Last month I asked you in which countries you’d encountered the friendliest and rudest locals.
But before you read the results, I think everything is best summed up by these 2 answers I received:
“People all over the world will be rude to you if you do not respect them, their culture or their language.”
And
“We’ve found everywhere in the world that If you’re friendly to people, they’ll generally be friendly to you.”
And the fact that France tops both the friendliest and rudest lists, shows it’s all down to personal experience.
And here’s the results of what you sent me (and please excuse the hideously stereotyped images) …
FRIENDLIEST:
1. France
“My husband and I have been to France several times and have NEVER experienced rudeness, nor animosity toward Americans, nor any of those negatives for which France is allegedly famous.
We attempt to speak a little French, for which people are most appreciative, though they usually fall into English to prevent any more fracturing of their language on our part!”
2. Australia
“We just got back from a month in Australia and New Zealand traveling on our own and i must say those Aussies and Kiwis are by far the nicest and friendliest we have met anywhere in the world.”
3. Italy
“Italians are always enjoying life as much as possible and care about everyone around them
(except when they are driving!).”
4. Ireland
“But I would now have to say Ireland. We had an accident driving on the Ring of Kerry and ruined a tire and the rim. Our car was un-driveable and we were in the countryside.
We were traveling with another couple and he went walking down the road to see if he could find some help, as there was nothing where we had stopped.
He encountered a gentleman walking his dog, who promptly went home, got his cell phone, called a garage he knew (which we would not have found in a million years).”
5. UK
“If you are an American the English are about as friendly as they come. They always treat you as a long lost relative and really seem to like Americans.”
6. New Zealand
“The friendliest and nicest people in the world live in New Zealand!”
7. Spain
“My offering is Spain. I have traveled quite a bit throughout Europe as well as in South America and Asia – and not just as a tourist. I generally travel alone and whether on business or just wandering, try to interact as much as possible with local people. Without a doubt, in my opinion, Spain ranks as the number 1 country for friendliness.”
8. Mexico
“The friendliest have been in Mexico (Mexico City the friendliest big city I have been to)
The people are courteous, have good conversations, want to help and know how to have fun!”
9. Germany
“I have to give the award for friendliest country to Germany. I was driving along the Rhine, taking a detour on my way to Frankfurt, and I stopped frequently along the way. The residents of these small towns were some of the friendliest I’ve met.
They were always anxious to show off their local food and drink, and tell you about the history of their town. Of course, this extended the time of my trip, but the time was well spent.”
10. Slovenia
“But let me not forget Slovenia! Sophisticated, humble, generous and open.”
11. Dominican Republic
“I lived and worked with campesinos in the Dominican Republic for several years, and I found
them to be astonishingly generous and friendly to strangers; never rude.
The response, typically, to a ‘gracias’ wasn’t the usual ‘de nada’, but rather ‘a sus ordenes’ (at your service), and that’s how they lived. Even in the cities, people were gracious and cheerful wherever I went.”
12. US
“USA (California coast, Hawaii and small towns). The Pacific coast makes Americans mellow and more helpful.”
13. Canada
“My experience of travel in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and England, dog owners are the friendliest people, regardless of their country of residence.
If a person is walking a dog and you try to strike up a conversation about their dog, dog-lovers can’t resist it. Ooing or ahhhing over someone’s dog is a great way to put even the crankiest person in a better mood.”
14. Thailand
“Michael, as an American living overseas 14 years now and have traveled countries around the globe. I would have to say Thailand is about the friendliest country my wife and I have traveled and Indonesia would be second.”
15. Slovak Republic
“My first pick would be the Slovak Republic, formerly part of Czechoslovakia. I have visited there 7 or 8 times since my first visit in 1970.”
16. Brazil
“However, the friendliest people that I have met around the world are the Brazilians. One evening I was taking a stroll on Copacabana beach with my wife when two lovely young ladies approached us, offering some “personal” services for a slight fee.
When I told then no thanks, I am with my wife, one of them replied, “No problem, we can get someone for her, too.”
But seriously, Brazilians were friendly in every circumstance.”
RUDEST:
1. France
“I went to a restaurant in Orleon, France and had a very difficult time communicating my menu order. The waiter apparently did not know a word of English so, I stumbled thru the menu and ended up pointing to the entre I desired.
The whole time I was ordering, the waiter was mumbling in French. Finally, the meal came and it was very good.
When I paid the check, the waiter responded, in perfect English, “Thank you very much for dining in our restaurant. I hope you visit us on your next trip to France”.
2. UK
“Very rude people!!!! I’m dual UK/USA nationality….”
3. Germany
“Germany: not rude, just cool.”
4. US
“Rudest are New Yorkers”
5. Eygpt
No reason given
6. Switzerland
“Swiss can be downright nasty if they suspect the size of your bank account is puny.”
7. Austria
“We meet so many rude people in Austria.”
8. Puerto Rico
“Puerto Rico gets my vote as the most indifferent, not necessarily rude. Prices are high, tips added on to the check and, lacking incentive, the service is uniformly bad.
So bad that when treated with mediocre service, it sparkles by comparison.”
9. Greece
“We found the rudest people in Greece, beginning with the tour director to Rhodes, Delphi and Meteora. She screamed at us as if she were a drill sergeant.”
10. Sweden
“Least helpful have been the Swedes.”
11. Argentina
“Haughtiest are the Argentines.”
Did you agree or disagree? Leave a comment on your experiences…
My consultant job requires me to travel extensively throughout the Caribbean from the lesser to the greater Antillies. I’ve been from Guyana to Dominican Republic. The rudest island people I’ve encountered are from the British Virgin Islands. From the moment you get off the airplane at Beef Island you’re met by a rude Customs and Immigration Officers. One does not feel warm entering BVI. From there, it only gets worse. Service and service personnel are bad and rude respectively. The only somewhat friendly locals I’ve met are the taxi drivers but then again, they have a motive fare plus tip.
The friendlist island is Barbados. Wonderful people and island. Every trip is enjoyable.
Alex
Re: France, I know many people have had difficult experiences. But even the guy who complained was upset that the waiter didn’t speak English, when he/she herself didn’t speak French. I’ve never been to Paris, but in Alsace the people I met were very nice. I would put Italy and Ireland at the top of the list. I used to hitch hike a lot in Italy for long rides. Without excpetion, whenever soemone stopped for gas or a coffee, they would ask me in and pay for my coffee and or pastry. It never worked to offer ot pay my own or theirs. Even as a guest in their car, they treat you like a guest in their home.
Did not see Scotland on the list. Definitely tops my list. I got a flat tire in Stirling and the guys delivering beer came over and offered to fix it. They were like a pit crew at the race track – it was done in about 10 minutes and they would not take any money. Everywhere I went people were so pleasant and hospitable. Also discovered that the older the men were, the more they would flirt – harmless but very fun. I also agree with the overall comment that if you are open to a culture, people and country, you will have good experiences. I’ve been to lots of countries and have never had a bad experience.
Greece:
Greek tour directors (licensing / union / what-not are comprable to Greek civil servants. All Greek civil servants are rude, even to other Greeks!
The Kenyan people are the most hospitable and caring of any people I have come across and I have traveled to 66 countries and have 16 trips to Africa.
I agree that if you are pleasant, people will be pleasant to you in return. I can’t say that we have found a country where even a small percentage of people were rude, and we have done a fair amount of traveling. In traveling, as with any other experience, you can always encounter one or two rude people, but to stereotype a whole country as rude based on the actions of a few would be unfair.
With regard to Egypt being on the rude list, we found everyone there (in our nearly two weeks in a variety of areas a year ago) very friendly and helpful. Perhaps the need to tip at every turn in the road was interpreted as rudeness, but that is their way.
To me France is the rudest- I love Holland and Germany- also I was in Greece during December 2007 and I found the people to be very nice and helpful- I was doing disaster relief work back in the mountains and the people were very nice and friendly- I also stayed in Athens and again the people were nice-I plan on going back to Greece for an extended vacation. I also spend some time in China and the people are nice except when in line to buy something or see something-they will step in front of you and give you dirty looks if you say anything-
Just back from two weeks in Italy – mostly in Tuscany. We visited many remote spots (all in our rented car) and many of them were accessed only by secondary roads. In Montepulciano, two apparently unoccupied carabinieri escorted us for five miles to a farmhouse we simply could not find – and we had a terrific time with them in fractured Italian and hand signs. Although never really lost at any time (except in Rome), we had to stop frequently for directions and were always met by persons who seemed genuinely interested in helping and who seemed to be be pleased in being able to do so. Started and finished our travels in Rome – our experiences there were somewhat different. My wife and I are native New Yorkers and I can tell you that two things are completely unnecessary in the Big Apple. One is a car and the second is good manners. But I suspect that is true of most large cities.
I was in the Air Force for 27 years and traveled extensively in Asia, Europe, Africa, The Middle East, and the US. As a ski club president, I’ve led tours in the US, Canada, and Europe. No matter what country I am in, I always approach someone with a hello in the local language and a smile. This even works in New York City. The problem is not rude nationals, it’s rude visitors. I’ve enjoyed every country I’ve visited and there isn’t a place I wouldn’t go back to. All nationalities are friendly given the chance. By the way, I’ve also worked in law enforcement and have no illusions about sensible areas to visit. Try flashing money, acting lost, and wearing expensive jewelery and you’ll probably get mugged in you own home town. Bon Voyage!
My granddaughter and I travelled to Egypt in 2006 and we had a great experience.
We found the people to be very friendly and polite. The people we met always seemed to want go out of their way to be helpful and friendly. Yes, there were a lot of people wanting or expecting tips but if you think about it that’s how they earn a living. I think it all goes back to if you treat people with respect and dignity it will come back to you.
I went to Ecuador for the first time in 2006 – it was an absolute joy. The people I met were kind and wonderful, even to a tourist fumbling with barely rudimentary Spanish. I fell in love with this beautiful country.
In my travels I have found that people reflect your attitude. If you expect rudness, that is what you get. If you project frendliness and interest in their country, that is what is returned. Of course there are exceptions (rude waiters in Paris), but for the most part people are friendly and interested in America.
We just got back from our second trip to England and Scotland and last year we also went to Paris. We encountered very helpful and delightful people in all places. Never any rudeness. And in Scotland I wanted a photo of men in kilts and four of them obliged to pose for me as they are extremely proud of their heritage and always willing do to something to put a smile on an American’s face. In Tiverton, England we were arriving at our B&B where some people were outside enjoying themselves having a beer and they even helped us with our baggage and asked us to join their party and they didn’t even work there! Next year we are going back to Paris, and visiting Barcelona and Italy for the first time. We feel confident we will encounter wonderful people.
Suzie
The Dutch in Amsterdam are the nicest people in Europe! I’ve wandered the streets alone at 2:00 in the morning and it’s such a clean and safe place. I love the Dutch!
We’ve been all over France several times and we’ve been treated very well over many years. The one exception was the American Airlines ticket counter person a couple of years ago in Paris-Aeroport Roissy, who was haughty. It is our favorite country. I got a laugh from the comment about the waiter from “Orleon.” Not only did he not understand that French people often speak French; he couldn’t even spell the name of the place in which he was treated so “rudely.”
I did not see Portugal on the list of friendliest. I traveled in Lisbon knowing no Portugese and still felt welcome and treated with great hospitality.
Australia and New Zealand were terrific. The people there made me feel like a long lost relative who had come home.
I’ve been to most of the countries mentioned in both lists & Sth. Korea, Japan & Hong Kong. All were very welcoming (esp. the Japanese), the only ones I would put on the Rude list would be the local pedestrians in Hong Kong
I’ve been to Italy 3 times. The fid=rst 2 visits were tours. The last time we went, we rented villas through Parker Villas. We met the most generous people. Our first villa was outside Verona. The owner, an older man (and his younger wife), was always ready to pour a glass of wine or direct us to a restaurant or other destination. A relative of a friend drove 2 hours to pick us up, show us the Amalfi coast, took us to his home for a 5 course meal, then drove us back! What a warm, beautiful country with people to match!
I differentiate between the people one meets on the street and the people providing service in hotels and restaurants, and people driving in cars. Overall I have had the most problems dealing with hotels and restaurant personnel in France, especially in Paris and the fewest problems in Germany by way of contrast.
Friendliest people as a whole I have encountered in Cambodia. Even toward people from the USA, a country that dropped more bombs on their country then we did on Japan during WW II, not to mention leaving behind millions of land mines to maim and kill future generations of Cambodians. Their culture’s Buddhist base really comes through in many ways.
In terms of drivers the least friendly and most aggressive are in my native state of California. No country in Europe or Asia begins to compare with the poor driving manners of Americans – we are really in a “class” of our own in this regard.
I have traveled throughout North and Central America, Europe, and Africa. I have found that even in the places most noted for the rudeness of their inhabitants, a big friendly smile, an attempt to speak a few words in the native language, and the ability to laugh at yourself go A LONG WAY towards eliciting kindness from anyone anywhere. Paris, NYC, and London are often cited as filled with rude, uncaring people. NOT the case!! The inhabitants of these cities are among the kindest I’ve ever encountered. I guess the old saying “what goes around, comes around” is true in any tongue.
Linda
I agree with Slovak Republic as the friendliest country. During our trip to the Slovak Republic, everyone in that country seemed to be interested in making our trip an excellent experience. Any question or issue was addressed immediately. Meals were delicious; prices were very reasonable and service was great.
My first six hours (out of 24 hours) in Budapest, Hungary, in March, 2008, were my worst travel experience in my lifetime of 67 years. It was such a nightmare that I will never set foot in that city or country again, will never spend another filthy florin in that despicable place and will never travel through the place if there’s any way to avoid it. They have permanently lost my tourist business. It was worse than my 72 hours in Italy in 1979. That was almost 30 years ago, and I’ve never been back.
Thanks to the indifference, incompetence, abuse and outright extortion of the people we encountered in “service” roles, it took us 5-1/2 hours to get to a hotel that was a 15 minute bus ride from the airport; and traveling to that hotel cost us close to $100.00 — a trip that should have cost about $5.00 (total for two people) round-trip.
For a country that supposedly gave up communism a couple of decades ago or so, culturally and bureaucratically, it still operates as if it were a communist country. I pity the poor, long-suffering, Hungarian people. The ordinary people in the street that we encountered were wonderfully kind, thoughtful, and tried to help. But the others ruin it for them, and I’ll never set foot there again.
On top of everything else, the subway system was a sewer, and a really scary place overall. I’m totally and permanently disgusted.
I sing with a band. I travel in Europe often, and have never really encountered much rudeness in any European country. I will say that Finland tops my list as friendliest. Fins are always extremely accomodating and treat me like family when I am visiting. Scandinavia, in general is friendly. I have also had particularly good experiences in Germany and France. Although I find the Dutch to be a little crazy, the Netherlands is a very friendly country as well. The rudest people, by far, in my experience, are Americans.
I think you are right. France wins both “good” and “bad”. People in Paris are the rudest is have met…. but get 20 miles outside Paris and people are very friendly. I have been to Paris 8 or 9 times and am not going back…but we vacationed in other parts of France last year and had a great time.
I also have had several rude experiences in Japan. Many smaller restuarants refuse to serve “Americans”.
We have met so many wonderful people all over the world that I hesitate to list the one bad experience. I believe the secret to the wonderful way people have treated us has been the fact that we always try to speak a few words in the native language. Even our one bad experience in France was probably because we could not communicate in their language and did not understand their custom. Late one evening we wanted just a small snack and three of us ordered one large pizza. We were refused service unless we each ordered a pizza. Finally they did allow us to order one pizza provided we took it outside to eat it. We were appropriately dressed, polite and are good tippers. Counter that with the many wonderful experiences we have had traveling in France, eating at other restaurants, riding trains, etc. I think that we have learned from our travels, and we have traveled in all the countries you mention except two, that we should attempt to communicate with visitors to our country (USA), try to be friendly, helpful and thank them for the wonderful experiences we have had while viaiting their country.
We just came back from two weeks in Sweden and found them very friendly and helpful. I would go back in a minute, or just as soon as the dollar regains strength.
As one can see from the replies, many have had bad and good experiences in the same place. My most embarrassing moment was in Avignon, France. We were dining on a terrace. A couple from New York was seated several tables away and had told us they had stayed in Avignon during the Summer for the last 4 years. When the waiter came to take their order, they handed him printed index cards with French phrases to communicate with him. In 4 years they had not made the effort to learn any French. We could see the waiter, who was so respectful to us, cringe. Talk about an ugly American. I speak, read and write respectable French (minored in College over 40 years ago) and am so glad that I can communicate in their native language. I also speak extensive Italian (mostly self-taught) because we travel there frequently. When on a recent African safari, I took the time to learn around a dozen phrases. The citizens love it when you talk to them in their language and have been quite complimentary of us.
My wife and I have traveled widely and lived and worked in many countries. We have realized that the majority of people everywhere are good, honest and well meaning human beings who will be helpful, generous and hospitable when one is polite or shows respect for them and their culture, and when there’s a genuine need. However, people can appear to be rude because of communication issues. For example, in some cultures, a laugh does not necessarily indicate mirth or derision, but nervousness or uncertainty. Head movements in greeting or acknowledging agreement can be construed by foreigners as being aggressive or contrary. So let’s reserve judgement and learn more about the people we’re visiting.
I think one of the most important things to do when traveling is to learn a little of the language before you go. If an American even attempts to speak the local language, I believe they realize what a huge effort it is for us monoglots, and almost all people respond happily….even if they don’t speak English, they will make a greater attempt to communicate with gestures,etc…and suddenly everyone becomes friendly. I truly believe to travel comfortably you must understand the culture before you go….if you expect everyone to behave as Americans you will be disappointed, and possibly act rudely yourself in your host country thereby causing some rudeness in return…..travel is about experienceing places different than ours.
I’ve found that people all over the world reflect YOUR attitude toward them. Years ago, when I was a teenager, my family took a trip to Europe. At the time, there were a lot of artiles in the U.S. press about how unfriendly the French were. However, both my father and I spoke some French, and we found people largely helpful and friendly, with the exception of one souvenir seller near the Eiffel Tower, who was probably just having a bad day. The rest of the family, who didn’t speak a word of French, had neutral or bad experiences.
I find it incredible that people sometimes take off for a foreign country without reading up on it or learning any of the language. Buying a $25 guidebook and reading it thoroughly helps you understand some of the cultural differences and avoid misunderstandings and unintentional rudeness.
In addition, learning a few words of your host country’s language shows respect for its residents. Even in countries where “everybody speaks English,” I always learn how to say, “Do you speak English?” in the local language. These days, it’s easy to find audio familiarization courses and podcasts for the world’s major languages, and you can buy recorded materials for just about any language in the world online, so if you can afford to go overseas, there’s no excuse for not spending an extra $30 or so to learn a few phrases.
Quite often the people who claim that “everyone” in a foreign country was rude are people who go over with a superior attitude or a chip on their shoulder. I’ve met friendly and rude people all over the world and all over the U.S.
I was sorry to hear Barbara had such a bad time in Budapest,My wife and I spent almost a week there last year,We found the people very helpful and friendly.
The subways were very clean,the restaurants and servers very polite, and the food was excelent.
We look forward to going back very soon.
France can go either way. The positives outdo the negatives, even though many believe the French are rude.
Argentines are friendly. The residents of Buenos Aires are known to think they are superior , but the rest of the Argentines are very friendly. In fact, in BA, they were very friendly to Americans (at least to us!!!)
We have traveled in many of the countries listed. By far the friendliest was Australia. The people were always striking up a conversation with us. They really wanted to know what we thought of their country and were interested in the USA. Perhaps it is because there were no language barriers. I have visited New York City many times and have always found New Yorkers to be helpful, not rude at all!
I think the rudest treatment we have received has been in Germany. Our heritage is German. In fact I am often mistaken for German when we travel. I understand, though, that once the Germans get to know you they are very kind.
I have to defend the French. We spent two weeks there a couple of years ago and everyone was universally friendly and helpful. Several times in the Paris Metro, when we looked confused, a local would offer advice, in English without our even having to ask. We also witnessed a young woman trying to pull a huge rolling suitcase up the steps in the Metro and a young man, unasked, grabbed another handle and lifted it up the steps for her. We don’t speak fluent French, but we practice out phrasing and our attempt to speak the local language is appreciated and usually reciprocated by the French switching to English.
A country that also has lovely, warm local folks is Costa Rica. Ticos just naturally smile when greeted with an Hola!
The Irish are wonderful friends of the “Yanks” and the way they speak the language is poetic.
We’ve traveled to many other countries including Chile, Agentina, England, Scotland, and all over the Caribbean and have found that if one is friendly towards the locals, they treat you likewise.
Without hesitation, my response for the most friendly people would be Jamaica. That is why so many of the all-inclusive resorts are based there. “No problem mon” is not just a saying; it is a way of life. IRIE means “good feelings” in Jamaican and that is what you will have if you go there.
Many Americans misinterpret the aloofness of French (Parisian) waiters as rudeness. Unlike the US, where restaurant workers are often temporary workers earning minimum wage, in France service personnel are professionals, and they expect their clients to treat them with the respect their station deserves. If customers don’t, they are treated with disdain.
Austrailia hands down is the friendliest place. Not only are the Austrailians friendly and helpful but they are so earth friendly as well. Sydney was such a clean clean city. Cairns also was so welcoming from our taxi driver to our hotel staff everyone was wonderful. Now after Austrailia we stopped in Tahiti for a few days. There we found very rude hotel staff. Very slow, no attention to detail service. The beauty of the place does make up for all of it!
We (family) have travelled around the world, and agree that definetely French from PARIS area are the worst, but not so for the rest, even if one or them do not speak the language (English, Spanish or French).
Puerto Rico is my home country, yet our people 99% of the time go all out for newcomers, yet I recognize that service in restaurants is an area we are lagging behind. SOrry on behalf of PR people who do care.
We just returned from a month in Sicily and Greece, including Crete, Santorini, and mainland Greece. Contrary to other opinions here, we found the Greeks to be quite friendly, even in Athens — not only the hotel personnel but the taxi drivers, store clerks, and men-on-the-street were considerate and friendly. On the other hand, we found Sicilians to be among the rudest people we’ve ever encountered in our 30 years of international travel. And it wasn’t our attitude that caused the rudeness — they are rude to each other, shouting, pushing, etc. (There were, of course, exceptions, and we found exactly 3 Sicilians who were friendly, helpful and dignified.) The driving is insane, drivers showing absolutely no regard for the other driver nor for traffic laws. “Wait your turn” doesn’t compute whether on the highway or the sidewalk. Waiters are at best disinterested and at worst hostile.
It would be hard to say which country is the friendliest, but we have had good experiences in France, England, Ireland, and Croatia. I think Croatia surprised us the most with their enthusiasm toward visitors.