People Who Live In Holiday Destinations Are Sharing Their "Damn Tourists" Moments, And They Range From Hysterical To WTF

There are definitely benefits to living in a tourist destination, but there are definitely some cons — namely, dealing with tourists on a regular basis.

Warner Bros. Television Distribution / Via giphy.com

So u/bungeeman asked people who live in holiday destinations, "What's your most ridiculous 'damn tourists' moment?" And, let me tell you, people did not hold back:

1."My older brother lives in Celebration, Florida. Back when it was first designed and built, people didn't seem to understand exactly what it was. Was it a tourist attraction? A park? A town? Once, my brother's friends were sitting down for dinner and — having forgotten to lock their front door — were greeted by some tourists who decided to just walk around inside their apartment."

2."I am an ex-pat who lives in Amsterdam. In my area, getting stopped for directions is pretty common. The best was the American-accented lady who stopped me for directions VERY LOUDLY AND CLEARLY. Directions were given, as well as thanks from the lady, who proceeded to say, 'By the way, your English is great!' with the tone one reserves for small children. 'Thanks!' I responded, 'I'm American.'"

3."I once saw a woman wandering around Penn Station, shouting angrily into her cellphone, 'I don't understand why the fuck the fucking guidebook told me to come here to Grand Central! This place is goddamn hideous!'"

4."I currently live in Sri Lanka. Foreign white people walk around barefoot everywhere. Like, Christ, I get you're on your big 'Indian adventure,' but put on some shoes. Have you seen how much shit is on the ground?!"

5."Philadelphia is not small! All those landmarks you want to see — the Museum of Art, the Liberty Bell, the LOVE statue, Market Street, South Street, the Macy's that used to be Wanamaker, Independence Hall, Pat's or Geno's cheesesteaks — they have miles in between each other. You will not be able to walk that shit in a day. Also, Rocky wasn't real! That was a 20-mile montage that Sylvester Stallone 'ran.'"

6."I worked at a ski area in western North Carolina. A lady from Florida ask me what we did with all the snow in the summertime. I told her we trucked it all into a refrigerated cave."

7."When I was a teenager, I worked at an airboat rental dock and alligator park near the Everglades. Every couple of days during snowbird season, we'd get a tour bus full of foreigners and Yankees coming in from Miami. I had one guy ask, 'Are we allowed to swim in the water?' while he was standing in front of a 14-foot stuffed gator, flanked by four six-foot-long water moccasin skins. However, my favorite was, 'Can you turn down the fan? My children don't like the noise.' Then don't sign up to take a ride on a boat that's propelled by a giant fucking propeller. God, I hate tourists."

8."I lived in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland for a while. On my bus-commute home, I overheard an American woman trying to figure out if this was the correct bus to get to the village where I lived. She didn't know Italian and was holding up the line. So, to be nice, I offered to translate for her. She didn't say thank you and sat down for the ride. When we arrived, we started walking up the hill from the bus station next to each other, and I asked, 'So, where are you from, and why are you visiting my tiny village?' She responded, 'I don't talk to strangers,' and sped up."

9."I'm always amused by Europeans who can't comprehend how big Canada is. I'll be in Toronto or Niagara, and they'll ask for directions to Whistler. I'll tell them, 'You're going to want to go west for a long time.'"

10."Coastal Maine checking in. People lose their shit over lobsters and shell out tons of money for anything with a lobster on it. Cheap shot glass? Eh. Cheap shot glass with a lobster stuck on it? I'll give you $7.75 for it! Lollipop? Whatever. Lollipop shaped like a lobster?! It's definitely worth $5 — better get one for each kid back home. Normal pullover hoodie? Boring. Hoodie with a motherfucking LOBSTER embroidered on it at $50 apiece?! Oh my god, just take my money!"

11."In Australia, for some unknown reason, tourists won't swim in-between the safety flags. It's like they think it's the bunny hill of the beach. It's not. The locals swim between the flags because we don't want to die."

12."I live in a ski town adjacent to Yellowstone National Park. People have asked, 'At what elevation do the deer turn into elk?' and 'Where do the moguls go in the summer?' My favorite was when I worked at a lodge right in front of the Tetons during wildfire season: 'Can't you guys turn off the smoke? It's ruining my view, and we paid way too much for this vacation. I can't even see the mountains.'"

13."I live in Taos, New Mexico. As well as being a ski destination, there is a really old (still-inhabited!) pueblo. There are lots of Native American people here. In the summer, we get lots of Texans. My (Native) friend is a river rafting guide, and once, she was on a raft with a family — mom, dad, teenage son, and daughter. My friend pointed out a bighorn sheep up ahead, everyone freaked out, then the mom asked, 'Since there's game, do you ever see the Indians hunting out here?'"

14."New Orleans checking in. During Mardi Gras, the garage management hangs up 'Please don't pee in the lobby' signs. Sigh."

15."When I was 14, I worked for the Parks Commission in Niagara Falls. I've been asked a lot of dumb tourist questions during my time there, but there are two that really take the cake. One grown man asked, 'Does the Maid of the Mist ride up the falls?' I could understand a five-year-old child with no understanding of physics asking, but seriously? No adult should ever ask that question. Another time, a large Texan man asked, 'Which falls belongs to what country?' I told him that the Horseshoe Falls are in Canada, and the American and Bridal Veil falls are in the US. 'NO!' he shouted back, 'The larger one belongs to the US because everything in the US. is bigger!'"

16."I lived in DC. One incident does still stick in my craw: 8:30 a.m., Dupont Circle station — I need to put 20 cents on my fare card. An entire troupe of boy scouts is trying to figure the machines out like it's some sort of complicated puzzle. They were spread out throughout the entire room, so there wasn't a single open machine. I almost killed children that day."

17."In Seattle, we have the 'Ride the Duck' tours that go on the road and in the water. The things have a PA system, so everyone within a block can hear them. They constantly make remarks about people on the street. If I'm dressed a little weird, it's pretty damn awkward to have a group of tourists with duck whistles taking your picture from a boat on wheels. Meanwhile, the announcer talks about the colorful Seattle culture in reference to me."

18."I grew up in San Francisco, which is a tourist destination. I got dinner at a touristy place once, and I overheard tourists complaining about all the hills. One of them said they hoped that the next earthquake would level the city so it would be easier to get around."

19."Former Floridian who worked at Margaritaville in Key West. There would be people who would get off the cruise ships (always Carnival) and ask what country they were in. They refused to believe that Key West was in the US."

20."I live in a very rural, historic-colonial area of New England. Every fall we get hoards of leaf peepers — that's slang for people from the city (New York, Boston, etc.) who come up north to look at all the pretty colors as the trees change. My town has one of the longest, oldest covered bridges in the country. It's still in use for road traffic and is one of the only bridges over Connecticut for a few miles. The majority of leaf-peepers assume because the bridge is old, it's a historical landmark and is open for exploration. So many times, I'll try to cross that bridge, only to stop before a group of five to six people freaking out because they just assumed it's for foot traffic. These same types of people, when they try to then cross that bridge with their cars after learning that's what it's for, will still almost cause accidents."

21."Boston here. While I appreciate the fact that some visitors understand that if they're planning on staying downtown and only intending to visit downtown, no car is necessary, I wish more visitors would take the time to familiarize themselves with how public transportation actually works. Please don't ask the vehicle operators for directions, board the bus or train while people are getting off, and 'surf' by standing and not holding onto a rail. Please do remove your gigantic backpack that doubles the amount of space you're taking up on a seriously crowded bus or train. And for the love of all that is good, please either walk up the escalator or keep to the right so others can pass you."

So what do you think? Would you live in a holiday or tourist destination? Let us know — especially if you already do — in the comments below!