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

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

Matthew Lillard; Jacob Elordi
Jean-Baptiste LACROIX / AFP via Getty Images; Don Arnold/WireImage

Matthew Lillard Explains Why He's 'Obsessed' With 'Freaking Delicious' Jacob Elordi—And We Totally Get It

Scream star Matthew Lillard finds Jacob Elordi absolutely irresistible—and, like, yeah... who doesn't?!

In an interview with Yahoo's Off the Cuff, Lillard admitted he's "obsessed" with the Australian star, calling him "freaking delicious" and even effusively praising his taste in handbags.

Keep Reading Show less
Kat Abughazaleh
Kat Abughazaleh/YouTube

Illinois Democrat Running For U.S. Congress Goes Viral With Genius Attack Ad—On Herself

Katherine Abughazaleh—pronounced /ah-buu-gə-ZAH-lay/—is a progressive Democratic candidate for Illinois' 9th congressional district, located to the northwest of Chicago. The seat had been held by retiring Democratic Representative Jan Schakowsky since 1999.

Abughazaleh, known as Kat Abu online, is turning a familiar campaign tactic on its head by launching an attack ad against herself.

Keep Reading Show less
Sean Duffy
Al Drago/Getty Images

Sean Duffy Gets Blunt History Lesson After Bragging About Trump Having 'Best Cabinet' Since Founding Fathers

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was given a swift fact-check after he boasted on X that President Donald Trump has the "Best Cabinet since 1776"... seemingly unaware that the first Cabinet wasn't even appointed until years later.

Duffy shared a photo of himself grinning front-and-center while flanked by other Trump administration members, all of whom beamed at the camera. All of them gave the cameraman the thumbs up.

Keep Reading Show less
Pete Hegseth
AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post/Getty Images

Trump Administration Dragged After U.S. Military Shoots Down One Of Our Own Drones Over Texas

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has long emphasized the "warrior ethos" he expects from the U.S. military but now his leadership (to say nothing of the Trump administration as a whole) is facing criticism after military personnel shot down a drone operated by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) on Thursday in Texas in yet another display of incompetence.

Lawmakers said that the military used a laser to down a CBP drone at Fort Hancock, leading the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to expand flight restrictions near El Paso, Texas. The reason for the laser use remains unclear, but it was the second such deployment in the area in two weeks, despite rules requiring coordination with aviation regulators.

Keep Reading Show less
Brady Tkachuk
Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for E11EVEN Miami

U.S. Hockey Star Slams White House For Sharing AI-Doctored Video Of Him Insulting Canadians

There's a saying about laying down with dogs. Or, you're known by the company you keep. NHL player and Team USA member Brady Tkachuk is learning that lesson.

The Tkachuk brothers, Brady—who plays professional hockey for the Ottawa Senators based in the capital city in the province of Ontario, Canada—and Matthew—who plays for the Florida Panthers based in the metro Miami area—had already drawn ire online for being proud supporters of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump during the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics even before the disastrous locker room celebration with FBI Director Kash Patel after their gold medal win.

Keep Reading Show less