Let their children play on war memorials. I don’t care what you do in the US, show some respect for our fallen when you’re here. Especially considering there’s a 4-language warning not to go onto the memorial.
At a market in Mezin, France a few years back we heard a woman yell across to her husband in a Texas drawl “Earle, how much is that in real money?”.
Not weird but just a lousy thing to do, I see so many American tourists litter. It’s disgusting. Just tossing stuff on a foot path when there is a bin a few meters up the road.
With tens of millions of Americans hopping on planes every year for international travel, there’s a pretty high chance that you might bump into one in your own country. And despite their reputation, they actually care deeply about what others think of them.
A 2025 survey by Upgraded Points has revealed that many Americans are low-key stressed about their nationality when they go abroad.
Over half admitted they worry about getting hit with the dreaded “ugly American” stigma. Nearly three-quarters think US travelers have a bad rep, and 80% blame recent political drama and tariffs for souring Europeans’ view of them.
My dad was on the beach in England during a total eclipse of the sun. Whole beach was crowded with people, tourists everywhere, locals out too and everything.
My dad was standing behind an American man who was with his son, and saw the look of wonder in the kids face as he looked at everything around him gradually go darker. Right as the beach reached its darkest point the dad looked down at his son and said “incredible, isn’t it? It really makes you proud to be an American.” On a beach in England. In response to an astronomical event.
In Canada. Woman was puzzled that the change I handed her had the Queen of England on it. Became even more confused when I explained that Canada is still a part of the Commonwealth.
Others have insisted on speaking to me in broken French, even after I informed them that English is my first language.
American in Sweden.
I was in a lovely cafe at the side of a bridge in Stockholm when a guy in line ahead of me says, “English!” In a dismissive and patronizing manner, he continued his order like he was upset that they didn’t have “familiar food.” The girl at the counter, who I had witnessed spoke at least 4 languages, took the order with grace and politeness, but seemed a bit flustered she was being yelled at like she was a toddler. For instance:
“IS. THAT. SAMMICH. MADE OF CROY-SANTS? OR A NORMAL BUN??”
“Erm, it is a normal wheat, erm, flour bread.”
“IT GOT TOMATOES??”
“Erm… yes.”
“NO TOMATOES! COMPRENDE??”
“Oh, sure. Okay.”
He was an overweight sunburned redneck right out of Nebraska with a Harley Davison tee shirt and long hair. After he went to the other side of the counter, waiting for his order, I leaned to the girl and said, “as an American, I am so sorry about that guy. We’re not all like that.”
She blushed and said it was okay, it was not a problem. But when I got my order, I got an extra sweet bun added onto it for free.
Honestly, these self-aware Americans aren’t totally off the mark about how the world perceives them.
In a survey, around one in four Europeans admitted they aren’t big fans of American tourists. About 36% said that Americans behave way worse than any other visitors.
Europeans also think Americans are ridiculously loud — 70% called out the noise level, and, surprisingly, almost as many Americans agreed.
However, they did give credit where it’s due, calling US travelers super friendly and curious.
Interestingly, Americans are way harder on themselves than anyone else is. Over half think foreigners view them as arrogant, but only 27% of Europeans actually felt that way.
“I am american” -every american
So what, like being american is a big deal outside of america.
I/we dont care if you are american, you are in our country now so behave by our laws and ways.
It is hilarious and frustrating in the same time when Americans think that just being from there gives them some special status or immunity.
Second thing:
In local huge smoke sauna an american woman were amazed that we have same trees as well.
And she were amazed that “this smoke feels so soft”, it is water steam you moron, not smoke!
Name “smoke sauna” comes from a way how it is warmed, no shimney, room is full of smoke with open windows while it is warmed and then fire ends and all smoke is let out before humans get in.
How the hell she thinks we could breath smoke?
As compliment i threw loads of water to make it super hot.
-Finland man.
I’m French and live in Paris. I was going up the Eiffel Tower with an English friend using an agency so we had a cruise first and we went up without queuing. Pretty cool night – looking decent would be expected. An American family showed up with cargo shorts and sandals and complaining about everything. The mother then points to a poster advertising the catacombs of Paris and says: “why would you ever pay to see this? They’re just a bunch of skeletons. Who cares about bones?”. What the hell? Lady, I get complaining about Paris sometimes but why are you even here? Clearly it’s not to learn about or appreciate the city because you’re badmouthing a huge part of the history of the actual city’s buildings that resulted in disaster. I can honestly say that I don’t want you in my city.
Not in my country, but when I was living in Japan.
At one of the local banks there was an American couple yelling at the local staff demanding that they speak to someone in “American”.
So why is there such a massive gap in perception? Are Americans genuinely clueless tourists, or are foreign hosts just misreading the room?
The truth sits somewhere in the middle.
Because the country is so massive, millions of citizens grow up with a baseline assumption of what normal looks like — huge portions, endless personal space, ice-cold water, and blasting air conditioning everywhere.
At the same time, they’ve often been accused of living in a bubble.
A 2019 survey by the Council on Foreign Relations and National Geographic found that Americans answered only about half the questions correctly on geography and world affairs. Only 6% scored 80% or higher, even though most say global issues matter to them.
There’s a lot of US soldiers in South Korea and some of them think US dollars are used off bases. They aren’t. I’ve seen quite a few cab drivers get pissed when they are given US dollars and they guys just leave the cab. To be fair, it’s usually more than than the meter once converted.
Texan, in Verbier, Switzerland.
Was wondering why his car wouldn’t drive up the mountain. .. ..
A sports car is not going to get you up an actual mountain covered in actual snow…..
I work at the front desk of a hotel in Québec. A couple years ago an old lady (around 65-70 years old) arrived in the hotel, I greeted her in french to which she just stared at me and said “Do I look like I speak your stupid language?”… I just stared back, not too sure what to do …. ended up saying “Do I look like I’m going to give you a room after that?”, she called me rude and left.
I saw her cars plate when she drove off, she was from Arizona. She called the manager to complain the next day, I had written what happened to her just in case that happened. My manager told her “Lady I dont have time to waste with your nonsense” and hung up on her.
Back in 2011, when Newsweek gave 1,000 Americans the official US citizenship test, 29% couldn’t name the vice president and nearly three-quarters couldn’t explain why the US fought the Cold War. They aptly titled their result as “How ignorant are Americans?”
Another survey found that more people could name characters from The Simpsons than the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.
“The US is isolated from the rest of the world, with direct contacts with only Canada and Mexico. This makes travel to other countries difficult. Only 20-some percent have passports to visit other countries, and those with passports tend to be those who go on cruises or to all-inclusive resorts,” says George A Barnett, PhD, a professor of communication at the University of California.
Eating in a decent restaurant in costa rica and the 3 white ladies screaming at the waiter because he didn’t understand their order at first.
You are not in America right now and the waiter spoke perfectly good English.
Irritates me.
I’m a flight attendant.
After a 7hr flight form Paris to New-York, and having talked and chatted with passengers for the whole flight, as I was saying goodbye to a family I had a nice time with, the mother looked at me with pity and said ‘Dear, how brave you must be… It must be sooo hard for you in New-York!’
I asked her why in particular.
She said ‘Well, everything is in English! I had such a hard time in Paris, I can’t imagine you doing that all the time!’
I looked at her.
I looked at her husband.
I looked at her.
I said ‘But Ma’am… I speak English…. We’ve been speaking English for about 7 hours now.’
She smiled, and went ‘Well of couuuurse we speak English *now*, you’re working! I mean no, when you get to New-York!’
… Apparently when you land in America, you forget that you speak English, since you’re a tourist and all. Her husband nodded sympathetically and agreed.
Non-Americans can also sometimes misunderstand the US culture and attitudes.
For example, American friendliness — like chatting up a stranger in an elevator or smiling at passersby — is meant to be polite. But in places like Germany or Nordic countries, it might get misread as fake or invasive.
Even American humor gets lost in translation. In online travel forums, non-Americans often complain about travelers making boastful claims, like “Everything is bigger in Texas!”
But as locals point out, regional American humor — especially in places like Texas — is built heavily on exaggeration and self-deprecation. Texans are usually poking fun at their own outsized reputation, but literal-minded listeners might hear it as pure conceit.
While in the cafeteria, I heard these Americans having a heated debate about climbing table mountain.
I just want people to know, that you ABSOLUTELY DO NOT HAVE TO climb table mountain if you do not want to.
Another major flashpoint that fuels the “obnoxious” American stereotype is how they behave in restaurants and cafes. The US tipping system creates a unique power dynamic between customers and servers that doesn’t exist in countries with living-wage service models.
Back home, American hospitality relies heavily on tipped labor.
Waitstaff are paid sub-minimum wages and depend almost entirely on tips to survive. Because of this, American customers are trained to expect constant, hyper-attentive service — waiters checking on the table every five minutes, refilling drinks automatically, and acting overly friendly to secure a decent payout.
When Americans travel, they might carry these habits with them. They tend to drop ridiculously high tips out of habit, or attempt to tip in countries like Japan, where handing over extra cash is considered rude or confusing.
They might also get frustrated when European servers leave them alone for hours, mistaking relaxed hospitality for neglect.
One time, I was in the Lake District (NW England). In particular, Far Sawrey where Beatrix Potter (Peter Rabbit, Gemima Puddleduck) used to live. Her house is now a museum dedicated to her and her works. It’s very popular with the Japanese and American tourists. One of the US tourists asked me for directions to the Beatrix Potteries. He clearly knew it was a tourist destination, but no idea why.
He bought a whole bunch of plaid, and a flap hat. Started walking around with Tim’s coffee and saying “eh” and apologizing. Asked him where he was from and he said “LA”. He was asking me where the snow was and I was like “It’s the middle of June, bud. Sorry”.
Experts recommend that people educate themselves by traveling abroad, studying a second language, and talking to people from other cultures and countries more often.
Try getting your news from sources other than your local TV channel or a US newspaper.
There are plenty of ways to learn beyond your own backyard, and honestly, with all the information available online, there’s really no excuse to stay ignorant anymore.
“We’re going to get a hotel at Alice Springs and do day trips to all the cities in Australia.”
No. You’d think with all the “America is such a big place” stuff you see on Reddit, they’d have understood just how far away Alice Springs is from everywhere, but no. They would have passed away in the desert, hours from anything, had someone not corrected them.
I’ve had to spend 2 hours trying to explain that I’m bilingual but eventually gave up after he insisted that a person could not speak more than one language.
Ultimately, the arrogance goes both ways. Americans can be guilty of expecting the rest of the world to cater to their comfort zone, while hosts can be quick to judge simple cultural quirks as bad behavior.
But if you’re heading abroad soon, do yourself a favor: brush up on local customs, lower your volume in public spaces, and skip wearing your oversized college football jersey to a European cathedral.
Highway Patrol buddy of mine (RCMP) pulls over this dude doing way over the limit. While writing him a meaty ticket, he comes back with “you can’t give me a ticket, I am American”.
I’m australian and i’ve noticed american tourists love to imitate our accent to try to blend in and pretend they’re locals. you’re not fooling anyone.
A drunk kid from Boston spent the evening talking about his Irish ancestors and attempted to sing Go on Home British Soldiers but forgot the lyrics.
Worked at a gift shop at a Canadian tourist site. Americans actually tended to be nicer and politer than our Canadian customers, so I liked when they visited, but they always wanted special favours and exceptions. If I told a Canadian, Asian, or European tourist of a store policy or rule, they’d usually understand, cooperate, and try to work *with* me. But if I told an American it was always, “Oh, but c’mon, can’t you do it for me? I have somewhere to go!”, like asking me to do a lengthy return while I’m working with a school tour group, trying to cash out 58 different six-year-olds buying opened candy with nickels. The Southern grandmas were the worst for this.
BF worked in an adjacent nature preserve doing canoe & kayak tours. He said Americans expected it to be like a zoo, where you come in and the tour guide shows you X amount of animals. It’s actually pretty uncommon to see something “Canadian” like a beaver or moose, and Americans often left deflated and annoyed while Canadians/Europeans/Asians were happy to see some cool plants and bugs and birds.
Overheard at a Scottish castle, “Now I know why they built the castle here on top of this hill”. Looking out of the window the lady could see the television mast, so had assumed that it was built before the castle – which was build because there would be good tv reception. The guide did try to explain a bit more about dates and so on, but gave up.
Be utterly incapable of understanding the concept of a university without a central campus. I used to live in Oxford, the uni has been there since 1095 sonits basically intertwined with the town. The amoubt of americans who ask for the “university” and then cannot get the concept of this was horrific.
In Costa Rica. They always wear the same outfit no matter where they are. They could be at the beach, in a tropical forest, on a cold mountain, in the center of the city or in a museum.. They always dress like for a day on a beach. Its funny because you can guess who is american at a distance only for their clothes. I mean, I know they are on a vacation, and enjoying their travel, but its curious.
It always baffles me how few accents most Americans understand. It’s probably because they have much more insular media so they’re only really used to hearing their own accents and maybe a few British ones every now and then. I think in the rest of the English speaking world we’re used to hearing a much broader range of accents and you become kind of fluent in them over time. I had an American exchange student tell me she could hear no difference between my (Irish) accent and any British or Australian accents, we all just sound “foreign” to her. That stunned me because I grew up used to knowing and distinguishing between a huge variety of accents. It makes me feel like they miss out on a lot of great content, especially comedy.
What bugs me most and I hear a lot is when they say “you have AN accent” like they just speak normally and everyone else sounds strange. The American accent is one of the most distinctive and easily recognisable accents in the world so it seems even weirder that they lack the perspective to see that.
I realise that might come across a bit angry and hateful towards Americans – I promise it’s not! I have no ill feelings towards Americans that accent thing just completely bewilders me.
Southern child was amazed at our bagged milk (Canada). He also thought our milk was blue because the inner bag was blue and was showing through the outer bag (for the uninitiated, bagged milk comes in 3-packs so there’s an outer bag). I was like “sorry to disappoint kid, but that’s just the plastic. We do not have blue milk.”
American lady walking down the street in Montreal going “it’s so European, like all the bakeries are called *boulangeries.*” Uh yes, we speak French in Quebec, you clearly knew that before coming here, so why is it surprising that our bakeries are literally called “bakery” in French???
Going to non-touristy parts of the city and country and demanding to pay in dollars.
We don’t set our prices in multiple currencies, so I can’t just accept your dollars without having to account for exchange rate, distance to the nearest bureau de change, or the rates that bureau de change will charge for exchanging the money. Besides how am I supposed to give you change? Yes I understand dollars are worth more. No, there’s nothing I can do about it. Complaining to the manager will just yield the same result.
When I used to work in the restaurant industry, an American family were absolutely livid that I didn’t serve them water. For us, if you want water you just need to ask. It comes two ways, bottled (still or sparkling: paid) or what we refer to as ice water (tap water with ice and lemon that you don’t pay for).
They lost it when I brought them bottled water. Then they lost it because I brought them individual glasses of ice water. Then they lost it because I brought a pitcher of water and left it on their table (apparently, you’re meant to carry it with you at all times and top them up without them needing to ask). All the while they were telling me, “that’s not how it’s done in America.”
We’re not in America right now. This is how we do it here. Slow your roll, boet!
I didn’t get a good tip. 😕.
Getting on a train at London Liverpool Street to go to Stratford, “to see Shakespeare’s birthplace”. This is Stratford, east London, a journey you can make without getting off the Tube, not Stratford-upon-Avon. It was also pre-2012, before the Olympic build started and certainly before Westfield was there; these poor folks were about to get off a train and be faced with ungentrified E15.
I didn’t tell them.
Rented our house through airbnb to some Americans doing ‘the two week tour’. Got complaints that we didn’t have mattress toppers like they have in America, and they were shocked we didn’t have ‘bug screens’ on our doors and we really should fit some urgently.
Didn’t have the heart to reply I’ve only ever seen ‘bug screens’ in America and literally nowhere else in the world, we certainly don’t have them here. They stayed in a 100 year-old countryside cottage in Britain and expected it to be like a normal average American house. Pretty sure we were the first place they stayed and they were heading north afterwards, so hopefully Edinburgh didn’t shock them toooo much.
An American woman and her mid twenties daughter came into my shop where I was a sales assistant. She tried on panties in front of me and asked my opinion how they looked (this was a general homestuff shop that sold home accessories, wallpaper, kitchen stuff and a few clothes and one set of two pairs of knickers). She then took off her current thong and gave it to me to hold (I was shocked into stillness,the thong was warm) while she put on the panties she hadn’t even paid for yet and goes “honey it feels so good to have panties that aren’t getting all up in my crack”
Not sure that was all due to her being American, just a nutjob. I sanitised my hands so much afterwards.
In Victoria, BC, Canada, we have American tourists come over all the time in cruise ships. I was walking on the beach near the cruise ship terminal, and some Americans, asked what the elevation was. I said, just a couple of feet at best. They laughed at me and said Canadians don’t know anything.
I asked if they meant the latitude, not elevation, which is the height above a mean. They gave me a rude look and stormed off, muttering to themselves.
I watched them stop another set of people who clearly gave them the same answer. Off they stormed again, loudly commenting on how stupid Canadians are.
If you came in to Canada on a ship, on the ocean, and asked someone on the beach what the elevation was, what is the correct answer?
I live in Ireland, quite near the famous Blarney Castle (of Blarney Stone fame).
About 3 of my friends (So far) have been in car accidents caused by American tourists in rental cars.
Pretty wierd.
American here. Was in Paris and these women were complaining about the number of steps and how narrow it was walking up to the top of Notre Dame.
I live in South Africa. I had some fat dude with a goatee and an American accent ask me where all the lions are :/
I’d try the game reserve..?
In Dublin, Ireland. I saw two American tourist getting annoyed at a ticket machine. They turned to me, royally pissed off and said “How do you get this thing to convert dollars?”.
My mother used to work at a tourist bureau here in Nova Scotia. So this one time a couple comes from down south. Louisiana or Texas I do believe? Anyways so they come here fully decked out with ski gear, parkas and everything. Which would be fine… If it wasn’t *JULY*. They thought it snowed and was below 0 all year round in Canada. How? I have no idea. But they did. And apparently they were very determined to find a ski hill.
No, you cannot do a day trip from Sydney to Uluru in your car. With the amount of times I see Americans harp on about how big their country is, you’d think I wouldn’t have had to go to such great lengths to explain that.
On a tour of a castle in the north of England. An American tourist asked how much the castle weighs in pounds.
Americans traveling in India don’t ever complain about things, much to their credit. It’s odd because the same ones in the US complain about things in the US.
The whole sandals and socks in 40 Celsius degrees.
[USA]
Seeing people who thought that they were in a foreign country because they came to New Mexico.
Dumbest thing I heard was on a flight from Vancouver to Calgary. We landed and the pilot came on the intercom to tell us the updated time and weather. Woman in her mid 40’s sitting next to me said “I didn’t know Canada had time changes!”.
Talking to random people on the underground.
Notice how 90% of us on it aren’t talking to each other and are more focused with our phones or books. There’s a reason for that.
My friend went to Germany and told me that he saw an overweight American family speaking English in Texan accents and wearing matching lederhosen.
This American tourist was standing right next to me, I politely said hello then suddenly they just roared back at me ‘HELLO, WHERE CAN I BUY A PAIR OF WHITE TRAINERS?’. Needless to say I was taken Aback, the almost elephant of a woman was talking some loudly that I nearly flew!
