The 5 Most Unfriendly Countries I Have Ever Visited

We have been traveling the world for a few decades now and having been to dozens of countries, hunderds of cities around the world we have had some great experiences meeting locals, and some not so great experiences. So here are the five more unfriendly places we have been to.
Filmed in Friendly Turku, Finland

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Copyright Mark Wolters 2024

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[robertlamantin]

I"m french : how dare you not to put my country in the first place ? How outrageous 😁

[dustgreylynx]

As a German I'm happy we didn't end up in top 5, but I have a suspicion we are in top 6

[Yogiz]

Dane here, can confirm that we are super reserved, but I dont know a single dane who would not help out someone in need.

[arminbosten]

I'm a Belgian living in Luxembourg with a Luxemburgish partner... imagine how unfriendly our children will be 😂

[joannaheart]

I had Danish flatmates for six months. Apart from a introductory cup of tea and lunch in the beginning, there was no interaction or interest to get to know me or befriend me. I was not part of their lives, so why bother. I come from the South of Europe so I was expecting a kind of "Friends" sitcom situation but that never happened. I was disappointed and lonely. I am a kind, sensitive person, very quiet and clean, so I didn't do anything to annoy them. They once had a tea party where they invited other Scandinavians and I wasn't invited in the kitchen, not even for a cup of tea. This is all unheard of in my country. Of course, not all Danes are like that but that was an unpleasant experience.

[reddykilowatt]

most unfriendly place was Antarctica. the penguins just ignore you. 😂

[whereisgabri]

Lived in Luxembourg for 5 years and I can definitely confirm. Most boring, arrogant and unfriendly people I’ve ever met in my life. I visited 84 countries so i have a pretty big sample size 😅

[cedricdecat]

I honestly didn’t think my country (Belgium) would be on the list, so I was quite embarrassed when it was the first one you mentioned… I feel ashamed you and your students had these experiences, that is unacceptable. I’m so sorry this happened.

[JS-spmp]

Telling the truth without being nasty is a skill. You have it. Thanks for this.

[Reazzurro]

Mark is so diplomatic; he should be hired by the State Department 😅

[megpaul]

My sister took her daughter to Belgium for a graduation from college gift. She said those people were awful. They were at a restaurant and the waiter reduced my niece to tears.

[GMPinot]

I met nothing but friendly people during my visit to Belgium! A man literally drove us to the airport at 5 am just to be nice

[IMPTIGO]

Who else watched this to check if their country is on the list?

[jackmeeellleee]

I am a Danish citizen, but I am also an American citizen. I have lived in Aarhus Denmark for twenty years. Before this I grew up and lived in the USA for over forty years. Danes are also distant with one another. If you are not a part of their social circle or workplace circle there is a level of indifference when compared to how Americans interact. This is relative and a generalization in comparison to the USA and I must say random acts of kindness do happen here in Denmark as well. On the flip side there is generally speaking no superficial friendliness. Danes mean it when they are friendly, and they do not say friendly things to sound polite and acceptable. Danes are not much for small talk with strangers.

[chuckcassidymusic]

I went alone to Arhus, Denmark and was warmly welcomed at the local heavy metal bar. Two dudes asked me, "why are you drinking alone? Come sit with us!" Other than that, I found people very helpful when I asked for directions. On the other hand, I do respect folks that prefer to mind their own business, so maybe it's why I have this perspective.

[tanquerayandchronic]

I went to Charleroi in Belgium, and had a meal at a Turkish restaurant. Afterwards I ordered a tea. The waiter brought me a cup of tea, and then refilled the cup. Then refused to let me pay for the tea. That really lifted my spirits!😊

[cordfortina]

One of my favourite stories is of a guy from the UK who went to work in Finland. As he walked by a colleague he said to him "how are you?". His Finnish colleague replied, "You asked me that yesterday".

I also got talking to an American who had arrived in the UK. She said to me, "Why do people keep asking me if im alright? Do I look unwell?". "Alright" or "Alright mate/love" is a standard greeting in many less-affluent areas in the South East of England.

[picobello]

The most unfriendly place I've been has to be Sweden. I had several experiences where service staff really seemed like they didn't want to get bothered by anyone even though it's literally their job to help people. I got sighs, eye rolls and even got told to shut up.

However, the trophee for the world's most unfriendly people goes to American airport and border security staff. American friendliness for some reason disappears as soon as they're wearing a government uniform .

[idontneedid]

Being from Vienna, I am genuinely surprised that my city didn't get an "not a country but so unfriendly it gets a special mention" award.

[pongop]

Thank you for the enlightening list! I'm sorry to hear about your students' experiences.