For the worldly American, the summer Eurotrip is practically a rite of passage. While much connects the US and Europe, the two entities are different enough that American travelers often experience culture shock when they visit different European countries for the first time. One person on Reddit asked American travelers to share what struck them the most when they visited and got a ton of great responses.
The two continents’ histories, both separate and intertwined, make for an interesting opportunitY to compare and contrast how they’ve found different solutions to similar problems. While some of the comments shared were lighthearted and fun, others pointed to interesting differences in perspective.
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#1
Restaurants paying employees a fair wage and not expecting the customer to make up for low wages.
Universal healthcare
#3
Good bread.
Europe is a popular enough travel destination for Americans that there’s tons of info out there on the cultural differences. There are tons of travel sites out there that help American tourists understand some of the cultural and practical differences they can expect. Indeed, stats indicate that Europe was the top outbound US tourism destination by continent with 15.8 million visitors.
#4
Walkable towns
#5
Americans think 100 years is a long time and Europeans think 100 miles is a long distance.
#6
Bars older than the US
One major historical difference is that the USA was born out of a revolution. This gives it quite a distinct cultural legacy and makes it quite young on a historical scale. Some of the answers to this question highlight as much, pointing out that they can visit historical buildings or even working pubs that are older than the entire United States as a political entity.
#7
I think as a whole, it’s there attitude towards work.
The vibe I get when visiting most European countries is most people seem to work only to live. While in the states, it feels we live to work. The most common thing out of an American’s mouth when meeting someone new is what do you do? I did not find this to be the case in Europe, and I am super jealous.
#8
Getting sick without going bankrupt
#9
Infrastructure built around walking, bicycles, and busses. Not just exclusively built around personal vehicles.
Though the US is considered by many to be the home of capitalism, one difference in some countries is that travelers can expect is to pay for certain services that are often considered to be gratuities in the US. According to TEFL Worldwide, for example, Americans may be surprised that they will have to pay for water at restaurants unless they ask for tap water and they may also have to pay for public restrooms. Many countries will make shoppers pay for plastic bags, but this is part of an EU-wide effort to move away from disposable plastic and towards reusable bags.
#10
900 year old universities
#11
Everyone is bilingual or multilingual.
#12
maternity leave
Another significant cause of some significant differences is the European political structure. The European Union enforces certain differences across the entire union, but at the same time, member states have far more independence than the states making up the US. Some cultural differences stretch across the entire EU and others can vary from country to country.
#13
Tiny city streets.
#14
The sirens that go BEEE booo BEEE booo BEEE booo BEEE booo
#15
Drinking cappuccino on a cobblestone street outside of a cafe, which is hundreds of years old.
There are many differences in terms of money as well. Credit cards aren’t as popular in Europe as in the US, and most countries have moved away from paper checks entirely. Tipping for services is also usually considered to be optional, although very touristy spots that can spot American travelers may try to pressure them into tipping regardless.
#16
Sitting at a restaurant for hours talking. Half an hour of conversation with anybody and I am done. For the month.
#17
Eurovision.
#18
Paid time off.
#19
Gothic Architecture
#20
Castles
#21
Electric kettle
#22
Functional transit, carrying a beer outside at night, and post dinner coffee is super common
#23
Going for a stroll in somewhere like Northumberland you can pass buildings castles and hill forts covering over three thousand years.
#24
Roundabouts.
#25
Thinking 100 miles is a long distance. I talked a brit once who said they hadn’t seen their parents in two years because its a far trip… it was 2 hours away….
#26
Pay to use a restroom.
#27
Men wearing speedos at the beach or in a pool. The ones you do see in the US are usually Europeans on vacation
#28
No ac by choice
#29
€10 flights to nearby countries. The US could never.
#30
Complaining about Americans.
#31
Flying into Florida and thinking you can drive to Los Angeles, NYC, and Chicago easily.
#32
Titles – Lord Humpty Dump or Countess Beaverhousen who are just related, distantly, to some ancestor who did some favor for a king somewhere.
#33
Vespas
#34
The Euro
#35
Calling arkansas arKANSAS