What do the United States and Europe have in common? The response may vary depending on who you ask: “Not much!” However, the majority of people in both countries adore Europe. Europeans adore remaining in Europe since it can be incredibly simple and economical to travel inside the continent, whereas Americans live for their summer excursions to Paris or Rome and love devoting the following six months of their Instagram feed to images in front of the Eiffel Tower or the Colosseum. Europe has nearly as many nations as there are states in the US, offering an almost limitless variety of cultural experiences.
However, depending on the region they travel to in Europe, there are a number of cultural distinctions that might catch Americans’ attention. These peculiarities have been brought to light for years by curious Reddit users who have asked for examples of things that are “normal in Europe but strange in America,” what surprises Americans the most about Europe, the biggest differences Americans who move to Europe have observed, and things that are socially acceptable outside the US but would be “horrifying” inside. In order to help Americans planning trips to Europe avoid some of the inevitable cultural shocks, we searched through these discussions to discover the most intriguing comments, then compiled them for you to read below. Additionally, if you’re not from Europe or the US, you might find it interesting to hear about European culture from those who aren’t natives.
1.
No, my sister instead. She would add more if prompted, but this had always stood out to me.
Some four years ago, she relocated to Sweden. She discovered a significant bump on her neck about a year before the relocation, sort of under her ear. We visited instacare to investigate out of concern. Tumor. We pondered the cost of removal despite the fact that it was benign and thus not harmful yet.
The amount was probably around $17,000. following insurance
She waited and then underwent surgery after spending some time in Sweden. She spent $30 on the whole affair.
We contacted Globetrotter Girls blogger Dani Heinrich for her opinion on this subject as a travel professional. We asked Dani, who is originally from Germany but has traveled much, to list some of the main cultural contrasts she has noticed between American and European cultures. “The most shocking thing I saw when I traveled around the Southwest of the US: people carrying guns on them – and openly showing them! As someone who has lived in several European countries where I have never ever seen anyone carrying a gun, that was astonishing to me. It also scared me, to be honest – how quickly would these people to use their guns if something or someone upset them?”
“The other thing that shocked me were the portion sizes in restaurants. Oftentimes, the food portions were twice as big as portions in Europe. The same goes for the size of fast food drink containers (a small one in the US equals a large size in Europe) and coffee cups (do we really need half a liter of coffee, or in the case of an iced coffee at Dunkin’: 32 ounces (just under one liter)?!”
2.
Americans believe that 100 years is a long time, but Europeans believe that 100 miles is a far distance.
3.
I’m Canadian, but when I learned the bench I was sitting on was older than my nation, I had a very profound thought.
4.
I’m still adjusting to my five-week vacation. The three weeks I spent with my family this summer was amazing. It’s unbelievable that I’ll still get to spend two weeks with them for Christmas. Every vacation is compensated for time off. And it is accepted everywhere. Oh, and the 32-hour workweek and two-hour lunch break. This will likely result in many more years spent with my family, in my opinion. I value spending time with my family above anything else, so this merely raises the standard of living here. I doubt that I’ll ever adjust to it. Yet I adore it!
5.
How everyone speaks normally, how loud I am for an American, etc.
6.
How amazing and rural most of England is. While visiting Cambridge, I was struck by how well-kept the greenery was.
Moreover, consider how produce is typically branded with the farm it was grown on when you buy it. Awesome.
7.
When I stepped off the plane in Frankfurt, I saw people smoking and riding bicycles in the airport. In the airport, there were also individuals using bicycles and smoking cigarettes simultaneously.
I also got the impression that people in Europe were far more liberated than Americans in general. It helped me realize that the United States is not truly a “sweet land of liberty” and freedom.\
8.
When I first visited France, these three things particularly stood out to me:
– There are so many smokers. In fact, you can come quite close to antiques.
– Where I live in California, 150 years is considered ancient. I was astounded to be able to go into a 900-year-old structure and touch the walls.
– How ridiculously simple it is to identify other Americans.
9.
When I inquired about the cost of my prescription the other day, the pharmacist laughed and said, “Oh you silly Americans, having to pay for your medicine…”
Scotland’s wind is also quite amusing. I was unable to even stand still without being propelled backward, much less walk straight.
10.
When I was sixteen, my best friend and I traveled to Poland (Krakow) with our mothers. We were traveling from a small, densely populated state where hardly any ethnicity appears to be in the minority and I had never traveled to Europe before. The whitest location I’ve ever been to was Poland. While I was there, I only encountered two black men and an Asian woman; all three were British. Being from the US, I suppose it seems sensible that I’m used to seeing a wide variety of individuals, but it still shocked me as a teenager.
Another issue was how attractive everyone was. Stunningly attractive with flawless hair and impeccable clothing. All day long, talking to males was all we wanted to do.
