Comments by "Teagirl009" (@Teagirl009) on "American Reacts to 11 Things NOT to do in Australia - MUST SEE BEFORE YOU GO!" video.

  1. Absolutely! Far more tourists get in trouble and face danger at our beaches than they do from exaggerated dangers about spiders and snakes etc. I lived in the Eastern subs in Sydney for several years and the amount of times that tourists needed to be rescued. They either didn't understand the rules or flat out ignored them. Swim between the flags folks. They're not there as decoration. Beach and water safety PSA videos should be on all incoming flights to Australia. Swimming lesson were mandatory in school when I was growing up. But in most countries they are not.
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  2. I actually find the staff at fast food places in Australia usually friendly and happy🤷‍♀️, probably because they're earning a decent wage. Of course I've had both friendly and rude wait staff here and overseas. That's life. But generally speaking I've found most wait staff in Australia to be good, attentive, friendly and coming over to make sure things are ok with the meal.
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  3. https://youtu.be/Kwfuo8ESa5E 😭❤️ The new Qantas "I still call Australia home" ad with Hugh Jackman and Kylie minogue etc got me emotional lol.
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  4. Interesting vid. Some of this is a little outdated. The minimum wage in Australia is now $20.33 . The highest in the world still. Lockout laws in Sydney are gone now. $40 a meal? Not where I eat lol. I don't really go to fancy restaurants often though. On average I'd spend $15-25 a meal. And no tipping of course. There's a lot of good local pubs and cafes and restaurants that have good deals. And we have a lot of amazing authentic Asian food outlets and restaurants (popular cuisines here are Vietnamese, Japanese, Thai, Malaysian, Chinese, Indian etc) which usually have pretty decent prices. Sushi rolls and Banh Mi food outlets are popular. Good for cheap, grab on the go healthier options, if you don't want typical fast food. (Banh mi $6-7, sushi rolls usually around $3-4). Ask the locals, wherever you are, for tips on good, affordable places to eat. 😊 Not sure about Mainland USA but when I've travelled to Hawaii, meals were pretty similarly priced and then adding tips and taking the exchange rate into account, it actually got kinda pricey. The public transport is good in and around cities and most suburbs and towns. Kaitlyn (from kinda Australian) who moved from Philadelphia to Sydney will tell you it's better than where she's from. But of course like you say, if you're comparing it to Europe and some smallers Asian countries...then it's definitely not as great lol. I noticed that myself when travelling though Europe. Their transport network is better. Australia is too big. We do have interstate trains but most people just fly, it's relatively cheap especially if you book ahead. Sydney to Brisbane or Sydney to Melbourne can be as low as $40-50 for example. Was just looking at flights earlier today, average price is about $70 between Sydney and Brisbane. Of course Travelling around parts of Australia on road trips is definitely popular. Petrol here can be expensive though. And yes alcohol because of the extra taxes in part to try and curb alcoholism. Same with tobacco prices to try and reduce addiction. But not being a drinker or a smoker, it doesn't affect me. Groceries can be more expensive here. But local fruit / veg and farmers markets can save money there. And stores like Aldi & costco are cheaper than the big two chains. Some things here are cheaper like mobile phone and data plans. Americans always saying it's much cheaper here. But I guess that's handy when our WiFi isn't always the best 🤣. And yep costs of housing especially in the capital cities....is absolutely insane. You'd have to buy way out away from the cities/big towns to be able to find something decently priced. And remember when buying things here....the price already included taxes. The price tag is what you pay. No extra costs at the register. I think both places have their pluses and minuses in costs of living and travelling around.
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  5. Yes. They are working for the employer, it's their responsibility to pay them a liveable wage. Not for the customers to subsidize that. The government over there needs to enforce a liveable minimum wage. When I was in Hawaii I found the costs of meals around the same as here to be honest. Adding tips on top plus the exchange rates...made it more expensive than eating out here. Some cafes and restaurants have too jars at the counter but that's just goes to the restaurant or divided up. It would be hard to leave a specific wait staff a tip. You're better off just giving the owner or manager some positive feedback about them. Some restaurant do have table service where the wait staff will bring the bill to you though.
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  6. I honestly don't know anyone that tips at restaurants and cafes. It would be rare and only if exceptional service is given, not a regular thing. Not every place has a tip jar at the counter especially these days when hardly anyone in Australia carries money anymore. Most people tap/paywave. It's more common in my experience to leave positive feedback for wait staff to the manager or owner when you've been happy with the service. But yes for Americans who feel out of sorts about not leaving tips. The tip jar is a good alternative! 👍 Especially as a lot of places are pay at the register rather than table service.
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  7. Exactly. People forget that when making comparisons.
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