We have travelled the world. Not the whole world, and not like Leon Lai (if you don’t get the reference just check out his amazing song 眼睛想旅行). At least one of us has been to 
Thailand, Singapore, China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Australia, USA, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia, Denmark, Finland, England, Ireland, Italy and Spain.
Not too much, but gave us some general ideas about the countries we have seen. I love to see different places, experience different things. I think it’s pretty normal to a Western person to be more impressed by Eastern culture.
Asia impressed me… A LOT. I don’t say it’s better or worse from the West, it’s just different.
Some of the solutions they use are so simple yet so amazing, I think we should use some of those ideas in Europe or in the US.
If you’re too lazy to read the post, you can just click in the video below or you can continue reading !
Here are 5 (and more) things common in Asia that should be more common in the Western countries.
Umbrella bags
It’s just a simple, biodegradable bad to pack your umbrella so the water won’t be dripping all over the floor. Can be found in nearly every shopping mall and public buildings in Hong Kong and Japan.
We live in Ireland, probably the wettest country in Europe. Like literally, they should give you one of those the moment you cross the boarder, because believe me – you have 99% of chances that it will rain during your stay. You know what, they should even hand one to parents registering 
their new born babies, because it will come in handy.
Imagine how much easier and safer it would be, if everyone would pack their wet umbrella in a bag for time being, instead of letting the water drip down from the umbrella.
Ice in a cup
Have you ever traveled and got a cool drink you want to try, but you have no way to chill it? You can try to say a cool joke, but may not work. Some genius in Japan thought of ice in a portable cup, you can get it at local convenient stores.
So simple, yet so brilliant. I hope that guy got a raise, because he deserves it. Pilled mandarins – no thank you, I can do it myself. Ice in the cup? Yes, please!
We REALLY need more people like him in this world.
Fridge-lockers
I’m sure most of you do your groceries in multiple stores. But what do you do with your fresh meat – leave it in a warm car? Take it around with you?
Aeon in Tai Koo provides you with a fridge-lockers so you can leave your raw products there – security won’t suspect you, your food will stay fresh, everyone’s happy. 
As someone who does shopping in 3 different stores, I wish more places did this.
Seat sanitizers in the toilet
I’m not a fan of those non-flush able toilet covers. First of all, they never ever get flushed. Doesn’t matter what I do, in the end I have to wrap my hands around with toilet paper, grab that cover and flush again.
You know how embarrassing that is? Everyone will think I did something so nasty that I need to flush twice. Eww.
With individual sanitizing liquids in the toilet cabinets at least I get that mental comfort that even if I lose my stability and fall from ‘the invisible chair’, and my butt touches that germ-y toilet it won’t be as bad. It always makes me feel like I touched butts with someone else. Eww.
Octopus card and payment methods
You know my love for Octopus – it’s so convenient. Not really good when you want to save money, but show me a different travel pass that allows you to pay in stores, restaurants, even allows you to pay for your visa!
You’re not stuck with your cash only, it takes literally few seconds to complete transaction.
London is very close with its ApplePay and the fact that they allow you to pay for subway using your debit card (‘Pay as you go’), but still – you’re using your card, in public, it’s just asking for something bad to happen.
OCTOPUS CARD FOR THE WIN! 
Face masks
I get sick in Ireland quite often, so I try to wear my face masks to not make everyone around me sick. I wish everyone was so considered, because I only get weird look from the people.
Our colleagues in the company got used to it, yet they still call me Darth Vader or Sub Zero (quite cool, tho). But in Europe most of the people won’t care about someone else’s healthy, if they cover their mouth while coughing or sneezing, you can consider yourself lucky.
Then, on the other hand, it’s Asia who usually is having some bio-hazard issues… Weird world, isn’t it?
What other ideas should be more common in the West? Which one is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
Next to the store that I used to work there was a Bereshka store and they have small and big umbrella bags! Right now I just use a normal plastic bag.
I didn’t really care for toilet seats, but thanks to you I will be always thinking about other people buttcheeks … 😂
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it’s even worse when the toilet seat is still warm… 😀
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That umbrella bag sounds brilliant. I’ve never seen one!
Food lockers are great for big cities, shopping with no car — but in car-centric LA, we just pack a cooler with ice and leave perishables in it if we have other stops.
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And most important – those bags are usually eco-friendly!
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Umbrella bags, yeah. They deserve to take over the world.
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finally someone who understands my love!
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Yeah I agree with the face masks. They are really convenient also with polluted air in the city. Or if you have hay fever in spring and want to protect yourself from the pollens. I guess you could still buy them on amazon or something but people would stare at you like you have a contagious disease :’D
What I also miss here are those hand-warming pillows :’D I used to have 2 in China: one for work, one for home 😀 I wanna bring some back to Germany when I travel to China again 😀
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I tried to use face masks for my cat allergy but it didn’t really help, not even those socialistic ones! son of s fluff haha 🙂
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The umbrella bags are very nice, can be found also in many stores/ department stores in Mainland China. In Finland I encountered them as well but here in Germany, ZERO.
Also the whole payment methods are so much more advanced in several Asian countries. My father was so surprised this spring when he saw FIL paying taxi, bus, metro and even some groceries with his phone 🙂
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your FIL is so advanced! Momzilla lives in a cash world – ‘no money, no talk’ haha 🙂
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FIL used to be also like that and stil has a extra bag just for the cash but these days he prefers the modern ways 🙂
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Yes! Mobile payments! Here I pay with my phone in basically any store… the only place I’ve come across recently that didn’t support mobile payments was Starbucks!! Boooh! Even the breakfast pancake tiny shop downstairs accepts them!
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Thank god I always avoid Starbucks 😀
But really,I think I had never worse coffee than at starbucks so far. I give it every few years a try but well…ain’t good.
It is really crazy in China with those Mobile Payments and espeically the Wifi. Last year when we were shortly in Sichuan there was even wifi on a freaking mountain and the entire way up to it 😮
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Hahaha I don’t even like coffee, I rarely go to Starbucks, only if someone wants to meet there. I agree that their coffee is not good and apart from that it’s ridiculously expensive…
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Starbucks in China uses a
alipay and Wechat pay.
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Then it must have been the particular branch I went to in Suzhou. I had not been to Starbucks in a long time and I was very surprised they didn’t accept mobile payment.
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I just went today in Fuzhou and used Weixin.
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I didn’t know the umbrella bags are biodegradable, that’s brilliant. How about the flasks? Heating the kettle again and again wastes electricity and the big flasks in China are also so patterned and colourful. No need to keep going to the kitchen everytime your tea needs more water. That’s what I think we need in Europe.
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I haven’t really seen those as I went to China only in Summer and HK doesn’t really need hot water in their 20C winter but I think that’s so cool, especially for elderly! Everyone should have access to that!
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Umbrella bags? So just a plastic bag then? That’s what I use to keep my wet umbrella in.
Also as you mentioned you can pay with contactless in London, meaning you don’t need a card – a keyring, wristband or sticker can be used to pay for everything.
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It’s shaped to fit the umbrella and it’s biodegradable so slightly different 😀 I only seen people paying with the card itself or the phone, but keyring or wristband sounds cool!
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Yeah…but the Octopus Card was in use since 1997. 😀
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Food lockers for sure! And I love Octopus card. It is so freaking convenient!!
And we need more local “Tea Station” that serves afternoon tea with comfort food. It’s even rare in Los Angeles! so crazy!
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I found a wending machine with herbal desserts in dragon centre in HK – need one of those here 😀
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I like umbrella bags but for a favorite I’d go for the availability of hot drinking water. In China they have hot drinking water available in most paces.Just carry a heat proof water bottle or thermos and a tea bag or some instant coffee.
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I’ve seen it in McDonalds in HK but it’s not that common as the heat is crazy there 🙂 but I think it’s really nice people have access to such a basic need! that should definitely be more common! and then in Poland you still pay for water in the restaurant …..
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I’m getting a face mask this winter, but I’m worried about wearing it in public in Canada! Literally no one wears them, but I’m just going to do it! Haha.
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Be a trendsetter :D!
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Great list, especially the ice cup. Another item I personally adopted after being in Asia is the mosquito netting for my bed. Don’t know why more people in the West don’t use them, given how many critters there are.
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i use those products you plug into the wall and they just die 😀 hate mosquitoes!
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I was trying to explain the face masks in China to someone the other day. I always think it’s funny when the news features pictures of people in medical masks as a way of showing how bad the pollution is! I am not down playing the horrendous pollution problem in China, but I do find myself explaining to people quite often that it is very common to use masks to prevent the spread of disease. They are not just to protect against bad air, and in fact medical masks will do nothing to protect against the pollution anyways! I never saw ice in a cup in China, as cold beverages seem to be regarded as the cause of all bad health (this is an outsiders observations). Fridge lockers sound brilliant!
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In China there is Weixin aka Wechat. It is a social media device where you can pay your bill, order a taxi, order food, send money to your friends, shop on online stores, pay vendors. It is actually pretty cool and I don’t have to carry around cash. There aren’t many things I like about China( being one of the undateables can sour one’s attitude) but wechat is a guilty pleasure.
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Your analysis is amazing, Looks like you had a spend great time in these countries! Love the photos and the post 🙂
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thank you so much!
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good points. i would especially vote for the octopus card. every country to apply similar system. it would make everyone’s lives so much easier.
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Wear the face mask in EU makes others want to freak out though LOL They think I’m terminally ill or something.
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