25 Travellers Pass Verdict On The Friendliest Vs Most Unwelcoming Countries
Globe trotters rank the world’s nicest and meanest locals.
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If you've travelled extensively, you’ve probably noticed that your experiences can vary widely depending on the country you're in and how well you blend in. In one place, smiling at a stranger on the street might make you seem odd, while in another, not playing along with the ice cream vendors' pranks could be seen as impolite.
Your experience can also be shaped by how locals feel about tourists. Recently, travellers on Reddit have been sharing their experiences, highlighting the countries where they've encountered the friendliest locals and those where the reception was less welcoming. Scroll to check out some of the most insightful responses received below.
Image source: maelius, Kelly/Pexels (not the actual photo)
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Worst place I've ever been is the Walmart next to Walt Disney World in Florida. There was a shooting as we were leaving, heard the gunshots while pulling out of the parking lot.
Image source: nomorechoco, Daniel Joseph Petty/Pexels (not the actual photo)
Meanest was easily Germany, though I did find their rudeness to be almost comical haha. I still like them though and appreciate their blunt manner!
Image source: Petrich0rium
Image source: milkcustard, Ketut Subiyanto/Pexels (not the actual photo)
Nicest people: Japanese. I've lived in Japan and traveled there a lot since. Never had a truly bad experience. People were helpful and once the ice was broken, very friendly; everyone tends to mind their business and customer service was always great, even when the konbini part-timer looked like they'd rather be anywhere but at work. Friendliest people I met were at Kamakura.
Meanest: I wouldn't say "mean" but I am never going to Egypt again. The sexual harassment was unbelievable. Made NYC Construction Sites seem like a monastery by comparison.
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Japanese and Balinese, also New Zealanders
The rudest and most disrespectful:
Russians and Chinese.
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I was so confused and startled by this random act of kindness, that my initial thought was she was setting us up for something and I started looking behind my shoulder. The concept of a stranger helping us out for no particular reason was so alien to us that we were on guard for something that never happened. Turns out, people are just nice there and we weren't used to seeing it.
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I prefer to remember the second but I can see how others would not. And that’d be every bit as reasonable.
Image source: Long-Confusion-5219, Oleksandr P/Pexels (not the actual photo)
Most unfriendly , Israel. They just looked so miserable all the time and any time I tried to start a chat I just got a dead eyed stare back at me.
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We get into Dublin Airport and get the van, drive to the other coast to a small town called Ballybunion. I've barely slept from the flight over, hotel didn't have a parking lot, had to park the van in a lot a couple of blocks away near the business area. Streets and houses are all on the same level, no curbs. But the houses would have a low curb/fence put up around them as a bit of a boundary. Tired, driving on the wrong side of the road and turning down a narrow alley... drove up on the 'curb' of this one house. High enough that it's like having a jack on the van. Can't drive off of it. Road is the main road but it's one way. I back up traffic for a mile, it's a Sunday so no tow service nearby."
"Gentleman wanders over to us sitting there trying to get the van jacked up high enough to get the tire onto the curb. Oh fook a duck laddie, that's a bang-up parking job. Proceeds to take over, borrows a plank of wood from one of the houses nearby and wedges it under the tire to give traction to back up. Sister tried to give him cash for helping, turns out it's is mother's home. She's off on holiday. Later that week, we saw him in the pub and tried to buy him a pint. Fook no, I've been drinkin' fer free all week tellin' the story about the American that backed up traffic to the next town!'. He bought us pints all night, still friends with him today."
Image source: Odd-Cobbler2126, BO SS/Pexels (not the actual photo)
At another shop, I asked if they had a certain design in stock. When they offered an alternative, I tried it on, and I could hear them complaining out loud about me being a nuisance just because I asked if they had a particular design in stock. Plus, they did it deliberately loud Mean Girls style, like they wanted you to hear what they were saying. I had people scold ME for exclaiming 'hey!' when THEIR spit accidentally landed on my shoe. One lady in her 20s cut the line when I was just about to pay, and then yelled at me. Ordering food at a semi-popular dessert store meant being body slammed like we were at a mosh pit. I was never so glad to leave a country.
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Runner Up - Wierdly Americans; seemingly always open to starting a conversation and trying to assist you or give you helpful tips
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#1 Dear female travellers travelling alone in India: don't travel alone.
Image source: maelius, Kelly/Pexels (not the actual photo)
#2 I feel like men and women may have VERY different experiences in some countries. India for example. I found it very friendly/respectful as a big/tall western man, but I’d not want my wife or daughters traveling alone there.
Image source: J4MES101, Richard McAlister/Pexels (not the actual photo)
#3 Nicest place I've ever been was New Zealand. The land is gorgeous, the people are lovely, and welcoming. I live in Niagara Region, which can be very touristy, and all over NZ was just so pleasant.
Image source: MetricJester, Gabriel Peter/Pexels (not the actual photo)
Worst place I've ever been is the Walmart next to Walt Disney World in Florida. There was a shooting as we were leaving, heard the gunshots while pulling out of the parking lot.
#4 Nicest? Easily Canada- some very nice people up that way!
Image source: nomorechoco, Daniel Joseph Petty/Pexels (not the actual photo)
Meanest was easily Germany, though I did find their rudeness to be almost comical haha. I still like them though and appreciate their blunt manner!
#5 Vietnam is probably the friendliest place ive been.
Image source: Petrich0rium
#6 Female, American from DR, raised in NJ in the 80s and 90s. I appear mixed/brown and when I traveled in my 20s and 30s, I mostly did alone.
Image source: milkcustard, Ketut Subiyanto/Pexels (not the actual photo)
Nicest people: Japanese. I've lived in Japan and traveled there a lot since. Never had a truly bad experience. People were helpful and once the ice was broken, very friendly; everyone tends to mind their business and customer service was always great, even when the konbini part-timer looked like they'd rather be anywhere but at work. Friendliest people I met were at Kamakura.
Meanest: I wouldn't say "mean" but I am never going to Egypt again. The sexual harassment was unbelievable. Made NYC Construction Sites seem like a monastery by comparison.
#7 For me, a white woman in my then early twenties, Scotland was by far the nicest country. I found it so endearing that everyone kept calling me “love”.
Image source: wydhs, Gabriela Palai/Pexels (not the actual photo)
#8 Nicest? New Zealand by far. Worst? Isreal. Arrogant and mean.
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#9 Ireland = nicest, I was surprised as I'm English but everyone was very friendly. France = rudest. Edit: Runners up for nicest, Greece.
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#10 Meanest in Morocco, lots of catcalling and no respect for personal space. Nicest I am going to say America from personal experience.
Image source: kirrillik, Nicolas Postiglioni/Pexels (not the actual photo)
#11 Some of the nicest people I’ve come across in travels:
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Japanese and Balinese, also New Zealanders
The rudest and most disrespectful:
Russians and Chinese.
#12 People posting nicest places needs to post if they're a man or woman. Going to someone of these places as a woman is down right dangerous yet men see it as "nicest people ever".
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#13 Went to Montreal once. Just got to the city and stopped in front of a street kiosk with a city map. Within a couple of minutes of staring at it, a woman approached us and asked if we needed help finding anything. She was local. English, but with a French accent.
Image source: -Dixieflatline, Céline Chamiot-Poncet/Pexels (not the actual photo)
I was so confused and startled by this random act of kindness, that my initial thought was she was setting us up for something and I started looking behind my shoulder. The concept of a stranger helping us out for no particular reason was so alien to us that we were on guard for something that never happened. Turns out, people are just nice there and we weren't used to seeing it.
#14 I haven't been to all that many foreign countries, but I thought New Zealanders were quite nice. Sarcastic and teasing at times, but nice in general. I got really, super-bad vibes in Rwanda, like I was hated. That was difficult.
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#15 Best: Japan. By far the worst of what I’ve experienced: Turkey. God I hate everything about that country.
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#16 This highly depends on who you are. Race, gender, ethnicity, nationality play a huge role.
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#17 I haven't travelled the whole world but I felt safe and comfortable travelling in Germany, and totaly scared for my life in China.
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#18 Morocco for both. Had some of the most obnoxious dumba**es harass us but on the other hand had the one of the best meals of my life offered for free by the nicest strangers I’ve ever met one Ramadan there.
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I prefer to remember the second but I can see how others would not. And that’d be every bit as reasonable.
#19 Nicest was Indonesia , so friendly and genuinely so. I’ve been many times and always have the same experience (touristy parts of Bali exempt)
Image source: Long-Confusion-5219, Oleksandr P/Pexels (not the actual photo)
Most unfriendly , Israel. They just looked so miserable all the time and any time I tried to start a chat I just got a dead eyed stare back at me.
#20 The French. I am not a huge world traveler so I'm no authority, but in my experience the French folks I met were not very friendly, and liked to make fun of people and any attempts to speak their language."
Image source: CountessBloodbath, EVG Kowalievska/Pexels (not the actual photo)
#21 The world is filled with nice people and I keep travelling to remind this myself: you will find great people in any country.
Image source: GreyAngy, Pressmaster/Envato (not the actual photo)
#22 Nicest people ...Ireland. My niece is a harpist, used to go to Ireland every year to compete in an Irish music and dance festival. I'd go with her and my sister to be the driver (needed a van for the harp, no automatics to rent, sister couldn't drive stick).
Image source: Eligius_MS, Kelly/Pexels (not the actual photo)
We get into Dublin Airport and get the van, drive to the other coast to a small town called Ballybunion. I've barely slept from the flight over, hotel didn't have a parking lot, had to park the van in a lot a couple of blocks away near the business area. Streets and houses are all on the same level, no curbs. But the houses would have a low curb/fence put up around them as a bit of a boundary. Tired, driving on the wrong side of the road and turning down a narrow alley... drove up on the 'curb' of this one house. High enough that it's like having a jack on the van. Can't drive off of it. Road is the main road but it's one way. I back up traffic for a mile, it's a Sunday so no tow service nearby."
"Gentleman wanders over to us sitting there trying to get the van jacked up high enough to get the tire onto the curb. Oh fook a duck laddie, that's a bang-up parking job. Proceeds to take over, borrows a plank of wood from one of the houses nearby and wedges it under the tire to give traction to back up. Sister tried to give him cash for helping, turns out it's is mother's home. She's off on holiday. Later that week, we saw him in the pub and tried to buy him a pint. Fook no, I've been drinkin' fer free all week tellin' the story about the American that backed up traffic to the next town!'. He bought us pints all night, still friends with him today."
#23 I understand Mandarin/Cantonese and went to Guangdong for a holiday. Worst holiday ever because I understood how rude they were. When I tried on clothes at a mall shop and didn't find anything which I liked, the sales girls b*tched out loud to each other that I shouldn't be trying anything if I wasn't going to buy anything.
Image source: Odd-Cobbler2126, BO SS/Pexels (not the actual photo)
At another shop, I asked if they had a certain design in stock. When they offered an alternative, I tried it on, and I could hear them complaining out loud about me being a nuisance just because I asked if they had a particular design in stock. Plus, they did it deliberately loud Mean Girls style, like they wanted you to hear what they were saying. I had people scold ME for exclaiming 'hey!' when THEIR spit accidentally landed on my shoe. One lady in her 20s cut the line when I was just about to pay, and then yelled at me. Ordering food at a semi-popular dessert store meant being body slammed like we were at a mosh pit. I was never so glad to leave a country.
#24 Nicest people - Thailand; people were just friendly and helpful for no gain; I remember the nicest lady who saw we were confused and helped us to cross the street and then she couldn't speak English so she found someone else who spoke English so we could get directions and then made sure we got safely to building.
Image source: EmpressI, Victor Freitas/Pexels (not the actual photo)
Runner Up - Wierdly Americans; seemingly always open to starting a conversation and trying to assist you or give you helpful tips
#25 Taiwan is awesome and the people are super welcoming and nice
Image source: Satanic_Doge, Belle Co/Pexels (not the actual photo)DE
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