washington DC, avoid taking pictures in front of DC District court thinking it is the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is 6 blocks away Also, the White House is MUCH smaller than you think it is.
I say this as a Mississippian, Jackson, Mississippi.
The one thing you should probably avoid above all else is being a bad guest. If you have someone buy you a treat, eat it and thank them for it. If they suggest X attraction, at least consider it. A lot of them will love being hosts or at least guides and if you spurn that they’ll be hurt.
Be careful where you stay in bigger cities. I’ve seen people Airbnb places in bad neighborhoods in NYC and suffer for it.
North Philly. Maybe just avoid Philly all together.
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