Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Describe The Worst Thing They've Ever Seen A Tourist Do

People Describe The Worst Thing They've Ever Seen A Tourist Do
Photo by Stephen Leonardi on Unsplash
Make us preferred on Google

Some years ago, I remember seeing someone try to crawl over a barricade atop the Empire State Building. This person––a man in his thirties, or thereabouts––was immediately stopped. Was it a suicide attempt? No, thankfully. They simply wanted to see what the ground would look like from 1,250 feet up. Needless to say, he was escorted away (and probably would be thrown into jail for being stupid, were it possible to jail people for being stupid). Let's just say his attempt to look down could have ended very, very badly.

People told us all about their experiences with terrible tourists after Redditor chimacuhama asked the online community,

"If you live in an area heavily visited by tourists, what is the dumbest thing you've seen tourists do?"

"Every summer..."

"Venice, Italy.

Please for the love of God, do not swim in the canals, the water is so dirty, polluted and it smells. Every summer I see some tourists swimming or washing their feet in them and it boggles my mind.

Trust me you don't want to touch that water, ever."

JustALIttlePissedOff

Okay, that's just nasty. The mere thought of getting into a grimy canal sends a shudder up my spine.

"I had to go out..."

​"I grew up in a beach town.

On one occasion I was chilling on the beach and this couple next to me was getting smashed.

They had a 3-4-year-old. So while they were getting blackout drunk their child was playing in the water unsupervised. She had a floaty vest but that was it. The current started taking this child out to sea. I had to go out and get her."

​cleaningmeaning

Do people seriously not realize that the ocean is perhaps the most powerful and dangerous form on earth?

"I have seen..."

"I have seen way too many tourists in Florida try to pet wildlife."

imastranger

Definitely not a smart idea... I mean... this is Florida, we're talking about.

"This was in a city park..."

​"I've seen a guy climb down into an active geothermal hotspot to scoop boiling mud into a plastic container. He looked so pleased with himself, too.

This was in a city park that had a legal disclaimer and body count at the gate."

​i-throw-socks-at-cat

Take it from me... people don't read. Ever. They walk past signs like nothing.

"Basically..."

"I work at an aquarium near the beach. One day a couple came in holding a cup and explained to me that they had found a crab on the beach. They were concerned that he was in distress and were not sure how to best take care of it, so they brought it to me. I look at the cup and see a very dead hermit crab.

Basically, they kidnapped a crab from his home, drowned him in a cup full of Ozarka bottled water, and gave him to me to throw away."

fruitsuitriot

Crazy Historical Events That Sound Fake But Are 100% True | George Takei’s Oh Myyy

"It always baffles me..."

"There were a couple of tourists who decided that it would be a good idea to stand directly in the path of the Queen's guard to take a selfie with them. Those guys don't stop for anyone, they will walk through you if they have to. I've seen so many videos of it happening online but I never thought I'd get to see it with my own eyes. Man, the look on their faces when they got yelled at to move out the way... it was like a weird mixture of terror and offence. Like they completely expected them to stop and pose or something.

It always baffles me that people seem to forget that they are actual soldiers and not just some guys playing dress up for the sake of tourists."

CookiesChoco

"A tourist with a baby..."

​"Live close enough to Banff that I visit regularly. A tourist with a baby in a snuggly on her chest got out of her car in a bear jam, walked up to the bear, and tried to hand it an orange."

​NZT-48Rules

Contrary to what some of you might believe from television, actual bears are nothing like Yogi Bear.

​"Try to get a close-up..."

​"Try to get a close-up photo of a rattlesnake. Guess what the rattle noise means?"

PoorCorrelation

"Luckily..."

"I've seen someone start walking towards a bison with the intention of petting it. Luckily a park ranger noticed too and quickly put an end to the suicide by buffalo attempt."

ZerenTheUnskilled

"Grew up in Oxford..."

"Grew up in Oxford in the UK and a lot of tourists hop over from London for a day of looking at old university buildings. One set of American tourists wandering along were overheard saying something like "you can really see the early American influence on the architecture" about buildings that predate the whole country."

endorspire

Tourists never fail to amaze me. Here's a simple rule before you go traveling anywhere: Educate yourself.

Educate yourself on some local customs and the dos and donts of being out in public (and especially when you're out in the woods).

And for heaven's sake, don't pet the wildlife.

Have some stories of your own? Feel free to tell us in the comments below!


More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Erin Brockovich
This Past Weekend with Theo Von

Erin Brockovich Perfectly Lays Out Why AI Data Centers Are 'Pushing People Too Far' In Viral Clip

Self-described "people advocate"—a term she prefers over environmental activist or consumer advocate—Erin Brockovich recently sat down with comedian Theo Von on his podcast This Past Weekend. They spoke about her now adult children, the court case and resulting film that made Brockovich a household name, and what she's done since.

About a third of the way into the hour and a half long sit down, Von noted that what made him want to connect with Brockovich was an article she wrote for her Substack, The Brockovich Report, titled, "If Data Centers Are So Great, Why Are They Being Built in Secret?" which launched her mapping initiative posted on the website Brockovich AI Data Center Reporting.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jens Spahn
Bernd von Jutrczenka/Picture Alliance via Getty Images

Gay Conservative German Politician Resigns After Welcoming Child Via Surrogacy Despite Publicly Opposing It

German conservative Jens Spahn resigned from his position as the leader of the joint CDU/CSU (Union) parliamentary group in the 21st Bundestag after it emerged he and his husband welcomed a child via surrogacy despite openly opposing it.

Per the 1990 Embryo Protection Act, surrogacy remains illegal in Germany, a position long supported by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which reaffirmed its opposition earlier this year. While German law allows parents to raise children born through surrogacy abroad, arranging a surrogate within Germany is punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; JD and Usha Vance
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Trump Dragged After Posting A Photo Of JD And Usha Vance's New Baby Before They Did

President Donald Trump was criticized after he took to social media to share a photo of Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance's new baby boy Alec to congratulate them before the Vances could even do so themselves.

The Vance family welcomed their fourth child, Alec Neel Vance, who joins older siblings Ewan, 9, Vivek, 6, and Mirabel, 4. Trump later shared a photo showing Vivek holding his newborn brother while Mirabel looks on.

Keep ReadingShow less
Robbie Williams performs live onstage during the Robbie Williams: Britpop tour.
Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

Robbie Williams Offers Hilarious 'Apology' After Viral Clip Sparks Rumors He Was Taking Drugs During World Cup Final

Robbie Williams is putting a viral World Cup mystery to rest after viewers became convinced they had witnessed something far more scandalous than what actually happened.

During an interview with German TV ahead of the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, a tiny white object suddenly dropped from Williams' mouth onto a magenta T-Mobile microphone.

Keep ReadingShow less
Reid Rasner
@reid.rasner/Instagram

MAGA Wyoming Candidate Dragged After Sharing Ultra-Cringey Video Of Himself Gearing Up To 'Ban Sharia Law'

Wyoming MAGA Republican House candidate Reid Rasner's social media campaign is so unhinged that Wyoming newspaper Cowboy State Daily titled an article about him "Despite His Videos, Wyoming Politicos Say Reid Rasner Campaign Is Not A Parody."

In one of his more viral videos, posted on TikTok, Rasner journeyed to Fort Collins, Colorado, to find a mosque to stand in front of in a too small camouflage vest and oversized MAGA hat to claim he was banning Sharia Law.

Keep ReadingShow less