“People Who Live At Tourist Destinations, What Is It You Wish Tourists Would Stop Doing When Visiting?” (20 Answers)
When tourists go to popular tourist or vacation sites, there wouldn’t be a shortage of jerks that are guaranteed to do something uncalled for. There are so many such instances that we have covered a few of them before. However, in our previous article, it’s just some random tourists witnessing other random tourists doing random weird things. But have you ever thought about how much of this craziness the locals have seen and have been fed up seeing?
Well, look no further as the Redditor Winterbeers asked tourist destination locals what they want tourists to stop doing. Tired local folk flocked to the thread to drop their advice and sentiments. So we compiled 20 of the most annoying tourists locals had encountered and their advice on how to not be like them. Note them well because these could save you from future embarrassment and being featured on our next jerk tourists article.
More info: Reddit
#1
Image source: Fatherchristmassdad, Marjan Blan | @marjanblan
Edinburgh Scotland- I do not want to hear your best attempt at imitating my accent to my face, American Tourists.
The castle is on a hill in the middle of the city, if you can’t see it, turn in a circle. It’s that big thing on the hill. Walk towards it. I’m late for work, please, just read the bus timetable and don’t stop and quiz the driver of EVERY BUS “do you go to the castle?!”
#2
Image source: Good_parabola, cottonbro
Forgetting that people live in the community. We had to move out of a sorta-touristy area because visitors were out of control. Endless partying at short term rentals in the neighborhood. Feeling unwelcome at our regular spots because we have (very polite) kids—the staff was always cool but out of town people always acted like how dare we bring a kid out for pancakes on a Saturday morning.
#3
Image source: bidluf, Robin Ooode
Amsterdam. Walking around like they’re at Legoland, blindly stepping into traffic, oblivious to the fact that people actually live here. We use the bike to get to work, to get groceries, we’re not just aimlessly cycling around for the fun of it.
#4
Image source: Wryxon, John Seb Barber
Stop disrespecting the spot you’re visiting. Every time I go to places after tourists have visited all I see is rubbish, names carved into monuments, gum stuck to the path and I especially hate it when they’re loud
#5
Image source: ALASKAHAIRY, Claudette Bleijenberg
I live in Alaska. My home is a rustic log cabin build and sits about 1/2 a mile off a major hiking trail. Despite the NUMEROUS no trespassing signs and a gate, I still get tourists coming on my property and even getting so bold as to sit in my rocking chairs on my porch. My house overlooks the chugach mountains and has a great view….but that’s my view… that I pay a mortgage on.
#6
Image source: Bedlamcitylimit, Faith Crabtree
Deface world heritage sites for souvenirs or internet clout.
For example: **The Colosseum** in Rome has graffiti carved into it’s walls by arsehole tourists and **Stone Henge** is closed off to the public because arseholes were chipping pieces off for souvenirs.
#7
Image source: Duality_is_my_prison, Nathan Dumlao
Stopping their cars in the middle of the road to take in a view. WTF?
#8
Image source: JoetheGrim, Evan Krause
Stop trying to hike up a mountain in flip-flops!
Also, don’t try to use an air mattress as a mode of transport between islands.
Several of these every year…
#9
Image source: SpicelessKimChi, Asad Photo Maldives
Caribbean island … people who complain that they can’t get a Heineken or a Bud Light here. People who complain that they can’t get fast food or chain food here. People who basically are angry that a tiny sland in the Caribbean isn’t just like the Houston suburbs.
If you want everything you have in the US, stay the f**k in the US.
Also infuriating during the pandemic: “Your island requires masks and negative tests!? Well if you keep that up we will NOT be visiting and will take our money elsewhere!”
Fine. Go elsewhere. We don’t want you on our island, where the entirety of our healthcare is a small clinic with five beds. Don’t threaten people with money, f*****g entitled assholes.
#10
Image source: Lenaturnsgreen, Chad Greiter
I live in Berlin and this goes for German and international tourists: please don’t run, take selfies, play hide and seek or sit on the holocaust memorial ffs.
#11
Image source: Frequent_Artichoke, zeze57
Don’t fricking carve your name on stuff!!!
The amount of people who need to carve their names onto historical buildings and statues are just crazy. Don’t be an a*s. You are ruining the place.
And respect peoples properties. Yeah, it’s a cute street with cute houses and charming gardens. But that does NOT give you the right to enter peoples private properties to peep in their windows, walk in their gardens and try to open their doors. A colleague is selling his house because he’s tired of people peeping in their windows and trying to open their door to have a look inside. He got yelled at for beeing inappropriate while he was sunbathing in his own garden by a tourist who let themself in the gate and walked around the house to have a look at his garden.
#12
Image source: Jennyferr0412, Becca
Leave. The. Wildlife. Alone.
And this doesn’t just extend to tourists but to people that live here too. 45+ coyote attacks last year in no small part because of people giving them food leading to a cull, bears getting habituated to people because they’re being given food leading to them getting killed, otters and sea lions getting fed. They’re not cute cuddly things. They’re wild animals and will kill you and then, because they’re doing what they do, they’ll get killed because they’re “dangerous to humans”. When in reality they’re only dangerous to ignorant rubes with no respect for nature.
#13
Image source: AlwaysPhrasing, Lucas Sankey
Stop feeding the damn seagulls…
#14
Image source: WyoPeeps, Vincent Ledvina
For your sake, STOP TRYING TO PET THE BUFFALO! Or don’t, some of us are entertained by the videos of you flying through the air.
#15
Taking pictures of locals (African)
Source: judymaina
#16
Using Airbnb. I live in a tourist city which has basically been taken over by Airbnb. Rental occupancy rate is something like 0.3%. It’s a mess.
Source: Cheduss
#17
Stop buying all the houses and pushing out locals.
Source: soulsteela
#18
Haggle on every single item you buy.
I’ve seen tourists wearing Rolex’s try haggle down a price for a painting from a street artist. Wanted to pay 2 dollars for a piece he had likely spent an hour working on.
It’s f*****g embarrassing and insulting for everyone involved.
Source: russel0406
#19
Generally being loud. A big party or multiple families just don’t care when in your favorite restaurant, park or attraction. Live in a tiny town with a resident-only beach on a lake that is very quiet. Second home owners come in and just are loud and don’t control their hoards of kids. You can just tell who is local who is not.
Also airbnbs are ruining the area. People living for 30+ years in very wooded/private lots but have to hear constant partiers every summer night now. Literally is ruining peoples lives…
Source: Shrinking_Violette
#20
I used to live and work in one of the UK’S university towns. Most of my research work was in one of the college libraries which was built in about 1580. In the summer especially we would have endless streams of tourists trooping through, shouting at the top of their voices. The library was in a private/no access zone and marked clearly with “Private – No Admittance” signs.
The tourists could be quite abusive when asked to leave because they had ‘paid’ for their tour; which meant they were entitled to go anywhere they wanted, take pictures of all the students and shout to each other about how ‘old and cute’ everything looked.
People live and work here you morons! Can’t you understand that?
And the littering and smoking. In a library full of rare books.
Source: AchillesNtortus
Got wisdom to pour?