Seasoned traveler calls out reckless tourist behavior at popular destination: 'The ignorance of the people gets worse every time I visit'

Few things give you a greater appreciation for our planet than traveling and actually taking in its beauty firsthand. Of course, at the same time, you may have to deal with some truly frustrating fellow tourists.

One Reddit user came to r/VisitingIceland to vent their frustrations regarding this exact topic.

The post, titled "Ignorance of the people gets worse every time I visit Iceland," contains two irksome images. Both show tourists who have climbed over chain fences to take pictures of a beautiful Icelandic vista.

"Hey fellow Iceland lovers and visitors, I manage to get to Iceland every half a year and spend some time in here … but the ignorance of the people is ruining the experience of a nice sunset or sunrise which [are] pretty much the standard on Iceland," the caption says.

Hopping fences to take pictures is already a disrespectful and possibly dangerous thing to do, but it's even worse than that in this instance — the grounds these tourists are trampling contain sensitive flora.

"Tundra grasses and mosses have very shallow root systems that are easily destroyed by walking on them," a commenter explained. "It's also hard for a lot of flora to take root because of how rocky the terrain is. Walking on the mosses or grass can kill it, and it may not come back."

Iceland is a gorgeous country, and its people deeply value the natural beauty you'll find there. Going there to experience that beauty only to stomp on it both literally and figuratively is as baffling as it is infuriating.

There are many other stories just like this one, from Iceland and all around the world. Plenty of disrespectful tourists run afoul in America, too.

It's crucial to do your research on the places you visit. There are different customs, norms, circumstances, unwritten rules, and codified laws all over the planet. Learning those of your next vacation destination can help protect you from internet shame and the environment from unnecessary harm.

Should tourists be responsible for cleaning up their own trash? Absolutely 👏 In most cases 👍 It depends on the place 🤔 No, they shouldn't 👎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Commenters on the OP's post were disheartened and irate:

"Those pictures trigger me a lot. For a photograph, what's even the difference between standing where they are and behind the fence?" one wondered.

"I was there last week. Called the police. The 10-12 people that [were] inside the protected area were all fined for about 1000€/head while I ate my lunch and drank [tea] enjoying the marvelous Icelandic landscape," another said.

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