Canadians Reveal The Annoyingly Common Behavior Tourists Should Avoid When Visiting Canada

Cultural differences are the norm when traveling abroad, so it's always a good idea to research your destination to avoid offensive or embarrassing behavior that might spoil your trip. If you're traveling to Canada any time soon, Canadians on Reddit's r/AskACanadian subreddit have plenty of tips to help you do just that. In particular, they've got big opinions on what tourists shouldn't do when visiting their beloved country. If you thought it was asking to slather maple syrup on everything, bad tourist behavior in Canada runs deeper than that. Turns out, Canadians revealed the annoyingly common behavior tourists should avoid is failing to educate themselves on the basics of Canada's vast geography.

"Don't act like Canada is small, for example, saying, 'How's the weather in Canada?' or 'I can see all of Canada,'" says one Canadian Reddit user. Indeed, Canada is a massive country. Its 10 provinces and three territories span a sprawling 3.8 million square miles, cementing it as the world's second-largest country after Russia. So don't ever expect the weather on remote, glacial Ellesmere Island, which is part of Canada's Arctic Archipelago, to mirror temperatures in bustling Toronto, which sees nearly 80-degree summer highs.

"Similarly, be aware of the huge distances — don't expect to make a day trip from Toronto to Vancouver," writes the same user. Like Los Angeles is to New York in the US, some of Canada's top destinations lie thousands of miles across the country. Vancouver, a great destination for a first solo trip, is 5,000 miles from Quebec City, a wonderful city to visit if you love Paris. That's either a five-hour flight or a 48-hour road trip. "It astounds me that people plan trips to other countries without using Google Maps or an equivalent," complains another flabbergasted Redditor.

Another faux pas tourists make? Expecting Canada to accept US currency. "Even if it has more value... it comes across as arrogant," admonishes a top Reddit comment. While some businesses in border destinations like Niagara Falls might take greenbacks, it's not commonplace like it is in these popular tropical tourist destinations that accept US dollars. If a Canadian business does take your US dollars, be prepared to receive an unsavory exchange rate and change in Canadian dollars.

Sadly, poor tourist behavior in Canada can have life-threatening consequences. "Don't walk out on the ice if you don't know what to do when you fall through the ice," one Redditor warns. Even Canadians out innocently ice skating or taking a drive have perished after falling through icy lakes and rivers, a phenomenon that's expected to increase. A 2024 study by York University in Toronto concluded that the rise in temperatures due to climate change means that fewer overall days of safe ice will lead to an increase in drownings. 

Canadians also want tourists to know they can't just hike, roam, and explore wherever they please. As one Redditor eerily notes, "You can easily get lost in the bush, and they will never find you. Ever." This is especially true in the snow, as tragically evidenced by the fate of Michel Trudeau, the brother of former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Michel's body was never found after an avalanche swept him into a lake at Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park in 1998. As breathtaking as Canada's landscapes are, tourists must take their dangers seriously.