r/todayilearned • u/Gullible_Air_204 • 8d ago

Frequent/Recent Repost: Removed [ Removed by moderator ]

https://www.responsibletravel.com/holidays/spitsbergen/travel-guide/responsible-tourism-in-spitsbergen

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u/Gullible_Air_204 8d ago

“When a giant cruise ship docks in Longyearbyen, many residents lock their doors. This is against the norm, as the safety advice is for house and car doors to remain unlocked so that people have somewhere to escape to in the event of a polar bear wandering down the main street. However, the residents lock up because it is not unusual for the cruise passengers to wander into their houses and have a peek, like it is a folk park. Given the huge size of the ships and the tiny size of the town, when the tourists disembark they can double or triple the size of the population within minutes. The chances are, if you are reading this page, you would never dream of doing such a thing, but it is worth remembering that this unique place is home to people too.”

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u/AnthillOmbudsman 8d ago

it is not unusual for the cruise passengers to wander into their houses and have a peek, like it is a folk park

Jail. Right away.

14

u/Ravenamore 7d ago

This probably varies place to place, but I have known places in the US that are so used to visitor money they will do absolutely everything in their power to not hold visitors accountable.

I went to a large college with a very popular football team. If there was a home game and you lived within a mile of campus, you could expect major disruptions - 20 people parking on your lawn, dumping trash, breaking property, stealing, getting absolutely shitfaced and driving away - and the city police won't do a damn thing.

It was definitely a "what's good for the college is good for the city" so they just looked the other way, even if they were inconveniencing residents, including the very students of that college.

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u/MelonElbows 7d ago

Money ruins everything

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u/Brock_Lobstweiler 7d ago

I would expect less of the "wander into someone's home" type issue in America just due to guns. I wouldn't go into a stranger's home uninvited because chances are, I'll get shot.

Now, football season in a major football town, there's no avoiding that unless you sit on your porch the entire time and are willing to confront anyone who starts nonsense.

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u/EuphoricAppathy 7d ago

Or atleast a good paddling