Embarrassing travel culture shocks

[WildBalonz]

Since it’s summer and holiday season I thought it might be fun to share some silly or funny or embarrassing cultural shocks we’ve all had when travelling!

I’ll start with an incident that is both funny and embarrassing depending how you look at it. A few years ago me, my brother, his wife and her brother (my brother and sister in law) went on a trip all through China. We were on a tour bus traveling through some rural areas outside Guangzhou. We had a pit stop to stretch our legs and use the toilet etc and our driver proudly told us that the public loos we had stopped at had western toilets which were very uncommon in these areas. Great we all thought, however what he didn’t mention is that instead of individual cubicals they had very small almost like shower screens separating each toilet. Not much privacy at all! It made for a very embarrassing poo for me my sister in law and two other ladies on our tour 😂. I laugh at it now but at the time it was probably the most awkward and embarrassing experience our lives. Luckily she’s a good sport and we joke about it these days!

My 27yr old son would rather die than not poo on his own toilet, he's always been like this, I just don't know why.😂

It actually isn't better for you. I suffer from diverticulitis and if I don't go when I need to, am likely to have a flare up, which can make me quite ill

I’ve just returned from the states and was very shocked by the amount of plastic waste.
Plastic straws, plastic disposable cups in restaurants, plastic plates and bowls also. Plastic wrapping around non disposable cutlery. It made me realise at home we are actually making so much effort to reduce our waste but over there absolutely zero. Even in Starbucks if you go with a reusable cup. The employee can’t touch it. So they fill you a plastic cup for you to pour it in to your cup completely defeating the object. It’s mindblowing

I know, I was just surprised and icked out at the time! Saying that, we returned to Cyprus for the first time since then, earlier this year and was fully geared up for it, to find that the sewage systems are somewhat upgraded and it wasn’t the case (in this particular hotel)!

They really don’t mostly have bidets. I don’t think I’ve ever had one in a Greek bathroom, and I’ve been to loads of the islands on a succession of island hopping holidays. Plus obvs public toilets don't have a bidet.

You aren't the only one, and I was born here. I still think it, often when reading MN threads...

Not in any Greek accommodation I have stayed in!! Usually self catering tbf but restaurants etc all the same. Not a bidet in sight.

Family of 4 plus luggage including 2 chickens on a moped! India (Jaipur)

I know this is pages ago now but as someone with a bowel condition I am so sick of people shaming other people for doing a natural bodily function in a place where that is intended to take place! Stop poo shaming people. Not everyone has perfect bowel control.

Good grief, put your big person pants on. It's a toilet. Go grab the smelling salts, someone used a toilet for a 💩

Years ago I took my mum to a modern style spa in Slovakia. Everyone was floating around elegantly in dressing gowns but for some reason we were only given a white sheet, and told to be naked underneath, for the different treatments. We took it in turns to have the treatments, so I went first for this multicoloured light show music bath, which was in a large dark room. This young man led me to the bath and gestured for me to take off the sheet while he was there, then 'helped' me in by holding my hand. Then he and his colleagues stood in the room chatting like it was nothing, while I had my migraine-inducing bath feeling very naked and vulnerable. I didn't get to warn my mum as she went in as I was ushered out, and she later came out looking absolutely outraged. We laugh about it now though!

It does make our efforts laughable and pointless when you think how small the uk is

I found the sheer choice in American restaurants and cafes a shock and really tiring.

I remember going to an old school coffee and bagel place in NYC and the menu for bagels and toppings was about five columns long. I don't need that many decisions in the morning.

This is really my DC's story to tell but:

On a trip to East Africa visiting a project they had been involved with fundraising for they were sitting talking to some of the families who were taking over the project. There were only two of them from the UK at this point and DC was taken to visit the village. It was a very poor area but the people were welcoming and happy. They were fascinated by DC and wanted to know about how they lived at home. One of the most important questions was did they have a garden? What animals did they have? They seemed quite happy to know that DC was from a family with birds. (Lovebirds and a parrot) Then they asked about the other visitor - he was currently between houses, living on a yacht, much better off financially than anyone else we knew. When they heard that he did not have a garden they were dismayed and wanted to send him home with money to buy chickens because how else could he eat!

We all found the story quite sobering for them to feel that they had more than someone we considered rich.

Ive got two both visiting Vietnam 15 years ago - first one seeing entire families of 4 plus luggage on a moped. Second one trying to cross a road by just stepping out and having all the mopeds weave their way round us. It was terrifying but the normal way to cross any road

Why? Would you just do one at the side of the road?

Not me, but a friend. I think she was in Thailand travelling with a mate and they booked themselves into some lovely spa for a day, including full body massage...

.... she was somewhat surprised to discover "full body" meant EXACTLY that. Butt, boobs the works!

Bicycle lanes in Amsterdam, when you think you’ve crossed the road only to nearly get ran down. Also the red light district smelled awful!!! Like fish. And it was disgusting to see so many groups of young men waiting their turns to go in. You can have an idea in your mind of what it’s like there but the reality was still shocking.

The hotel we stayed in last year in Corfu was really modern, the toilets in reception looked the genuine article so I used to go though there for number 2's and didn't do the toilet paper in the bin thing.

Having said that, everywhere else and out and about in bars, I realised that the done thing is two wrap your pooey paper in clean paper before binning it, to try and keep the smell down and for the bin to not look as disgusting.

Many people are able to control their bowels and go when it is convenient. Not everyone obviously.

Don’t most culture shock stories involving us Brits centre around toilets?! 😂

As a student living in and visiting France, i couldn’t get over the squatting toilets. Once when I stopped at a motorway “services” they had little more than a brick shed with one of said toilets in it. Except someone had done a huge poo on the bit you are meant to stand on, so you couldn’t use it. Imagine the pearl clutching if that happened here 😅 god forbid you might do a poo outside your own home.

My parents went on trains in India and my dad was equal parts amused and intrigued that they had both “Indian toilets” and “western toilets”. The Indian one was a hole cut in the floor of the train with a bucket of water on a chain to wash your bum with. He said it was actually better than the western toilet!

Communal (single sex) showers in a hotel in China - just a big tiled room with several shower heads, no partitions at all. Not for the shy.
Roadside toilets in China, hang your bum over the sheer drop and hope you don't fall backwards into the writing mass of poo and maggots. Not for the unsteady croucher.
Loos in Japan - clean but terrifying. Not for the technophobe.

Where should she have taken a poo? Seems the most appropriate place?

I was in Lucca train station 2012 bursting for the toilet, went in public toilet, on the floor there were two places etched out for my feet with a hole in the middle, I was scared to squat, didn't want to take my clothes off, trousers, so held it in. Later we were in a beautiful little village in Tuscany, had to use the toilet in a cafe, outside loo! 🙄 another hole in the floor....I was brave! Let's just say I was known as pissy pants for the rest of the holiday

Our first visit to Italy many years ago in a touring campervan resulted in shock when we first visited a public loo. It consisted of a series of stalls but on entering a stall their was no pan - just two foot pads over a hole in the floor. Below was what I can only describe as a sewer, stretching across under each stall. The smell in 30 odd degree heat was something I’ll never forget.