Why are tourists so ignorant when they go abroad?

Answer 1

Ignorant to what?
They are tourists for crying out loud!!!

Answer 2

Not all of us are!!! Don't tar everyone with the same brush...... We are very well travelled and always research well before we go, learning some basic words as well. When in other countries we always respect the culture and the locals. However there will be some things that even seasoned travellers don't know. Although when we do go abroad my husband quite often says that the one thing he likes to avoid is other tourists. We go to sample the life of that country not what English stuff it offers. I think some of the most ignorant things I have seen abroad is in Kenya when we went to visit an orphanage. The other tourists took lots of sweets, great, but these people are incredibly poor and dentistry is the last thing they can afford..... we took lots of soap for the mothers and babies, loads of books for the school and coloured pens which they loved. Had I known about the poor clothing we would have taken along lots of t-shirts too......

Answer 3

wow

amazingly broad question

what tourists and where abroad?

i travel regularly and have done so for the last 8 years....... not exactly ignorant about the whole deal and each time i travel somewhere new i make myself aware of language, maps and culture.

also.......... by the very definition of traveling tourists are going to be a little bit 'green' or ignorant when they are abroad because its not there own home town.

i guess there is a big difference between being naive when abroad and being so blissfully unaware of the new culture you are in that you are rude

Answer 4

Because whether they are American tourists or tourists from other countries coming here, they don't choose to change the way they are for the people whose country they are going to, I wouldn't. This is me. I act the way I am no matter where I am. Further, they're right. People may not like the way they are, but hey, they're tourists, they'll be gone soon.

Answer 5

'Cor, tell you what love, they do chips here just like at home. You'll be ok now, won't have to eat that weird stuff you saw last night. Ere though, tell you what, I saw two people go off looking around the town up the road, what a waste of time isn't it? What's there that's so bleeding special that we ain't got eh?''

I think the question is talking about that sort of ignorance - not, as some answerers think, the ignorance of not knowing something

Answer 6

Many people don't bother to get acquainted with even the most basic facts of the countries they visit. I love to travel, and as a rule of thumb, I always try to learn as much as I can about the history and folklore of the countries I'm about to visit. I also write down a list of basic words and their translation, like hello, please, goodbye, etc. Mingling with the locals is also something you should do if you want to find out the best places to visit, shop, etc. This is just my opinion, but sometimes we american travelers have this feeling of prepotence that makes us think everyone is there to cater to our every need all the time. Well, that may be true inside a hotel, but out in the street is a very different thing.

Answer 7

They are probably not so ignorant but are somewhere they have never been before. Many are elderly people who have trouble seeing and getting around unlike the young crowd. They want to see places before they can't get around at all. Or can't see at all. Give them a break and maybe a hand with a little encouragement. If you live long enough you might understand what they were going through.

Answer 8

They were ignorant before they left home...they are just exporting their ape like behaviour.

Answer 9

I have no idea, but please don't label us all the same, some of us do respect the people and country we travel to.

Answer 10

Er, coz they are abroad.