The U.S. does pretty much everything differently than the rest of the world. Why? Who knows… but as an American, this makes things a bit more difficult in order to travel outside of the U.S.
Below is a list I have compiled while traveling to other countries of things I’ve noticed that are different from what I am used to as an American as well as what I think of in order to help me in the situation.
| What the U.S. Uses: | Most Likely For: | The Rest of the World Uses: | Specific Conversion: [click link to convert] |
Think Of: |
Gallons |
Gasoline/ Petrol | Liters | 10l=2.6gal | 2 liter soda bottles |
Miles |
Distance | Kilometers | 10K=6.2M | A 5K race is about 3 miles |
| Miles per Hour | Speed | Kilometers per hour | 10KPH= 6.2MPH |
100KPH is average driving speed which is about 60MPH |
| Feet | Height/ Distance | Meters | 1m=3.28ft | 1 meter is about 3 feet. |
| * For long distances, try to think of an American football field… 1 yard is almost exactly 1 meter… so if someone says “it’s about 200 meters down the street,” you’re going to walk a bout 2 football fields. | ||||
| Inch | Measurement | Centimeters | 10cm=3.94in | 1cm is about the size of your pinky nail |
| Pounds | Weight | Kilograms | 1kg=2.2lbs | Kilograms are almost half the weight of pounds. |
| AM/PM | Time | 24 Hour | X | Any time after noon, subtract 12 |
| Fahrenheit | Temperature | Celsius | C°=(F°-32)(5/9) | 0°C is freezing and 20°C is room temperature |
Bathroom |
X | “WC” or “Toilet” | “WC” stands for “Water Closet” which is most commonly used inEurope. InAsia, “Toilet” is the most simple and, therefore, the most commonly used. | |
| * Even though I thought asking for a “toilet” sounded a bit crude, it’s the only way to communicate. If you ask for a “bathroom,” you will get a strange look – why would you want to take a bath in the middle of your meal in a public restaurant?. | ||||
| 120 volts | On all electronics | 240 volts | There should be a tiny little button somewhere on your electronics to switch from 120V to 240V while traveling; be sure to do this or else it will fry! | |
| “Locked” Cell Phone | X | Sim Card Cell Phones | Every other country in the world uses a sim-card inside the cell phone which can be switched out depending on the country you’re currently in. | |
| * An unlocked sim-card cell phone from any country can easily be turned into a local cell phone of any other country… EXCEPT for theU.S.!* When traveling, buy a cheap cell phone [make sure it is UNLOCKED! Maybe US$40] and each country you go to, buy a sim-card for that country [US$1-US$20, depending on the country]… This way, you’ll always have a local cell-phone-number [cheaper for calling] for just a few dollars!. | ||||
“American” Coffee |
to drink | Coffee made from espresso beans | The weakest cup of coffee in the world would be the best cup of coffee in the continentalU.S. | |
| * While traveling abroad, I kept asking for “iced coffee made from espresso… not just cold coffee” and I kept getting REALLY strange looks and people telling me that they didn’t understand what I was saying… When in theU.S., I have to specify the difference between regular coffee and espresso-based coffee in order to get the strong taste… Overseas, there is no option – coffee is ONLY espresso-based and people don’t understand why there would be weaker coffee. I love this! | ||||
*The ONE advantage about being an American , perhaps, is that English is the mother tongue – EVERYWHERE in the world, really, English is the unofficial travel language.
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