The mortifying moment comes at a time when international tourism continues to rebound strongly despite global uncertainty. The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) reported that around 300 million tourists traveled internationally in the first quarter of 2025, about 14 million more than in the same period last year, fueled by what it called “robust and sustained travel demand.”
The Reddit poster, who is a Korean-American, explained that the tour bus turned out to be for Chinese tourists. “The lady speaking at the front of the bus on a microphone is speaking in Chinese the entire 45 minute bus ride, so I’m like ‘whatever’ and try to get some zzzzz’s on the bus so I’m well rested to see the main attraction why I visited China,” the poster wrote.
Once the bus arrived, the American tourist thought it was time to relax and browse before heading off with the group. “Everyone gets off and there are tons of souvenir shops and small eateries, and I’m like ‘guess it’s time for a snack before we head off to see the Great Wall!’ So I’m eating some food and then I look around and EVERYONE HAS DISAPPEARED!!!!” they wrote.
Instead of following the group, the traveler spent the next two hours eating and buying souvenirs. They realized their mistake when their fellow passengers returned to the bus.
“I ran over and tried to find someone who spoke English and asked them where did they go? So the lady looks at me puzzled and while pointing her thumb back up the hill where people were walking down from, she says, ‘Oh, we just saw the Great Wall!’ Right then, the look on my face was like, ‘Whattttttt?!’ and I pretty much felt as embarrassed as could be,” the poster said.
‘So Embarrassed’
The story struck a chord with other Redditors, many of whom shared their own awkward travel mishaps.
U/SarahSeraphim chimed in with a Hong Kong memory, noting: “My boyfriend (now husband) went on a Hong Kong leisure trip with his friends. At a restaurant they were served hot tea. To be polite they all drank the tea until the bowl was empty. The waitress comes back and she was stunned. Turns out the tea was supposed to be for you to rinse your utensils lol.”
Meanwhile, u/First_Bit_2397 recounted an embarrassing blunder in Germany. “I was in Germany staring at the Cologne cathedral. I was so blown away, I didn’t realize an artist who was working on a floor painting was yelling at me because I was stepping ALL over his work!!! Once he yelled enough and I realized, I felt so embarrassed and ran away,” they said.
In Ireland, u/Imagination_hat made an awkward mistake in a candy store: “Went to pay for my items and there was a bowl of caramel samples on the counter. Popped one into my mouth, then realized they weren’t samples and that I needed to pay for it (happy to do so). However, the caramel was huge and extremely sticky, and talking to the cashier was almost impossible; I felt like a cartoon character. They wouldn’t tell me the price and just shooed me away. I felt like a boor.”
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via the Reddit messaging system.
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