Wolters World

10 Ways to Notice an American Tourist While You Travel

Ten Signs You Might Be an Ugly Tourist

Greetings from London! Today I’m sharing 10 ways that other travelers can tell if you are an American tourist. These are some fun observations we have made and comments we have received over the years from a number of other travelers. And one thing you should note, being an “ugly American” tourist doesn’t just mean Americans, it should actually be just, “Ugly Tourist” as many tourists from many countries aside from the USA do make these same mistakes.

Tourist Trait #1. T-Shirts with Big Logos

Americans love to wear t-shirts with a big logo on the front. It’s usually their university or their hometown. I suggest wearing a collared shirt when coming to Europe, rather than a t-shirt. The slightly dressier shirt may also help you be received better by locals as you are trying to dress up while you travel, instead of a large logo t-shirt. Remember, you could run into the pope – do you really want to be wearing a high school sweatshirt?

American Tourist Trait #2. Talking Too Loud

When you are on a train, or on the subway, or in a restaurant, many times you can hear the American tourists over everyone else because we Americans are talking so loud. It is who we are, we are loud talkers, but remember, as your 1st grade teacher would say, “you need to use your inside voices” when you’re traveling around. It may be that not everyone wants to hear your conversation.

Read: How to Pack Your Kids’ Carry-On Bags, So They Can Be Better Travelers

American Tourist Trait #3. Comparing Everything to the US

Another thing we have seen a number of our countrymen tourists do a lot is to compare everything to the U.S. Whether it’s the food, or the prices. What is important is to remember you’re in a different country so of course it’s going to be different. It’s not weird, it’s just different. If you visit Portugal and get bacon, expect a small bone in it. If you visit Italy, you won’t find stuffed crust pizza. You’re traveling to have adventures and learn a new culture, so embrace the differences, don’t compare everything to the US or complain about the differences. We like to find the differences and when we find ones we really like we like try to integrate those into our own lives, Spritz Aperol from Italy, yelling “na mesa” for dinner time from Portugal, trying to feed our friends until they explode from Greece.

American Tourist Trait #4. Asking for Prices in Dollars

You may notice that many American tourists tend to ask for prices in dollars. Obviously, because it is the currency that they relate prices and value to. However, the people that live and work in the country you are visiting use the local currency, and may not know the exchange rate to USD. They may not have had to ever know the exchange rate, so it is best if before you go you look on google for the exchange rates for you currency to the currency of the country you will be visiting. Make sure you know the rates before you go, so you can do the quick calculations in your head. If you are traveling where bartering is popular, it’s even more important to know the exchange rate.

Read: Everything You Should Know About All-Inclusive Resorts Before You Book One

Tourist Trait #5. Complain About Little Things That Don’t Mean Much in the Long-Run

My favorite/most embarrassing/best example of this was a few years ago in Prague where I watched an tourist argue with the lady at McDonald’s, because she had to pay for ketchup. In the USA ketchup is free and many places you can pump as much ketchup as you like, but in Prague (at the time at least) you paid for each packet you took. So, sometimes small differences can be quite “traumatic.” Remember, the differences aren’t weird, just different. Another thing to remember is that people still smoke in many other countries, even around kids, so your death stare at the ladies next to you in the cafe smoking will get you nowhere. Your trip will be a lot less stressful if you just let the little things not get to you.

Read: The 5 Rules for Shoes When You Travel 

American Tourist Trait #6. Over-packing

If you’re going to Europe for ten days, you don’t need two full suitcases. Try one day-pack and one suitcase. You can do laundry while traveling, or even better buy new clothes while you travel. Over-packing really slows you down when you’re traveling and you’ll be much happier if you have less luggage to carry around. Not to mention you will make yourself less of a target if you are only carrying one bag around instead of lugging two bags around. So just go for the one bag and one day pack to carry around your travel/daily purchases.

American Tourist Trait #7. Baggy Clothes or Sweats

When I see tourists wearing a sweatshirt, hoodie or any kind of baggy clothes, I know they are usually American. Europeans don’t really wear baggy clothes; they prefer more form fitting clothes. If you want to blend in a bit, leave the baggy clothes at home.

Read: How to Save Money While You Travel, So You Can Travel Longer

Tourist Trait #8. Wearing Pajamas or Workout Clothes

Spotting someone wearing pajamas while boarding a plane is a dead giveaway that they are American. Pajamas should never leave the bedroom, unless you are a child. (this goes for at home and abroad!) This also goes for workout clothes. Don’t dress like you’re going to the gym for a day of touring palaces and museums. Some museums or churches may have dress codes that your PJ’s may not meet.

Tourist Trait #9. Asking in English Without Attempting the Local Language

Asking “do you speak English” without even trying to speak some of the language can come off a bit rude. Even if you can just say, “I don’t speak language X,” or a simple, “Hello” will go a long way to show the people in the country you are visiting that you respect their country and their culture enough to at least learn a few words. This is why we have so many videos of “Ten Words to Know” in various countries’ languages. The locals really appreciate a small effort and it will totally change your experience in the country if you know a few words and show an effort to learn.

Tourist Trait #10. You Laugh at Canadians Sporting the Canadian Flag

This one is a little joke for my Canadian friends, but I do smile when I see Canadian tourists who wear a Canadian flag on their backpack. Canadian tourists swear that it gets them significantly better service and treatment than if people thought they were Americans. Does it really work? The Canadians think so, but for us we haven’t ever been treated bad because we were Americans, so no Canadian flag on our bag needed.

So, these are my observations of the ten things American tourists do most often to stick out. I hope they help you when planning your travels. For more on this topic, check out our super old (Mark was skinny) video Five Ways Not to Be an Ugly American.