7 things we can recognize about the Dutch on vacation

When I go on vacation, I long for a place without Dutch people, in addition to sun, sea, and beach. I prefer not to encounter them at all during my entire trip because I find nothing worse than having to make small talk with people just because they come from the same country. In Tulum, there were so many Dutch people; all the people I was trying to escape from were there. Why do I get so annoyed with my own people? I think it’s because I generally find Dutch people quite uncharming. On vacation, I can immediately recognize them by the points below.

1. Loud talking

If I don’t see any Dutch people (because I’m sitting with my back to them), I can still hear them. And not just a little: they don’t talk, they shout. Italians and Spaniards are also loud, but they can get away with it because of the beautiful sounds. The Dutch language is just awful, so I don’t understand why we always have to stand out everywhere. ‘We are from Holland, so we know how to bike,’ shouted a man here (in broken English) at the bike rental, while someone was kindly explaining the bike to him. Just calm down, have a little patience, and be polite.

2. No patience

Then I immediately come to my next point: impatience. Dutch people are always in a hurry, even when they are on vacation. You see them at the front of the line at the gate at the airport, they sprint onto a boat first, and everything has to be as fast as possible. I often feel like I actually come from somewhere else: I’m always late, and rushing makes me very unhappy. Just take your time, especially when you’re on vacation. After all, you book a trip to relax, right? Not to arrive at your hotel completely out of breath.

3. Rude

I also find Dutch people often rude when they order in restaurants or hail a taxi. This, of course, does not apply to many people, and other nationalities can be a bit rude too, but I mainly pay attention to my own people. It is often caused by their poor English, which makes certain statements come across as a bit blunt than probably intended.

4. Talking about prices

When I hear them talking so loudly in, for example, a restaurant, these conversations often revolve around money. Whether the prices on the menu are reasonable, Dutch people apparently like to talk about that. Yesterday, I was working in a café next to a table where a Dutch couple was sitting. The man just couldn’t get over how small his smoothie bowl was and that it was still very expensive, especially by Mexican standards. Goodness, just let it go, you’re on vacation. I could only think: just order another dish, problem solved.

5. Clumsy dance moves

Dutch people can move quite clumsily, not to mention their way of dancing. And I’m mainly referring to the men. I’ve been out a few times here, and it’s not hard to recognize Dutch men: fist in the air and a bit of stomping on the ground. Honestly, I can spot them right away, those Dutch guys.

6. Sunburned

When I see a few well-sunburned shoulders walking in front of me, I can almost bet that it’s someone from my country. I would love to lend these people my factor 50 sunscreen because why don’t you apply it when you’re only used to rain? By the way, under those sunburned shoulders, I often see a white tank top and sandals. Nothing wrong with that, just an observation.

7. Vacation hats

We can’t apply sunscreen, but we can protect our heads with the most remarkable hats. Such a typical ‘it’s-vacation-so-wear-a-crazy-hat’, bought on vacation because in the Netherlands, they wouldn’t dare to buy this. That’s what we Dutch people love. By the way, I shouldn’t say too much about this because there are about seven hats in my suitcase. But still, I didn’t buy those here, so that makes it a different story.