Where Are the World’s Rudest Countries?

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France took the No. 1 spot in Skyscanner.com's "rudest countries" survey

Ever travel to another country only to feel unwelcome, uncivilized or constantly in the way? You’re not alone. Travel website Skyscanner.com released a ranking of countries based on rudeness, and apparently, tourists can hold a grudge. According to the International Business Times, the survey generated more than 1,200 user responses and revealed some telling results. The top four rudest places for travelers were France, Russia, the U.K. and Germany.

Given its reputation for being a little snobby, it’s not so unpredictable that France took first place with nearly one-fifth of votes. “This seems to be a fairly common stereotype, albeit not one which is necessarily true,” Sam Baldwin, Skyscanner’s travel editor, told the IBT. Plus, there’s a longtime rivalry between Anglophiles and Francophiles, so that could have played a part.

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Russia and the U.K. followed France for the No. 2 and 3 spots, respectively. Interestingly enough, 60% of the respondents were British. Looks like Brits aren’t just rude, but also self-effacing. In an earlier Skyscanner survey, they also voted themselves the World’s Worst Tourists.

As for Russia, Tatiana Danilova, Skyscanner’s Russian market manager, told Forbes the country’s ranking at No. 2 may be a matter of cross-cultural differences. “The Russian language is not as polite as English, so when Russians translate directly from Russian to English, it can sound rude to an English speaker even if they don’t mean it to,” she says.

So where does the U.S. place? America came in seventh, right behind China. Meanwhile, the Caribbean, Philippines and Brazil were ranked the least rude.

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