American Habits Foreigners Find Weird

Americans are funny creatures. We’re a tad on the aloof side when it comes to interacting with foreign counterparts, and often we end up coming off a bit weird while trying to be friendly. Here are some habits that seem strange overseas.

Constant Smiling

Americans smile at everything. We just like to be happy, or pretend we are. Overseas, this is often seen as an odd habit. People tend to behave in a more reserved manner while out and about, especially in Asia or Europe.

Tipping

Foreigners don’t tip! At least not nearly as often as Americans do. It’s uncommon to tip your waiter overseas, unless you’re visiting someplace that caters specifically to American tourists — then they’re just trying to pilfer money from you.

Loud Talking

Along will smiling inordinate amounts, we tend to talk about 30 decibels louder than everyone else. What? We like to be heard. Still, when traveling it might be wise to tone it down a notch when out in public.

Mimicking

By this we mean attempting to mimic a foreign language. Instead of pronouncing something with our normal accents when we hear it for the first time, we’ll attempt to copy the foreign version of the word.