Oops: this is how foreigners think of us as Dutch people

When I'm on vacation abroad, I often quickly spot who else is from the Netherlands. I can't exactly say why that is, but you can often pick them out easily. But that's sometimes the case with other nationalities too. Because, to be honest: we often know the Brits for downing quite a bit of beer, right? Especially when I worked in the hospitality industry, I noticed that different nationalities really had their own quirks. Americans are always friendly (to the point of being fake) and give good tips, while Russians are a bit less talkative and mainly want to be helped quickly and get away fast.

But how about the Netherlands then? When we are on vacation abroad, do they also think: oh, that's really typical Dutch? Well, the answer is: yes. The Netherlands Bureau for Tourism and Conventions surveyed 11,000 people from thirteen countries about how they perceive us as Dutch people. And the results are not exactly mild.

At the very top, it states that we are quite loud tourists. Apparently, we start behaving ‘more Dutch as soon as we cross the border,’ according to professor Marinel Gerritsen. And that Dutchness in us, that's being loud. Additionally, we supposedly don't really understand what someone's personal aura is and therefore don't value a private territory. So, we are a bit rude.

And the Belgians especially find that strange. Because we often leave the curtains open in the evening; apparently, that's still a sign that we don't get embarrassed easily, which again manifests in the fact that we are loud. We simply know no shame. Well, great then.

Of course, it also came up that that Dutch directness can sometimes be taken the wrong way. Better said: people from other countries often find us rude. Especially the always friendly and somewhat more reserved Brits find that a bit difficult, and people from Asia are not used to that either. There, politeness is actually an important thing, and that doesn't always match well with our rude directness.

Where are we then very welcome? Viva Españaaaa. They don't find us loud at all there. No, on the contrary; they find us calm. Even withdrawn. Because they themselves are noisy 2.0. All heading towards Spain then.

And that directness? It is actually appreciated in Germany and Sweden, because they also prefer not to beat around the bush.

Source: Quest