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65 Super Cool Things From Other Countries That Are Not Only Already Living In 2024, But Probably More Like 3024

Literally every other country has better McDonald's than us — and don't even get me STARTED on vending machines.

1. In Seoul, there are literally robots at the airport that will carry your luggage for you.

a robot to carry luggage

2. And Tokyo has "snack vendors" on wheels with no human workers.

An unmanned robot on wheels rolls across a crosswalk while carrying snacks and sauces

3. Beijing also has autonomous ice cream trucks you can get a sweet treat from.

an ice cream truck

4. In Osaka, there are tiles showing which direction is north when you exit a train so you can easily orient yourself, and I've been saying NYC needs these for FOREVER.

An arrow pointing north

5. And the airport in Athens has a literal museum in it. Catch up, America.

an airport museum

6. Tokyo, Japan has an "air shower" for people who are allergic to pollen, to basically blow it off you and your clothes.

an air dryer room

7. This hospital room in England has a fake window projected on its ceiling.

a fake window of the sky

8. This Singapore invention is so smart. Why do we not have this?

a button for older people crossing the street

9. In the Netherlands, traffic lights will warn you if a bus is approaching.

a traffic light

10. I'm not going to go into detail on this one, but let's just say this would be a game-changer for me.

a "flushing sound effect"

11. In Australia, there are tunnels with lights that move at the speed limit so you can get an idea of your speed and try your best to match the limit.

A driving tunnel

12. Some museums in Rome have carved versions of their paintings so that blind people can experience the artwork, which is just so clever and inclusive.

a carved version of a painting for blind patrons

13. And some crosswalks in Sweden have a representation of the crosswalks ahead, so blind people can have an easier time of crossing.

a crosswalk sign for blind pedestrians

14. This public bench with a phone charger is in RURAL France. I live in NYC, and I've never even seen one of these!!!

a charging bench

15. This bench at a bus stop in South Korea also has (wireless!!!) charging — AND it's heated.

a heated bench

16. The US is behind the times for real. This movie theater in China has free massage chairs as seats — AND charging ports for your phone.

a movie theater

17. This Australian McDonald's literally has a library in it.

a library

18. And you can go to a McDonald's that looks like a quaint little house in Brazil. Why can't all McDonald's be designed to blend in to their surroundings?

A Brazilian McDonald's

19. Why don't our McDonald's have this level of thought for its patrons?

a padded bar

20. At McDonald's in Italy, you can get little miniature calzones, and I'm going to need McDonald's in the US to adopt these immediately.

McDonald's calzones

21. I'd also like Dunkin' Donuts in the US to start selling mulled wine, like it does in Georgia (the country, not the state).

"Mulled wine"

22. Instead of using "wet floor" signs in Hong Kong, they use projections.

A light shines on the floor that says wet floor

23. And in Finland, pedestrian and biker signs are also projected, so that they can still be seen after it snows.

signs for biking and walking

24. I didn't even know you could put landings on escalators, but they've mastered it in Tokyo!

an escalator with a landing

25. I have certainly never seen a train go on a ferry in New York!!!

a train on a ferry

26. The entire pole lights up on these traffic lights in Moscow, Russia, so there's no way you can miss the color change.

light poles

27. And pedestrian lights are projected onto the ground in Hong Kong, so you'll notice it if you're looking down.

red lights on sidewalks

28. Free seltzer dispensers in the US would actually be a game-changer for me, a chronic LaCroix drinker. Too bad I'd have to go to France to access one!

a sparkling water dispenser

29. This supermarket in Hong Kong literally has a tiny Ikea in it, and I didn't even know I needed miniature Ikeas until now.

a small Ikea

30. It'd be nice if US airports were like the airport in Rome. Instead I feel like they're going to take me out back and shoot me in the leg if I take more than 10 seconds to unload my luggage.

a "kiss & go" area

31. I never know what to do with my cooking oil, so these special oil waste baskets they have in Brussels would actually be very helpful.

"Oliobox"

32. The tops on recycling bins in Sweden show you exactly what you're supposed to put in them, which would sure be useful in my apartment building, where people don't seem to know what the word "recycle" even means.

The tops of the recycling bins are decorated with a glass bottle, plastic cup, and cardboard box to indicate which items go in which bin

33. There's a restaurant in India with a big sign showing you how to order with sign language so you can order across the room and don't have to worry about pronunciation.

All the dishes on the menu come with a visual guide showing how to order it in sign language

34. This grocery store in Germany gives out scraps of greens to anyone with a small pet rather than letting them go to waste, which is so cute to me.

a box of greens for pets

35. I'm no photographer, but I still think this little hole in a fence for photographers to use in France is pretty cool.

a hole for taking photos

36. Japan has emergency toilets in elevators. Just in case.

an elevator toilet

37. Apparently, this is a whole thing in Japan, actually. They have a whole emergency kit with water and food in case there's a blackout or earthquake, which just seems smart.

an emergency kit in an elevator

38. German grocery stores have a special place on the back of their shopping carts for beer, because we all know the bottom part of the cart we have to use in the US is only big enough for soda!!!

The extra rack is designed to be exactly the standard size of a case of beer, so the case fits snugly without the beers moving around

39. In Italy, bottle caps stay attached to bottles so you don't drop or lose them, and I'm scratching my head wondering why all bottle caps everywhere aren't like this.

The plastic rings at the top of bottles include an additional strip of plastic that keeps the lid attached

40. The Auckland airport in New Zealand has a child's toilet and an adult toilet in a single stall for parents, which just makes sense.

The stall is outfitted with two toilets; the one for adults is larger and flushes using a sensor, the one for children is smaller and must be flushed by hand

41. In Canada, there's bike repair equipment on the bike paths, in case you run into trouble.

A metal pole has wires holding basic tools like screwdrivers and wrenches; the wires extend so the tools can be pulled out of the pool and used, but can't be stolen

42. Singapore crosswalks have separate crossing lanes and lights for bikers and pedestrians.

Bike lanes in Singapore

43. The carts at this German supermarket have a place to lock your phone, which would be great for me, considering my phone tends to get buried under a million pounds of groceries.

a grocery cart

44. This UK supermarket has a way to indicate that a cart with a less-than-stellar wheel performance needs fixing, which is just a way to be a good samaritan and help ensure no one gets a wonky cart.

"Please repair me" tags

45. This Mexican grocery store has different bins for avocados that are ripe today and ones that will be ripe tomorrow.

avocados for today or tomorrow

46. Germany literally has vending machines for contact lenses.

a contact lens vending machine

47. And meat.

meat in a vending machine

48. This vending machine in Spain stocks condoms and lube.

condoms and lube in a vending machine

49. And you can get pizza from a vending machine in France.

a vending machine selling pizza

50. As well as baguettes, of course.

a vending machine for baguettes

51. As well as dumplings from a vending machine in Osaka.

dumpling vending machine

52. One more really cool vending machine — one that sells fresh flowers in the Netherlands!

a vending machine for flowers

53. This grocery store in Finland has parking spots for dogs while their humans are shopping inside, which would be really nice in cities like LA and NYC where everyone and their mother brings their dog everywhere.

a dog parking lot

54. The trains in the Czech Republic have bottle openers by their seats.

train seats

55. This doesn't necessarily apply to me, but this German restaurant has made peeing fun by including a mini soccer game in urinals.

A soccer game in a urinal

56. This toilet stall in Japan has a tray for your personal items and reminders to make sure you don't forget them.

A tray for your items in the bathroom

57. This elevator in Argentina doesn't just tell you the weight limit like any old elevator — it actually shows you how close you are to reaching it.

A sensor on an elevator displaying the weight

58. This hotel in Switzerland has napkins you can use to hit on people or make friends.

Napkins with questions and fill-in-the-blanks

59. In KFC in Canada, there are wireless chargers at the tables, and I have very rarely seen that in the US.

a wireless charger in a table

60. Maybe this isn't all that futuristic, but I still think it's really cute and smart to give people an hourglass with their tea so they know when it's been steeped enough, especially because I always just make a guess.

an hour glass next to a French press

61. In Germany, there are parking spaces specifically for women (in well-lit places close to security guards so that women can walk to their cars safely) which sounds pretty good to me.

parking spaces for women

62. In Copenhagen, trash cans are tilted so cyclists can easily throw things away, and I'm starting to wonder if it's Americans' fault that we litter so much, or if our infrastructure isn't set up well to encourage actually throwing stuff away.

a tilted trash can

63. I have seen a couple community fridges in NYC, at least, but apparently, there are a ton of freezers in Dubai for people who need food.

a communal fridge

64. Why don't we do this with our ugly telephone poles???

a telephone pole disguised as a tree

65. And finally, this clothing store with no employees would actually be a dream for my social anxiety, as I wouldn't have to gear myself up to make pleasantries with the cashier.

"Used clothing store with no attendant in Japan"