Teachers like to say there are no dumb questions.Teachers need to work in tourism offices.Tourists asked the wildest questions. Travelers are expected to be curious. But some might be better off doing a tiny bit of research before they open their mouths.
According to staff from Australia's Sunlover Holidays customer call center, queries from both Aussie and international travelers are as varied as they are strange.
A smoker wanted to know how many cartons of cigarettes they could take on their driving holiday to Queensland and a swimmer asked call center staff to predict how many people would be in their hotel pool on Good Friday.
Australian geography is often the weakest point for international visitors, one asking what type of car they would need to drive overnight from the Great Barrier Reef to Perth.
Another wondered what passport they would need to visit Melbourne from Queensland.
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But it seems us Aussies have similar difficulties with geography.
According to Flight Center staff, would-be Aussie holidaymakers have leveled their fair share of jaw-dropping questions.
"Can I catch a train from Fiji to New Zealand?" asked one visitor interested in booking a rail holiday.
One traveler was baffled by the concept of international time zones, asking: "I know it's a long flight but how is it that I take off at 10am in Sydney and land at 10am in Vancouver on the same day? How is that possible?"
Others wondered what the capitals of Africa and Europe were and asked whether Canada and America were different countries.
Another Aussie wondered what their duty free allowance was in Tasmania while another checked that shops in Perth would take the same currency as Brisbane.
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These questions were really asked by people booking to come to the 2010 Olympics in CANADA.
Q: I have never seen it warm on Canadian TV, so how do the plants grow?(UK)
A. We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around and watch them die.
Q: Will I be able to see Polar Bears in the street? (USA)
A: Depends on how much you've been drinking.
Q: I want to walk from Vancouver to Toronto-can I follow the Railroad tracks? (Sweden)
A: Sure, it's only Four thousand miles, take lots of water.
Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes in Canada? (Sweden)
A: So it's true what they say about Swedes.
Q: It is imperative that I find the names and addresses of places to contact for a stuffed Beaver. (Italy)
A: Let's not touch this one.
Q: Are there any ATM's (cash machines) in Canada? Can you send me a list of them in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Halifax? (UK)
A: What did your last slave die of?
Q: Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Canada? (USA )
A : A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe. Ca-na-da is that big country to your North...oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Calgary. Come naked.
Q: Which direction is North in Canada? (USA)
A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.
Q: Can I bring cutlery into Canada? (UK)
A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.
Q: Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? (USA)
A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is...oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Vancouver and in Calgary, straight after the hippo races. Come naked.
Q: Do you have perfume in Canada? (Germany)
A: No, WE don't stink.
Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you sell it in Canada? (USA)
A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.
Q: Can you tell me the regions in British Columbia where the female population is smaller than the male population?(Italy)
A: Yes, gay nightclubs.
Q: Do you celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada? (USA)
A: Only at Thanksgiving.
Q: Are there supermarkets in Toronto and is milk available all year round?(Germany)
A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of Vegan hunter/gathers. Milk is illegal.
Q: I have a question about a famous animal in Canada, but I forget its name. It's a kind of big horse with horns. (USA)
A: It's called a Moose. They are tall and very violent, eating the brains of anyone walking close to them. You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.
Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? (USA)
A: Yes, but you will have to learn it first.
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While working in Sequoia National Park, home of the ancient/GIANT Sequoia trees. I had some great questions asked at the front desk.
Q. How come they planted the trees so close to the roads?
Q. Where are the big trees?
Q. At the general store; Do you sell bear repellent?
BUT WAIT THERE is MORE:
According to Jennifer Haz, of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, one inquiring mind asked: "Can you tell me which beach is closest to the ocean?"
Paul Gauger, of the VisitBritain.com office in New York, responded to our inquiry with a list of questions that included: "Why did they build so many ruined castles and abbeys in England?"
And a visitor to Scotland wanted to know what time the Loch Ness monster was fed.
You wonder how these people find their way to the airport.
Cara Schneider, of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, says that one tourist was disappointed about the Kennett Square mushrooms (the fungi are a multimillion-dollar industry in that city). The visitor's complaint? No square mushrooms.
Heather Bryant, of Seattle's Convention and Visitors Bureau, says one prospective holidayer asked about taking a ferry around downtown. Another wanted to know what time the whales swim by.
Going to The Netherlands? Be sure to visit the tulip factory. At least that's what one visitor wanted to do.
Rosina Shiliwala, of the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions, says her office was asked that, as well as whether Thanksgiving is celebrated in Holland.
Someone also wanted to know if they would end up in Holland if they drove through New York's Holland Tunnel.
Silly. That's what the bullet train is for.
American tourist who was visiting Windsor Castle in Great Britain, and asked the tour guide, "Why was the castle build so close to the airport?".
https://www.theage.com.au/travel/ask-a-stupid-question-tourists-dumbest-requests-20100121-mnft.html