They say traveling is supposed to make you MORE tolerant, but has anyone experienced the OPPOSITE effect?

[KostasKouvalis]

Just to list one example, I saw a post from a lady who said she never understood why so many people hate Italians, until she went there.

Myself having dealt in multiple countries with assholes, racists, robbers and con-artists, I can totally see how travel can actually make someone LESS tolerant towards certain groups of people. The notion that "people everywhere are the same" is utter B. S.

[Anonymous]

Irritated and intolerant of certain societies, but more tolerant of others. My feelings depend on the society.

[Opinion Owner]

towards*

[KostasKouvalis]

Yes, I agree.

[OtterMan68]

no, I've been to 5 countries, and 99% of the people I've encountered have been very nice

[KostasKouvalis]

Which countries? 5 isn't a large sample

[OtterMan68]

Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Belize, Canada.
How many foreign countries has the average American been to? I think 5 is above average.

[KostasKouvalis]

I'm genuinely shocked you had good interactions with Belize people. You've pretty much mostly been to White Western countries, except Belize. If you start traveling outside of the West, your perceptions will change.

[OtterMan68]

the people in Belize were very friendly. I had a couple of young men who ran a small restaurant make me breakfast even though they had already decided to close for the day as it was a slow Sunday. Everyone I encountered was polite and friendly.

[OtterMan68]

My son is in Costa Rica right now. Nothing but positive things to say. My nephew did his honeymoon in Peru: nothing but nice things to say.
A friend just did a mission trip to Rwanda. Nothing but nice things to say; in fact, she said it was one of the greatest experiences ever.
If you stay out of war zones or autocratic countries, you'll most likely find friendly people. I would not travel to Iraq, Syria, rural Pakistan, or Sudan right now and expect to have a nice experience

[KostasKouvalis]

I've only been to Peru from those places, and Peru I agree. I think Rwandan laws require them to be friendly. Belize and Costa Rica have a lot of crime.

The worst people I encountered were in Panama, Grenada and Taiwan. I can still tolerate the occasional asshole in customer service, those exist anywhere. But I draw the line at racial discrimination and hypocrisy. If you're gonna treat people from my race/nationality like they're inferior garbage, that's not gonna sit well with me.

[OtterMan68]

I saw no crime in Belize, and so far my son has not been a crime victim in Costa Rica.
Why are you having such bad experiences? Could it be something about you?

[KostasKouvalis]

The Panamanians overbooking a ferry then a Panamanian crew member going around and asking only the WHITE people to make room for other passengers, is MY fault?