10 Tourist Habits That Annoy Locals

No matter where you are in the world, locals will often go out of their way to make sure tourists feel at home. After all, they want to give a good impression of their country that will keep their guests (and their money) coming back. In return, a good guest respects the host nation’s rules and norms. It isn’t a difficult thing to understand.

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for tourists — treated like royalty and armed with lots of spending money — to fall into the trap of acting like they own the place, forgetting that everyday people just like them live and work in the places they visit. Thus, the living, breathing city becomes something more akin to an amusement park. Cultural masterpieces become nothing more than crowded selfie spots that obstruct foot traffic. Religious sites are stripped of all sacredness, while respect for the local language is drowned out by the expectation that everyone will speak English or one of the other global languages. Fortunately, these mistakes are easy to avoid –- you just have to know what they are and why locals get so annoyed.

“Everyone speaks English” is the go-to excuse for refusing to learn local languages. While English is the global lingua franca, tourists are better off not relying exclusively on it. A tourist on a short-term stay won’t be able to gain full fluency in the language of their chosen destination — it’s just not possible to achieve that in a week. Nevertheless, locals will appreciate simple things like basic greetings (“please,” “thank you,” “good day,” etc.) because it means the tourist bothered to crack open a book and learn something about the country before getting on that plane. Among tourism workers, who face the brunt of tourism’s hall of shame, it will definitely get you brownie points because it signals you are willing to deal with them on their terms to the best of your ability — a major sign of respect that is almost always repaid with good service and hospitality.

Contrary to popular wisdom, English is actually not spoken everywhere, especially outside major tourist cities. Thus, not learning any of the local language restricts tourists to the major traps, causing them to miss out the rest of the country. The only way to get outside the bubble is to learn some of the local language, which, in rural areas, will be needed in order to communicate at all. Thus, if you are going to Italy, learn a few Italian words and phrases before visiting. If you are traveling to Latin America, learn Spanish, or a little Arabic or Hebrew for Middle Eastern travels, etc. You might even make new friends or find a new language to study long-term once your trip is over.

It’s easy to become used to the way things work in your country and project those expectations abroad when traveling. In reality, tourists have to adapt to very different laws, customs, and ways of doing things when abroad. Different countries have different customs and attitudes towards certain behaviors and viewpoints, most of which are rooted in deeply held religious and cultural beliefs. These will influence local attitudes towards relatively minor issues, like selfie sticks and talking loudly in public, to weightier issues, like free speech, religious freedom, gender equality and norms, public dress codes, and criminal law — all things that can affect a tourist directly.

For tourists, especially those from the secular western world, encountering customs that might appear antiquated might be, to put it lightly, a culture shock. Not getting to say what you want, go where you want, wear what you want, worship the way you want, or behave in a manner that is second nature, but offensive in the host country can be a difficult adjustment. But the best way is to respect the local customs and try to understand why they exist.

As the old adage goes, respect is a two-way street. Even if you don’t like or even abhor certain local customs or attitudes, locals will respect you if you respect them. Once that mutual respect is established, they will often be happy to help you navigate the more foreign norms and potential cultural minefields you might encounter on your stay.

This one is an issue anywhere that has beaches and large numbers of expats. When you mix sand, sea, and alcohol, you are almost guaranteed to get problems with indecency, ranging from poorly dressed tourists disregarding local dress codes to people having sex on the beach. Locals generally tolerate such behavior due to tourist revenue. The laws on the books, however, especially in Europe, make it clear such behavior is not welcome.

Indecent behavior is one of the easiest ways to get fined in Europe, especially Italy, and the fines are not cheap. For instance, the Portuguese town of Albufeira hits shirtless people that aren’t on the beach with fines up to 1,500 euros. In Malaga, Spain, maximum fines are a still-substantial 750 euros. In the Italian city of Sorrento, wearing a bikini or swimsuit anywhere other than the beach can cost a tourist up to 500 euros in fines. That is the kind of money that can cover your expenses for several days in the these countries, so ask yourself if such fines are worth it before you choose to flout the law.

While in Europe, breaking such laws will net you a fine, violating them in stricter, more religiously conservative countries can land you in prison. The tourist hub of Dubai, for instance, prescribes prison, deportation, or fines for couples engaged in public displays of affection, including kissing, because they run counter to Islamic sensibilities.

If you, as a tourist, want to drive locals crazy, silly (and offensive) stunts for social media clicks is a sure-fire way to do it. It’s not uncommon for tourists to take silly pictures at historical sites, and most of the time, they are innocuous. But when it crosses into indecency and disrespect for religion, locals will usually not be pleased.

Take for instance this female tourist in Florence. In 2024, this young woman climbed up onto a statue of Bacchus near the city’s iconic Ponte Vecchio Bridge and started twerking and grinding on it in a clear simulation of sex acts. The local authorities were not pleased, and the woman was fortunate to have never been identified, because otherwise, she might have faced fines for lewd conduct and a permanent ban from the city.

Unfortunately, such conduct is commonplace, and if caught, can lead to fines and prison time. Act like the Canadian teen who wrote his name on the wall of a Japanese temple, and you could be looking at five years in prison and a $2,000 fine. In Bali, a German woman was lucky to only be committed to mental health treatment for gatecrashing a performance at a Hindu temple while naked. She got off easy, since people have been killed for less in other countries.

Major international events solicit strong opinions, but when traveling abroad, it’s best to keep them to yourself. For American tourists, think of it this way: Americans don’t appreciate foreigners lecturing them on how to run their country, especially when it comes to issues like gun control, elections, or healthcare policy. And Americans are not alone in this regard — no one likes to be lectured on their rules in their own home. Thus, when traveling, tourists should treat their hosts the way they want their hosts to treat them: check all preconceived notions and opinions on sensitive topics at the door.

In practice, short-term visitors with no close family ties to the host country should try to avoid such discussions altogether, whether it is over political parties, politicians, referenda, or conflicts/wars. In most cases, discussing such issues without having an insider’s view will probably cause some offense and may lead to a heated discussion, but nothing more. But in places where politics — especially those tinged with ethno-racial and religious divisions — have exploded into war or other strife, the reaction may not be so civil. You have the right to your opinion, but chances are locals have already heard it a million times and have no interest in hearing yet another “hot take” on a tragic part of their history, especially from an ignorant tourist. Keep it to yourself, and if people are willing to talk to you about it, then you can ask questions.

It is said you can measure a person’s character by how they treat those that they consider below them, particularly service workers like hotel cleaners, valets, and waiters. Sadly, poor treatment of service workers is not uncommon, and tends to happen most frequently when tourists do not receive the style and level of service they are accustomed to in their own countries. When tourists treat service workers poorly, such behavior will be seen as spitting in the host country’s face or biting the hand that feeds you. It might all seem inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, but such behavior will give the tourist’s home country a bad name.

The antidote to entitlement is courtesy. Say you are traveling to a Spanish-speaking country. Learn the most important, basic Spanish phrases like “please,” “thank you,” and whatever greetings you need to make sure you can politely greet service workers (and anyone else for that matter) when you encounter them. Such courtesy goes a long way. Service workers are tourism’s front-line staff. They bear the brunt of bad behavior and tourist temper tantrums, not necessarily by choice, but because tourism is their livelihood, and therefore, the customer is always right. So when you, the well-behaved, respectful tourist comes along, it’s a breath of fresh air. Staff may even try to make your stay extra special, all because you treated respectfully rather than servants at your beck and call.

Imagine being a Roman who needs to get to work, go to church, or just enjoy the beauty your world-class city has to offer, only to find the way blocked by masses of tourists all jockeying for the perfect selfie in some iconic spot — often in one of Rome’s many iconic and free attractions like the Trevi Fountain or St. Peter’s Square. This same scenario can apply to NYC’s Times Square, Dubrovnik’s Old City, or St. Mark’s in Venice. It’s aggravating, to say the least. When tourists start fighting over spots, it becomes embarrassing.

Often, the best bet is to forego selfies altogether. Instead, if you really want that photo at Trevi or the Coliseum, ask a local to take the picture for you. In most tourist cities, locals rely on foreigners for their livelihood in many cases, and are more than happy to take your picture if you are willing to ask — bonus points if you ask in the local language. In religious spaces, such as churches, mosques, and synagogues, forego taking pictures of yourself all together -– that’s not what those spaces are for. Instead, actually try to soak up the place and enjoy the moment, rather than focusing on getting social media likes.

If angering locals isn’t enough to dissuade you from taking a selfie in questionable places, then perhaps fines of up to and over $300 will. There are numerous places with seemingly strange selfie bans that punish the practice with fines. Often, upon further examination, these bans are meant to prevent crowd build-ups and keep foot traffic moving. Other times, it’s a safety issue — like making sure the tourists in Lake Tahoe don’t get ripped apart by bears.

Although this one cannot be pinned on any one person’s conduct, the very presence of large numbers of tourists is probably the number one source of local complaints. Overtourism in the most popular tourist destinations prices natives out of historic city centers their ancestors built and turns them into Disneylands for the enjoyment of what they probably see as obnoxious, unappreciative foreigners.

Take, for instance, Croatia’s Dubrovnik. The city’s 41,000 people are dwarfed by 27 tourists per inhabitant. In the old city, once home to 5,000 people, only around 1,500 remain. What is a local to do? Many of the city’s inhabitants live outside the old city, and much of the city’s local culture and art scene is now in the suburb of Gruž. Barcelona is much the same, with the city of under 2 million hosting a whopping 32 million tourists in 2024 – an unsustainable number by any measure, as short-term rentals and tourism-centered businesses price out locals from apartments and shut down local community businesses like pharmacies and grocery stores.

Apart from being a well-behaved guest, tourists can avoid this problem by trying some hidden gems outside the major tourist traps of places like Dubrovnik, Barcelona, Rome, Paris, New York, etc. Europe, and the world for that matter, are full of them. So for instance, skip Dubrovnik in favor of the quieter, less crowded Kotor in Montenegro. Rather than going to Barcelona, one can try Oviedo, Bilbao, or Salamanca. Fewer crowds and tourist-oriented businesses give visitors the chance to taste what life is really like in the host country.

This one is almost exclusive to the United States and is something that frequently shocks foreigners to American restaurants. Tipping is a pretty widespread practice around the world, but in most countries, it is strictly voluntary. In Europe, it doesn’t tend to exceed 15%, while in Latin America, it tends to be around 10%. In Japan, it’s considered rude.

Thus, imagine how confusing it can be for a foreign visitor to America — particularly if they’re from where tipping is considered a bad thing — to eat at a sit-down American restaurant and learn that in the United States, 15% is the floor for tipping.  Furthermore, unlike most of the world, tipping is virtually mandatory. Not doing so is considered a breach of social etiquette and will leave your waiter wondering whether he failed to do his job well. Non-American readers may, again, find all of this borderline absurd, but there is a logic behind American tipping culture. American waiters form a category known as “tipped workers,” who are exempt from minimum wage laws. These workers rely on tips to survive.

So even if this system seems alien, just tip. For very good to excellent service, 20% is considered the norm, although tourists should feel free to leave more if they wish. Cash will always be preferred over credit card tips. Waiters frequently pull in over $100 in daily tips, and bartenders often get even more. Cash tips are not traceable for tax purposes, which means wait staff will love you and give you better service the next time you go.