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

Katie Zacharia
Real America's Voice

Katie Zacharia Just Gave A Bonkers Excuse For Why She Calls Herself A Lawyer Despite Failing Bar Exam—And Yikes

MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's new White House Press Secretary, Katie Zacharia, sat down with MAGA propagandist and noted Pizzagate conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec to defend calling herself both a "lawyer" and an "attorney" despite never passing a bar exam in any state or foreign country.

In her explanation, Zacharia falsely claimed she'd never called herself an attorney.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshots from @lillys.healingera's TikTok
@lillys.healingera/TikTok

Woman Shares 5 Exercises She Credits With Helping Her Get Over Her Ex—And We're Taking Notes

We can all agree that breaking up with someone we loved hurts, and it can be really hard to get over them, especially if we envisioned some huge future with them.

Fortunately, TikToker @lillys.healingera received five exercises from her therapist to help her say goodbye to her ex and the future she'd no longer have, and she's not being shy about sharing her notes.

Keep Reading Show less
Riley Gaines (left) and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (right).
Fox News; Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Vox Media

Riley Gaines Tried To Slam Hillary Clinton For Bringing Up Her 2016 Loss—And The Irony Is Off The Charts

The audacity of Riley Gaines lecturing anyone about moving on from a loss is something that really should be studied by scientists.

Because apparently, self-awareness finished sixth.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshots from @whatsinthekoolaid's TikTok
@whatsinthekoolaid/TikTok

Former Grocery Store Employee Details 'Profound' Interaction With 88-Year-Old Woman—And We're Sobbing

Sometimes we do things wtihout knowing just how much it could change a person's life.

TikToker @whatsinthekoolaid, who used to be a grocery store employee, shared a special memory she had dating back to the year 2013 when she was still working in the grocery store primarily as a cashier.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshots from @palladiumpaladin's TikTok
@palladiumpaladin/TikTok

Single Man Who Just Got Out Of Long-Term Relationship Sparks Debate After Calling Out Today's 'Odd' Dating Scene

Since the pandemic, there's no denying that most people's social skills have shifted. While not everyone's staying home and isolating anymore, it's harder to connect with other people, trust, and maintain new relationships than it used to be.

TikToker @palladiumpaladin recently discovered that this has impacted how people approach dating, too.

Keep Reading Show less