[vroomsome]

We Indians are a loud people as a result of the burgeoning population. Every where you go, there is a sea of people you compete with and with due respect to etiquette and courtesy, what works here is the survival of the fittest.
Cutting in line,kissing up, working your contacts, bribing, pushing, shouting, nepotism....these things work in India. The soft spoken gentleman is a short lived animal out here.

And this hasn't just happened,we have been like this for ages. No quick fix this folks.

[benbsb29]

I find it amusing how some people seem to find our boorish behavior justified saying that this is how we are, and that the rest of the world needs to be accepting of different cultures. The same bunch will cry foul when tourists from other countries create a similar ruckus in our backyard.

The first sign of progress is accepting what we are bad at, and then making an effort to change. The more we try to justify it, it only makes it worse.

[RaviK]

At times, it comes to bite us back as well. On the flights from India to middle east (on way to Europe), the attitude I've seen from the flight attendants is quite different (talking about economy only). The same airline, same class (economy), the level of service becomes quite different on flights onwards, to Europe

[kiku007]

Originally Posted by MandarMax

2. Playing unfair / Gaming the system: I will tell you a story. I used to go to a restaurant in Melbourne, in the St. Kilda area. It was a vegetarian restaurant with some Indian options. It was run by a white person who had spent a few years in India learning Yoga (in an Ashram, I think in Rishikesh). He was very friendly and used to go by an Indian name given by his Guru. The restaurant had no fixed price menu. You paid what you felt like and the owner accepted the money without complaining. I had been to the place a few times and I found the food so good that I didn't mind paying a little extra. Most people did the same and I think it was a good business model (until the Indians found out ). On one weekend, I happened to meet a group of software developers through a friend. I told them about this place and on one Sunday afternoon, we all went there together. After having a grand lunch, it was the time to pay. I paid for myself. But the entire group paid just 10-15 dollars. Mind you, the same food would have cost more than $50 elsewhere. I could see the look on the face of the owner, but he didn't say anything. I added another ten dollars from my pocket because I felt sad.

Good on you man!

I'm not sure for how long this place you mentioned can have this business model.

The Annalakshmi restaurant in Singapore (https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Resta...Singapore.html) had a similar approach sometime back but now they have a minimum charge.

[smooth indian]

Having lived outside India for the last 15 years and having travelled to India umpteen times, I am of the opinion that Indians barring a few exceptions have adopted the 'Hunger Games' mentality. Even when Indians have become affluent they cannot give this 'beggarly' behavior. In my experience the worst part of flying Air India was not the service or food (both of which were decent) but the fellow passengers. An european middle aged lady once got exasperated at Mumbai airport because the group of indian aunties behind her in the security queue always kept pushing as if they were boarding the 9.25 am Churchgate Fast. We have become so used to haphazardness, mediocrity and mindless competition that we are unable to appreciate when we are presented with what is organized, pleasant and plentiful.

[sub.g84]

The last time I was in Germany I met this bunch of Argentinians. Fun loving guys, yelling at the top of their voices, getting drunk, making merry, yet knowing where to draw the line. Have you met Italians travelling together? Trust me you will feel right at home in India. Not that I am patronizing it, but that is what I speak from my experience. Speaking of rudeness, oh trust me we aren't topping that list.

On that note I somehow believe that Indians are usually not held in the highest regards by the world. And that maybe due to certain things like lack of hygiene, lack of discipline, trying to get things for free by lifting things off the hotels. I remember in the past where some Indian cricketers were caught shop lifting abroad.

So having fun, being loud, getting drunk, is one thing. But getting into wrong doings, losing discipline is definitely the most shameful act that these travelers bring. Not just to themselves but to their nation. After all every traveler is an ambassador of his/her country.

[audioholic]

On my recent flight between Singapore to BLR, there was this guy sitting ahead of my seat. We had bumped into each other a little earlier and he was a Kannada speaker as well and hence we exchanged a few pleasantries. On the flight, his wife was supposed to be seated next to me while my mother was beside him. Since we travel regularly, we do not change seats and stick to our seats. However in this case, his wife was ok sitting in her place beside me while this guy wanted to swap seats. I was not ok with it but later when my mom boarded the flight, I realised she might be interested to change and later we agreed to do so. However, my mother had requested for a vegetarian meal earlier. At the time of the meal service, when the FA went to the original seat of my mom, the person's wife happily accepted the veg meal and when our turn came, the FA frowned at us when we asked for the vegetarian meal. This was a bummer and the main reason we were not so interested in swapping seats. The passengers whom we changed seats did not even have the sense to take the meal which was rightfully theirs. The FA told he would get back to us after the meal service and could get us the meal only if the choice was available. This was a bummer. What was worse is that to the rear of the plane, nearly 20 people had swapped seats since they wanted to sit together as a group and this totally messed up the meal choices. Since I knew about this seating confusion in advance, I waited for a few minutes and called the FA and told him that we were waiting for the meal and also mentioned to him that it was the other party who requested for the seat change and that should not end up in my mother not getting the meal. He immediately realised the goof up and provided the requested food option. The scene at the back got worse since most of them were drunk and the whole bunch of flight attendants were patiently handling the scene.

In the meanwhile, this person ahead had two rounds of drinks and realised his In-Flight entertainment system was locked in child mode(or maybe he himself locked it). He got furious and the FA couldnt help his situation. This passenger then demands to be seated in Business class which was turned down by the staff. He was so drunk that he didnt even realise how time went, and by n'th time he called the FA, they were already on approach to BLR. He began his usual rant about complaining to the company and so on thinking that would fetch him a seat in Business But none worked.

Seeing these things, there is no doubt some of our citizens get a bad name to the entire country. We grab whatever is free at the first sight and then, try to abuse what is not, just cos we pay for it. Simple things like sticking to ones seat, keeping a tab on drinking when we dont have to pay for it, listening to instructions will make a big change in how we are perceived. These people dont even have the courtesy to speak nicely to the flight staff and behave as if they are their personal butlers. I travel on the BLR - Dubai - Frankfurt sector quite frequently and there is a visible difference in the behavior of people in either leg of the journey and also a difference in the attitude of the staff. The Dubai - FRA leg has an international crowd and is far better behaved compared to the BLR - Dubai flight which is obviously an Indian majority. I hope the wide circulation of such news on social media will make people more aware of their behavior, even if the circulation brings us a bad image.

[Motor_Nut]

Originally Posted by MandarMax

2. Playing unfair / Gaming the system: Most people did the same and I think it was a good business model (until the Indians found out ). On one weekend, I happened to meet a group of software developers through a friend. I told them about this place and on one Sunday afternoon, we all went there together. After having a grand lunch, it was the time to pay. I paid for myself. But the entire group paid just 10-15 dollars. Mind you, the same food would have cost more than $50 elsewhere. I could see the look on the face of the owner, but he didn't say anything. I added another ten dollars from my pocket because I felt sad. I never went back to the place, neither did I meet that group again

Sad to hear such things, this reminded me a similar event which I witnessed in Switzerland. There is a Hare Kirshna temple run by ISKCON, primarily managed by Sri Lankan refugees and people from other walks of life. They had a policy that every visitor, irrespective of his/her religious or ethnic background, would be served lunch without any cost for the first time. On subsequent visits, lunch would be charged 10 CHF if I remember correctly.

It was disheartening to see that few fellow Indians visited the temple multiple times but never paid for their lunch. I was concerned that someday they will find it and it will be very embarrassing moment for them. It did not happen because temple managers never paid attention to such things. Worst, on one occasion, I over heard our fellow Indians bragging about free lunch they had multiple times in the said temple.

[MileCruncher]

Having read thru most of the posts in this thread and mostly agreeing to what has been written, I too felt that I had to add my "2 paisa gyan" into this blanket India/ Indian bashing. I have had instances when travelling from the Far East, I've experienced sudden spurt in ambient noise levels the moment I have arrived in Changi and have gone in for transfer to India.



A few folks have mentioned earlier that we Indians tend to indulge our kids way too much letting ride rough shod without any control. Truer words haven't been spoken! I have seen so many instances that sometimes I'm ashamed to call myself an Indian.



Based on my travel, I have curated a list of Airports outside India where one should expect boorish Indian behaviour.

1. Dubai
2. Abu Dhabi
3. Singapore
4. Bangkok
5. KL
6. Denpasar, Bali

I only pray to the almighty that may I live long enough to see the transformation of the Indian traveller as nice and polite!

[kozhissery]

I feel this kind of behaviour is ingrained in our blood.
Last week I was on a vacation to Bangkok with friends and family, and the incident happened in a big hotel in Pattaya.
During breakfast me and kid put couple of breads into the toaster (conveyer type) and were waiting, the moment it dropped a guy just came and took it. And my daughter was stunned as it was almost grabbed from her hand (daughter is a small kid under 10).
The second incident was in the same place where a GENTLEMAN was taking all the Peas from "Aloo Mutter" using a spoon and my kid asked why that man is taking like this for which I could not give any convincing reply. Many of my friends too reported such issues from the same hotel and we were happy to leave from that hotel.

Another example is a kid from my group was viewing some soap opera in phone in the restaurant and I did tell her (which should have be done by her parents - even they were watching the same) to stop it and explained to her how to behave and showed her that phones hardly ring (all are in vibrator mode).

Another incident which is still fresh in my mind happened while travelling from US to India via Bahrain. A couple of persons were behaving strangely as if Airhostess will steal the bottles and the person sitting near me actually placed the bottles between the seats and placed his foot on that. I think that was the reason the airhostess even behaved indifferently with me till she saw the boarding pass (it was from American Airlines) and her total behaviour changed.

I can put up many such behaviour where we Indian do cross the limits. It is true that many of the tourists from other countries also do make noise, get drunk and what not but hardly makes a nuisance for others except for noise.

[RM Motorsports]

Some time back on my flight from Delhi - Bombay, that's how one passenger (red T-shirt) was sitting. His feet were stinking and poor lady on opposite aisle seat just had her hand on her nose throughout the flight.

Though with complains from other passengers, one of the cabin crew member convinced this guy to put his feet down and also spray air freshener on his chappals and feet.

Trivia: The only thing faster than the Speed of Light is the speed at which Indian passengers switch on their mobile phones as soon as the flight has landed.

[Durango Dude]

We live like rats (if you put 1.4 billion rats in a room they kill each other) and it shows especially when we travel abroad, especially while Qing at the airport and at the buffet table. We lack civic sense, basic decency and courtesy; we're always in a hurry and gives us immense pleasure jumping Q's and the high decibel conversations with others and over the phone are well known.

[bigron]

One of our favorite pass time is to embarrass ourselves while travelling and while we are overseas. And we do it with aplomb.
We are loud, crass and obnoxious in public and flaunt it as a medal.
It is so badly hardwired in us that we simply cannot appreciate if something is organized, clean , systematic or pleasant. We have to make it un savory.
I hate to say this but there has been more occasions than I can remember where I wished I was from some place else either while travelling or visiting a place domestic or overseas.

[Red Liner]

The way Indians work is:

1. Early bird catches the worm. Especially at buffets.

2. If you're not the hunter, you become the prey. Especially on the road in traffic.

3. Early to bed, early to rise, makes john healthy wealthy and wise. Especially when deboarding a flight thats just landed.

Your darn luggage will still take half hour more to reach the conveyor belt!

[KL01toKA03]

A habit that I have observed with Indian travelers is the urgent need to recline seats to the maximum possible level, as soon as possible. I experienced this multiple times, on flights to the US. As soon as the fasten seat belt signs were switched off, people would recline their seats in an instant. On one BA flight, the legroom was quite limited, and I was at the receiving end of a solid knock to the knees. The person in front of me did not check before reclining, and did not respond to my request to move the seats forward. I also had to spend a long time (till they served food, I think) in an awkward posture due to the lack of space. I still don't know whether I should blame the airline or the passenger.