People Frustrated With American Tourists Share 22 Stories About Them Being Oblivious To The Fact That They’re Foreigners
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Traveling abroad is one of the most rewarding and satisfying things you can do in your life. You see a completely different side of the world, bask in all the different cultures, and you start to realize who you are as a person much better because now you’ve got a broader context to compare yourself to. That’s not to mention all the new friends you make on the way and how you grow as an individual when dealing with new and unfamiliar situations. Alas, some people have a warped perspective of what travel is and they expect the rest of the world to be identical to their home.
For them, travel is less about going on an adventure and experiencing something new, and more about checking off some items from their bucket list, taking some cool photos near landmarks, and then coming back home to brag about how utterly amazing their trip has been. Stereotypically, it’s American tourists who are sometimes loud, rude, and expect to buy everything in dollars no matter where they are (though touristic rudeness actually has no flag, and anyone can be either awful or an angel).
Stand-up comedian and author Ginny Hogan, from the US, started up a massively viral Twitter thread about rude tourists after sharing a photo from the airport that stressed to Americans that, yes, they are considered foreigners abroad. Scroll down to see how Twitter reacted to the photo and the types of experiences that people had with rude tourists. When you’re done reading, Pandas, drop by the comment section and tell us what you think makes for a great tourist and what you personally love about travel the most.
Bored Panda reached out to Ginny for a chat about her post going viral. She told us that part of the reason why the tweet resonated with so many internet users was that “people love to make fun of Americans (and for good reason). I also wonder if Americans related to the idea of not realizing we’re tourists abroad, and had the self-awareness to laugh at it. I’m embarrassed to admit that I found the sign helpful.”
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Comedian Ginny went viral when she pointed out that quite a few American tourists act entitled and think they’re at the center of the world
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Ginny opened up to Bored Panda that she’s not much of a traveler, so she doesn’t know much about being a good tourist abroad.
“I’d imagine people frown upon US tourists because they frown upon the US in general, but I’m not in a position to say what people dislike about US tourists,” she said.
We were also interested to get to know Ginny better. “I love comedy because it has trained my brain to find the humor in every situation. I really believe that if you can laugh about something, you can survive it,” she said.
“Stand up is so fun because I get to connect with people IRL, but I also love Twitter because I’m able to interact with so many more people than I would otherwise.”
Comedian and writer Ginny’s thread got nearly a third of a million likes and was incredibly popular with the crowd on Twitter. So much so that everyone started sharing their most memorable interactions with American tourists. Unfortunately, many of these experiences weren’t all that stellar.
Of course, there are rude tourists from absolutely every country on Earth. However, because the thread was about Americans, the focus was on them this time around. The thing that really gets us is that some folks simply assume that they’re the center of the world, that they’ll automatically speak English and accept US dollars.
A part of what makes travel so great is the sense of humility you (should) get: you realize just how small you really are… and how much you have to rely on the goodwill and kindness of strangers to survive. Especially if you have absolutely no knowledge of the local customs and culture. Humility is always best.
Twitter users shared their own weird and hilarious experiences having to deal with tourists from the United States
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Professor Christine Vogt, from Arizona State University, previously explained to Bored Panda that learning about the customs and culture before the trip can make it more enjoyable. “More than likely that is what draws a person to visit a certain place. The more local knowledge a traveler has, the more a traveler can feel like a local and fit in,” the professor, from ASU’s Center for Sustainable Tourism, explained to us.
These customs can include how to dress, what the etiquette is for using your cellphone, how to eat ‘properly,’ and other things.
“When a traveler is out in a community such as walking in a downtown area or eating in a restaurant, these local customs can come into play. For example, in Buddhist countries, a woman who has not covered her shoulders or legs may not be allowed into temples or even a restaurant. Learn as many local customs as you can and a few key words to enhance your experience,” she noted that putting the extra effort pays off and helps show the locals that you’re trying to learn about them and that you care.
It’s not just American travelers who need explicit instructions, though
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Here’s what some other people had to say about how US tourists behaved abroad
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I live in Belgium, but I speak English. Buying a waffle for my kid, this guy comes in and is trying to pay with US dollars and doesn't understand why he can't. It's a whole different continent! Then he tries a card, but he asks about it like the woman doesn't know what a credit card is. Apparently US contactless payments work differently, he didn't get it. So I explain. He looks at me and asks if I'm American. No, I just speak English. Puzzled face. Lol, most people in Brussels speak at least three languages, the guy is in for quite a cultural shock.
Or how about a bank? You ALWAYS convert any cash you may be carrying to local currency when you arrive, and convert it back before you leave. Anything having to do with money—-and that includes currency exchange—-is kind of bank’s whole raison d’etre.
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I used to moderate in an online game chat room. I had a lot of Australian, New Zealander, and Filipino chatters, but it was always fun when I had to remind a fellow American about the language guidelines for the newbie channel. I would get a rant and rave about violating the 1st Amendment and Free Speech, etc etc. Needless to say the Aussies were not shy in telling them where they could stick their entitlement issues :)
Love Aus people. NEVER mince words. I refer to myself as an USian, because there are *two* Americas.. much easier than saying "I'm from North America, but not Canadian". :)
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Interesting, I work in the personal assistance company and we send a lot of packages to different countries. When clients send us their addresses, about 60% people from the States never indicate the country.
As someone from the US I apologize. The US bashing on BP gets very annoying, but honestly the very vocal minority gives us a bad name. As for not putting a country maybe it's because we're not used to having to? I mean maybe they think putting the state is enough. I'm not sure tho.
Load More Replies...
I live in Belgium, but I speak English. Buying a waffle for my kid, this guy comes in and is trying to pay with US dollars and doesn't understand why he can't. It's a whole different continent! Then he tries a card, but he asks about it like the woman doesn't know what a credit card is. Apparently US contactless payments work differently, he didn't get it. So I explain. He looks at me and asks if I'm American. No, I just speak English. Puzzled face. Lol, most people in Brussels speak at least three languages, the guy is in for quite a cultural shock.
Or how about a bank? You ALWAYS convert any cash you may be carrying to local currency when you arrive, and convert it back before you leave. Anything having to do with money—-and that includes currency exchange—-is kind of bank’s whole raison d’etre.
Load More Replies... I used to moderate in an online game chat room. I had a lot of Australian, New Zealander, and Filipino chatters, but it was always fun when I had to remind a fellow American about the language guidelines for the newbie channel. I would get a rant and rave about violating the 1st Amendment and Free Speech, etc etc. Needless to say the Aussies were not shy in telling them where they could stick their entitlement issues :)
Love Aus people. NEVER mince words. I refer to myself as an USian, because there are *two* Americas.. much easier than saying "I'm from North America, but not Canadian". :)
Load More Replies... Interesting, I work in the personal assistance company and we send a lot of packages to different countries. When clients send us their addresses, about 60% people from the States never indicate the country.
As someone from the US I apologize. The US bashing on BP gets very annoying, but honestly the very vocal minority gives us a bad name. As for not putting a country maybe it's because we're not used to having to? I mean maybe they think putting the state is enough. I'm not sure tho.
Load More Replies...
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