American tourist shocked by Australian public transport habits

American tourist Brooke Laven shares the things she loves about Australia on her TikTok account and the differences are eye-opening.

Having lived in Sydney for six months, she noticed that Australians take the time to greet their bus drivers and thank them when they get off.

Brooke, an American tourist, in front of the Sydney Opera House and on TikTok — American tourist Brooke noticed the difference in the way people get on and off the bus in Australia compared to the United States. Photo: Instagram and Tiktok/@brooke.alison.laven

“I’ve been taking public transport around the world for years and hearing everyone say ‘Thank you’ to the bus drivers every day is quintessentially Australian, I love it,” she wrote in her TikTok video which was watched almost half. a million times.

The Australians were stunned not to have seen it elsewhere. “Wait but these are basic manners? Are you telling me that in other countries you don’t say ‘thank you’ to the person who drove you safely home?” » asked one viewer.

American tourist shares her observations about Australian culture

“The great thing here in Oz is that ‘Thank you’ to a bus driver teaches you respect and dissolves any class system because the driver is human too!” » another added.

“The high school kids on my bus always say morning boss or thank you boss,” a bus driver added to the conversation with Brooke responding, “Hahaha I love that!”

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Following up on the popular video, Brooke explained that other cultures are simply more shy than Australian cultures, but she concluded by saying: “This should be a norm everywhere in the world.”

The Minnesota-born graphic designer, who has also lived and worked in South Korea and Chile, enjoys sharing the differences she has noticed in Australia, particularly in the United States.

Portrait of Brooke Alison Laven and her walk by the beach and in the Blue Mountains from her Instagram account — Brooke, originally from Minnesota, has lived in Chile and South Korea and is now in Australia on a work visa. Photo: Instagram/@brooke.alison.laven

Another thing she noticed and shared with her followers is that Australians and New Zealanders tend to drop the “my” when referring to their parents. So rather than saying my mother or my father, they simply say “mom or dad”. She found it was almost as if Australians referred to their parents as if they were everyone else’s parents. OUR Dad now,” she said with a smile.

Brooke often shares posts about the things she loves about Australia, including Australian slang and how we finish singing. Happy birthday and our university fees system.

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