For some, living in a tourist destination seems like a dream come true but for those who actually live in such spots, the hustle and bustle can take its toll pretty quickly. These natives have to routinely deal with strangers asking for locations, sometimes shelter and food, and coming up with some of the silliest questions one can imagine. While this can understandably frustrate the natives, sometimes their reactions are priceless!
Here's a compilation of a few incidents where natives lost patience and came up with the most comical of responses.
Valeriia Miller/Pexels | Irrespective of how adorable they look to you, feeding wild animals at the side of the road is very dangerous
#1 - Oh, Canada? It's so small!
It's unknown why tourists from Europe, for some strange reason, consider Canada to be very small. When asking for directions, Europeans can sometimes ask questions like, "Is this one or two hours away?" And people would respond by saying, "nope, a little longer, maybe a few weeks."
#2 - Pay attention to the signs; they're there for a reason...
Oftentimes, tourists get so excited at the sight of wild animals that they even opt to pull over and try to offer them food. What they don’t consider is the fact that on either side of the trail, wild animals like bears or a baby deer with its mother could be roaming freely. If any of the two happens to attack you, you might not even get the chance to say one last prayer. Plus, in the interest of keeping these areas clean, offering animals food at the side of the road can result in unnecessary littering. You must remember that the area is home to not just the animals out in the wild but also the people living there.
Tobi/Pexels | Living in a tourist destination could be a dream come true for some, but for those who actually live in such spots, it can often be a real pain
#3 - Have some common sense!
There's this weird trend of linking movies to real life, and sometimes it doesn't pay off quite well; much like in this case. A group of tourists roaming in Ireland asked the natives about leprechauns and their whereabouts. The natives had seemingly had enough of such silly inquiries and responded sarcastically by saying that these animals lived in a commune in Donegal. To everyone's surprise, the tourists actually believed it and immediately bought a bus ticket to reach the area.
#4 - Try to act a bit normal, will you?
Foreigners visiting India or Sri Lanka want to always walk around barefooted. While we understand that you're on your big 'Indian adventure,' you might be taking the ‘when in Rome’ mantra a little too seriously. With dirt, stool, and various assortments of rubbish on the streets; it would be wise to keep your shoes on like a normal human being…
Pixabay/Pexels | Being adventurous is one thing, and putting your life in danger at tourist spots is a whole other level of thickheadedness
#5 - What were you thinking?
This one's from a teenager working at an alligator park near Everglades. While attending to some tourists and showing them around the waters and alligators, a foreigner walked up to this young man and asked, "are people allowed to swim here?" That too with a 14 foot stuffed gator standing right in front of him. Like for real? Do you seriosly not see those reptiles roaming the waters around you?
Bottom Line
Going through these incidents, you might have a better idea about the dos and don'ts the next time you decide to hire a guide while on tour.. Some of you might even feel for the locals and feel embarrassed. But worry not, maybe you can make up for your previous errors of judgment by being more sensible in the future.
