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I feel like there currently isn't a lot of trust between people in the United States. For most of us, whenever we leave our house, car or anything with a lock, we make sure that the lock is firmly in place. When in a public place, if we get up for even a second, we pack up all our belongings so we don’t leave anything for anyone to snatch.

On top of that, we are all paranoid that our neighbors are up to something, the government is reading our e-mails and that stranger on the street is going to kill us. While I’m not saying that this fear isn't justified, I am saying there are places in the world where people still trust each other. Below is a list of things that remind me trust still exits while traveling in Australia.

Empty stores: While browsing shops, often times you’ll find you are all by yourself. Though it is part of Australian culture to greet one another upon entering the shop, if you are just browsing and the weather is nice out, or the clerk has something else to do, you are trusted to look around all by your lonesome. They don’t even check your pockets when you go!

Booking hotels without a credit card: Yep, this is pretty straightforward. You can literally walk into a hotel, pay in cash, and really do nothing else after that. No ID card, no exchange of passport, nothing.

Leaving your things on the beach/in public: Once again, straightforward but straight awesome. While in Australia, especially in shared public places, leaving your belongings is pretty common practice. Small theft in these areas is almost non-existent, so leaving your belongings on the beach (even for a few days…) is all good. This goes for coffee shops, libraries and other places where you may be sitting in public with a bunch of your crap on a table.

Pumping gas before you pay: Believe it or not, in Australia you are trusted to pump your gas before you pay. No pre-pay cash inside and no credit card down. The gas is in your fuel tank before any money is exchanged.

Mind blown? I think so.

Photo courtesy of ABC