A map of ATMs designed to scam tourists in Europe • Hacker News Board

Re: A map of ATMs designed to scam tourists in Europe

#141

Post by FearNotDaniel » Mon, Nov 20, 2023, 9:43 AM UTC

> In Europe, they usually have certain retail stores (e.g. Spar)

By this logic, every town in Austria, big or small, is an "ugly mass tourism place." It's one of the leading supermarket chains here, and better quality than most of its competitors. Obviously not so in the Netherlands, or the author wouldn't have thought that the brand can only signify cheap/ripoff. But I understand what it signifies in Mallorca in particular: not just a tourist town, but a tourist town with mostly German-speaking visitors. Drive to the next beach town, where English tourists go, and the fake Spar/Billa beachfront stores will be replaced by fake Tesco/Sainsburys stores. None of them have any affiliation with the actual brands from the tourists' home countries.

Re: A map of ATMs designed to scam tourists in Europe

#142

Post by getwiththeprog » Mon, Nov 20, 2023, 12:16 PM UTC

robocat wrote: post #111

rgmerk wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ever visited a proper tourist trap? They’re awful places no sane adult would ever spend time in. They exist for people who don’t want to actually experience anything unfamiliar when they travel.

That is a very condescending take. Lots of people choose to go to tourist traps for their own reasons. You don't have to like what they like. Like many, I even go back to some "terribly" touristy places because it is what I wish to do. I also do off-the-beaten-path travel as well. But I usually can't blend in as though I were a local. I also have the freedoms and restrictions usual to tourists. Examples: I enjoy tour…

"I enjoy touristy Queenstown in my own country"

I love the naivety of New Zealanders, bless 'em all :)

Re: A map of ATMs designed to scam tourists in Europe

#143

Post by robocat » Mon, Nov 20, 2023, 5:06 PM UTC

getwiththeprog wrote: post #142

robocat wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is a very condescending take. Lots of people choose to go to tourist traps for their own reasons. You don't have to like what they like. Like many, I even go back to some "terribly" touristy places because it is what I wish to do. I also do off-the-beaten-path travel as well. But I usually can't blend in as though I were a local. I also have the freedoms and restrictions usual to tourists. Examples: I enjoy tour…

"I enjoy touristy Queenstown in my own country" I love the naivety of New Zealanders, bless 'em all :)

You know nothing about me or what I do when away: making shallow assumptions about what I/others should or shouldn't enjoy is rude.

Re: A map of ATMs designed to scam tourists in Europe

#144

Post by deanCommie » Mon, Nov 20, 2023, 8:35 PM UTC

doix wrote: post #52

deanCommie wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have this sad realization that the current generation is taking the backlash to this too far, and as as a result people don't want to go anywhere that's too "touristy" as a result. I get it. I want the solo unique ethereal earth-changing experiences too. But I can also point to two distinct comparison points. I got to have a fairly tourist-free experience in Angkor Wat. I intentionally travelled to Southeast Asia d…

Totally agree, even have a similar anecdote. I managed to visit Angkor Wat in March 2020, when people were just starting to take COVID seriously and Chinese tourists couldn't travel anywhere. Quite a few times it was just me and my friends walking around with nobody else around. My contrasting experience was when I visited the pyramids last summer. Still thousands of people despite it being +40 degrees. It was hot an…

Just because other people had the same experience as you, doesn't mean that your feelings and experiences aren't unique.

It took becoming a parent for me to TRULY realize that. There is nothing unique about becoming a parent. Yet it's the most unique experience I've had in my life so far. Those are not in contradiction. Or if they are, embracing the contradiction is the key to having a fulfilling existence.

Re: A map of ATMs designed to scam tourists in Europe

#145

Post by gpvos » Tue, Nov 21, 2023, 12:57 PM UTC

thealistra wrote: post #119

oriettaxx wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

found some info in https://www.monito.com/en/wiki/euronet-atm-charges-and-fees#... What is Euronet? Euronet Worldwide is an American-headquartered worldwide provider of electronic payment services. It operates the largest independent ATM network in Europe and owns a total of almost 46,000 ATMs around the world. Euronet’s high ATM fees and exchange rates have regularly been criticised, but the company has frequently d…

Most Polish people have free ATM withdrawals from Euronet per their bank account agreement. In Poland it is probably the most popular ATM chain. Where there’s a lot of ATMs there’s a lot of people - not specifically tourists. This article is weird about assuming that.

Non-Poles pay through their nose at the same ATMs though. So I would think there's an incentive to place them at places with lots of tourists, which is where I find them; but then that's mostly where I have been in Poland.