An American who has been traveling in Europe for the past month

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/should-americans-go-to-europe-a-friendly-reminder-about-political-posts

Happy travels!

I have been in Europe for the last two months less one week back in the states.

My experience has been basically the same as Janet's. (Except for conversations with friends.)

I have a little over two months to go. If anything really changes, I'll report on it. But I'm not expecting anything.

Very nice report, Janet.

I'll be darned the day that I don't travel because of who sits in the White House.

Some may tease me or laugh at the antics of our current President, just as they teased me and laughed at the antics of a past President who became famous for hiding interns under his desk in the Oval Office.

Nothing to be fearful of.

I don't understand why traveling Americans might fear conversations with Europeans, no matter what the topic might be. Talking with Europeans is always entertaining in one way or another

I have to wonder whether any actual fears Americans have might stem from the rising COSTS of travel. Maybe the political vibe is just an excuse for staying home.

As a fellow Californian who travels a bit in his own country, Janet, I wonder whether your chats with AMERICANS in other places are like mine. They seem to think we are completely NUTS to live where we do. But those chats have been fun too.

I travel incognito just to be safe. Masks, voice modulators, wigs, fake mustaches and I also use an accent that is somewhere between a Polynesian and Slovenian. And yet so far, I've been kicked out of three countries on account of my clothing optional program so, yeah, it's not entirely a bed of roses.

I was in Pristina, Kosovo today, where there are nearly as many American flags as Kosovo ones; there is a road named after Bill Clinton; a statue of Madeline Albright; and a small 9/11 memorial that says "Kosovo Remembers." Their public library has an America Room, with American flags and books. A hotel has a replica of the Statue of Liberty on the roof that can be seen from around the city.

Our guide said they love America, because we helped them gain their freedom. I asked.... even now? He said, we love America, so we try not to talk bad about it.

In Kosovo's eyes, we still stand for freedom.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I was So happy to see such a positive reaction to your living where you do. Here in MN most of the news stories about this topic have been about Canadians.

I am still concerned that after we take over Greenland that some of the penguins will still not treat us as liberators even if their tariff rates decline substantially.

I recently returned from 4 weeks in Australia. Since we speak a common language my accent was obvious and many people asked where my friend and I are from. She’s from Oregon and I’m from California. The only negativity, if you want to call it that, was wondering how people could think that electing our current president to a second term was a good idea. A few people, including a nice Canadian couple on our tour, said they wouldn’t be traveling to the U.S. until we have another president. We were often asked if we needed help when people saw one us checking our phones for directions. People couldn’t have been nicer. My husband and I have an 11 week trip to Europe planned in the Fall and my only concern is wondering if we will still be able to afford it considering what the exchange rate might be in the countries we are going to. I’m not worried at all about how people will treat us.

Here is my real issue with these innocent, positive posts that are fair and well intentioned and convey to travelers “it’s okay! It’s still safe out there. Everything is fine. It’s normal”.

And don’t get me wrong, I’m traveling to Europe in a couple months. I’m not changing plans.

But when I hear folks add “it’s normal” or “nothing has changed” or “it’s fine” or “David, you have toilet paper stuck to your shoes”, well, I react.

I don’t want toilet paper stuck to my shoes and I don’t think it is really fine and it sure doesn’t seem normal to me.

Indeed, if someone posts “it’s normal” then I feel obligated to post something to the effect “wait, this is normal? Am I the only one seeing this? Maybe I’m crazy but this stuff sure seems crazy. Greenland? What?”

And then the nice folks at Rick Steves— and they are nice folks— have to come in and say “David, you’re getting a vein. Calm down. We’re trying to make this forum strictly about travel and frankly you’re getting a little out there. Also, you go something stuck to your shoes.”

So you see my dilemma, right? No?

Well, happy travels anyway!

after we take over Greenland that some of the penguins will still not
treat us as liberators

There are penguins in Greenland now?

Did they migrate there from the McDonald's Islands to circumvent the tariffs?

The whole world hasn’t changed no matter what you are experiencing, David. I live in Europe where we have our own concerns but not your concerns.
It is fairly peaceful between people and we apply a lot of social grease to keep things that way. Come visit.

Laurie Beth, for the most part Europe has not experienced much by comparison so I am not surprised most are carrying on as usual. Europe’s autonomy has not been threatened as has Canada’s as recently as last night.