20+ People Who Can Brag About Learning Cool Habits While Traveling

While some people bring back fridge magnets from their trips and others send postcards to their loved ones, there are tourists who learn unusual things from locals that they later start to use in their daily life.

• I am no longer scared of icy roads ever since I moved to a northern country. The thing is that in winter, I put on spiked pads on the soles of my shoes, which make my walking more stable.
• I try to take a long and leisurely lunch break when I can. Studied for a semester in Paris, and the French really enjoy their food and downtime. Sometimes I start to work early or finish a bit later so I can have a nice midday break.© Exoticllama / Reddit
• I was in Italy and went for breakfast at a local cafe. I was expecting fried eggs or at least a piece of pizza, but turned out that locals have their coffee only with sweets, and the cafe’s menu only offered sweet buns. Ever since then, I don’t have my coffee with salty things.

• I am married to a British man. We both have stressful jobs, and somehow, we finally went on our first vacation together. At that point, I thought that my husband had gone mad because, throughout the entire vacation, he never checked his e-mail. But later, I understood that he was right — we all need to completely disconnect sometimes. © reddituser6789ghu / Reddit
• Studied in France for a while, so the French girl habit of claiming what physically makes you unique and playing it up instead of changing or trying to hide it. For example, I have a mole by my nose, and my French girlfriends LOVED IT. I no longer want it removed and actually wipe the makeup off that spot so it shows through more. “It’s something that nobody else has that makes you unique!” I love that mindset now. © billian789 / Reddit
• Learned about hand-held bidets when I visited Thailand years and years ago. Bought one the minute I got back home. © Remarkable_Fly_9149 / Reddit
• I buy perfume as oil and create my own custom scents by blending different ones together. I lived in Arab countries, and this was what women did. © redonreddit24 / Reddit
• I always had trouble with my stomach. In China, I have seen many people only drink hot water. Boiling. In little sips. Like tea but without the tea. According to traditional Chinese medicine, it’s exhausting for your digestive system to drink liquids that are below body temperature as the body needs to warm them up to absorb them. Started with hot water and felt much better. Now, it’s my preferred drink! © TheInternet9 / Reddit

• This is what my coworker from China told me so I assumed it comes from her culture. “I use a different mop for every section. Like one for the bathroom, one for the kitchen, and one for the living room. Never mix them so get them different colors or mark them. My family has done that for centuries.” Used her tip and I love it. © _________Ello / Reddit
• My boyfriend is Italian. The biggest difference between us is our relationship with food.
  I grew up in a household that valued being skinny, fad diets, and “healthy” food choices. I ate for sustenance. Food didn’t need to taste good, food is nourishment. Since knowing him, my relationship with food has become a lot healthier, I love food. I love eating and cooking with others, I love the intimacy and connection I’ve created with others around eating. © Flowersmeadows / Reddit
• Tongue scraping is a part of Indian culture! It really makes a huge difference with how clean my mouth feels, and I can always tell when it’s been a few days since I did it last. As a warning, it’s pretty gross seeing what comes off your tongue, but better than leaving it there, eh? © PoorSweetTeapipe / Reddit
• After my visit to India, I never eat sweet yogurt anymore, only plain as a side to savory items! © sillysandhouse / Reddit
• I noticed in South Korea that some people are really career-oriented. Marriages don’t usually occur in their late 20s, unlike in my country where couples tie the knot at 26-29 y.o. and 39 is considered so late. Decided to adopt it because I think that my 20s should revolve around myself. © prkjmnn / Reddit
• Coconut oil pulling in the morning for oral hygiene and whiter teeth is an Ayurvedic practice. © psychedelic****crepe / Reddit

Lady drying coconut to make coconut oil.

• Christmas. New Year is viewed as way more important than Xmas in my culture. And I never really celebrated Xmas until I moved abroad. While I love the NYE celebrations, I think Christmas has its own magic. © slavic_at_the_disco / Reddit
• My Indian friend told me that leaving dirty dishes in the sink was bad luck. Now I make sure that there is never ever a single dirty dish or utensil in my sink, no matter what I am doing. Whether or not it is improving my luck, it is definitely improving my sanity. © UnrealisticOrganizer / Reddit
• Hygge: it’s the Norwegian/Danish concept of living in coziness. It also means home sweet home. Think fuzzy socks, a big blanket, a fireplace, and a warm cup of hot chocolate. © Equivalent_Moment345 / Reddit
• It was my first trip to Stockholm. I had a meal and left a tip in a cafe. The waitress ran after me and handed the money back to me. Turns out, people don’t leave tips here and the waitress thought I had forgotten the money on the table.
• Using a tablecloth every day instead of just for holidays. My boyfriend and his family are Italian, and they do this, and I’ve definitely adopted this. © Upset_Bee_2052 / Reddit

• Handing over cash/card to a server/cashier with both hands. It just seems much more caring and polite. Less chance it’ll fall on the floor too. I noticed it in Korean culture. © TawnyOwlPotion / Reddit
• I lived in Thailand for a year and brought 2 habits home with me. The first one is when eating at another person’s home, always leaving a morsel of food on my plate. It suggests that my host has provided me with just enough food. The second one is when offered something, whatever it may be, accepting it gracefully with a simple, direct, and immediate “thank you.” I was told it’s a bit insulting to reject someone’s service or gift when they are offering it to you. © TheEverlastingLaze / Reddit
• My partner is Arab, and I lived with his family for a little while. I love how they eat lunches. Usually, it’s something super refreshing, simple, and light — lunches that don’t bog you down or make you feel sleepy. © ArtyFeasting / Reddit
• I like the way the Japanese take a hot bath every day. The health benefits are so great on so many levels (muscle/joint pain, digestion, mental). © Bunbunzinlove / Reddit
• I visited my friend in Milan and decided to help her cook dinner. Her Italian husband was shocked when he saw me about to wash the spaghetti before boiling it. I’ve ditched this habit ever since then.