Crime

It basically doesn't exist here in Switzerland. People leave bikes out in the open and they don't get stolen. Hotels don't have electronic keys that change with each new guest. Eight-year-old kids ride city buses by themselves. And get this: when a young child first starts school, the Swiss put a fluorescent vest on the child that announces to the world that this child is just starting out in school and may get lost. The idea is that adults can then help the child if he or she ends up going in the wrong direction. In the U.S., that vest would be equivalent to hanging a sign on the child saying, "I'm alone and vulnerable! Please kidnap me!" In Switzerland, though, everyone just pitches in to help.

Also, cars actually stop for pedestrians. It's kind of fun just to walk around and approach random crosswalks and watch the cars stop for you. In return, Swiss pedestrians don't generally jaywalk. If they're waiting to cross a street, and there aren't any cars coming through the intersection, they still stand there and wait for the light to change.

If there's a downside to all of this, it's that the Swiss have so many rules to govern this orderly society that it can feel a little oppressive sometimes. More on the rules later.