7 Hilarious Ways You Can Spot A Tourist In Canada That Only Locals Would Recognize
There are some clear signs! 👀
A person taking a photo of a lake. Right: A group of tourists in Vancouver.
With gorgeous nature, interesting history and a vibrant culture, Canada is unsurprisingly a country that many people are eager to visit.
And, although it's always great to have visitors in the country, there are a few things that tourists in Canada do that can make them stick out like a sore thumb.
So, if you're looking to visit Canada sometime soon, you might want to take note to avoid these clichés.
From being woefully ignorant of Canada's massive size to just being unprepared for the country's unique elements, here are some of the things that make visitors to Canada stand out in a hilarious way.
Taking photos of everything
Continuously taking photos of your surroundings is pretty much a dead giveaway for being a tourist.
And this is especially the case when tourists are taking photos of stuff that's, well, pretty common here in Canada.
We're talking about things like snow, flurries, Canada Post offices and even Tim Hortons coffee cups!
Believe it or not, most Canadians aren't taking photos of their Timmies drinks every chance they get.
Of course, when you're on vacation, you'll want to take pictures. But grabbing photo after photo of your hand modelling a Timmies cup is going to alert those nearby that you're not quite a local!
Asking how to get from Toronto to Vancouver
Anyone who knows anything about Canada is aware that it's pretty big. Like, second-biggest-country-in-the-world big.
So, if someone is asking for the best way to get to Vancouver from Toronto, or whether there's a quick train they can take to Halifax from Winnipeg, it's a dead giveaway that they're not from around here.
While it isn't impossible to get around Canada, most Canadians are at least aware that getting across the country takes a really long time — and can be pretty darn expensive!
Visiting major landmarks
If you live in a city like Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax or anywhere that has famous locations or landmarks, then you'll know that almost nobody local actually visits them.
If you want to go swim in a sea of people visiting Canada, just check out the base of the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada Place in Vancouver or Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
Most locals never actually go to these major tourist hotspots, so visiting them is an easy way to spot who's not from the area.
Not being dressed appropriately for the cold
Aside from a few spots, Canada is really cold during the winter.
And, if you're out trying to ski in jeans or walking the streets with just a cardigan, you're either really, really brave or an ill-prepared visitor.
For the most part, Canadians will bundle up when it's cold out, which is why it's best to get yourself some proper winter gear — both to protect yourself and so that you don't look like a complete out-of-towner.
Not being dressed appropriately for the heat
Now this is the flip side to the previous point.
While Canada definitely gets cold in the winter, as soon as the sun comes out in the spring and summer it can be really, really hot.
In other words, it's not a frozen wasteland 12 months out of the year.
People who don't know this can be spotted a mile off when they're wearing a huge sweater or a jacket in 30 degree heat. Or if they've only packed long pants like jeans and long sleeve shirts, expecting cold weather in June.
Not being prepared to tip
It's no secret that Canada's tipping culture is pretty unique. For many people, 15% is the norm for most services, but sometimes more is also expected.
In other parts of the world, tipping is less of an obligation or, if it is, it can be a whole lot less than that.
So, you can often tell someone's new to Canada if they seem confused around the cash register.
They visit anything to do with the Olympics
Canada has hosted the Olympics three times.
The first time was in Montreal in 1967, the second was in Calgary in 1988 and the most recent was in Vancouver in 2010.
The legacy of those events is still felt in all of these cities, especially by tourists.
Whether they're going to the Olympic torches in downtown Vancouver or checking out the Olympic park in Calgary, travellers are often the only people checking these places out.
The main exception is in Montreal where the Olympic stadium was transformed into a zoo — which is a whole other draw for visitors and tourists.
Of course, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a tourist in Canada, and most Canadians love welcoming visitors to the country.
And, no doubt, Canadians often stick out like a sore thumb when we're visiting other countries around the world too — especially if we're saying "sorry" a little too often and tipping too much when it's not expected!