What I’ve Learned NOT to Do By Traveling to Over 40 Countries…
I was recently asked what things Americans do -presumably on accident- that have given them such a rotten reputation as tourists around the world. I’m an American who has spent the last 15 years living and traveling mostly outside the US, and that has made me pretty aware of trying not to be the “ugly American” stereotype. Different things are annoying about Americans to different countries, but here’s a quick list of some of the bigger, broader ones that I’ll call out my fellow Americans on…
(A quick caveat: I think the “ugly American” stereotype originated a long time ago, back when most of the Americans who you’d find outside the country were either pretty well-off or military. A lot of those people are not models of consideration and good behavior, for different reasons.)
Nowadays, I think a lot of younger Americans travel a lot more, as they’ve learned how to do it more cheaply, like Europeans, British, or Aussies on gap years. But that also means that information is a lot more easily available. If you see Americans being rude nowadays, it’s often not that ‘they just don’t know what’s expected.’ Rude Americans nowadays more than ever probably wouldn’t change their behavior even if you told them they were being rude. If they wanted to know, they would’ve found out before traveling. They’re entitled enough to…
