27 Myths Americans Believe Until They Travel Abroad

Americans are some of the least likely people to travel abroad. In fact, fewer than 50% of US Citizens hold a valid passport. Never leaving their home country leads many Americans to believe certain myths about the world. When Americans finally do travel internationally they learn that many things they once believed were wrong. America is not “the best” in everything, and sushi is definitely NOT supposed to have cream cheese in it. 1. America is the Best in Everything Our airports are some of the worst 2. Our big city public transportation is amazing I hear this a ton from people in DC and NYC These people haven’t been to Tokyo, Taipei, Seoul, Singapore 3. Subways and Busses are to be avoided at all costs People in the US like “light above ground rail” Maybe the bus phobia comes from the Yellow school busses? I rode one. And I hated it. I know many Americans who went to Rome, and never set foot in the Subway 4. Part of “shopping” is small talk with the staff In the US people are paid to “greet” you coming in to a store “How are you” is a greeting -- but we don’t really want to know the answer In NYC it’s ‘How you doin?” it Hawaii it’s “Howzit” 5. English is the world language, so everybody should speak English Actually everybody should speak “American” English And gesturing wildly helps people understand 6. To be a “Nerd” is uncool In many parts of the world the “popular” kids are the smart ones I apparently was born in the wrong country 7. To be “fit” means you need to workout at the Gym Even if they live next to a park, they’ll go to the gym to run on a treadmill facing a wall. Every hotel needs a gym.. So Americans can work out in a basement. 8. When you use the toilet for #2 you sit on it There are these things called squat toilets And of course Japan has the best toilets that give you a bath, and play music 9. Bathroom stalls have gaps 10. Hotels: To sleep you must be on a raised platform 11. All hotels are Air Conditioned and heated And the proper temp is 70F. 12. Everybody in the service industry expects (and appreciates) tips 13. Everybody understands American Sarcastic Humor 14. All Australians are like Crocodile Dundee or Steve Irwin and that Crocodile Wrestling is a sport 15. Food: Eggs are only eaten at Breakfast 16. Breakfast should be sweet -- ideally with a ton of maple syrup 17. Rice is a side dish 18. Salad is an appetizer Go to Italy and it’s served at the end 19. So is soup Soup can definitely be a meal… Laksa, Pho, Ramen, etc. 20. Taco Bell is Mexican Food Particularly tacos with a hard corn shell and ground beef 21. And the Mexican Food is ALWAYS served with chips and salsa Add Guac and it’s even better! 22. Scones are shaped like a triangle In the UK they are round.. And they’re soft! American scones are hard 23. Sushi has creamcheese in it 24. Portion sizes should be enough to feed a small army 25. Restaurant servers regularly “checking in” on you is good service 26. Drinking water is to be chilled, with ice. And still. And it should be free. And your glass at a restaurant should always be full 27. All “cold” drinks should be iced. With half of the cup as ice. In Europe you often get 1 ice cube Story in France about going to the bar and getting a glass of ice. Singapore we got a hot coconut A friend of mine asked for a Coke… cold. The vendor “dipped” the can in some icy water to “chill” it. You might enjoy watching my video about "30 MYTHS ABOUT THE USA That People Believe Until They Visit" : https://youtu.be/dYc_QmVZPPo 😀 WHEN'S THE NEXT LIVE STREAM? Sign-up for e-mail notifications of future scheduled live streams here: https://update.yellow-productions.com ✅ Missed my last live stream? Browse through all my Live Streams in this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOVadUHX1B-JGLMwqvLbS9kkgAlhNWTp2 ✅ Want to see behind the scenes of my live streaming equipment setup? Watch this video: https://youtu.be/5XO1ewFaTN0 🔔 BUSINESS INQUIRIES: [email protected] 💡 Yellow Productions on Social Media: FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/YellowProductionsTravel INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/yellowwproductions/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/chrisraney 📢 Check out my blog: http://yelloww.net 😀 Yellow Productions Merchandise: https://www.etsy.com/shop/yellowproductions