As South Africans we are fortunate enough to live in a country so beautiful that it attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the world every year. The majority of tourists are really nice people who visit other countries to explore and experience culture. Which is great! To them I say welcome, make yourself at home, sawabona, and all that good stuff.

But there is inevitably a minority who give the rest a bad name. Here’s a list of things that bad tourists do that annoy the living daylights out of locals:
Bad tourists …

1. Talk slowly and loudly to locals, because they assume you’ll now understand them. This doesn’t work as locals are not deaf or stupid. Learn a few local phrases and if those fail, find a tourism office.
2. Complain needlessly about service. Most restaurants in South Africa do not fall into the five-star country club bucket and there’s nothing wrong with that.
3. Start border-line stalking locals, animals, children, etc. trying to get that ‘perfect’ picture.

   

4. Order an item off of the menu about which they know nothing and then complain about how awful it is. Find out what’s in it first, or just order something more familiar.
5. Talk about how cheap everything is, repeatedly. We’re happy to hear it – really we are – but we live here and prices keep increasing, so for us nothing is ‘cheap’.
6. Buy movie tickets and then don’t adhere to the seating chart. We don’t have a ‘sit anywhere’ policy, and an irritated boer (Afrikaans gentleman) is likely to moer (assault) the offending person for taking his chair.
7. Buy cheap items from street vendors, and then complain when they realise the purchased item is a fake. Common sense says if an item is purchased at way below the market value, it’s a fake.

   

8. Loudly exclaim how funny cultural clothing looks while in the presence of the people wearing it. This insult is equivalent to a stranger wandering into your home and telling you how bad your sense of style is. Horrifying, yes. Rude, completely. Ignorant, most definitely.
9. Comment on how landmarks look nothing like the postcard. This is most likely due to the postcard being a) outdated or b) having undergone a makeover by a photoshop savvy tourism agency.
10. Try and get close to the wildlife without the ranger’s permission. Then they complain when the animal gets edgy. It’s called wildlife for a reason. If you get yourself mauled by a lion for doing something stupid, suing is not an option. Adhere to all guidelines and listen to your ranger as if your life depended on it. Which it does.

    

11. Presume over the phone that because you live in the southern part of “Africa” your home must be in the bush, that you wear animal hides, and that you don’t have access to modern niceties.
12. Leave the air conditioning running and appliances plugged in, and then wonder why the hotel has added extra charges onto the final bill. Being on holiday doesn’t mean leaving your common sense at home.
13. Give money to beggars and bergies without realising that this only encourages them and feeds their habits. Rather donate to shelters or hand out food bars and water.
    

    

14. Expect New York-styled taxis to appear when they wave their hand. We don’t have those. Our taxis are typically minibuses and have little regard for passengers’ safety. This is a country where the ability to pack people in like sardines and a complete disregard for the rules of the road are prerequisites. Keep valuables close; it’s better to be wary than robbed.
15. Expect a phone call if they leave their valuables behind in a taxi or public place. This is NEVER going to happen. Just dwell on the fact that someone is now very, very happy. If the items are actually returned, we are all jealous.
16. Walk around flashing their valuables. You’re on holiday to relax and your grandmothers pearls shouldn’t be a part of your casual attire. Bring costume jewellery instead, or items you won’t miss if stolen. Likewise, leaving a handbag open in a public place is just daring someone to steal from it, much like the proverbial red flag to the bull.
17. Ignore locals’ advice, such as don’t walk in certain areas after dark, and don’t visit townships on your own. No tourist thinks that something will happen to them, but we’d recommend spending a little bit extra and invest in a reputable tour agency guide.
18. Don’t adhere to dress codes for religious buildings, and then are shocked when escorted out by security.
19. Tell us how the ‘cold weather’ isn’t cold. For us, it is. We have a Mediterranean climate for the majority of the year and so it to us, the drop in temperatures scars us. There are other still who complain that the winter weather isn’t all sunshine and songbirds, like on the postcard.

    

20. Are shocked when crossing streets and have cars hoot at them. Yes, our cars have the right of way and heaven help you if it’s a taxi doing the hooting. Many of our taxi drivers are self-styled cold-blooded Italian Mafioso’s.
21. Don’t realise that, like the CIA, they shouldn’t try and negotiate if they’re being held up / mugged. Life is far more valuable.

As the old saying goes, “when in Rome, do as the Romans do”. Live this saying when you’re a guest in another country. What are your pet tourist peeves; have you witnessed any of the above situations?

Main image courtesy of Rayhue (Flickr)