One Thing Missing From Most European Showers American Tourists Will Notice Immediately (And Usually Hate)

Travel is, by definition, an exploration of another culture, and while that mostly comes with positives, such as discovering new foods, traditions, and history, some changes are harder to accept and adapt to. They aren't necessarily big things either; they can be as mundane as annoying differences about European tap water or unexpected differences in European sports stadiums. But what is more essential for everyday use than a shower, and what is more irritating than one you're not accustomed to? There's something American tourists are noticing about showers in Europe, and they're hating it immediately.

Curtains are not always an integral part of showers in other parts of the world, and if you're the kind of traveler who doesn't mind sacrificing comforts at home and can adapt to new environments, that might not pose such an issue. If you're not, however, you might want to mentally prepare for wet bathroom floors while you're traveling around Europe.

When American tourists check into a hotel or an Airbnb, they notice pretty quickly that European showers are missing one vital component: a curtain. Imagine how annoying it would be to be taking a shower after a long day of traveling, only for the water to start splashing everywhere, and in European showers, that can be due to many causes, not just the lack of a curtain. Sometimes it's because of a half-glass wall that doesn't pivot to provide enough protection, and other times it's because the shower head is mounted too low or simply a hand-held, and when you finally leave the shower, the floor is all wet, and so are the walls.

This is not the only issue that American tourists complain about when it comes to showers in Europe; other issues include the occasional lack of hot water, or the fact that it might take up to 30 minutes for it to heat up, while other travelers hate the fact that some accommodation options have shared bathrooms, which is very rare in the U.S., as a private bathroom is considered a necessity. While it is important to realize that differences are a part of travel, and that Europeans also notice unexpected traits about American tourists, sometimes, some comforts are too dear to sacrifice.