If you've ever traveled abroad as an American, the chances are you know how it feels to be detected as one. It’s not that we hide it (in fact, we are prouder than anything else!) but sometimes you just wish you could blend in with the rest of the crowd and feel what it’s like to be treated as a local.
And all it takes is to step foot inside, for example, a “bar” in Italy and order a beer on tap, or worse, a cappuccino after 12, and here you've earned a bunch of eyerolls with a solid “where in America are you from?” But in order to find out what really gives Americans away in an instant, we have to look at what non-Americans have to say about their radars themselves.
So below we collected some of the most interesting responses to “How do you spot an American tourist ‘from a mile away’?” on “AskReddit” and wow, this is kinda weirdly specific.
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Americans are very loud, I swear you have loudhailers hidden in your clothes somewhere.
Over 40, the tourists tend to be more on the very overweight side, but the women still wear yoga pants and the men always have a combination of button up shirts and loose fitting cargo shorts. And both men and women wear baseball caps and Oakley's or sunglasses similar to that style; with white trainers.
Under 40, you're very friendly, in a way that's both endearing and creepy. When we chat I feel like I'm being indoctrinated into a cult.
I’m American and I really cannot stand how loud most people are here. I have a quiet voice and it’s considered some kind of a fault by some. It’s actually really stressful.
The way they dress. For some reason Americans abroad dress like they're doing some hard core exploring in the Amazon...even when they're just visiting a European city.
"Hey oh you're [Irish/Scottish/Italian/etc]! I'm [same] too!"
"Oh really? Whereabouts you from?"
"California. My great great great grandpappy was from here though!"
If you are so proud of your country, why do you still mention the origins of your ancestors?Sounds like a European saying he's a Celtic, a Roman or a Viking... (even if it was cool, tho)
Amazed by things which are more than 200 years old, presumably because they don't have many things that old in the USA.
Same in Australia. We once went to a “historic” attraction that people were really fawning over. It was from the 1950s, my mum is older than it 😆
Saying “hi, how are you?” to the barista, servers, retail workers. My country doesn’t quite have that culture so I find it really sweet.
Seems like Americans don't expect a answer when they say "Hi, how are you?
Oh but we do! And the answer is either “Fine” or “Great!”. This is purely perfunctory and not in any way meant to lead to further conversation, lol
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You should ALWAYS show EVERYONE, in every station in life respect. Being kind to people sets the tone for your day as well as the next person they interact with. And it's free.
But if you do not expect an honest answer and won't invest time in dealing with a negative one, or actually care about helping incase you get and answer that requires you to do so (e.g. by trying to comfort someone) isn't that even ruder? I've always hated that "pretend care question", as saying anything but "fine" or "great", can create an ackward situation. Since everything is not "fine" or "great" all the time, saying so feels like lying. For me "how are you", is a very personal question, and unless you know me very well or is in a position where you can change things to make a difference (e.g. by being my employeer), the personal state I am in is none of your business, and I do not like to have to make the effort of making things look "perfect". My take on this is that, you don't poke the can of worms, if you are not willing to deal with the mess you risk making. Just a "Hi" or a "Hello" is a perfectly fine greating if you are not prepared to do a bit of psychologist work.
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Most of us are nice people. And we don't mean to be loud, or any of these things. Some of these things are regional differences. For instances, up north ( looking at you NY,NJ, Etc) lots of loud is the normal. Other places we are more quiet and try not to swear as much. I had a best friend move to NC (North Carolina,a southern state) from new Jersey, she had a "colorful" and loud vocabulary. The first thing she did was ask the deli girl in the supermarket "what the f*'k is wrong with you? You got a stick up your a** or something? " The girl burst into tears and my friend had no idea why.
Nah. Your friend is just a rude person. No one goes up to someone and start cursing at them for no reason here in "up north". If my friend did that to someone believe you me, they won't be my friend anymore.
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I hate it when "how are you?" is used as a greeting. Many brits do that too. Like, if I ask you how are you doing, I want to hear how you're actually doing.
So do I, but here it's just a Hi or Hallo (or a formal Guten Tag), no need to ask questions about their life ;)
Load More Replies... It's part of the social dance. Even if I go to the doctor we do the 'Hi, How are you?' bit before we go into the reason I'm there which is because I'm not well /fine. I roll my eyes in my mind as I say it but it's the expected dance we do before we start talking business
I try to get my "Hi, how are you?" as soon as doctor gets in room before he can. That way he'll go "Doing well and you?" at that point I can just start listing reasons why I am there for.
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As an American I always mean for my greeting to be an invitation to a conversation but most people don't want that and that's fine. It's a two way street.
The Durankulak Archaeological Preserve is located near the Black Sea coast and Bulgaria’s land border with Romania; it features several archaeological sites from different ages, the most ancient one dating back to the Paleolithic and Neolithic Era, and the most recent one – to the First Bulgarian Empire in the 10th century.The Paleolithic and Neolithic settlement on the Big Island in the Durankulak Lake, a lagoon with an area of 3.4 square km on Bulgaria’s Black Sea Northern Black Sea coast near the town of Durankulak, Shabla Municipality, is known as the Lake City or the “European Troy”.It features prehistoric remains from what is said to be the first sedentary agricultural culture in Europe. The so called Big Island is today a peninsula with an area of 19 decares (app. 4.7 acres, or 0.019 square km).The settlement, which created what is said to be Europe’s first stone city, is characterized as belonging to Blatnitsa, the earliest phase of Europe’s Late Neolithic Hamangia-Durankulak C
Being Australian I prefer to say Hello! "Hi" sounds to me more like "Hey you, I'm here! Serve me!"
How ya doin is my standard greeting and about half the time people respond
My dad genuinely wants to know. He strikes up a conversation with everyone.
"How do you do?" The answer to that is not "How do I do what?" but "How do you do?" "Hi, how are you?" is in the same category. It doesn't demand an answer. In a few years it will be considered weird to give one.
If you answer them with anything but "Good, you?" they get confused and panic.
..but..they really don't care how you are. It's just a Longer way of saying "hi."
It!s just our way of starting a conversation. But, actually, I do care.
I've started saying, "I hope you're having a good day!". I don't mind chatting with strangers about their day, but it does get awkward when people get too personal, particularly if it's holding up a line.
When my family was in Uganda all the waiters wanted to serve us bc Americans are the only ones who tip. Apparently other countries just pay their waiters
Trust me, not all Americans are polite. Yesterday a lady came into a very busy.pharmacy asking for the bathroom (seemingly in great need of it), but the cashier had to ask her to repeat the question into her other (non-deaf) ear. Apparently the bathroom wasn't as important as telling off the the cashier who was extremely busy with a long line, and informing her that she had even said "please" when asking so this woman should go back to her own country if she "can't speak American".... Notes: she didn't say please, I could hardly hear her the first time especially because she was standing about 15 feet away, and the cashier is from Delaware... Also, American....not an actual language... And that's what we call "Karen"
when they cross the street, they expect cars to stop for them. in my country, the cars will run you down without thinking twice.
In the Netherlands pedestrians are legally protected into the extreme. If a driver collides with a pedestrians, the driver is always 100% at fault and liable. But even here pedestrians wait till it's safe to cross the street.
When they introduce themselves they never say they're from America: mostly the state/city they're from.
I remember I was a small kid in Tijuana. They were typically a lot more good looking than the local population. The girls were hot as hell. The Marines that would come around from San Diego looked like superheroes and made these other guys look like sh*t.
We'd get European tourists as well but the American ones looked bigger and kind of stronger. Especially the military guys, like something out of these Marvel comics, at least the ones in their twenties.
All buff, tall, etc.
The military tourists were always very friendly to me and made me want to be like them when I grew up, which is why I'm going to enlist in the USMC a few years after college, haha.
Very friendly, generous people, very funny too.
They complain that the portions at restaurants are too small.
You can hear them in museums when everyone else is extra silent.
In my experience, any combination of the following:
white socks
wearing a sun visor
Talking incredibly loud
Their phone will be on a belt loop
American teenagers are usually better at blending in however, so the trick with these guys is to wait until you're in a restaurant, at which point they'll make their presence known by complaining about the local food.
In terms of positives however, I find most American tourists are incredibly friendly and sociable, they usually have no problem talking to strangers and striking up a pleasant conversation, something we Europeans never do with each other (this is also another "tell", but it's one we should adopt).
The absolute fearlessness of asking anyone on the street about anything
Expecting everyone to speak English and/or not wanting to learn the local language.
They always look cheerful and are constantly smiling and seeming happy. Tourists from other places look more neutral or even unhappy.
How can you travel to another place and not be happy??? I'm with the Americans on this one!
They get over-excited over very ordinary events and say things like “OMG look that grass how green it is!
I find this very endearing to be honest. It's how children react and how we should all react in my opinion :)
I always felt embarrassingly underdressed when traveling in Europe.
On the flip side, as a native Arizonan I can always spot the European/English tourist because they will be bright red.
Many of the things we say loudly, includes many irrelevant details. In Israel, no one gives a f*ck about irrelevant details. “Yes” or “no” answers are of high value in middle eastern culture; but in American culture we like to tell you all about why something is or that our daughter got married last year or our cat has diabetes.
I didn’t know yes/no answers had high value in Middle Eastern culture. Interesting!
They’re looking for a store open at like 11pm. Even if in most European countries stores close at like 7-8 pm
American: "Can you imagine not being able to buy a microwave at 3 AM?" European: "Yes."
Americans think the world impressed by their city. No one cares that you’re from Las Vegas
And why do so many tourists visit Las Vegas or New York or California?
Tipping. Americans will try to tip everyone, even in countries where tipping isn't a thing/is considered a serious insult.
They're always asking for extra ice in their drinks.
I prefer my drinks at room temperature unless they're supposed to be hot.
They ask for ketchup no matter what they're eating.
They have impeccable facial hair. Maybe Americans get a trim before they go on holiday, but I'm always impressed by the tidy beards and mustaches.
dollars. God damn it, people - hit a money exchange before you hit the market. Especially in a country where hard currency was still illegal.
They’re the first to kick off when it’s a hot day and the Grade II listed hotel I work in doesn’t have air-conditioning.
Then they leave a bad review :( believe me, I would LOVE air con but we’re not allowed to change the building.
Why would you leave a 900 year old historical building intact, when you clearly can ruin the façade with air conditioners?
Their college t shirt, sweater or cap
We are morons about diet. Another American moved to where I lived. He preached about high protein diets, b*tched about how he couldn’t find fat free milk or pasteurized egg whites, in a country that specializes in high-fat cuisine.
fanny pack.
Note: this post originally had 60 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Back at it again BP. always ripping on Americans. Please find another group of people to disparage.
It's also total hypocrisy advocating for equality and against discrimination in some posts and then being guilty of it in others. Posts like this suggest that it's okay to discriminate or stereotype certain groups but not others.
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This makes me very nervous to travel to other countries. I would be afraid of insulting someone with my smile or my hello. As an American, I am very polite and happy. I love to ask questions. How am I supposed to learn of the country I wish to visit if I can't comfortably speak to a citizen there? If I wasn't interested in your country, I wouldn't visit it. Just my opinion.... I know every country is different and i respect that.
You are welcome to come over here. This is a stupid thread, that's why I posted nice things. This USA bashing is just stupid. Not all of us are like that.
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Thank goodness, haven’t seen one of these re-hashed articles in nigh on a fortnight. Can I get paid for one of these? Pretty sure I could do it from memory at this point ;)
Most repetitive BP Posts: #1 - Tell us how horrible America is. #2 - Tell us how horrible your workplace is. #3 - Tell us how horrible your family and friends are during (insert holiday or event). #4- Rehashed Reddit topics.
This would honestly only really make sense if each poster said where THEY are from. Something that screams "TOURIST" in one country might be perfectly normal in another.
So... The one thing I've taken away from this, and the many, MANY American-bashing articles on BP is that Eurpopeans hate us. You commenters have made me never want to visit, and that's just sad. I feel unwelcome. And frankly? I don't fall into many of the categories complained about above. But my god, if you hate Americans so much, I hope you NEVER come visit our country. And we will avoid yours? Better? Everyone separate. No mixing. WOO HOO! WHAT A FUN WORLD! Everyone exactly the same. FFS Bored Panda. Stop bashing us.
Don't base your idea of what other people think of your country or people off of the internet. This is just a very picky selection of a lot more comments in a Reddit post.
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Nope. How about we talk about something really non-stereotyping, like how all the French eat is cream and snails? ;-P
Load More Replies... I work in tourism in Boston (USA). I could easily write a counterpoint with all the European stereotypes. Germans, ugh.
Beat me to that one. In my area, you can tell the German tourists b/c nothing is ever good enough. Ever. Even our forests, apparently.
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This is sort of a senseless article. Yes, Americans ARE different. We do things other populations don't do. We also don't do things people in other countries do. It's a wide world. There will be differences. Ok, some Americans are fat over 40. Others talk loud. But not everyone is fat over 40 and not everyone talks loud. French people don't bathe. The English have bad teeth. Russians never smile. We can do this both ways.
As an American who wants to travel in Europe someday… I just want you guys to like me. Go easy please
Most of us are nice, just like you guys in the USA.
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I call BS. I don't think these people have ever meant an American. They just see crappy behavior from their own neighbors and then call them Americans.
So basically don't care about or show interest in history, don't smile or be polite, or enjoy anything ever. Got it.
As an American traveler, none of these stereotypes apply to me with the exception of being amazed over 500+ year old architecture, and asking people who are serving me how they are (which are stupid things to get irritated over). No. I don't wear white socks up my calves (terrible look). No, I don't wear t-shirts with American flags on them. Or sun visors. Or f***y packs. No, I don't expect locals in countries where English is not an official language to speak English to me. No, I don't have loud and obnoxious conversations that everyone can hear, nor do I complain about food or portion sizes. And I would never laugh at local culture that I find different from my own. Part of being a successful traveler involves taking in every cultural difference as your own.
Apart from being somewhat over my ideal weight, I don't match any of these. Looks like I'd go undetected.
My husband and I have been saving for, and planning a trip to visit Austria, Belgium and Germany. I can't guarantee I won't be very excited and happy while I'm there, but I WILL be quiet and not ask for ice! 🙂
I can say all these things about anyone one from any country because there's always that one idiot that makes the whole country look bad. I.e. Trump. I personally have never done ANY of these things. The only time I ever slightly did one of these things was when I was in Japan and couldn't find a store I was looking for. I found a police box and asked for directions (in passable Japanese thank you very much). But that's what police boxes are for! Now did I do something wierd culturally or rude while traveling? Possibly. I'm not from that culture and as hard as I try to know everything about the country I'm visiting, i'm not some walking encyclopedia of cultural knowledge. But I do TRY not to be a giant prat
Always hating on us. Guess they don't want people visiting and spending money there. Honestly, this makes me afraid to travel.
Actually, it IS just you. Unless you are close enough to hear speech patterns and dialects you are probably including a lot of Brits and German. In any event, in any more or less homogeneous environment any local can almost always detect any foreigner because the foreigner will look, sound and walk differently, exhibit interest in things you take for granted and be ignorant of local practices (e.g., in Manhattan, you'll have to jaywalk if you want to get anywhere on time). So, Liucija and Mindaugas, you can stop patting yourselves on the back now, and maybe Bored Panda editors will think twice henceforth think twice before posting threads that are mostly puerile nonsense.
So many stereotypes and generalizations...all Americans are not the same, as I'm sure all Italians, Chinese, Icelanders are not as well.
True story - myself and a friend were in London for a couple of days last month to see a couple of shows. We're doing the whole touristy thing on a Thursday morning, I'm trying to frame a nice shot of Buckingham Palace, when this American tourist spots the NASA flying jacket I'm wearing and loudly asks what part of the States we're from. He was quite perplexed when we told him we were from Scotland.
Lost my temper a bit with this one. Sorry folks. The depths and amounts of stereotypes of Americans as fat, rude, loud, uncouth and unwanted really pisses me off. I think my next trip will not include Europe. There's a whole world out there.
When you are at war, starving, you can easily spot American boys coming to save your asses. Something for which we will be punished in the future as well.
I'm American and no one can tell. I've been all over the world. Stereotypes exist for a reason, but people miss other Americans that don't meet the expected look and demeanor.
Im icelandic. Our american tourists are always dressed like theyre ready to climb mt. everest. Even while just hanging out in the city. Also, backpacks.
Please try to remember that America is huge, and we have all different types of weather. If someone from the Southern states comes to visit, you betcha they are going to be dressed like they are climbing Mt. Everest. If someone has never been there, they aren't quite sure about how to dress. You're Icelandic, so you know. People coming to visit don't. Please be patient.
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I found this really interesting and insightful! There are a lot of things you wouldn't think about or think to Google before going.
Yes, Americans are different. But, if we are so terrible, why do people want to come live here? Let them live in their wonderful, cheap, clean, friendly countries.
Back at it again BP. always ripping on Americans. Please find another group of people to disparage.
It's also total hypocrisy advocating for equality and against discrimination in some posts and then being guilty of it in others. Posts like this suggest that it's okay to discriminate or stereotype certain groups but not others.
Load More Replies... This makes me very nervous to travel to other countries. I would be afraid of insulting someone with my smile or my hello. As an American, I am very polite and happy. I love to ask questions. How am I supposed to learn of the country I wish to visit if I can't comfortably speak to a citizen there? If I wasn't interested in your country, I wouldn't visit it. Just my opinion.... I know every country is different and i respect that.
You are welcome to come over here. This is a stupid thread, that's why I posted nice things. This USA bashing is just stupid. Not all of us are like that.
Load More Replies... Thank goodness, haven’t seen one of these re-hashed articles in nigh on a fortnight. Can I get paid for one of these? Pretty sure I could do it from memory at this point ;)
Most repetitive BP Posts: #1 - Tell us how horrible America is. #2 - Tell us how horrible your workplace is. #3 - Tell us how horrible your family and friends are during (insert holiday or event). #4- Rehashed Reddit topics.
This would honestly only really make sense if each poster said where THEY are from. Something that screams "TOURIST" in one country might be perfectly normal in another.
So... The one thing I've taken away from this, and the many, MANY American-bashing articles on BP is that Eurpopeans hate us. You commenters have made me never want to visit, and that's just sad. I feel unwelcome. And frankly? I don't fall into many of the categories complained about above. But my god, if you hate Americans so much, I hope you NEVER come visit our country. And we will avoid yours? Better? Everyone separate. No mixing. WOO HOO! WHAT A FUN WORLD! Everyone exactly the same. FFS Bored Panda. Stop bashing us.
Don't base your idea of what other people think of your country or people off of the internet. This is just a very picky selection of a lot more comments in a Reddit post.
Load More Replies... Nope. How about we talk about something really non-stereotyping, like how all the French eat is cream and snails? ;-P
Load More Replies... I work in tourism in Boston (USA). I could easily write a counterpoint with all the European stereotypes. Germans, ugh.
Beat me to that one. In my area, you can tell the German tourists b/c nothing is ever good enough. Ever. Even our forests, apparently.
Load More Replies... This is sort of a senseless article. Yes, Americans ARE different. We do things other populations don't do. We also don't do things people in other countries do. It's a wide world. There will be differences. Ok, some Americans are fat over 40. Others talk loud. But not everyone is fat over 40 and not everyone talks loud. French people don't bathe. The English have bad teeth. Russians never smile. We can do this both ways.
As an American who wants to travel in Europe someday… I just want you guys to like me. Go easy please
Most of us are nice, just like you guys in the USA.
Load More Replies... I call BS. I don't think these people have ever meant an American. They just see crappy behavior from their own neighbors and then call them Americans.
So basically don't care about or show interest in history, don't smile or be polite, or enjoy anything ever. Got it.
As an American traveler, none of these stereotypes apply to me with the exception of being amazed over 500+ year old architecture, and asking people who are serving me how they are (which are stupid things to get irritated over). No. I don't wear white socks up my calves (terrible look). No, I don't wear t-shirts with American flags on them. Or sun visors. Or f***y packs. No, I don't expect locals in countries where English is not an official language to speak English to me. No, I don't have loud and obnoxious conversations that everyone can hear, nor do I complain about food or portion sizes. And I would never laugh at local culture that I find different from my own. Part of being a successful traveler involves taking in every cultural difference as your own.
Apart from being somewhat over my ideal weight, I don't match any of these. Looks like I'd go undetected.
My husband and I have been saving for, and planning a trip to visit Austria, Belgium and Germany. I can't guarantee I won't be very excited and happy while I'm there, but I WILL be quiet and not ask for ice! 🙂
I can say all these things about anyone one from any country because there's always that one idiot that makes the whole country look bad. I.e. Trump. I personally have never done ANY of these things. The only time I ever slightly did one of these things was when I was in Japan and couldn't find a store I was looking for. I found a police box and asked for directions (in passable Japanese thank you very much). But that's what police boxes are for! Now did I do something wierd culturally or rude while traveling? Possibly. I'm not from that culture and as hard as I try to know everything about the country I'm visiting, i'm not some walking encyclopedia of cultural knowledge. But I do TRY not to be a giant prat
Always hating on us. Guess they don't want people visiting and spending money there. Honestly, this makes me afraid to travel.
Actually, it IS just you. Unless you are close enough to hear speech patterns and dialects you are probably including a lot of Brits and German. In any event, in any more or less homogeneous environment any local can almost always detect any foreigner because the foreigner will look, sound and walk differently, exhibit interest in things you take for granted and be ignorant of local practices (e.g., in Manhattan, you'll have to jaywalk if you want to get anywhere on time). So, Liucija and Mindaugas, you can stop patting yourselves on the back now, and maybe Bored Panda editors will think twice henceforth think twice before posting threads that are mostly puerile nonsense.
So many stereotypes and generalizations...all Americans are not the same, as I'm sure all Italians, Chinese, Icelanders are not as well.
True story - myself and a friend were in London for a couple of days last month to see a couple of shows. We're doing the whole touristy thing on a Thursday morning, I'm trying to frame a nice shot of Buckingham Palace, when this American tourist spots the NASA flying jacket I'm wearing and loudly asks what part of the States we're from. He was quite perplexed when we told him we were from Scotland.
Lost my temper a bit with this one. Sorry folks. The depths and amounts of stereotypes of Americans as fat, rude, loud, uncouth and unwanted really pisses me off. I think my next trip will not include Europe. There's a whole world out there.
When you are at war, starving, you can easily spot American boys coming to save your asses. Something for which we will be punished in the future as well.
I'm American and no one can tell. I've been all over the world. Stereotypes exist for a reason, but people miss other Americans that don't meet the expected look and demeanor.
Im icelandic. Our american tourists are always dressed like theyre ready to climb mt. everest. Even while just hanging out in the city. Also, backpacks.
Please try to remember that America is huge, and we have all different types of weather. If someone from the Southern states comes to visit, you betcha they are going to be dressed like they are climbing Mt. Everest. If someone has never been there, they aren't quite sure about how to dress. You're Icelandic, so you know. People coming to visit don't. Please be patient.
Load More Replies... I found this really interesting and insightful! There are a lot of things you wouldn't think about or think to Google before going.
Yes, Americans are different. But, if we are so terrible, why do people want to come live here? Let them live in their wonderful, cheap, clean, friendly countries.
