10 Bizarre Culture Shocks Americans Aren’t Ready For Abroad!

So You Think You’re Ready to Travel?

No ranch, no refills, and toilets that require an engineering degree. Here’s what travel influencers forget to mention.

Think you’re ready to travel just because you bought a passport and binged a few YouTube videos? 

I thought I was too, except YouTube didn’t exist yet. 

All I had were Rick Steves’ “Europe Through the Backdoor” guidebooks and my dog-eared copies of Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist” and “The Pilgrimage” to convince me that my journey would be life changing. 

Then I landed in France, strolled into a corner café in Paris, and tried to order a coffee. 

What I got was a shot glass of lukewarm espresso, zero ice, zero refill, and a side of existential judgment from a man in an apron who clearly hated everything about me.

No cream. 

No syrupy concoction, no name on a paper cup, nor corporate coffee swirl. 

Not even half-and-half!

Just me, jet-lagged and wondering if I’d just failed some kind of secret test.

Back then, I thought real travel meant being spontaneous and effortlessly cool. 

It involved, just showing up with a backpack, no reservations, and the blind confidence that things would somehow work out.

There were no apps, no Airbnb, and definitely no influencers to copy. 

That fantasy collapsed the day I tried to flush a toilet in Ukraine and may have launched an old Soviet ventilation system instead. 

Or when I smiled at a stranger in a Kyiv grocery store and she looked at me like I was planning to mug her once we got outside.

After years living, working and traveling across Ukraine, Georgia, Albania, France, Spain, and beyond, I’ve seen enough face-palming culture shocks to write a field manual.

Some were my own painfully awkward moments. 

Others I witnessed, like the time a former American colleague in Kyiv demanded ice water “like a normal person” and couldn’t understand why the server just walked away.

So if you’re packing your bags for your first big trip abroad, let me save you from a dozen avoidable embarrassments.

This isn’t about what to pack or how to say “please.” This is what you actually need to know before you become that American overseas.

Here are 10 culture shocks that will blindside you, confuse you, or just make you question everything.

You’ve been warned.

1. Ice Is a Luxury, Not a Birthright

If you’re heading to France, Spain, or Bulgaria expecting a towering glass of ice water with your meal, prepare for disappointment.

In Lyon, I made the rookie mistake of asking for a “large glass of water with ice” and was handed what looked like a thimble of lukewarm disappointment.

No ice.

Not even cold.

The waiter blinked twice and walked away like I had just confessed to a crime.

Here’s the truth:

Ice is seen more as an odd American obsession than a dining standard.

In most places I’ve lived, drinks come however they come, deal with it.

Want ice? Be ready to beg for it, pay extra, or just carry your own.

Heads Up: If you really need cold drinks abroad, pack a thermos or lower your expectations.

2. You’ll Feel Hungry… But That’s Just Portion Control

In Georgia, I ordered what was listed as a “hearty lunch platter” and was handed a plate that wouldn’t have passed as an appetizer at a Midwest Chili’s.

I looked around, confused. Everyone else was eating slowly, sipping wine, and chatting like food wasn’t the center of the universe.

Coming from a culture where portions are so oversized we need doggy bags just to survive the guilt, this was a shock.

Heads Up: Stop expecting to be stuffed. Enjoy the meal, the company, and yes, even that half-empty plate.

You’re not being starved. You’re being civilized.

3. Air Conditioning Will Be Rare and Disappointing

My first summer in Ukraine taught me two things:

1. Never assume “air conditioning” means what you think it does, and…
2. Ceiling fans left over from the Soviet era were not designed with human comfort in mind.

I also once stayed in a guesthouse in Spain that swore it had AC.

Technically, yes, it had AC, but it buzzed like the scooters on the cobblestone street outside and wheezed out air like a dying accordion.

And, it only worked if you whispered sweet nothings to it while manually spinning the blades.

Heads Up: If you’re traveling in summer, don’t rely on what the brochures or the signs outside say.

Ask questions, read reviews, and pack clothes you can sweat through with some dignity.

4. Smiling at Strangers Makes You Look Crazy

During my first week in Kyiv, I walked into a grocery store in my new district of Obolon and gave the cashier my best friendly, “Hi, how are you?” smile.

She looked up like I’d just asked to borrow money. 

I later learned that in much of Europe and the Balkans, random smiling is viewed with deep suspicion.

It’s not rude, it’s reserved.

Heads Up: Smiling at strangers might be how you make friends in Des Moines, but abroad, it makes you look unhinged or overly familiar.

Save your grins for after the introductions.

5. Tipping Is Optional, Confusing, or Rude

In France, I once tipped too much and got a look that said, “What do you think I am, your servant?”

In Ukraine, my expat friends would argue over whether 5 percent or 10 percent was correct.

And in Greece, I once tried to leave a tip at a small taverna, only to have the person serving me explain he was the owner and didn’t take tips.

The look on his face made it clear he saw it as a matter of pride, not profit.

Heads Up: Tipping culture is not universal.

Google tipping customs before you dine, not while you’re signing the receipt and panicking over whether 10 euros is generous or offensive.

6. Tap Water Might Be Off-Limits or Come With a Fee

“Can I get some water?” sounds innocent until you’re met with the dreaded follow-up: “With gas or without?”

In many places I’ve traveled, like Greece or Romania, you’ll get bottled water whether you want it or not.

Tap water is often safe, but socially discouraged.

And free? Don’t count on it.

Heads Up: Always specify if you want tap water.

If you don’t want a surprise charge, ask first, or better yet, just carry your own bottle.

7. Toilet Trauma! Wildly Inconsistent Bathrooms… Bring Tissues.

In a roadside café in Albania, I found myself in a bathroom with no seat, no paper, no soap, and a mystery pedal system I never figured out.

I’ve also paid to use bathrooms in Ukraine that felt like a Soviet interrogation cell.

Heads Up: Carry tissues, keep some coins in your pocket, and whatever expectations you’re bringing… lower them.

8. Wi-Fi Exists, But It’s for Convenience, Not for Remote Working

I once spent 30 minutes in a café in Georgia just trying to decipher the Wi-Fi password.

The waiter handed me a post-it note with what looked like a cryptographic puzzle written in half Georgian script, half guesswork.

And in parts of Albania, signal strength was more hope than reality.

Heads Up: Don’t assume you’ll always be connected. Download your maps ahead of time.

And don’t freak out if your Instagram post takes 20 minutes to upload.

You’ll survive.

9. You Will Be Spotted as an American… Instantly

It’s not just the baseball cap, cargo shorts and sneakers. It’s the volume. It’s the way we ask too many questions and overuse “excuse me.”

In a Spanish tapas bar, I once heard someone across the room say, “He’s American, right?” I hadn’t even spoken yet.

Heads Up: You don’t need to pretend you’re a local. Just dial it back.

Blend in when you can, observe when you can’t, and leave the American exceptionalism at the airport.

10. You’re a Guest, Not a Star

In Ukraine, I once watched an American man loudly berate a restaurant hostess for not speaking English.

I cringed so hard I almost apologized for him. Too many travelers forget they’re visitors, not VIPs.

Heads Up: Curiosity gets you further than arrogance. Be polite. Be humble.

You’re not on vacation from respect.

Travel Isn’t a Theme Park. Respect Is Your Passport.

You don’t need to get everything right when you travel. You’ll fumble the customs, offend someone accidentally, and mess up your coffee order at least twice.

But if you go in with respect and a willingness to learn, you’ll recover.

What’s the one thing you wish you knew before your first trip abroad?