You can imagine the questions about Emerald Lake in the Yukon Territory. It’s a beautiful thing IRL.
When I worked downtown at a tourist bar, I fielded several complaints about “why are there so many MEXICANS here?”
I also had one lady whose observation was, “So…I figured there would be lots of Mexicans here…but walking around the Riverwalk, I also saw more than a few black people. Nobody told me about the black people down here…”
:smack:
Audrey, did you explain Junteenth to them?
“There are too many Spanish people. The receptionist speaks Spanish. The food is Spanish. Too many foreigners.”
Maybe they would have been more comfortable with a “Do not disturb” sign on their door. I take slight comfort that those of us from the Excited States of America aren’t the only ugly tourists out there. Now, do I need to get a visa before or after I fly into New Mexico?..
Reminds me of my next door neighbor in the Bronx.
When I asked her if she enjoyed her vacation in Puerto Rico, she said, “No! There were too many [bad word for Puerto Ricans] there!”
I’m not sure if she was kidding or not.
An entertaining book on the subject is
An entertaining book on the subject is A Stingray Bit My Nipple!: True Stories from Real Travelers, by Erik Torkells.
This thread claims to be about 20 Ridiculous Complaints Made by Holidaymakers, and yet it contains well over 20 examples. I wish to be compensated for this oversight on behalf of the Board Administration.
Yeah, good list. Although, after this one:
“No-one told us there would be fish in the sea. The children were startled.”
All the others seem kind of unimpressive.
That is my personal favorite as well. Sorry, Charlie…
My folks are RV workkampers, and one summer they worked in Skagway, Alaska, working in shops that catered to the cruise ships.
Oh, the questions my dad got…and he loved messing with their heads. Among the best were “Do you accept American money?” and “Where is the zoo? We want to see the mammoths.” I think my dad told them the mammoth zoo was on the other side of the mountains because of the smell. The tourist nodded wisely and said, “That makes sense.”
A stingray ønce bit my sister…
I actually saw a reference once on a local message board over here from someone looking for the Hawaiian Embassy or a consulate. That left me scratching my head.
Well, Hawaii was independent and a monarchy during the nineteenth century… maybe they were reading really old newspapers?
Hah. My boyfriend (who is Irish) mentioned this exact article a few days ago, and I had to stop him and ask “wtf is a holidaymaker?”. Cue heavy sigh and disparaging comments about Yanks not knowing Proper English. :dubious:
You know, I’ve never really thought about it before, but I’ve just realised that, in my mind, there’s a subtle distinction between the two.
Tourists are the ones with cameras and guide books and special wallets for their travel documents – holidaymakers have “Kiss Me Quick” hats and carrier bags full of duty free.
“I went to America, and described myself as a holidaymaker, and they all looked at me like I was an idiot! I demand Americans learn about my country before I visit.”
My favourite:
“Topless sunbathing on the beach should be banned. The holiday was ruined as my husband spent all day looking at other women.”
So what does “holiday” mean to Americans?
Christmas, Easter and the Fourth of July are all holidays. Holiday refers to an observed day off on the calendar.
The time off during the week of Christmas is Christmas vacation.
If you leave work for an extended period of time and spend it traveling, you’ve gone on vacation. You are vacationing. You are a vacationer.
Which is not to say we’re not familiar with the term, ‘‘on holiday.’’ Green Day uses that phrase in their song, ‘‘Holiday.’’
Holidaymaker, I have to admit, is a completely new one to me, but I still figured out what it meant pretty quickly.