13 strangest differences between Europe and the US

Want to know the strangest differences between Europe and the US? Here is my list and it just surprises me more every day when I think about it:

13 strangest differences between Europe and the US

I have been living in the US for quite some time now, but I still can’t get over some differences between Europe and the US.

Here are the 13 strangest differences between Europe and the US:

 

1. Meal sizes,  meals are normally bigger than what the normal person can eat. A lot of people are asking for doggy bags to take the leftover food home, which is not bad but not common in Europe. Meal sizes are reasonable and no one is taking left overs home. This just doesn’t seem appropriate.
2. Measurement System, seriously, I can’t understand that. It just doesn’t make any sense to me. What is 7/8ths of a cup? What is a foot, a yard? The rest of the world uses the metric system, so it should be time for the US to use the metric system too.
3. Tips, how annoying is that. Why do I have to pay for the waitress? I am paying a good price for the food and the owner of the restaurant is in charge of his employees, right? So why do I have to pay for the waitress? And if this is just a common thing in the US to pay the waitress, why isn’t there a set amount of tip I have to pay?
4. Taxes, please add the taxes to the price the item cost so I know how much I have to pay for it.
5. Ice cubes in drinks that waters every soda down that it is not drinkable anymore. And sometimes I even see ice cubes in beer!!! Seriously???

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13 strangest differences between Europe and the US

And these things are even more strange to me:

1. AC setting in shopping malls, offices, airports. Outside temperature is 90 and inside temperature is 65! No wonder people are getting sick or have to bring a jacket or blanket with them to stay warm. Also the environment says thank you if you stop setting your AC to arctic temperatures.
2. Drinking age, the normal drinking age is 18 (sometimes 16) in Europe, which is fine. In the US you can vote, go to the military, sign your own contracts and so much more when you are 18. Why should you not be able to drink a beer with 18? This is why most teenagers drink secretly and have absolutely no tolerance about how much they can drink.
3. Driving, allowing 15 year olds to drive on the streets is insane. This is just too early!  I unfortunately had to experience this myself with my son, who had 2 accidents within the first weeks of driving. They are not mature and responsible enough driving a car on the roads.
4. Vacation days, between 5 and 10 vacation days is the norm in the US. There are companies who don’t even give you paid vacation days. This is an absolute no go for Europeans who normally have 30 paid vacation days and use every single one of them to relax from their job.
5. Plastic bags, while all of Europe refrains from plastic bags and educates their citizens to bring their own bags going shopping, America double bags every single bottle you buy. Please people, think about the environment and bring your own bags to the shopping mall.
6. Flip flops and PJ’s, wearing flip flops and shorts in winter and wearing pj’s going shopping makes me wonder, what is going on in this country.
7. Bread, in the US tastes like flour with sugarwater and not like a crusty and grainy delicious bread. And cutting the crust off from toast puzzles me even more. No teeth?
8. TV’s are everywhere. In my dentist office there are 3 screens in the waiting room and 2 screens in the doctor’s room. What really freaked me out was a TV on the gas station. While pumping gas I had to listen to some commercials which really distracted me from putting my credit card details into the reader. Please, at least let me pump my gas without listening to commercials.

Have you been in Europe? What is strange to you compared to the US?

Have you been to Europe and have you been shaking your head over some funny things you have explored there?

Let me know, I would love to hear what have made you smile or wonder?

Travel around the US?

I love America! Especially since I owe a Travel Trailer and are able to drive up and down the East Coat and West Coast.  If you have been thinking about exploring this beautiful country, consider renting a Camper or buying one. This is the best way to have a great time.

 

Thinking about buying a Camper?

That was the best decision we have made for going on vacations. Being able to bring our dog Apache with us, the freedom to stop wherever we want to and just do whatever we want to do is a good feeling.

But please follow my steps before you buy anything, make sure you know what you want and how much time you have available to spend traveling. Often it is cheaper just to go ahead and rent one if you can’t use it frequently.

Of course, deciding on Thursday to leave on Friday afternoon over the weekend is a good feeling. But it all depends on your own situation and requirements. Try it out, we love it and also love to hang out with all the people in the Campgrounds.

Here are all the tips to consider before buying: Step by Step guide for buying an RV or Travel Trailer

Check out my travel tips in North and South Carolina, and of course all over the United States.

 

See you next week on the blog,

Conny xoxo