# Do idiots travel to Austria expecting Australia, and vice-versa? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 30, 2011, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-idiots-travel-to-austria-expecting-australia-and-vice-versa/607795 "2011-12-30T04:05:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-idiots-travel-to-austria-expecting-australia-and-vice-versa/607795/1 "2011-12-30T04:05:52Z")
Inspired by [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14613575&postcount=91) post by **panache45** , which blew my mind - obviously idiots can easily confuse Austria and Australia in general usage, but to actually travel to one expecting the other is absolutely hilarious - morons wondering where all the kangaroos are in Vienna, or searching for the Schönbrunn in Sydney. Unfortunately it twigs my “too funny to be true” alarm - I’m guessing some knucklehead did it once and it’s since entered into legend. Does this really happen? How common is it to see this sort of confusion in the respective countries? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-idiots-travel-to-austria-expecting-australia-and-vice-versa/607795/2 "2011-12-30T04:13:13Z")
people know as soon as the notice the toilet not swirling the direction they expect. ---
**Author:** ![Noel\_Prosequi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b19c9b/32.png) [@Noel\_Prosequi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noel_Prosequi)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-idiots-travel-to-austria-expecting-australia-and-vice-versa/607795/3 "2011-12-30T04:19:16Z")
I doubt anyone has ever travelled to Sydney expecting Vienna, or vice versa. But I gather from Austrians I have met that when they are travelling and tell people where they are from, they are often met with “Austria? Oh, I just adore koalas!”, just as Australians get “Wow! Your English is really good”. It’s the sort of mistake that could not survive even the most rudimentary investigation into actual international travel. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-idiots-travel-to-austria-expecting-australia-and-vice-versa/607795/4 "2011-12-30T04:19:28Z")
If I were them I would not admit it anyone, evar, and tried to enjoy Austria or shrimp on the barbie whichever the case might be. ---
**Author:** ![automagic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a698b9/32.png) [@automagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/automagic)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-idiots-travel-to-austria-expecting-australia-and-vice-versa/607795/5 "2011-12-30T04:23:28Z")
Maybe this happened to Lloyd Christmas? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-idiots-travel-to-austria-expecting-australia-and-vice-versa/607795/6 "2011-12-30T04:23:30Z")
> [@Noel\_Prosequi](#): > > It’s the sort of mistake that could not survive even the most rudimentary investigation into actual international travel. That’s why it set off my alarm, surely people can’t be _that_ stupid? Surely? > [@johnpost](#): > > people know as soon as the notice the toilet not swirling the direction they expect. Unfortunately this is a bit of a [myth](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriolis_effect#Draining_in_bathtubs_and_toilets); The Simpsons lied to us! ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-idiots-travel-to-austria-expecting-australia-and-vice-versa/607795/7 "2011-12-30T04:26:39Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > people know as soon as the notice the toilet not swirling the direction they expect. > [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > Unfortunately this is a bit of a [myth](http://en.wikipedia.orgwikiCoriolis_effect#Draining_in_bathtubs_and_toilets); The Simpsons lied to us! that’s the last time i trust the International Drainage Commission. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-idiots-travel-to-austria-expecting-australia-and-vice-versa/607795/8 "2011-12-30T04:30:27Z")
New Mexico Magazine has a [long running column](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12512979) in which residents of the state share their experiences interacting with other Americans who think they live in a foreign country. ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-idiots-travel-to-austria-expecting-australia-and-vice-versa/607795/9 "2011-12-30T04:33:21Z")
> [@Noel\_Prosequi](#): > > But I gather from Austrians I have met that when they are travelling and tell people where they are from, they are often met with “Austria? Oh, I just adore koalas!”, just as Australians get “Wow! Your English is really good”. Wait, Australians speak English now? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-idiots-travel-to-austria-expecting-australia-and-vice-versa/607795/10 "2011-12-30T04:33:54Z")
Some years ago there were a couple of cases of confused travelers ending up in Auckland, New Zealand, when they thought they were going to Oakland, California, but that was because they mis-heard the boarding announcement. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-idiots-travel-to-austria-expecting-australia-and-vice-versa/607795/11 "2011-12-30T04:37:48Z")
Long long ago, in a galaxy far… Wait, not that long. But I think it was some guy on Johnny Carson that told his story of taking a long flight to somewhere in California. His end destination was Oakland. When they landed after many hours in flight, he heard an announcement that passengers who wanted to continue on to Oakland should stay on the plane, so he did. That’s what he heard, but what they said was passengers who wanted to continue on to Aukland should stay on the plane. The next stop was New Zealand. He didn’t realize it until they were way out over the Pacific. So not exactly the same thing, but this thread reminded me of it. ETA: Holy crap! Colibri just snuck in ahead of me ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-idiots-travel-to-austria-expecting-australia-and-vice-versa/607795/12 "2011-12-30T04:50:53Z")
Happens [sometimes](http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/833526--sydney-mix-up-happens-again-as-couple-lands-in-n-s-instead-of-australia) > [@The Star](#): > > SYDNEY, N.S.—It’s happened again: travellers from another continent arriving in Sydney, N.S., when they’re supposed to be in Sydney, Australia. > > Valerio Torresi, 26, and Serena Tavoloni, 25, of Italy landed in the Cape Breton city Tuesday night when they thought they had booked tickets for Down Under. > … > > A woman from Argentina spent a week in Cape Breton by mistake in 2008, and a British couple did the same in 2002. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-idiots-travel-to-austria-expecting-australia-and-vice-versa/607795/13 "2011-12-30T04:55:01Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Some years ago there were a couple of cases of confused travelers ending up in Auckland, New Zealand, when they thought they were going to Oakland, California, but that was because they mis-heard the boarding announcement. This was a plot point of an episode of _Full House_. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-idiots-travel-to-austria-expecting-australia-and-vice-versa/607795/14 "2011-12-30T04:58:52Z")
> [@Shmendrik](#): > > Wait, Australians speak English now? Yes they do but making the switch was quite a strine. _flees_ ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-idiots-travel-to-austria-expecting-australia-and-vice-versa/607795/15 "2011-12-30T05:03:14Z")
I’ve also heard of cases of people wanting to go to Portland, Maine and ending up in Portland, Oregon instead (or vice versa). Sydney Nova Scotia and Sidney B.C. are also occasionally mixed up. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-idiots-travel-to-austria-expecting-australia-and-vice-versa/607795/16 "2011-12-30T05:08:44Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Long long ago, in a galaxy far… > > Wait, not that long. But I think it was some guy on Johnny Carson that told his story of taking a long flight to somewhere in California. His end destination was Oakland. When they landed after many hours in flight, he heard an announcement that passengers who wanted to continue on to Oakland should stay on the plane, so he did. That’s what he heard, but what they said was passengers who wanted to continue on to Aukland should stay on the plane. The next stop was New Zealand. He didn’t realize it until they were way out over the Pacific. > > So not exactly the same thing, but this thread reminded me of it. > > ETA: Holy crap! Colibri just snuck in ahead of me Strikes me as unlikely, when a domestic flight becomes an international international after a stop, IME the passengers are disembarked and issued new boarding passes and their passports checked. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-idiots-travel-to-austria-expecting-australia-and-vice-versa/607795/17 "2011-12-30T05:10:01Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Strikes me as unlikely, when a domestic flight becomes an international international after a stop, IME the passengers are disembarked and issued new boarding passes and their passports checked. I think the first leg was an international flight. ETA: It might have been [this guy](http://articles.latimes.com/1985-04-03/local/me-28522_1_europe-vacation) ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-idiots-travel-to-austria-expecting-australia-and-vice-versa/607795/18 "2011-12-30T05:13:52Z")
The skiing in the Australian Alps is incomparable. But the locals speak such a heavily accented English that it sounds almost German. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-idiots-travel-to-austria-expecting-australia-and-vice-versa/607795/19 "2011-12-30T05:27:32Z")
Mixing up London (England and Ontario) is a plot point of All In The Family. But that was a shipping error. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-idiots-travel-to-austria-expecting-australia-and-vice-versa/607795/20 "2011-12-30T05:35:25Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Strikes me as unlikely, when a domestic flight becomes an international international after a stop, IME the passengers are disembarked and issued new boarding passes and their passports checked. The article **Tripolar** linked to describes how the mix-up happened. This was in 1985, when procedures were much less stringent than they are today. I was living in Auckland at the time and remember the incident being discussed on the news with much hilarity. I believe it has happened at least one other time. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-idiots-travel-to-austria-expecting-australia-and-vice-versa/607795.md?page=2)