“I’m an American from Texas, and I think this place shocked me the most.”

"I just spent 12 days in Tokyo. I noticed that almost no one is willing to deviate from the script/procedure/rule, even when circumstances necessitate it. Such as the bartender who insists on collecting a seating charge from me on Tuesday night at 1 a.m. in a totally empty bar, even when I explain that I will leave if that is his position, and I will stay and patronize his empty bar if he waives the seating charge. I left." 

"Worst place I’ve ever visited and I’ve been all over the world and to some dumps, but this is the cake-taker." 

"Don’t travel to Egypt if you are a woman." 

"My grandparents went to Cairo on vacation one year and ignored our advice to travel with a group, opting to free range it instead. While they were there, a local one day offered to take their picture and then refused to give their phone back unless my grandpa gave him $500 in cash. They said they ended up losing around $ 5,000 on that trip due to scams, overcharging, pickpocketing, and incidents like the phone. They were seasoned travelers, but Egypt completely cooked them." 

"Yes, they are helpful and friendly, but they have a cold tone, so people initially think that they are rude." 

"Many of them have a great sense of humor." 

"Other countries I was pleasantly surprised by sometimes, but China is the one where what I read online and saw on the ground had the biggest difference." 

"I loved it. Very chic, futuristic, and clean. People questioned why I went there and tried to tell me it would be a terrible time due to 'us Americans' not being liked there. It was fantastic! Would definitely go again!" 

"Agree! Visited Tehran twice, drove down to Shiraz — beautiful country, friendly people, and OMG, PERSIAN FOOD! Can't wait to go back." 

I traveled through some cities 10 years ago, and it was amazing. Tehran, Kerman, Qeshm, Bandar-Abbas, Shiraz, Isfahan, Yazd — all beautiful cities with beautiful people." 

"From what I had heard, I kinda expected Parisians to be rude and racist, and they were nothing like that. Overall, I thought people were really friendly." 

"Paris was gorgeous. No signs of 'Paris syndrome' for me. I was truly amazed at THE nightlife, coffee, people, and events."

"In Sweden, don’t mistake them being 'polite' to mean they are your 'friends.' There is a lot of pressure that foreigners don’t pick up on – to be so tidy, to be so reserved, stoic, and detached. Even married couples sort of live separate lives. They look 'Western,' but culturally they are quite strange and aloof (lonely) once you get deep into it."

"It isn't even that cold; the average temperature in January is higher than most of Canada and, for example, Michigan." 

"Our neighbors have gone multiple times a year for over a decade and love the country." 

"I do think the sense of civic duty is greater in Australia." 

"Most people aren't really friendly or welcoming to foreigners." 

"Athens was the first European country I’ve ever visited, and I was surprisingly underwhelmed considering it was so high on my bucket list." 

"I loooooove Greece but hate Athens... It was hot, crowded, and full of pickpockets." 

"I've been many times on retreat, and it was breathtaking and peaceful." 

"Much richer and more beautiful than I thought and as shown by the media." 

"Loved Scotland and didn’t see one person in a kilt, surprisingly." 

"Far more welcoming and varied than the headlines usually suggest." 

"Mexico is amazing, and yet based on media coverage, you would think it is a garbage pit." 

"I'm an American from Texas, and I think Mexico City shocked me the most. I felt completely lied to by American movies and media. Not that it doesn't have bad areas, but I don't feel they are astronomically worse than most major American cities." 

"So much history and everyone was very welcoming and friendly." 

"Such a fun country! People were crazy nice!" 

"The US is great, but we are not the unique diamond we pretend we are."

Responses have been edited for length and clarity.