We’ve all encountered that one person who thinks traveling anywhere beyond their comfort zone is basically a death wish. So when u/dualrollers asked, “What are the weirdest comments you’ve had from non-traveling folks about a place you’ve traveled to?” the responses were equal parts hilarious and eye-opening. From confusing entire countries with each other to assuming everywhere outside America is stuck in the past, here are some of the most jaw-dropping examples of geographical ignorance travelers have faced:
1.
“I just spent a couple of weeks wandering around Czechia. When I told non-traveling family and co-workers where I was going, I was constantly met with both wonder and concern as to why on earth I would want to travel to Russia at a time like this. Even now that I’ve returned, people are asking me if I was concerned about being in Russia at a time like this. I finally figured out that people apparently confuse Czechia and Chechnya.”
2.
“Right before I moved to Japan, my neighbor asked me if I would have to wear ‘what they wear.’ I didn’t really understand what she meant, so I was like, ‘Yeah, at work I’ll have to wear, like, business casual.’ And she was like, ‘No, no, like Japanese clothes.’ She totally thought people in Japan were still walking around in kimonos 24/7. She seemed a little shocked when I told her they just wear the same clothes we do.”
3.
“I was in South Korea at the same time my sister was in Europe (don’t remember exactly what country — Spain or Portugal, I think), and my mom asked if we were going to meet up.”
4.
“I went to Taiwan a couple of years ago, and when I came back, a few co-workers asked me about ladyboys and sex tourism. I was extremely confused at first, but then I realized they actually thought Taiwan was a city somewhere in Thailand.”
5.
“Traveling around the U.S. in an RV, we met many people of a certain age whose idea of camping was to sit in their trailer and watch Fox News all day. These people were constantly amazed that we visited Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City, Washington, D.C., or almost any other big city — and got out alive. For some reason, they seemed to think all those places were lawless ruins in flames day and night. We seriously met a few who would take a step back when they found out we were originally from Philadelphia. This was especially true in the Southeast. Propaganda rots the brain.”
6.
“Had a university acquaintance who had only ever left the country a few times (to essentially go and party somewhere doing the same stuff she did at home) ask me why I would ever go to Iceland. As if Iceland had zero appeal for travelers. To her, it had zero appeal because it wasn’t a party destination, but it shocked me that someone could say that.”
7.
“‘So how was China? I would never go there, it is so dirty.’ I had just been to Singapore.”
8.
“I travel to a country in the Balkans often to see my best friend. Sometimes we also road trip to neighboring countries. So many people here at home think it’s still the ’90s and that the area is still a destitute war zone — or that I’m traveling to communist Russia. It really says a lot about the ignorance and stigma average people hold.”
9.
“‘I could never go to Europe. It’s so dangerous there!’ My American client said that to me. (I’m American, too.) Apparently, he’d heard about pickpocketing problems in Paris and Barcelona, which made a whole continent ‘too dangerous’ to visit.”
10.
“I’ve been asked if everyone in England has electricity yet and whether Malaysians were fully civilized. I went to Cuba and had someone think that meant I supported communism and the Cuban government. It was wild.”
11.
“My mom, who had traveled a bit, was very concerned about land mines when I went to Sarajevo recently.”
12.
“I’d ended up in the hospital for something totally unrelated to travel — no cruise ships or hiking through wilderness areas. A woman at work still commented that now I might not travel to weird places anymore. I had in the past gone to Mexico and Turkey. They have civilization and great food. But this particular trip: London, Glastonbury, Salisbury and Cardiff.”
13.
“It’s always about crime. Doesn’t matter where. ‘OMG, did you feel SAFE there?! I’d be scared to death!’ Nancy, you live in St. Louis — a city with twice the violent crime rate. Knock it off.”
14.
“People from older generations thought we’d be victims of all sorts of violent crimes because we went to Georgia. Tbilisi and Kutaisi are super safe, and all the people we met were very helpful and friendly. Didn’t have a single negative experience, to be honest (except for their driving, which is terrifying).”
15.
“I live in Asia and frequently travel to China for work. When I go back to the U.S. and visit family, every person I talk to acts like China is on a level 4 travel advisory — like Afghanistan or Iran.”
16.
“I tour for a living, and at the time I was on a world tour. I was visiting my father for Christmas and met his girlfriend’s family in the Florida Panhandle. They said they like to travel, too. One time they went all the way to Georgia! The country or the state? The state! It’s about six hours away. OK, cool.”
17.
“‘Bulgaria! What do you want to go there for? Are you going to join ISIS?’ Some Kiwi bloke said that to me.”
18.
“Called the bank to tell them I was traveling to Serbia and to please not freeze my account. The lady said, ‘I’ll put a note in that you’re traveling through the Middle East.'”
19.
“Mom was convinced I was in the desert because she heard the adhan in the background while talking to me on the phone. I was in Istanbul.”
20.
“I’m from the Northeast U.S. I told coworkers I’m going to Thailand, and they said, ‘What’s the point of that? We have beaches here.'”
21.
“Never mind other countries I’ve traveled to (I’m from the U.S.), the most jarring comments came when I traveled to Chicago not long ago. More than one person was concerned for my safety and confused as to why I’d want to go. After my visit, Chicago is my favorite city in the U.S. Their loss.”
22.
“In 2005, a friend at school had a house in Saudi Arabia, where she was originally from. She showed a picture of it, and some chud went, ‘That can’t be your house. Don’t they all live in mud huts out there?’ Yeah, he wasn’t renowned for his intellect.”
23.
“When I went to Istanbul, someone told me, ‘It’s very dangerous there. They don’t let women study and go to school.’ I had literally signed up to get my master’s degree at a university there! WTF.”
24.
“When I told my parents I was going on a trip to Mexico City, they basically assumed I was going to get kidnapped and murdered the second my plane landed.”
25.
“Most of the nail techs at my location are from all over the world, so travel and food topics are usually safe and generate good convo for both client and tech. Except one client, who asked a Japanese nail tech if she’s happy to be ‘in a first-world country like Canada.’ Girl… what do you mean?!”
Have you ever had someone completely butcher the geography of a place you’ve visited? We want to hear your stories. Let us know what you make of this, and be sure to drop the most ridiculous travel misconceptions you’ve encountered in the comments below!
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