When do you stop being surprised?
#16
Heading for Poppyland
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: North Norfolk and northern New York State
Posts: 14,540
#17
Re: When do you stop being surprised?
I went to Italy several times before they changed to the Euro. Except for restaurants and hotels I found that most shops took US dollars. They actually preferred them and I got a better rate when purchasing as well.
#18
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 139
Re: When do you stop being surprised?
When contacting Expedia a few years ago, I asked about flights to London, and the lady said "That's in France, right?"
She wasn't joking.
She just worked for an international travel company.
She wasn't joking.
She just worked for an international travel company.
#19
Re: When do you stop being surprised?
I have had tourists try to pay for their bar and or restaurant bills in Euros. Some of them just couldn't understand why we wouldn't accept them. I have been left tips in Euros as well.
#20
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 139
Re: When do you stop being surprised?
Now, I know not everyone is interested in travel and some people have family commitments, but if you had an all expenses paid business trip to somewhere interesting, and you were unlikely ever to be back there again, why wouldn't you take even one day to explore?
It's the lack of curiosity that gets me, I suppose that's how we end up with people not knowing about currency etc.
It's the lack of curiosity that gets me, I suppose that's how we end up with people not knowing about currency etc.
The others that irritate me are the ex-military who profess to know all about Europe because they spent 6 months in Germany once.
On questioning, it usually transpires they never even left the military base, and had no idea there was a foreign country beyond it. Used to see this all the time when visiting friends on USAF bases in East Anglia, they never even changed currency
#21
Re: When do you stop being surprised?
That's the thing that puzzles me most. I know folk here who don't even have a passport, and have maybe been to one or two neighboring states, but that is as far as they go.
The others that irritate me are the ex-military who profess to know all about Europe because they spent 6 months in Germany once.
On questioning, it usually transpires they never even left the military base, and had no idea there was a foreign country beyond it. Used to see this all the time when visiting friends on USAF bases in East Anglia, they never even changed currency
The others that irritate me are the ex-military who profess to know all about Europe because they spent 6 months in Germany once.
On questioning, it usually transpires they never even left the military base, and had no idea there was a foreign country beyond it. Used to see this all the time when visiting friends on USAF bases in East Anglia, they never even changed currency
#22
Re: When do you stop being surprised?
That's the thing that puzzles me most. I know folk here who don't even have a passport, and have maybe been to one or two neighboring states, but that is as far as they go.
The others that irritate me are the ex-military who profess to know all about Europe because they spent 6 months in Germany once.
On questioning, it usually transpires they never even left the military base, and had no idea there was a foreign country beyond it. Used to see this all the time when visiting friends on USAF bases in East Anglia, they never even changed currency
The others that irritate me are the ex-military who profess to know all about Europe because they spent 6 months in Germany once.
On questioning, it usually transpires they never even left the military base, and had no idea there was a foreign country beyond it. Used to see this all the time when visiting friends on USAF bases in East Anglia, they never even changed currency
#23
Bloody Yank
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: USA! USA!
Posts: 4,186
Re: When do you stop being surprised?
Not quite the same thing, but in the Aran Islands, I saw tourist shops with large signs advertising their "sweaters" for sale. The Irish don't use that term, but they apparently must get a lot of American tourists who wouldn't be particularly interested in buying a jumper.
Last edited by RoadWarriorFromLP; Feb 5th 2013 at 3:55 pm.
#24
Re: When do you stop being surprised?
Perhaps they are under the impression that the Great Lakes are part of one vast ocean...
I presume that they did this in order to make it easier to separate tourists and servicemen from their money.
Not quite the same thing, but in the Aran Islands, I saw tourist shops with large signs advertising their "sweaters" for sale. The Irish don't use that term, but they apparently must get a lot of American tourists who wouldn't be particularly interested in buying a jumper.
I presume that they did this in order to make it easier to separate tourists and servicemen from their money.
Not quite the same thing, but in the Aran Islands, I saw tourist shops with large signs advertising their "sweaters" for sale. The Irish don't use that term, but they apparently must get a lot of American tourists who wouldn't be particularly interested in buying a jumper.
I still cherish and seldom get to wear the Icelandic sweaters sold by LN vendors in the Netherlands.
#25
Re: When do you stop being surprised?
There is a lot to see here, and I can see why people don't feel the need to travel abroad, although I still miss it. However, I don't think "there's a lot to do here" is a valid reason for a lot of people, because a lot of the folk I know don't travel at all, even to get to know their own country, or visit family one state over. I don't know if it is lack of time off, lack of finances, lack of interest, or if they are just homebodies. Each to their own. My BIL hadn't seen his sister in 7 years, and she lived next state across The other BIL had never left his home state till he came to Texas to get married! And now he rarely goes back. He got a passport, did one overseas trip (Taiwan) and declared overseas was crap and he was never doing it again
#26
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2010
Location: Temecula, CA
Posts: 4,759
Re: When do you stop being surprised?
Marty the Zebra: Manhattan.
Skipper the Penguin: Hoover Dam! We're still in New York! Abort! Dive! Dive! Dive!
#27
Re: When do you stop being surprised?
A colleague of mine is going to our UK office for some meetings, and then onto mainland Europe - they've never been to either before.
They were asking me for hints and tips, so I was advising them on the area and mentioned that they need to take a small amount of cash. Mainly for personal things, eg snacks as paying for small items by card in the UK can be difficult, and for using public loos etc. The conversation went like this:
I can take dollars, right?
No, they aren't accepted in the UK. You need some pounds.
Really? I can't use dollars?
No. In the same way I can't spend British pounds here, you can't use US dollars in British shops.
Oh, but I'm going to Europe. I'll just take Euros then.
Well, yes you'll need them for Europe, but you'll still need British pounds in England.
Really? I can't use Euros?
Well, in the odd shop in towns with ports, maybe, but, no the only currency where you are going is Pounds Sterling.
Oh, but I don't understand pence. I dont know what pence coins look like and won't know what I'm paying. Are you sure I can't use dollars?
This is a college educated person working for a multi-national company. I won't bore you with the details at their horror of only getting British tv channels and not US cable in the hotel while they're there, and their relief at having a McDonalds nearby. But really - I thought such attitudes were apocryphal amongst professional type staff. Obviously not!
I'm not sure how much practice it will take for me to master my face and voice into a more professional tone than the one I took today....
They were asking me for hints and tips, so I was advising them on the area and mentioned that they need to take a small amount of cash. Mainly for personal things, eg snacks as paying for small items by card in the UK can be difficult, and for using public loos etc. The conversation went like this:
I can take dollars, right?
No, they aren't accepted in the UK. You need some pounds.
Really? I can't use dollars?
No. In the same way I can't spend British pounds here, you can't use US dollars in British shops.
Oh, but I'm going to Europe. I'll just take Euros then.
Well, yes you'll need them for Europe, but you'll still need British pounds in England.
Really? I can't use Euros?
Well, in the odd shop in towns with ports, maybe, but, no the only currency where you are going is Pounds Sterling.
Oh, but I don't understand pence. I dont know what pence coins look like and won't know what I'm paying. Are you sure I can't use dollars?
This is a college educated person working for a multi-national company. I won't bore you with the details at their horror of only getting British tv channels and not US cable in the hotel while they're there, and their relief at having a McDonalds nearby. But really - I thought such attitudes were apocryphal amongst professional type staff. Obviously not!
I'm not sure how much practice it will take for me to master my face and voice into a more professional tone than the one I took today....
#28
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 41,518
Re: When do you stop being surprised?
I used to wonder at that too. I just couldn't understand the lack of interest in international travel. We used to travel internationally a lot - from European/US family holidays as kids, through Europe/Africa/Asia backpacking as students and then onto the "comfy years" (pre-kids) of staying in top notch hotels all over the place. Then we got here, and started traveling round the US, and now, apart from trips to see the family, we've traveled very little internationally in the last decade.
There is a lot to see here, and I can see why people don't feel the need to travel abroad, although I still miss it. However, I don't think "there's a lot to do here" is a valid reason for a lot of people, because a lot of the folk I know don't travel at all, even to get to know their own country, or visit family one state over. I don't know if it is lack of time off, lack of finances, lack of interest, or if they are just homebodies. Each to their own. My BIL hadn't seen his sister in 7 years, and she lived next state across The other BIL had never left his home state till he came to Texas to get married! And now he rarely goes back. He got a passport, did one overseas trip (Taiwan) and declared overseas was crap and he was never doing it again
There is a lot to see here, and I can see why people don't feel the need to travel abroad, although I still miss it. However, I don't think "there's a lot to do here" is a valid reason for a lot of people, because a lot of the folk I know don't travel at all, even to get to know their own country, or visit family one state over. I don't know if it is lack of time off, lack of finances, lack of interest, or if they are just homebodies. Each to their own. My BIL hadn't seen his sister in 7 years, and she lived next state across The other BIL had never left his home state till he came to Texas to get married! And now he rarely goes back. He got a passport, did one overseas trip (Taiwan) and declared overseas was crap and he was never doing it again
#29
Just Joined
Joined: Nov 2012
Location: Oahu, Hawaii
Posts: 10
Re: When do you stop being surprised?
Don't feel bad.
I live in Hawaii, and I've had mainlanders ask me if we take American dollars, if we speak English, or if they'd need a passport to visit.
I once got into a phone argument with what felt like the entire sales department of a software company when they refused to sell me encryption software.... because it was non-exportable technology.
I live in Hawaii, and I've had mainlanders ask me if we take American dollars, if we speak English, or if they'd need a passport to visit.
I once got into a phone argument with what felt like the entire sales department of a software company when they refused to sell me encryption software.... because it was non-exportable technology.
#30
Re: When do you stop being surprised?
They were probably in the hotel or restaurant business themselves and were getting revenge for all the times Americans wanted to pay them in USD.