One common experience when traveling abroad, especially if it’s not something you do often, is culture shock. Culture shock is defined as disorientation or confusion experienced when encountering a different culture. It happens to everybody; don’t worry. Here are just a few examples.
Eating Dinner Late
In countries like Spain, it’s totally normal to sit down for dinner around 10 P.M. If you come from a place where 7:00 is considered the standard dinnertime, this might feel a bit ridiculous.
Leaving Babies Outside
In Denmark, if you see an abandoned stroller on the sidewalk outside a store or restaurant, don’t call the police. This is just a normal part of Danish culture that is a convenient thing parents do when they’re running errands and their babies are napping. But, yes, if you’re not used to it, it can look pretty crazy.
Cheap Beer
Here’s a positive one: if you’re not from Europe, one thing that might definitely shock you when visiting many European countries, like the Czech Republic, for example, is how cheap beer is. Often you can get a beer for just one or two euros, making getting a drink with a friend a much more affordable endeavor.