Guide Says One Strange Trait of Lithuanian Tourists Leaves Her Baffled

When young Lithuanian tourists hear their native language abroad, guide Angelina Zaleckaitė says, they often hurry away or begin speaking English conspicuously. She described the behavior in a Facebook post shared with Delfi readers and said she “sincerely” does not understand why it happens.

Zaleckaitė said she has noticed the pattern in cafés, museum queues and airplanes. She wondered whether it reflected embarrassment, a broader change among young people or a fear that fellow Lithuanians would ask for help or intrude on their personal space.

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Why do young Lithuanians abroad pretend not to be Lithuanian?

Her own reaction is the opposite. When she hears Lithuanian somewhere else in the world, she naturally wants to smile, say hello and offer useful advice or recommendations. She said she watches Spanish and American travelers with “white envy” because they quickly start talking when they hear their language or national accent. Within minutes, she said, they are recommending places to eat and sights to visit.

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I sincerely do not understand why this is happening.

Zaleckaitė said older Lithuanian travelers are generally happy to start conversations, celebrate the encounter and ask about one another’s journeys. Younger people, she said, more often run away after hearing a Lithuanian word.

The guide also recently warned about organized roadside robbery groups on Spain’s AP-7 highway, particularly on routes toward Barcelona, Girona and Alicante. She described a tactic in which one vehicle signals that another car has a flat tire or mechanical problem, prompting travelers to stop. While one person distracts them near the rear of the vehicle, an accomplice can open a door and steal bags, wallets, phones, documents and backpacks. The excerpt ends while discussing claims in society and the media that the groups were a “Romanian mafia.”

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I am always happy to meet my own people.