An American traveller has shared the reasons Australia is better than the United States – including chicken salt, superannuation, cleaner public transport and less judgemental people.
Backpacker Tristan Kuhn has been travelling around Australia, visiting Melbourne, Tasmania, Adelaide and Cairns, since moving from Texas in October 2019.
Last week, the 22-year-old shared 10 things he hated about Australia on YouTube, including ‘aggressive’ flies, slow WiFi, bicycle helmet laws, and expensive soft drinks – and has since shared the things he loves.
Backpacker Tristan Kuhn has been travelling around Australia, visiting Melbourne, Tasmania, Adelaide and Cairns, since moving from Texas in October 2019
CLEANER PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Tristan was surprised to learn that Australian public transport is extremely efficient at getting you across the country quickly and comfortably.
‘In Australia you can pretty much get wherever you want in any city, any suburb, between any cities just through their public transport,’ he said.
‘Additionally their public transport is fast, it’s clean, it’s nice, it’s a pleasant experience and I can’t say the same with American public transport.’
He said those that live in larger cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles might not have the same bus and train inequities, but overall the smaller cities struggle.
‘I really enjoy having the freedom to go pretty much wherever I want in Australia without having to own a car,’ he said.
Although he did say the transport was restrictive if you want to travel ‘into the bush’ or the outback and a traveller would be best hiring a car.
Tristan was surprised to learn that Australian public transport is extremely efficient at getting you across the country quickly and comfortably
PARKS HAVE FREE BARBECUES
Most of the nature reserves in Australia have free BBQ’s available to make sausages, steak or eggs on a picnic.
‘You go to pretty much any public park here and there will be free grills and I’m not talking about those like crappy metal boxes that you can put charcoal in, these are like good electric grills that are cleaned and maintained,’ Tristan said.
‘You can go there and light them up like a full-on barbecue, like cook burgers, cook steaks, you don’t need to bring your own charcoal… it is such a nice experience.’
Most of the nature reserves in Australia have free BBQ’s available to make sausages, steak or eggs on a picnic
CHICKEN SALT
Tristan noted that he never knew chicken salt ‘existed’ until he visited Australia, and he is obsessed with using it.
‘Pretty much if you order french fries or chips as they call them here at most restaurants they are going to put chicken salt on them,’ he said.
‘This is different to regular salt… it is so freaking good like it is the best invention since sliced bread. It’s like salt but has some flavouring to it and it fits so well on chips.’
Chicken salt was actually developed to flavour roast chickens in South Australia and marketed with a range of herbs and spices.
Tristan noted that he never knew chicken salt ‘existed’ until he visited Australia, and he is obsessed with using it
THE LEGAL DRINKING AGE IS 18
In Australia the legal age to drink alcohol is 18 but it’s 21 when you live in or visit America.
‘To me that seems much more reasonable, I mean most people argue like oh you can enlist in the military you can do this you can do that but you can’t drink and yes that’s all true,’ Tristan said.
‘But also why is it that in American culture it’s like kind of socially acceptable to drink once you’re 18, like once you go to college people expect that you drink?
‘I just find it weird that the mindset of America is like “oh it’s okay to drink whenever you’re 18” and yet the law says 21.’
He described America as ‘backward’ in its thinking about when young people should be allowed to drink alcohol.
In Australia the legal age to drink alcohol is 18 but it’s 21 when you live in or visit America
USE OF THE METRIC SYSTEM
Tristan argued that the metric system – which includes metres, kilometres and degrees Celsius – is easier to use than the imperial system in America.
‘We use Fahrenheit and miles in American but pretty much every country has recognised the metric system as being better and converted to that system,’ he said.
He finds it extremely confusing to measure things and interpret temperatures in countries outside of the United States for this reason.
SUPERANNUATION
The American backpacker explained that nine per cent of an Australian person’s wages are put into a superannuation fund by their employer for retirement, on top of their hourly wage.
‘This is smart for a couple of reasons but mainly it guarantees everyone some kind of retirement fund,’ Tristan said.
‘You could blow every single pin you’ve ever earned and you would still have money to retire in… and I think we should adopt this in America.’
The American backpacker explained that nine per cent of an Australian person’s wages are put into a superannuation fund by their employer for retirement, on top of their hourly wage
LESS JUDGEMENTAL
He described Australia as ‘way more international’ and accepting of other people’s lifestyles, more so than in the US.
If you want to do something ‘alternative’ or that doesn’t fit in with the status quo that will be largely accepted.
‘I just feel like you can be yourself here more without having judgment… I think we’re kind of bad at that in America and there’s a lot of like expectations of like how you should live.’