30 Common Mistakes That Tourists Make While Visiting Europe

Have one or two plug adapters, make sure your mobile is SIM Unlocked, have copies of your passport ID page, don't keep all of your money in one place, notify your bank that you'll be using your card abroad...

As an American who did this foolishly: American chain restaurants. You flew 5,000 miles across an ocean, don't waste your time eating American food you could have gotten in Ohio. Don't just try the "local" stuff, go out of your way to find small mom and pop restaurants that the actual residents prefer.

The best meal of my entire life was in such a restaurant in Greece. I had rented a car with a friend who was visiting his grandparents and we were driving up north from Athens for hours. I kept trying to stop on the highway for some American or similar fast food (Pita Pan is legit decent fast food).

We had pulled off onto a smaller road and for hours didn't see anything. We were so hungry we promised to pull over at the next restaurant we saw. When we finally saw one we pulled over immediately, only to find ourselves in someone's house. It literally looked like someone's driveway. Eventually I noticed a little coke branded refrigerator (filled with beers) and realized it really was a restaurant, kind of.

Inside was literally some grandma's house but the living room was full of small wooden tables (probably 4-5). We were the only ones in the entire place besides grandpa who was reading a newspaper and having a coffee. You could see into the rest of the house, which was literally just some old people's home. Grandma excitedly welcomed us and asked us what we wanted to drink. The food was whatever she cooked that day, you didn't have a choice. That day it was some kind of meat (either beef or beef + goat) in red meat sauce with potatoes and some Greek salad and hearty bread. I guess if you didn't like what she was serving, you were out of luck, but it was utterly divine, best thing I've ever had. It was also like $7 for the whole thing.

I figure she literally just cooks for herself and her husband and makes 2-3x as much on the chance that a few people stop by. I wish I had some idea where that place was, but I'd never find it in 100 years of traveling again. :/

Be respectful to memorial places. Don't come to the idea to make selfies or similar.

Inform yourself about the traditions of the country. In some countries, you can openly make smalltalk with strangers, while in another one, you do have to approach them like a wild animal.

If you ever visit England and go to the lovely little town in Shropshire called Ludlow...You should avoid eye contact with Dennis...f****r will talk you to death

Don't rent a car if you're going to stay at a major capital, it's not worth it, it's much better to use public transport and get an occasional Uber

Avoid assuming Europe is all roughly the same. It's a continent, not a country. You don't go to Japan and expect it to be like Indonesia just because they are both in Asia. In other words, it all depends on which country in Europe you are traveling to.

Tipping. Don't start making it the norm here.

Insinuating that Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland - and possibly some parts of Cornwall are in England.

Doesn't go down too well.

Don’t f**k around with the royal guards in London

Avoid speaking without exchanging greetings first (in France at least) and not responding in kind when someone greets you. In other words, exchange *bon jour*s before you ask where the toilet is.

Avoid letting your kids act like monsters in public--in restaurants, in particular.

Avoid rushing through meals (unless your kids are acting like monsters).

Dressing "patriotic". I saw a lad in the West of Ireland in a shirt with a big screaming eagle on it and a wall of text on the back like "this is AMERICA, we salute the FLAG, we pray to GOD, we speak ENGLISH... and if you don't like it I'll help you pack!"

He was in a Gaeltacht at the time, one of the few surviving areas were the Irish language is the default.

To avoid, letting the taxi know you don't know where you are or where you are going, the bad ones will drive you in circles and run the tab up.

However, one thing that opened Germany up for me while stationed there was one interaction. I would ask in German "Sprechen sie englisch", do you speak English. Followed by "Mine Deutsch ist scheisse", my German is s**t. Everyone from women at the bar to elderly people would laugh hysterically and then immediately switch to English in good spirits. They just like to see you try, then they are more than happy to help you out. So my advice would be to learn a quick fire phrase that you can pop off to quickly to avoid the fumbling and starting the interaction on a bad foot.

American living in Spain here, but have been to a few other countries - if you’re American / Canadian, most folks will notice whether you want them to or not, but try to remember to use less volume when speaking, learn the tipping culture before you travel to the country (same goes for how they bring the bill, in many countries you need to ask for it, as they expect you to enjoy your meal and hang out as long as you want, and won’t interrupt by bringing the bill), keep valuables hidden away, don’t hang a purse on the back of your chair when you eat, or leave it open when you’re on the train, etc. But most importantly, remember that things will be different, and embrace those differences… they likely won’t have ranch dressing, and might bring you olive oil and vinegar with your salad, or if you order a coffee it might be an espresso or other tiny beverage. Don’t get angry about it, enjoy that it’s different than what you get at home, and adapt. I’ve found that smiling at everyone as I walk around kind of freaks them out, but there’s only so much I can change… try to learn a few words / phrases in the language of the country you’re visiting (especially for France), it can change the entire interaction if you show them you respect their culture / language. There’s a thousand things you can consider, but those are what I’ve learned are the easiest / most important. Oh, also, depending on the country, a hamburger is just the patty, so don’t get mad when there’s no bun. ;)

It really, really, REALLY depends on which part of Europe you are talking about. For example, Finland and Italy are very different places with different social cultures. Heck, there are differences even inside a country!

Some tips in Finland, capital area especially:

- Never sit right next to a stranger unless the bus is super cramped or something. Otherwise, you'll be regarded as a creep. Also don't walk or stand too close to people if there is space. Finnish bus stops are actually a bit funny with how people spread horizontally as far away as possible while still being at the proximity of the bus stop.

- Don't speak loudly in public spaces, only if you really have to. Otherwise, again, you're a creep. (This is more a city thing.)

- Don't interrupt other people (unless, again, you have to, or the other personis REALLY rambling on and you have limited time to speak). This is actually a significant difference between Finns and aforementioned Italians: interrupting or more like "elbowing" in conversations in Italy is normal "traffic rule" and implies active engagement and listening (assuming that both parties are "elbowing"), while interrupting in Finland implies that you aren't valuing what the other person is telling. (Source: I'm a Finn that worked a bit with Italians, I kinda needed to learn new "traffic rules" with them, it went fine after that!)

- Don't take schedules lightly. A Finn says 2 PM? They MEAN 2 PM sharp.

If you visit The Netherlands:

- Red = dead. Red asphalt means it's a bike path. Yes, even if there aren't any signs. It's for bikes.

- Giethoorn is a village with humans living in it. Be respectful.

- The red light district isn't that exciting. There's a bunch of naked ladies inside some houses. Super cool.

- One gram of weed should be between €10 and €20. If you pay more than €20 it just ain't worth it fam.

- As for avoiding specifically: Amsterdam. It's like a Dutch-themed attraction park. Disneyland for Weedaboos.

Source: am Dutch.

Edit: a few points people are bringing up. Bike paths are for bikes, don't be a dingdong. Giethoorn is gorgeous but the islands are people's actual property don't be weird!!!! I'm not straight so I sure understand the appeal of tits but it's not the Free For All Sex Land™ that a lot of my international friends think it is. It's a neighbourhood with prostitution. And finally; Amsterdam is fun, but if you want a less touristy experience _and_ a lower risk of being hit by a cyclist, go to Utrecht.

In major cities don't let anyone hand you anything such as flowers or whatever. Once it is in your hands they start asking for money. They even gave a flower to one my kids and then wouldn't take it back. Just set it on the ground and walk away.

Don't make small talk, especially in northern countries. It's not part of our cultures and it's freaking us out big time. We're not rude, we're just minding our business, be respectful

Saying you're travelling to 'Europe' rather than the country you're actually travelling too.

Europe is an entire continent of vastly different countries and entirely different cultures. Saying you're travelling to Europe means absolutely nothing, and makes you look extremely ignorant (and/or American)

When arriving in Iceland on your way to France and going through customs, don’t answer the question “What is your destination?” with “Europe”. Also when they tell you “Sir you are in Europe”, don’t answer with “Real Europe”.
I travel abroad about once a year and this is the only time that I have been “the dumb American” (to the best of my knowledge anyway) and I cringe every time I think of this.

Check the language of the country you’re travelling to. You’d think it’d be common sense, but I’ve had so many tourists assuming Polish people speak Russian/German and not, you know, *Polish*. From what I’ve heard, this applies to the majority of Eastern Europe

Also, while I understand amazement with architecture that looks straight out of a fairytale (god knows I’m amazed with it too), remember that people actually live there. As in, don’t try to make a full photoshoot on one of the busiest streets of the city because it’s “aesthetic”. Definitely don’t block traffic while doing that, and don’t snap at people who are trying to walk past that they’re “ruining the photo”. Applies even more if the place of your photoshoot is literally in front of someone’s “aesthetic” house.