Anyone who has ever travelled between the USA and UK will notice a range of key differences.
From the food we eat, to the way we speak and even the way we dress, there are many aspects of daily life that set the cultures apart.
Travel can be hugely beneficial for opening our eyes to other ways of life.
One American thinks this might be the key to the biggest difference of all.
Content site Quora posed the question: “What is most shocking thing to find when someone from the USA visits Europe?”
Victor Peña-Araujo thinks the answer might be that cultural differences exist at all.
He said: “One of the most shocking things for an American to experience upon visiting Europe will probably be the realisation that the United States is not the centre of the world.
“An American in Europe will see massive, beautiful and vibrant cities humming day and night filled with millions of people speaking a different language and living their lives very differently from us.
“They are who they are and who they’ve been for hundreds or thousands of years before the US ever existed.”
Speaking from his personal experience, Victor thinks travel can allow people to let go of stereotypes they may have had about certain countries and cultures.
He added: “It may take a while for an American to loosen up on his Americo-centric view of the world but once it happens they undergo a tremendous transformation and you can tell.
“An American with an expanded world-view speaks with a different tone, expresses his more nuanced views of the problems of other nations with more respect.”
Other Quora contributors shared their own answers to the original question.
One user thought “small cars and narrow streets” set Europe apart, while another said recorded history goes back further, with “monuments everywhere”.
One tongue-in-cheek Quora thread listed 23 reasons why an American thinks Britons are better.
It said: “They have a greater grasp of sarcasm, irony, self-deprecating humour and also, the entire English language.
“They make better and greater varieties of chocolates, cheeses, cakes, alcoholic beverages and dishes with questionable names (bubble and squeak, spotted dick, singing hinnies).”
