The United States is one of the most exciting and culturally significant places to visit, and to no one’s surprise, it welcomes millions of international tourists annually! However, not all aspects of visiting America are created equal. Let’s dig into the psyche of a typical tourist to uncover what they love and loathe about visiting the country!
1. What Tourists Love: The Diverse Culture
America’s reputation as a melting pot is true in every sense of the word. International visitors are delighted by the diverse culture in countless American cities, usually divided into neighborhoods. Compared to many countries where the culture is stiff and uninviting, U.S. diversity can turn any trip into one of the most memorable vacations of your life! After all, it’s all about the people.
2. What Tourists Loathe: Tipping
Talk about culture shock: By far, the aspect of America that most tourists loathe is the tipping culture found in all bars and restaurants. I get it; if I’ve never tipped before, I’d also have a problem with the concept. You see, overseas, most companies pay their servers and bartenders a living wage; thus, tips are not expected or required. Conversely, in the United States, employers can pay less than minimum wage, and patrons are expected to pay the difference! It’s wild when you think about it.
3. What Tourists Love: The Varying Locales
Only in the United States can you experience mind-blowing locales within the friendly confines of the country’s borders. America has it all, from picturesque beaches to sky-high mountains to barren deserts (and everything in between). Tourists marvel at the abundance of natural beauty found in the United States! From sea to shining sea, indeed.
4. What Tourists Loathe: Gaps in Bathroom Stalls
Let’s be honest: What’s with the prominent gaps between bathroom stall walls and doors in the United States? Wouldn’t common sense dictate that more privacy is better when using the restroom? European visitors are consistently baffled by the typical American bathroom setup; it seems to lend itself to far too many creepy and mischievous people. Let’s put it this way: International visitors are more than happy to return home to the public restrooms they’re used to!
5. What Tourists Love: American Food
One of the best things about living in the United States is near-limitless access to any cuisine you want. America truly has it all: Indian, Italian, Mexican, Polish, Creole, French, Chinese, and Japanese are a handful of foods available in nearly every city. While such variety is expected in the most significant European and Asian cities, for most international travelers, having so many options for delicious food is one of the best parts of visiting the United States!
6. What Tourists Loathe: Lack of Efficient Public Transportation
One of the best parts of visiting Europe is how easy it is to take trains, buses, and other public transportation to go anywhere you want! Unfortunately, the United States’ infrastructure isn’t built with this in mind, making America a difficult place to explore unless you rent a vehicle. Many tourists learn the hard way that seeing everything the United States has to offer is exceedingly difficult unless you have access to a car or truck!
7. What Tourists Love: The Friendliness
Contrary to popular belief, Americans have a reputation for being exceedingly friendly toward international tourists. Maybe it’s because we’re so welcoming, because we have national pride, or perhaps we get a kick out of conversing with people with accents we’ve never heard before! However you want to explain it, our hospitality pays off; countless tourists are pleasantly surprised by how “at home” they feel when visiting!
8. What Tourists Loathe: Taxes Being Added When You Purchase Anything
In Europe, taxes are included in the advertised or marked purchase price with nearly any product for sale. Unfortunately, the American tradition of adding taxes during the physical checkout process surprises most international visitors, resulting in them paying far more money for an item they did not think would cost nearly as much. The U.S. will hopefully adopt the global method of including tax in the listed price someday!
9. What Tourists Love: Sightseeing
From Mount Rushmore to the Statue of Liberty to the Grand Canyon – and everything in between – the United States is home to world-class sightseeing, and visitors can’t get enough of it! In many ways, America is tailor-made for visitors; there’s almost too much to see and do, you know? The United States is one of those destinations where it is impossible to see everything in one trip (which explains why so many overseas visitors make the trip again and again).
10. What Tourists Loathe: The Relative Lack of History
Compared to countries overseas, the United States – although it has plenty of things to do and see – doesn’t have much history in the strictest sense of the word. European visitors are incredibly shocked at America’s relatively modern standard of history. For example, even our oldest buildings are only a few hundred years old, a figure that pales compared to the oldest buildings in Europe! Conversely, Americans are routinely shocked by how old everything is overseas.
