Are you a bad Aussie tourist

[markis10]

Some interesting questions are asked by the punch in this article/blog:

Meet the Ugly Australian | Article | The Punch

Must admit some of my worst travel memories involve the odd aussie tourist acting like they would not at home, but I would suggest its something that happens to many countries and their citizens, a case of "what happens on tour stays on tour perhaps"? (not that I am condoning it!)

 

[casanovawa]

Nah I'm a pretty good tourist...And although i have not stood outside of many of the pubs up in Kuta etc, I have actually wondered before how there isn't more trouble in Bali bars with all the Aussies up there and so much alcohol available?? You'd see a lot more trouble in Northbridge in Perth on a weekend than i imagine you'd see in Bali with probably more cheap booze available, fewer big beefy bouncers and less strict drinking laws...I had sort of put it down to a holiday atmosphere and most people not wanting to have their holiday cut short by some stupid bar fight, but there is always a few like these most recent tools...

 

[Timtammi]

This is the reason I prefer to stay away from these aussie tourist hot spots. I can't stand the cringe factor.

Cheers

Timmi

 

[Justinf]

I have flaunted the accent many times in an effort to get laid. Sadly, it has never worked.

 

[prozac]

I have flaunted the accent many times in an effort to get laid. Sadly, it has never worked.

Then you must be very ugly woman.

 

[drron]

Another who steers clear of places frequented by Aussies.However they are not alone in their repugnant behaviour.Older germans in coughet,Brits en masse anywhere,A busload of Italian tourists at a breakfast buffet.The list just goes on.

 

[tuapekastar]

There are certainly ugly Aussies around (and I've seen a few, but I can honestly say I don't think I've ever gone OTT and really disgraced myself, even in my youth, and most certainly not in my err, more mature years), and as drron noted, there are uglies of most nationalities, particularly when they're around in numbers.

I don't want to generalise, and I know plenty of cultured, civil, couth and polite Aussies go to Bali, but I've never been (save a transit stop at DPS when I was a kid). The reason I don't go is the perception (right or wrong) I get of a people holidaying there, eating fish and chips like they do at home, guzzling VB like they do at home (but at a bar with 'Kangaroo' or similar in the name, and with far more gusto), mixing only with Westerners like they do at home. The only things different are the weather (in most cases) and the prices. A bit like Poms in Ibiza or the Costa Del Sol (Monty Python's travel agency sketch anyone?)

Now my view is probably a little unfairly jaundiced (and uninformed to a large degree, never having been there), but I am definitely wary of going places like that, not that I would rule out a trip to Bali, but I believe I would be quite selective in the areas there I would stay and/or frequent. Not because I can't 'hack' it, but because I would prefer not to see it (the alleged 'ugly' behaviour).

 

[elbarto]

I went on a contiki tour a few years ago and was generally appalled by the behavior of my fellow australians. All they did was drink and generally be ferral. They could have saved themselves thousands by staying at home and drinking all their money away there. Most of them failed to grasp the concept of different cultures and whinged at every turn.

I try and be respectful of other cultures and even try to learn a few words of the language.

 

[amaroo]

It's not only places like Bali or coughet......try Wan Chai in HKG or basically anywhere & just add alcohol & big groups.

Not just Auzzies either......kiwi's on mass are painful.

After a blissful week in Laung Prabang (Laos) hitting BKK airport as a 747 load of Aussies unloaded on route to HKT was a horrid awakening back to reality.

 

[tuapekastar]

I went on a contiki tour a few years ago and was generally appalled by the behavior of my fellow australians. All they did was drink and generally be ferral. They could have saved themselves thousands by staying at home and drinking all their money away there. Most of them failed to grasp the concept of different cultures and whinged at every turn.

I try and be respectful of other cultures and even try to learn a few words of the language.

That is both admirable and sensible. It's something I've made a point of doing (or trying to do) ever since I was admonished (in a friendly way) by the immigration man at Oslo many years ago for not having some Norwegian words in my vocabulary (I promptly got some).

Does have the odd drawback though. I said 'Takk' at a supermarket checkout somewhere in Norway (IIRC it means 'thank you') and the operator proceeded to start talking to me in Norwegian - I had no idea what she was saying. And when a group of us went to Japan some years ago we took some informal lessons from a Japanese friend of ours prior to the trip. The best-learned of our group then proceeded to order at a Tokyo restaurant in her very best Japanese. The waiter responded by immediately summoning the English-speaking waiter. My friend was crestfallen!

But generally speaking I find people appreciate that you have gone to the effort of learning some words in their language. I was able to write my name in the simplest Japanese script (katakana, or something like that?) for a couple of people and they were most impressed.

 

[trooper]

As my trips are all for a defined purpose (sporting events) I tend to think of myself as a traveller rather than a tourist anyway.
I suspect that might be a better description of many on this board.... (No, not trying to be snooty about it!)

I don't spend ANY time in sinkholes like Kuta if I can help it... Even when I went to Bali it was for a Skydiving meet.. and the behaviour of "normal" Aussies there was pretty appalling.... (and admittedly, so was the behaviour of some of the jumpers too..)

I too like to learn some basic phrases if I am going to a non-english speaking country (I'll be brushing up my German for a trip in May 2012.. excellent incentive to do so finally!) If all else fails.. "Ich bin Auslander.. nicht verstehen!"

 

[PineappleSkip]

Don't know what you's are on about. Ozzie tourists are rooly the only people to get stuck into he piss with. And its so cheap. Geez the New Years Eve in Fiji was unrool. Mate no IDs required there. Everyone and their kids were getting stuck in big time. Started with boat races and went downhill from there! We wuz smashed bigtime!

True story. Invited to a New Years eve wedding on Malolo Lailai. Wasn't sure who to be more horrified of, the parents for helping their kids get drunk along with them or the management who served them, and organised the boat races. And I really mean kids. Passed on getting smashed, had a New Years day flight to AKL. Thank goodness.

Equally appalling was the behaviour of about 20% of the Ozzie expats in PNG, who knew the only way to deal with the nationals was to shout at them and generally be loudly impatient. And would tell you they were uniformly useless and wouldn't do anything for thm. And never figured out why.

Never been to Bali, or Earls Court. So many other places to go. And can't see any reason why I'd spend all my time in such a place hanging out with people from a culture I already know about.

Cheers skip

 

[casanovawa]

Hmmm, glad i seem to be more tolerant of people than many here and just lighten up when travelling and certainly don't have a problem mixing with the majority of Aussies of all sorts whilst overseas (i find we actually tend to be good sorts)...

I have been to Bali/Kuta 5 times and had a good time each time.. If you want the snooty, richy parts head down to Nusa Dua or up in the mountains... I think i read that the Japanese are actually the largest tourist group in Bali, but i think they must mostly stay down Nusa Dua way because i don't notice running into lots of them in Kuta... And shock horror, it might even be that they enjoy staying wherever they stay, maybe even amongst many other Japanese than mingling???

Kuta is a half decent, cheap holiday away from Australia (which won't be confused with the Cote D'zur) and I don't really give a rats if that gets up some people's noses here... I actually find in Kuta a majority of people i've run into are West Aussies, not even just Aussies, as it is one of only a few cheap, close, tropical get away for us while the East Coasters have all the barrier reef islands and resorts, all the pacific island locales as well as NZ to spread their holiday destinations over... Most aussies are up there having fun, helping the economy, reasonably getting on with the locals and not hurting anyone, and its a destination, that in Kuta at least, is often a bit like Australia away from Australia but maybe warmer, cheaper, easier going and without as many rules and laws...

If i want to have a more high brow, educational, cultural trip i fly off to Europe and the US etc, but those are many thousands of dollars and Bali is a few hundred and find i can enjoy both for what they are... This view might be incomprehensible amongst the J/F flyers and the Hilton/Sheraton crew but i am glad there are options for all types of travellers...

In Europe i tend to just trot out a few apologetic "Par-lez vous Anglaise" and "Nicht sprechen sie Deutsch" or "Sprechen sie English" (these may not be spelt exactly correctly) and seem to get by with a few attempts at pidgin german from high school days and plenty of hand signals...

 

[pauly7]

Hmmmm I don't really hit the spots where most Aussies tend to congregate so don't see it too much!

I'm pretty damn good compared to the article I rekn... Don't really drink all I do is get my shirt off a bit like most other Aussie males but meh I gym 4 days a week so nothing loose there!

I'm a proud but not too loud Aussie I rekn

 

[The Rok]

This ought to frighten a lot of those "Aussie Tourists" who frequent Bali.

Australian gets HIV from Bali tattoo

 

[Vinny]

A few months ago while in a very pleasant restaurant in Paris a group of rude loud Australians walked in and behaved like they were the first Australians to go anywhere. They were loud, treated staff with no courtesy, sang songs, and were absolutly an embarrassment.

The table beside ours said " Merde alors! Parmi nous nous avons des australiens terribles." We have some awful Australians here.

I replied in my quite reasonable French, "Pardon, mais ces mecs-là, ce sont nouvelle-zélandais. Excuse me but this lot are New Zealanders.

The customers shook their heads in disapproval.

 

[Simo]

When I am OS i don't like going where the aussies are.

I have been to an Aussie Pub in SIN and that is nothing like a pub back here.

They had a kitchen that only served meat pies and sausage rolls.

I asked for a xx_X Gold and was told that is not a aussie beer do you want a VB or a Toohey's.

I left.

There was a few aussies in the pub but they where happy to drink VB and being absolute obnoxious.

 

[Mrmaxwell]

The culture of binge drinking has a lot to do with it. I find most Australians are great to mingle with overseas but as soon as you add cheap alcohol to the mix all hell breaks loose.

The more annoying factor to me is why on earth people decide to travel thousands of miles away from home only to partake in activities and experiences as if they hadn't left (Bali & coughet are high on this list). The last thing I want to do in Kuta is eat Maccas for lunch, lie on the (average) beach and drink beer, Pizza Hut for dinner and then go to a bar surrounded by Aussies and drink until I cannot walk - I can do all that down the road without spending four figures and several hours on a flight :shock:

 

[Flashback]

I find that over in Europe, the loudest are the 'mericans and the most annoying? The Kiwis...:!:

 

[Batesy]

I have been to Bali 5 times. First time was with mates in our late twenties so old enough to not be complete tools but still hang out with other Aussies and enjoy the fun times with other travelers. It was my first overseas trip so I was just excited to be somewhere different. We did hang out at the bars where lots of other Aussies and Anglo tourists were (including the Sari club).

I have since traveled overseas a great deal but like to go to Bali as its close, cheap and I know what to expect. I don't stay in Kuta and my visits are now with my wife and either family or other couples. We are there again in February with two other couples an little kids. Villas in Seminyak this time.

I have seen the worst of really rude, uncouth Bogan Australians both in Bali and Thailand. Generally just total ignorance and a brain that says I can leave my manners and common sense on the plane.

Two examples:
1/
Arrived in Bali on Christmas day 2009. Male in late teens attempts to push in immigration queue. I remonstrate with him and he ignores me, then tells my mother in law to F off and that she is not his mother. I advise him that I will get the police or security and he responds "it's Bali no-one cares". In the end after my intervention and my wife's uncles advise to this idiot that he better watch his mouth plus the general sentiment in the queue that he better head to the back of queue he disappeared and to push n further down the line. Seriously it was Christmas day and this poor example of an Aussie acted in a real ordinary way.
2/
Back when I hunted for cheap DVD'S a woman came out of a shop where she must have been getting pressure to buy something. She told the Balinese girl that she "hated all you Balinese coughs cos you tried to blow us Aussies up" this happened right in front of me and I took her to task on how many Indonesians were killed in the Bali bombings and that she had made a choice to visit this country. She told me to F off and I gave up. To be my normal judgmental self she was a horrible Bogan that had no concept of culture in other countries or how to act like a guest in another country.

Unfortunately like many countries we don't always send our best abroad. I cringe when I see other Australians behave poorly and it reinforces my desire to want to be a better traveler when I see this type of behaviour.

If you look at other posts that I have put on AFF you will see the one about the idiots who smoked on a JQ flight to coughet as well so another great example.

Cheers Batesy.