There are things in life that just make sense, and I’ve noticed that we Americans could take tips from other countries how to do things better and smarter.

Japan has public restrooms that play music to mask the sound of flushing, and some have readout screens that show which toilets are free or occupied so you don’t have to bend down and look for feet. They also have air showers that blow pollen off people and clothes to protect those with allergies and emergency toilets in some elevators (not kidding!). The Aukland airport in New Zealand has a child’s toilet and an adult toilet in a single stall for parents to use.

Australia has been testing photoluminescent (glow in the dark) paint on roads that can glow for up to 10 hours after sunset. This improves nighttime visibility in rural and remote areas where there aren’t streetlights.  Texas has followed suit by adopting the technology, apparent at Texas A&M University where there’s a glow in the dark path at a campus intersection that helps improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians. The Netherlands also has several glow in the dark paths, as does Malaysia. South Korea has light up lines on major street crosswalks.

Moscow’s traffic light poles themselves light up when the traffic light changes so that drivers can see the color change better from yellow to red to green.  Croatia’s benches in public areas have built-in phone chargers and public WI-Fi. Several countries have pay for toilets which fund cleanliness and maintenance and in the UK there is an emergency button close to floor level under all the other buttons in case you collapse and need assistance.

Seattle’s airport offers temporary soundproof office spaces for events or meetings. Other airports, including Salt Lake International Airport, have phone ‘booths’ where you can sit with your laptop and talk without others hearing your conversation. This is a trend nationwide in airport lounges.

Italy has pet carts at grocery stores so you don’t have to leave them outside tied to a railing. They also have bottle caps that stay attached to bottles, so you don’t drop or lose them.  Germany has grocery carts with a special rack for cases of beer and has cleaning machines for your cart if needed.

Movies theaters around the world are getting creative, with food and beverage delivery to your seats, comfy lounge chairs that can heat, cool and massage you. Croatia has literal single beds in the back row for folks who would rather lay down that sit.

There’s a ski resort in Japan that uses saltwater sprinklers to keep walkways from getting too icy and dangerous. Norway has free book libraries at some bus stops.

How about UTA put up signs all along the FREE bus routes in downtown SLC to save people and conventioneers from walking in the hella heat this summer and to save energy with less cars? There’s a thought!