These 10 Big Tourist Mistakes Make WA Residents Roll Their Eyes

Last time we checked, over 102 million people visited Washington state for the year. That means over 102 million chances for someone to embarrass themselves as a tourist.

I am here to help you avoid that by giving you ten tips, if you will, on what not to do when you visit Washington state.

I’m guilty of doing embarrassing things as a tourist, too, so I’m not sitting here like I’m so perfect! The last time I went to Oregon, I’m pretty sure I embarrassed myself, at least in the dating realm.

I had committed one of the big Tourist™ faux pas: I set my Tinder location to “local” and tried to find a date on the hottest day I think Portland’s ever had!

I had two guys swipe ‘right’ on me, which was awesome! One of the guys, however, was like, “Yeah, no. It’s too hot for me to move off my couch for a date”, and the other was like, “You’re beautiful and all, but it’s too hot to go outside right now.”

Rewind to when I first moved to the Pacific Northwest from Nashville, Tennessee. I knew there would be a bit of a culture shock, but I did not anticipate just how much.

The biggest faux pas I made when I started living in Washington state was getting dressed up to go to the club.

In Tennessee, we dressed UP when we went out. Wearing blue jeans would have gotten you laughed at the door by the bouncers before you even got inside.

In Washington, or at least here in rural Washington, dressing up for the club means you’re not from ‘round here!

Don’t stand out like a sore thumb as a newcomer to Washington, unless that’s the look you’re going for. (Some people don’t even care about picky etiquette things like that, but for those of us who do, pay attention.)

Besides trying to find a Tinder date on the hottest day of the year, don’t do any of these 10 stupid (and/or embarrassing) things as a Tourist™ in Washington.

1 . Dress up for the club (unless you’re in a bigger city like Seattle or Tacoma).

2 . Call it “WARSH-ington”. (You have been forewarned.)

3 . Use an Umbrella. (We don’t do that here.)

4 . Disrespect our Natives, Indigenous, and/or First Peoples. (We give honor and respect to each tribal community of Washington state.)

5 . Head straight for the chain restaurants and chain coffee shops. (Explore our Mom & Pop family-owned eateries and our locally-owned roadside coffee shops instead. You’ll be missing out on what could possibly be the best meal or cup of coffee you ever had before!)

6 . Litter on our freeways, highways, BEACHES, and roadways, and in our parks. (Please take your nasty trash with you. That should go unsaid and be common sense, yet, here we are!)

7 . Drive like a slow maniac! (If you’re visiting from New Mexico, I’m not talking to you; you all keep up with the speed limits and give me no grief. But I’m looking at YOU, Oregon drivers! Please pay attention to the signs and drive the actual minimum speed limit, NOT LESS THAN IT!)

8 . Expect everywhere in Washington to be like Seattle. (It doesn’t rain everywhere, just mostly on the Western side of the state that’s closest to the Pacific Coast.)

9 . Ignore the leash laws. (This will get you evil stares from the locals and you might get yelled at by somebody, too!)

10 . Confuse an irrigation ditch with an actual creek. (Irrigation water might look like a lil sweet ole innocent creek, but it’s actually for the farmers. Not for dipping your toes in to cool off on a hot day!)