Life in the USA vs Europe (Differences and Similarities)

[@Dreyno]

Being drunk at the end of the night is one thing. Slamming shots to get drunk at the start of the night is weird. Everyone is a mess and people end up ruining their own night and/or blacking out.

[@carrstone01]

Let it be said that, as far as culture is concerned, the bottom rung is 'entertainment'; 'culture' involves more than that, ranging from the exertions of the physical body to the workings of the mind.

[@hassanbin8514]

The man that inspired me to have a love adventure to travel Europe

[@MaxandSidney]

😄😄😄

[@markmuller7962]

We used to smoke packed cigarettes in Europe but then with the excuse/motivation to discourage people from smoking governments have taxed cigarettes to death so people moved to the rolling ones because it's cheaper Edit: Also in western Europe you can't smoke inside basically anywhere

[@GdzieJestNemo]

re public transport - US cities did have same public transport as Europe. It was removed by car companies lobby that bought up transport companies, lobbied for laws that would make public transport cost ineffective and urban planning to be car centered. As for urban planing aspect US started using super low density suburbs as the main urban unit which is incapable with public transport and forces people to use cars. As for architecture kind of yes, but not always - you can take a look at business centers like Canary Wharf in London, La Defense in Paris , Bankenviertel in Frankfurt or center of Warsaw (example of recent vid: /watch?v=AxFeTwgFfHE )

[@GdzieJestNemo]

oh and another urban planing aspect- US has super strict zoning laws which makes everything super far. Meanwhile in general in Europe only "heavy impact" industries are zoned and everything else is mixed - offices, shops, schools, houses, green spaces are together.

[@MaxandSidney]

Wow, very interesting info! It seems like a very complex issue. Definitely wish we had more access to public transit!

[@dudoklasovity2093]

yup, LA had the best tram network in the world! before 1920. FFW 100 years later, it's the most congested city in the world. What a nice trade-off! 😕

[@axell964]

The best thing is, since then the US car industry is failing hard and withdrawing nearly from every non-american market. How Asia and Europe sells half the cars in the US, and they don't have any public transports anymore.

[@Medborgarjournalistik]

Great content!

[@MaxandSidney]

Thanks for watching! Definitely a fascinating comparison to dive into!

[@iPhonesuechtler]

Dude I’ve been looking for cool content like this! Love your channel ❤ None of that unnecessary youtube hyping I think you’re absolutely right about us Europeans on the travel thing in the beginning of the video! Love from Austria 🇦🇹

[@SusanTemplin-ix5ur]

Great video. I love all your comparisons and appreciate your fair approach to understanding that there are so many reasons for the differences. Love your honesty and respectful analysis of two great continents!!

[@UncleDaver]

Great video! We’ve been to Europe many times and I think you’ve summarized the cultural differences with the US very well. Found your channel yesterday as we plan our 2025 Scandinavia trip. Specifically, it was your Tallinn video. Good delivery, great info. We are also in Wisconsin, and huge Packers fans! What city are you in?

[@MaxandSidney]

So glad you found us, we really appreciate you watching! Love connecting with a fellow Wisconsinite! I grew up in Shorewood and my parents live in Germantown!

[@stefanmaier1853]

On Public transportation. One of the reasons that might hamper expansion in the US is the separation of school busses. In Europe, the normal public bus is the go to way for most kids aged 10 and above (or even younger in some cases) to go from their home to school and back again after school. That creates a base demand for public transportation that others can use as well. If there are a few dozen kids that have to go from a small village to the next town for school, you can use that same bus line to ferry commuters to that train station that is in the same town as the school. So demand reinforces each other. One of the main factors for good local public transport is the integration of different systems. The larger commuter train lines need feeder systems to bring people to that station. What we are currently strugling with to get more people into public transport is the last mile. Getting people to the next station in a convenient way without them having to use a car - because once they are in a car, they will go the whole distance most of the time.

[@Wykreowany]

When it comes to lifestyle - as a Polish citizen I get like 26 days off per year plus when you get sick you are paid 80% of your daily wage per sick day. What is happening now among young adults (20-30s y.o) especially here in central/eastern Europe is that people are now working to live their lives instead of living just to work. Career development is important but it's a side effect.

[@MaxandSidney]

That’s a really interesting insight into what it’s like to work in Poland! It sounds like work-life balance is prioritized which we love! We really enjoyed our visit to Poland, we hope to be able to come back soon

[@BeckyPoleninja]

The majority of countries in the Worls paid holiday is mandatory most countries having 28 + days paid leave, and if you are sick you take days off, it is not taken off your PTO. We also have e amazing maternity and paternity ( paid), some countries up to a year paid off

[@BeckyPoleninja]

I disagree, most UK people do 1 weekly grocery shop

[@Mini-Me]

Thanks ❤. Interesting.

[@MaxandSidney]

Thanks for watching!

[@coffeetostay7136]

"DB is at its troubles" 😀 Yes, definitely! This comment made my day! We still travel by train in Germany, still the best choice often times (since the mythical autobahn often is pretty crowded, too). Just make sure you don't have to change trains. Even if your one train is late, you'll get there eventually. If you need to change trains, you are probably doomed... Love your content by the way, very nice, calm, infomative and smart.

[@Belaziraf]

Organic and mass production farms get subsidies but not small producers on the markets. Sometimes, and now more often, it comes from the garden of the market booth owner.

[@mindscraper1978]

You are wrong about friendships, in germany we have two different words, Bekannte, what USAmericans would consider friends, people you know but have no deep connection, and Freunde, what we call friends, you might have 2 or 3 friends, but they will be forever with a really deep connection. And traveling isn't a big thing, it might be easier to travel to other countries but we aren't travelling that often to make new friends every day.

[@agn855]

Isn’t that stereotypical _"I have to excuse myself once every 10 secs for finding something that is more exciting than in the US"_ (then otherwise my fellow aMuricans will immediately start a sh*t storm) not getting kinda exhausting?

[@hannakerr]

I think another component of lifestyle and work-life balance is the work schedules and amount of hours in a typical work week. Obviously the standard work week in the U.S. is 40 hours but there are several professions that work significantly more than that on average. I will say that some of the larger employers in the U.S. are being more generous with paid time off than in the past. For example, my former employer introduced "unlimited" time off in 2020. My friend's employer has "responsible time off" which is similar - no set number of hours or days. Thanks for video! Looking forward to hearing your comparison to the places you traveled in 2023!

[@MaxandSidney]

Thanks for the interesting insight! There’s obviously not one rule to everything, it’s really great to hear that there are many American companies making an effort to recalibrate work-life imbalance! We never had luxuries like that while we were working traditional jobs in the US, but that certainly doesn’t mean that there aren’t companies offering more balanced scheduling! I think one of the biggest differences between European and American mindsets when it comes to work is that your job doesn’t seem to define you in the same way in Europe. For example, in the US, one of the most common ice-breaker questions is “what do you do?” whereas Europeans are far more likely to ask “what do you enjoy?” But then again, for some people, the answer is the same! As you mentioned, some people work 60 hours a week which seems almost incomprehensible to us 😂 but when we really think about it, we “work” extremely long hours while traveling without even really noticing because we are having so much fun while doing it! There’s certainly themes and trends, but these days more than ever, there are exceptions to EVERY rule! Thanks for watching, we definitely have plenty more observations and comparisons to share 😁👍

[@sasse3739]

I am not too sure if the phrase "don´t have culture" refers to the things you descriped it is more of a snappy comment about how "young" the history of the USA ist compared to euope, asia or afrika. Especially in relation to the sentiment, that the "true, old history" of the American continent got wiped out by the setlers and colonists. It can often be used in bad faith.

[@GiantHaystack]

Really interesting comparison - I hope your 12 months in Europe provided you with positive life-affirming and changing knowledge that you can utilise in the future. The commercialisation and consumerism of some cultures vs the lifestyle that a more relaxed approach is quite an interesting comparison; most (not all) Europeans are content with what they have and buy what they need, not what they see advertised or trying to compete with their neighbours, whereas some (not all) Americans I've spent time with seem to live to work, to buy things which then requires more work to afford.

[@vast001]

About geography, in Europe when we watch the news or read the news on our national news sites not only national news is published but also news from other countries even outside Europe and not on the backpages but also on the forground. When I was in the US in 2004 I seldom saw news from outside the US, only when watching CNN International. About food, in Europe we don't have over processed food ingredients, Those used in the US are FORBIDDEN in Europe. So we use more natural ingredients and in Europe the homes don't have that much of storage to store food like in the US homes. In Europe we are open about smoking as in comparison to the US you don't see it as much in public due to the stigma. From history Europeans were and still are explorers. Look at who discovered many countries outside Europe. Transport, I say the 'Orient Express' There was the infrastructure for trains but due to uprising of cars in the 50's the train infrastructure had to make way for highways. So it is your own fault that it is now this way of no train culture. We Europeans don't care for US sports. But the old settlements you had have been torn down as we in Europe we treasure it. We in Europe work to live and in the US you live to work. In Europe we have in general about minimum 20 vacation days (weekends not included), some countries do have more and we aren't familiar with sick days with when you are through those days your vacation days will be used. In Europe when you are sick you are sick and we have job security. An employer can't sack you for that or on a whim. As an employer in Europe you have to proof that the employee doesn't do his/her job and get approved by for instance a district judge. So he has to make more effort to get you fired.

[@qobide]

The rest of the world doesn't follow american politics because its some kind of interesting "entertainment", but because it has real life consequences. Most people could not care less for us politics if it had no impact elsewhere.

[@lindartlichtwerk6119]

Sorry, Italy and France are definitely not the Top 2 when it comes to bread. The absolutely No. 1 in this specific subject is Germany

[@axell964]

Actually, Europa is a bigger then the USA, but smaller then north america. People usually forget that the western part of Russia still is part of Europe.

[@rwx421]

Russia is part of Geographical Europe, but it is not European, speaking in terms of culture and civilization. It has been influenced in the past but those times are long gone.

[@Mischnikvideos]

Smoking is coming under increasing pressure in Europe. But in some countries it is part of the culture and is only changing slowly. Hand-rolled cigarettes are cheaper and it is also a question of culture. Some people define their group membership through cigarette consumption. Clothing and behavior are a thing all over the world. Only in the USA is it less important. What the Americans lack is the nobility as a role model. They created complicated systems and some of them have survived to this day. These systems and the variety of cultural epochs make American culture seem boring. In every European village you can discover something about local warlike conflicts and kingdoms. Even if something only happened once in 2000 years. But some places have existed for that long or longer. In most US villages you only find gossip because they are very young compared to European villages. American Indians had these stories, but they were killed.

[@Lazarus_ReSpawn]

On geography - the reason why Americans do not know much of it, nor much of the world's history, is because of the education model. Europeans consider geography and history to be as major as math or a language class. We continue studying these regardless of the school level, while you don't. You can wake me up from a drunken stupor at 3 AM and speak a country name and I will know their capitol city, location and major landmarks atleast. That's not me being a smarta**, that's how most of the educated people are over here.

[@MaxandSidney]

Great point about the curriculum in school

[@ribaldc3998]

BTW: Smoking in Germany in restaurants, bars, supermarkets etc. is forbidden

[@agn855]

Only 2 neighbors? Russia is actually your nice 3rd neighbor… _"Yes, the USA and Russia have a natural border that runs through the Bering Strait. The closest point of this border is between the Diomede Islands: the Russian Ratmanov Island and the US Little Diomede Island are only about four kilometers apart."_ Conclusio: Setzen. Sechs.

[@citizenVader]

I just want to know if you have tasted our hotdogs in Denmark? It's kinda become a religion to us 😂

[@citizenVader]

Hahaha, Europeans don't know how much culture and influence we get from America, but it's understandable.

[@Dreyno]

Rolling tobacco is far better quality. And you can make the cigarettes as slim or fat as you want. You can also choose to use a filter or not and type of paper. I quit a decade ago but liquorice papers, ultra slim filter and Old Holborn tobacco was the absolute bomb. Regular cigarettes tasted dry and plain by comparison.

[@markmuller7962]

I guess if you have to drive 15 or 20 minutes to get to your favorite bar...Going to a bar is just less ubiquitous and once you're there you want to enjoy it fully and you're *kind of* stuck there psychologically in comparison with a bar that is literally under your apartment. But yea, beside that, The UK and the US drinking culture is quite extreme in general on getting wasted compared to most of Europe Edit: Also the type of alcohol consumed is much much stronger and more dangerous

[@xShoya]

did you just say Italy and France are the top two when it comes to bread? as a German im highly offended! 😂

[@Mini-Me]

There are laws and employers rights . UK get two weeks Summer hols and two weeks Winter hols😊 paid.

[@MaxandSidney]

That’s more than the average American worker gets for sure!

[@GiantHaystack]

Not strictly correct, in the UK we get a MINIMUM of 28 days paid leave (5.6 weeks), for a full time employee, and offered on a pro-rata basis for part-time employees. A lot of employers allow workers to buy or sell their annual leave, so if for example you wanted to take a 35-day vacation, some will allow you to take additional days off with no pay, or if you are someone who doesn't tend to take leave, so employers will give you the cash equivalent if you aren't going to take it. As for when you take your leave, it can be at any time of the year, you just agree that with your employer. Largely, it's up to you when you take the leave and how long you want to be off for. Also, this is applicable from day-one of your employment, there are no qualifying periods before annual leave becomes a right. Also, from this year all employees can request flexible working, could be the location from where you work (home, different office), to flexible working hours (a compressed fortnight is quite popular, where over 9 working day, you do sufficient extra hours to give you another day off - which is why most of our offices are empty on a Friday! - This gives us the chance to spend more time travelling, spending time with family or just having a fantastic night in a pub, knowing you have the following day off, without using up annual leave!)

[@BeckyPoleninja]

Dont forget entrepreneur is a French word lol

[@acamiln8354]

Evrything is better in Europe except money.

[@baramuth71]

and what don't you like about the money? Everyone has money

[@rwx421]

Amazing what you both have done, really liked it. Maybe in Culture something called political correctness should have deserved a spot. Anyway, congrats to you, I felt the words coming from good hearts and that conveys more than the message itself. Really appreciated it. Noroc!

[@MaxandSidney]

Thank you so much! We really appreciate your insights and so glad you liked the video! It’s obviously a very dense topic with so many different factors and perspectives. It was fun to share our experience!

[@pattynellis7347]

Americans love cars more then Europeans

[@dudoklasovity2093]

love LOL. They literally have no other option :-D Car is not freedom, it's necessity. Freedom is when you have options. Being stuck on a hwy every morning is not a freedom

[@laxyyorma7016]

Hey! Europe is little bigger than the USA. Europe is about 10,5 mil.km2 and USA is about 9,8 mil. km2.

[@anjakorthals9702]

Ich wünschte, ich hätte die Differenz als Grundbesitz.

[@Lootensansy2308]

In most European county you can’t smoke in restaurants and bars. But in the east country is different. And be honest not one country is not perfect and the people to. I go to the USA every year and is nice to be there only the food is hard for me and the loud people. And 3 mils walking is noting fresh belgium Nederland and more county walk like 10mils a day European don’t think a president is culture muziek is not cultuur school are bot culture. I think you don’t know what culture is really Like you say buildings that 200 years old that is culture we stil have the culture from 100 years old ore 300 years that is what is culture supervisor is not culture

[@kccroll6070]

Oooh, so glad that smoking is banned in ALL restaurants in the US now, I can't stand the smell, especially if I'm eating.

[@t.fidler5895]

I was suprised how not many people smoke in usa and how many take hard drugs as so.ething normal

[@markmuller7962]

The European continent is a little bit bigger than the United States 😉 (The russian plains plays a noticeable role)

[@pattynellis7347]

If i had to dress up to go the store i woud not be happy i ike casual comfort

[@Hi.its.luli.]

The USA is not walkable and its hella hot….

[@dudoklasovity2093]

USA is vast but basically its ctrl+c, ctrl+v, copy and paste. Apart from natural beauty, it looks all the same! Same shopping malls, same language, the same traffic signs, the same people, the same restaurants and fastfood in the same looking cardboard buildings, the same mentality of people. It's so dull. The sameness spread over huge area. You have seen one American city, you've seen them all.

[@Dreyno]

Americans think the cultural differences between states is the same or, bizarrely, bigger, than between European countries. I’ve heard it so many times and it’s just pure ignorance.

[@cokrlicix]

Internet and on line maps, as well as those printed ones are widely available to people in countries that have only two neighbors, as in the countries that have 5 or 6 of them. And as I recall in elementary school when we had geography lessons, we stayed in the classroom and studied did not go actually to all the places we learned about. Basically your explanation why US people don't know geography is not true...reasons are much deeper than that...but not a topic for these settings.