New Zealand Family React to 10 Culture Shocks Foreign Tourists Have When They Visit America

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🎵 Track Info:

Title: Lioness (Instrumental) by DayFox
Genre and Mood: Pop + Happy

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[typingqueen]

If you are in the south, especially Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia or the Carolinas don't be surprised if the women call you honey, darlin, sweetheart, or sugar. They arent flirting. Its what we call southern hospitality. Thats just their way of being friendly.

[crystalclarity]

Watch out! Some road intersections do not allow right turns on a red light. They will have a sign that reads something like “No right turn on red.” Also, if the signal light is in the shape of an arrow (versus a circular shape) and it is lit red, that generally means that a turn in the direction of the arrow is prohibited until the arrow color changes to green.

[picardy]

Your channel is popular because Americans like to hear good things about ourselves (myself included) and your family is so positive. I hope you're not disappointed when you come here!

[C.R.W]

Just note:
- the cost of a 2 liter soda (along with everything else) went up - after Covid
- A lot of, if not all, Walmarts are no longer open 24 hrs - after Covid
- Choose the 'medium' priced hotel. A 'cheap' hotel may shock you at best, kill you at worst.
- Ice is available literally everywhere in a score of different forms. We have vending machines that sell bags of ice cubes.
- People are very friendly, but in touristy areas, that friendly person may be trying to scam you.
- You can probably use your accents and friendly natures to talk your way out of most police encounters (traffic, not Driving Under the Influence. He was serious about the DUIs).
- Make sure you have at least one working cell and get a navigation app. Most Americans use one most of the time and probably couldn't tell you how to get anywhere beyond their local neighborhood.
- If you end up in an uncomfortable area (and you'll know), just turn around and go back the way you came.
- It takes, on average, 3-6 hours to drive across one state, not counting stops. Some of the big states take even longer. In western states, you could potentially drive for hours and not see another person.
- Nobody is going to be peeking in the bathroom stalls at you while you do your business. If they do, punch them in the eye or tell the police.
- Free refills are same visit only.

[spyswatter]

Some things to remember about the "right turn on red light" rule:
1. You don't just cruise through the intersection if you're turning right on a red. You need to stop first (like you would at a stop sign), look to be sure it is clear of approaching traffic, and then make your turn.
2. "Right on Red" is allowed if there isn't a sign or other indicator that says it isn't. If you see a sign saying "No right turn on red", you (obviously) cannot make the turn. What may be less obvious, though, is if the intersection has an lighted arrow (pointing right) to indicate you can turn. If that is the case, and the arrow is red, you cannot make the turn. You can only turn when green or yellow. Sometimes you'll see a flashing yellow arrow which means you have to yield to other traffic -- i.e. turn only turn if clear.

[polecatjoe]

One thing that I think would be surprising about Americans is the way that not only are we patriotic and proud to be American, but we also tend to be pretty proud of where our ancestors came from So you will see Irish festivals like St. Patrick's day, Mexican celebrations like Cinco de Mayo and Dia De Los Muertos, Chinese New Year, Oktoberfest, Swedish and Norwegian fests, and every other nationality. I don't remember ever seeing a New Zealand Day, but I wouldn't be surprised.

[jlawrence]

Several comments:
1) I have helped many international travelers plan trips in the US. The biggest mistake is to try to see the entire country in two or three weeks. Choose what you want to see and plan it out on Google Maps to let you map it out. I have seen people who plan to drive 5k miles in a week or two.
2) There are cheaper chains like LaQuinta and Comfort Suites are comfortable and much more reasonable than Hampton and Holiday Inns. Do realize that "free breakfasts" may be a donut and coffee or a full breakfast. Inquire when booking.
3) Americans are generally friendly as long as you avoid two things. Avoid discussing politics or expressing your opinion on American politics. Also, avoid a trap that I have seen a lot of Australians fall into - that is saying "that not the way we do things in Sydney." It sets people off a lot and you may be told to go home.
4) Many people will hear your accent and ask where you are from. That should be seen as a friendly act. You will find that it takes some of us a minute to understand you with the accent.
5) The gaps in the bathroom are very small. You can see the people's feet underneath which lets you know it is occupied.
6) Do not drink and drive. You will be jailed for a short time.
7) A smart YouTuber planning to come to the US for an extended period of time would start making contacts with people who might be able to arrange some of the travel for them or offer to host them or at the least, will guide them while they are in a locale.
8) A big deal is made about sales tax and tipping. In other parts of the world, those costs are buried in that one inclusive cost. You are still paying them. The advantage of tipping is that the excellent servers make great money. The poor servers don't make a lot and are encouraged to move on to a different job.

Hope that helps.

[Taleri]

Keep in mind that that video is a few years old. 2 liters of name brand soda are now about $2.50 -3.00 each. You can still get generic soda for a little over a dollar for a 2 liter, but prices have really gone up in the last few years.

[LighthawkTenchi]

The friendliness thing is absolutely true, we generally love meeting people from other countries and cultures, because for us, it’s fun to compare and contrast our daily lives and experiences in wherever they’re from. We like seeing that there are in fact similarities with other countries and cultures, especially when food is involved, eating with someone is a great way to bond and make friends. We even do that with different states, which a lot of people don’t realize are almost different countries under a central government, hence the name “United States.”

[lucylazenby]

Considering portion sizes in restaurants…yes, they’re big. Very big in most places. BUT nothing says you have to eat it all in one sitting. In fact, after all the free refills, the next most popular item is the To-Go box where you pack up half your meal and take it home to re-heat the next day. Two meals for the price of one! 😁

[parallelpinkparakeet]

Also about the portion sizes, you're not expected to eat the whole thing. Servers will readily ask you of you want a to-go box to put whatever you don't eat inside to take with you (and a lot of hotels will have refrigerators on them.) When I go out I usually always make at least two meals out if what I get at a restaurant. And like our hotels, the more expensive the restaurant is, chances are the portions are smaller than the cheaper places.

[lordkroak]

One thing people do in America is ask about accents. It’s usually out of genuine curiosity. We also don’t get offended if you ask us about ours. For example I have a southern accent because I grew up in Georgia most of my life.

[elecjack]

Something I do not see mentioned often for restaurants is that we do not tip at fast food restaurants. This is only common practice at traditional restaurants where you are served by a waiter/waitress. Also, anywhere you see a tip jar is completely voluntary. If paying with a card, some of the card scanners sometimes may have a screen pop up for a tip on them during the payment process at places you don't generally tip. It is just in the software, you can skip this. It isn't extremely common, but I have ran across it before. Just be aware of it if you end up looking around and buying something in an antique shop (just throwing something random out there) and you see a screen while paying with a card asking what percentage of tip you want to leave, don't feel obligated to leave one as we don't tip at these establishments (unless you really want to), you can skip it.

As for taxes, most of the country is 7-10%. Where I live is 8.8%. ($1 = $1.09 or $10 = $10.88) You get used to it pretty quick if you live here and aren't traveling all over the place. In most of the U.S., if you just expect 10% over the listed price, you won't ever find yourself short. This is combined state, county, and city sales tax that equals the sales tax in the area you are in. Be aware of the tax laws per state you plan to visit because you might find states don't charge taxes on certain items and there are a few states that don't have a sales tax at all. In my state, there are no taxes on groceries. So the price for food items in a grocery store is what you pay. But you will pay sales tax on a can opener if you buy it in the grocery store. But this differs from state-to-state.

[paschamaryalophand]

Hello from Louisiana! As someone that lives in the south, the thing that I’ve heard most people are shocked by is the heat, the humidity and the bugs...especially mosquitoes. I would recommend keeping some allergy meds on hand. We had a foreign exchange student from Norway some years ago and he ended up having a rather severe reaction to an ant bite. Fire ants are a thing here and he didn’t react well. So be cautious of insects you aren’t familiar with. I hope you have an amazing trip and I can’t wait to see the videos from your travels, here and Europe!

[WhoIsRaphaelLeraux]

I remember going out to a bar with a friend from China years ago and he was shocked to learn that, even as a passenger, it is illegal to drink alcohol in the car. He opened a beer in front of a cop and the cop waved us over and gave him a stern lecture. Henkept telling the cop "that doesn't make any sense, I'm not even the one driving" but he tossed the beer out. Our open container laws apply to everyone in the vehicle.

[LexyThomas]

I always thought Americans thought of just themselves before moving here lol found out literally day one that's not true at all. We ran out of gas a few kilometers/miles from the gas station and within a few minutes we had 3 cars pull over asking if we needed help. One guy ran down to the gas station and filled up a 5 gallon can for us, wouldn't take any money, he put the gas in our car and then just left lol loved America ever since haha

[sherrikmcintyre]

Holiday Inn Express is our family's go-to choice. They have them in just about every city (most of the time they have more than one) and they are priced great. They have indoor pools and a great breakfast selection included.

[debbythivener]

We like our culture because our families are from all over the world. So we love to invite all cultures

[BillGraper]

WATCH OUT for the right turn on red. Sometimes there are small white signs hanging next to the light that says "NO TURN ON RED." Some of them actually give the hours you can't turn right on red, like 6am - 8am and 2pm - 4 pm, because they are close to a school. They are hard to read sometimes. ALSO, you still have to come to a complete stop first & make sure no cars or pedestrians are coming into the path of your turn.

[lesliesheppard]

With the hotels it’s more important to make sure the area of the city your staying in is safe. Most holiday inns, holiday inn express, Howard Johnson, best western, etc are pretty much the same. So if you’re in a safe part of town they’re great options for places to stay.

Right on red light means you pull up to the light, come to a complete stop, check to see if anyone is coming then if it’s safe you can turn right even if the light is still red. Just remember you have to stop first because you always stop on red.