One set for us Americans, one set for everyone else

"Do we have a different set of standards to live by and should it be so?" Yes, we do, but it's largely self-imposed. No, it shouldn't be so.

What Tom said. It IS mostly self-imposed, or it may just be your own family or set of friends. Why generalize in the first place? As though the whole world thinks and acts one way and Americans think and act the same way. That seems extreme. Everyone is different. There are certain rules of culture though that people try to adhere to when they go to other countries, but why do you believe that Americans are the only ones paying attention to this? Believe me, there are tons of guide books in Germany that suggest ways to behave whether you are visiting America, India, Tibet, China, etc.

I travel with Brits frequently and you wouldn't believe the negative things they have to say about their fellow European travellers. It's easy to think we are held to a higher set of standards, but my personal experience is that the Germans and the Russians get a much harder time than we do. Actually there was a survey out a year or so ago among Europeans in the travel industry and Americans were rated as the best tourists and the French were rated the worst (which I found very surprising).
For some good reading before going anywhere new, I love the Xenophobe's Guide to France, Spain, etc. The american one is very spot on.

Not really. The one place I would say yes is with tipping. Servers except you to overtip as an american and I have had negative stares when I have tipped like a local.

No, I don't think anyone is imposing a higher than reasonable standard on American tourists. Generally, locals in tourist zones everywhere can have negative stereotypes of any tourist, regardless of where they're from, but who cares? If you're talking about respecting the local culture/customs of the place you are visiting, that should apply to all visitors no matter their country of origin or where they are travelling. Americans can get this wrong, but so does everyone else. I'm with Jo in that this type of generalization isn't particularly helpful. Although, I must say that we do get the worst-dressed prize. If Americans actually feel like somebody has set a higher standard for them somehow, they have some issues to work out IMO.

I have heard more negatives and more stereotypes about Japanese tourists than any other national group and rarely heard anyone defend or refute the comments.

I don't think there are higher expectations placed on Americans than others. In my experience, tourists that try to be polite and well-mannered, whatever their nationality, are forgiven for any faux pas that they make. Those that complain loudly about the place they are visiting, the local practices, and why it's inferior to where they come from are less likely to be given the benefit of the doubt. I think it is often a question of how much experience the tourists have with being abroad that matters. When I took my seldom-travelling dad to Italy, I had to explain to him that the tiny cups of espresso weren't a "tourist ripoff" and that free coffee refills weren't a custom there. If I hadn't clued him in, he might have embarrassed himself by making a complaint that would have caused him to be treated like a pushy but clueless tourist. In recent years, I've seen a lot of loud and pushy behavior by Russian tourists. Again, I suspect these are people unused to traveling and having to understand other customs and ways of living. I think that as more Americans have traveled abroad independently, the stereotypes of Americans loudly demanding ice in their drinks and complaining about the size of their hotel rooms has abated. One stereotype that still holds true, though, is that many Americans expect everyone to speak English wherever they go. I've never seen a Japanese tourist who thinks that speaking Japanese more loudly is likely to result in understanding, but I often see American tourists frustrated when some local resident can't speak English well enough. So, no, I've not seen a double standard applied to Americans. If anything, we get accommodated more than other travelers, particularly with respect to language matters.

As an American who travels in Europe every summer, I do not feel guilty about who I am or what I have. I have few expectations going into most situations and try to view each situation as a possible learning experience. If I can act like a local when I travel, I feel most comfortable.

To continue on from the last post, I was in Rothenburg o d T last week and many extremely friendly American tourists came up to me to say hello to my dog. All very nice and I have no problem. But friendly as they were not one of them asked first if I spoke English. They were not to know that I was not German but British. Had I been a local I may have felt a little upset at their assumption that I would understand. I've said this before but just 'sprechen Sie Englisch?' would have made all the difference. I can understand why locals have a problem with tourists (not just americans) making the assumption that English will be understood. I think perhaps some Americans seem to make more faux pas because they are not always aware of the maze of cultural differences between individual countries in Europe, which most Europeans themselves have grown up with. It would be like me going to America and assuming that the whole country had the same attitude to everything and the same traditions, easily done. I am not saying that every American is like this, but some. For instance in Italy you would be aware of its Catholicism and take care in church not to wear shorts or sleeveless T shirts or even as a woman to cover you head, but you might not expect to have to do this in Germany, especially if you had just arrived from the protestant north, yet in the southern state of Bavaria it is also often the custom, and you could unintentionally insult some of the older generation. Personal questions such as asking your age or how much you earn seem perfectly innocent in many parts of Europe, but the British would be horrified. By American standards I would say that the Europeans, and I generalise, are more reserved and the friendly open manner of Americans can be misunderstood, which is a shame.

If they were saying hello to your dog, why would they have to ask you if you speak English – they were talking to your dog (and he speaks dog). :) And if Europeans are so utterly aware and understand the cultural and religious differences of the people of Europe, why is it that minority immigrant communities all across the continent are so badly discriminated against and feared? And why do Europeans allow their governments to codify discrimination, making it illegal to build mosques or wear face veils? Oh, we have our own issues with newly-arrived immigrants to be sure, but let's not suggest that Europeans are somehow more sensitive, compassionate, and tolerant regarding different religions or cultures. Again, painting with such a broad brush is goofy and not very helpful IMO.

I honestly don't think I have ever seen or felt anything on my travels that have made me think that one culture has more expectations put on it. I think people do have different expectations in their head re: what traits travellers from different countries will have. But, I have never felt that one culture was being expected to behave better than the rest. I wonder whether individuals feel this though. When I travel I am conscious of the bad image of Brits abroads so I am very aware that I want to prove that we are not all like this. I know other Brits who feel the same. I wonder whether sensitive types from all cultures feel like this.

Shoni, that got me thinking... when my dog was a puppy, I brought her to walk around Rothenburg. I thought, what better place to socialize a dog than in a place full of tourists (does anybody go on vacation thinking, "I want to go and be mean to a local dog?"). Although there weren't too many people there the day I visited, most of the Americans/Rickniks (it seems in Rothenburg, the two are almost interchangable) automatically spoke to me in English, whereas all the Japanese were greeting us in very broken German. Was it because the Americans just assumed I spoke English, or was it because they heard me giving commands to the dog in English? Who knows?

There is no double standard. Boorish behavior is boorish behavior no matter who is doing it. However; in the same way that I have higher standards for my children than other people's children because their behavior reflects on me, I may have slightly higher standards for the behavior of other Americans because it - however minutely - reflects on me. America - the place where I choose to live - is my extended "family" to some small degree, and to some small degree, I might hold them to a higher standard. I would expect that residents from all other corners of the globe would hold their own countrymen to a similarly higher standard for the same reasons. Whether they actually do or not reflects on their character, perhaps, but the principal still holds.

Michael, at what point did I suggest that Europeans were more tolerant or compassionate than Americans?

I am an American who has traveled through many different European countries many times, and am looking forward to going back again in a few weeks. I try to familiarize myself with local cultures and norms, but at the same time I am aware that it is VERY obvious that I am, well, an American - in fairly short order. I may as well not even try to fake it. Not only that, I am a TEXAN and speak American (not English!) with a distinctly Southern drawl. Nearly without exception, locals respond politely and usually warmly to me. In all my years of traveling, in fact, I can truly say that I've only been treated rudely (which was especially surprising because I was trying SO HARD to be considerate!) by one waiter in Vienna (and some would say that's hardly surprising), one stranger in a bathroom in Germany (and who knows WHAT her problem was!) and one hotel staff member in France. Oh - and I forgot - when they drop the bread to half off at 4:45 pm at a Germany bakerei, be prepared to either bolt to the front of the line, or hit the floor! But I don't take that personally - after all, the Germans are all pushing each other too! Some Europeans seem a bit surprised at first when I grin and greet them spontaneously - but I nearly always get a warm response - or at least a polite one. Go ahead and "expose" them to some of that American cheerfulness - it won't hurt anyone! ; )

Shoni: You're correct...you never actually said that Europeans are more sensitive, compassionate, or tolerant. Upon further review of your post, perhaps I should have addressed your suggestion that Europeans are more aware (my word - enlightened), while Americans are more unaware (my word –ignorant). I believe this is more accurate to what you were describing. Let's just hope that all of this European awareness can be extended to include the ethnic and religious minorities. Who knows, this supreme level of consciousness may someday allow a Muslim woman to once again wear a veil in public next to a man wearing his St. Christopher medal. Ah, the things we take for granted in this country (important to note on a day like today – June 6).

Michael, the dictionary definition of 'ignorant' is 'uninformed about a fact' or 'uncouth'. When I travel to a place I have not been to before, I am uninformed about many facts but I hope that I am not uncouth. We must all be ignorant to some degree.

It is interesting to see how quickly a discussion about standards is turned around into what "Europeans" should change. There is no such thing as a European with that respect. Okay, headkerchiefs are illegal in public places in France. Well, they are illegal in Turkey as well (e.g. in government buildings and universities). Whereas in the Netherlands it is easier to build a mosque than a church and a male muslim does not have to shake hands with women, whereas others are. Personally, I don't care, as long as I can live my life by my standards. It is not often that I come across someone that is rude or otherwise unmannered in personal contact. Yet when you come across a group, it is often not very difficult to determine their origine - that does not say anything about how they will behave. It always helps to get an idea of cultural differences, so you can place someones behaviour. And perhaps it helps that we get a lot of American movies and TV series - it is often not very difficult to behave better than that ;)

I'll comment on the language expectation (I'm half-Italian and have lived in Italy, US and other countries). It is grossly unfair to compare expectations people will speak English to expectations people will speak any other foreign language. For whatever reasons it might be, English is the international language of more affluent people who conduct international business, understood here as anything from travelling to see birds to organizing a corporate merger. A person native in French, Italian, Dutch, German, Javanese, Cantonese etc. would have just to learn good English to have a expectation of a much easier time abroad. Some might see "unfair" that Britons, OZies, Canadians and Americans, being native in English, are already fluent in the de-facto international language. However, what would an honest expectation be? That every American mastered French, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, German, Norway, Swedish, Danish, Icelandic and Finnish before (s)he ever ventures to Europe (apart from UK)?

I think that Kathleen has a point here, but I also agree that as Americans we want other Americans to reflect well on us when they travel internationally. I would also say that like people in other countries you have those that are sensitive to other cultures, and those that display completely boorish behavior. I know that whenever I have traveled abroad with certain members of my family I cringe whenever they open their mouths as they make one faux pas after another. I will also say that I have encountered bad manners from people traveling to America. My family once hosted our cousins from France, and they had appallingly bad manners. Rather than seeing a holiday in America (with my very warm and gracious Southern family, no less) as a unique experience, they seemed very put off then entire time. That's not to say that they were bad people, but I felt that they could have made more of an effort to go with the flow, so to speak. That may sound terribly American of me. :) Also as a student at a university that hosts a large international student population, I have observed both types of behavior. I had a wonderful friend from Austria that was very nice. Other times I have seen people talking loudly in their native tongue on public transportation, which is frowned upon. I always try to make an effort to speak the language when I am abroad, and therefore hope that others will too.

When I travel I feel that I'm a guest in that country. When I'm in someone else's home, I expect myself to behave well, be polite and well-mannered. Why wouldn't I be? And I like to always read that section of Rick's guides which explains how to be polite in that country (for instance, in Germany and France always say hello when you enter a shop and let them greet you back. Not just march in and imperiously demand what you want, which I have seen tourists do often.