Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Things Foreigners Should Avoid At All Costs While Visiting America

Grand Canyon
brown rocky mountain under white clouds during daytime

Reddit user AMGBOI69420 asked: 'Americans of Reddit, what places in America should foreigners avoid at all cost?'

When people visit the United States of America for the first time, they often have a list of places to see and things to do (and eat!).

Get a hot dog in New York City before attending a Broadway show, take in the spectacular views of the Grand Canyon, or soak in the sunny beaches of Florida.

Of course, like anywhere on Earth, there are also some places and things which should be avoided at all costs.

Then too, not all guidebooks can give you all the information on things to be wary of in the most visited places in the country.

Some of which might save you a dollar or two, and some of which might actually save your life.


Redditor AMGBOI69420 was curious to hear all the advice the Reddit community had to offer to first-time visitors to the US, particularly regarding what to avoid, leading them to ask:
"Americans of Reddit, what places in America should foreigners avoid at all cost?"

Those Signs Are Not Just Decorations

"If you go to a national park and you disregard the signs, you're going to die."

"It's not a joke."

"Treat buffalo like field puppies?"

"You're going to die."

"Try to pet the brown bear?"

"You're going to die."

"See that moose and want to feed it?"

"You're probably already dead."

"Oh look, a rattlesnake! "

"*dead*"

"Want to swim in Old Faithful?"

"You're going to die painfully and completely dissolve into a soup."

"Sh*t is dangerous here and if you don't respect it you'll be lucky to die quick."- Xanza

"If you’re in a National park, listen to what the caution signs say and don’t venture off of paths."

"One is because of wildlife and the other is because humans don’t need to ruin everything in nature, just to get a photo."

"Also, don’t fall into the Grand Canyon." - Yawheyy

grand canyon arizona GIF by Go USA JpGiphy

Know Your Limits And Be Prepared

"Don’t hike into the wilderness of Colorado (especially 14ers) without knowing wilderness survival and responsibilities."

"Tourists die on our mountains and in Rocky Mountain National Park all the time."

"Do your research!"

"Altitude is no joke."- eyjafjallajokul_

Some Things Are Worth The Added Expense...

"Not American but as a visitor trying to travel on the cheap, I made the mistake of booking a greyhound bus ride."

"There's a reason why it was cheap lol."- toadkarter1993

The Name Should Be A Clue

"Death Valley in the summer especially if you consider yourself a strong hiker, and live in a cooler climate."

"It has that name for a reason."- FabFrench

death valley documentary GIFGiphy

Or Even Dip Your Toes...

"The hot springs in yellowstone are not hot tubs do not swim in them."- needs_grammarly

"Steaming Acidic hot springs in Yellowstone."- SuvenPan

Every City Has One...

"Anywhere with a Rainforest Cafe and a Wax Museum on the same street is a tourist trap."- Klytus_Im-Bored

homer simpson episode 13 GIFGiphy

Maps Exist For A Reason

"Avoid going to one location thinking another location across the country is a short trip."- Jebediah_Vorbeck

So Much For "Brotherly Love"

"The Kensington area of North Philadelphia."

"Don't."

"Just don't."- amhildreth

Even If You're A Night Owl

"Most of Downtown Los Angeles at night."

"When the streets get quiet and the locals go home, that's your cue to go back to your hotel or a more popular hotspot."- muststayawaketonod·

los angeles city GIF by The Broad MuseumGiphy

Aracnaphobia!

"Pueblo Colorado."- External-Traffic-916

"F*ck Peublo and its mass Tarantula Migration."- paustulio

Not The Where, But The What

"It's not 'places' as much as 'situations' that you should avoid."

"Depending on where you're from, you'll have some of these instincts, but not others."

"It's not all or nothing."

"But here's some situations I can see happening to a European, as an example."

"Getting stranded in the desert."

"Whether you're hiking without water, or driving too far on a single tank of gas, there's a real risk of being stranded without very immediate help, and no cell reception."

"Underestimating travel time."

"You're not going to see NYC and LA on the same trip."

"They're three time zones apart."

"They are exactly as far apart as London, England and Baku, Azerbaijan."

"You'll either be driving for a week, or flying."

"Even things that seem close, like NYC and DC, are not actually that close."

"It would be about 6 hours of driving or train to get from one to the other."

"Trespassing."

"It is taken VERY seriously here, and you could wind up shot if you are on the wrong person's land."

"We do not have the right to roam."

"And we do have the right to bear arms."

"Some states even have 'castle laws' which considers trespassing to be sufficient reason to shoot someone in 'self defense'."

"Any places people are mentioning are places that Americans wouldn't go to either if they could help it."

"But if I can say one place in particular, it would be Camden, NJ."

"It's just across the river from Philadelphia, and has a couple of tourist draws like the Aquarium or the concert venue, but anywhere that's not those specific places is incredibly unsafe."- pHScale

Season 9 Reaction GIF by The OfficeGiphy

Like any country, America has its fair share of underwhelming and unsafe destinations.

Thankfully, most of these places aren't written up in guidebooks, and won't be high on the list of any foreign visitors.

Sadly, guidebooks still might not stop them from shelling out loads of money for very mediocre food at a noisy theme restaurant...


More from Trending/best-of-reddit

unidentified female Trump supporter at MAGA rally
Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images

MAGA Mom Goes Viral After Revealing Her Son Refuses To Talk To Her Because She Voted For Trump

While people grapple with how to handle family members and friends who voted against their basic human rights, the people in question are dealing with the fallout from their choices.

MAGA Republican President Donald Trump and the Republican Party's embrace of the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 made clear the rights of women; ethnic, racial and religious minorities; the disabled; immigrants; and the LGBTQ+ community were at risk.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mike Lee
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

GOP Senator Faces MAGA Backlash Over Plan To Sell Millions Of Acres Of Public Land

Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee is facing harsh criticism—including from Team MAGA—over his proposal to sell off millions of acres of public land in the American West owned by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service to supposedly create more affordable housing.

Lee claimed in his proposal that there is an "extensive process for interested parties like States and local governments to nominate land for disposal to meet housing and community needs," noting that it specifically exempts national parks, monuments, and federally designated wilderness areas from potential land sales.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Ripped For Complaining That Americans Get 'Too Many' Federal Holidays Off Work

While it was ultimately former President Joe Biden who established Juneteenth as a federal holiday, President Donald Trump—who once campaigned on that promise—took to Truth Social on Juneteenth to whine about the number of "non-working holidays" Americans get, claiming that it costs businesses "billions of dollars."

Juneteenth is derived from June 19, 1865, when Union troops led by General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and declared that all enslaved African Americans in the state were free.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Carlos Barria - Pool/Getty Images

Donald Trump Called Out After Awkwardly Misspelling His Own Name In Post About Iran Attack

President Donald Trump was ripped by critics after he awkwardly misspelled his own name while praising the B-2 pilots who flew the strikes on Iran—only to later delete the post and repost it as if nothing happened.

On Saturday, Trump authorized a series of intense U.S. air and submarine strikes targeting three Iranian nuclear facilities, amid ongoing uncertainty about the status of Tehran’s nuclear program.

Keep ReadingShow less
A woman sitting up in bed as a man sleeps next to her.
Florida State University Researchers Find Predictors for Infidelity in New Study
(Wodicka/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

The Biggest 'They're Definitely Cheating On Me!' Signs People Ignored

When our partner commits suspicious behavior, it's easy for us to jump to conclusions.

Most of the time, the conclusions we jump to are 100% wrong and are just our imaginations playing tricks with us.

Keep ReadingShow less