Ugly American: Invalid Stereotype?

I think I'm equally unattractive on either side of the Atlantic.

Sorry, but stereotypes exist for a reason. However only the ignorant or deliberately obtuse think that everyone in a particular group falls within that stereotype. While I as a foreigner, have seen no significant decline in "ugly Americans" in my travels, I would never say that every American behaves in the same way. Just as I would never say that the all French are cold and unfriendly, or even that all Canadians are always polite.

You can't control what other people think or how they behave. All anyone control is how they conduct themselves.

CJean, you DID start out with “Sorry,” which was polite of you. 😉 But you make valid points. Happy travels, and hope they don’t involve inordinately bad people.

"CJean, you DID start out with “Sorry,” which was polite of you. "

Cyn, that made me spit my tea all over my tablet! I think it's been ingrained since birth. I didn't even realize I'd done that.

Yes there are still a few Americans who keep the stereotype alive - but many more who don’t .

Any tipping thread on any forum I’ve been in has a few of them too lol

The term "Ugly American" became popular because at one point Americans were the most often seen tourist in many parts of the world. They were unaware of local customs and traditions. The concept goes back to the time of Mark Twain who wrote about such people after his travels in the late 1800s.

However, Americans are no longer the most traveled people. Tourists from other areas of the world have surpassed us. Additionally, more Americans are becoming knowledgable about the areas they are visiting. Oh, there are still many obnoxious Americans but they have been surpassed by others.

there are some who are considerate, want to contribute, are genuinely curious travelers who want to be sensitive to the places they go, and to its inhabitants, and want to avoid unpleasant behavior.

Yap, commonly referred to as “educated Americans” in the West of Ireland, as in: “Ah sure they were grand, educated Americans, ya know”. ;-)

I give this post until Monday morning at 8:00 am PDT. Then I'm sure it will be gone. Too bad, it could get interesting.

I want to say the term 60 years ago referred not so much to how American tourists acted, but to how American government officials acted.

It is probably best for all if I stay away from politics--especially on the eve of the G7 conference in France--and stick to how Americans touring other countries act and are perceived, and my impression is that overall we act well and are well received.

"The Ugly American" was a novel by, I think, two guys named Lederer and Burdick, around 1960. It was about American diplomacy and development efforts in Vietnam (which they gave a fictitious name) in the years before the major American military involvement (aka Vietnam War). Our government and most of its officials didn't come off looking well, in the authors' eyes, except for one guy who was actually ugly, physically, as I recall. I think he was based on Col. Edward Lansdale (look him up if you still care), a rare truth-teller who was respected by those on the ground but annoyed the higher-ups.

The title was so striking, and so contrary to our postwar self-image, that it became a cliche for a tourist stereotype. As Frank noted, the stereotype now applies to many nationalities as international tourism has become possible for them. I think the "ugly American" stereotype has become less common over the decades, though some of our countrymen surely fit it. So do others from elsewhere in the world. To be appreciated abroad, as Cyn says, we should "be nice visitors, but not obsess about self-doubting deprecation."

It works both ways, the ugly tourist stereotype! I had to fight my way through hoards of foreign tourists, In several national parks, who were he** bent on not giving way for others to pass on sidewalks walking the opposite direction.

Seeing Americans behave nearly almost in a half century of traveling in Europe, I don't thinking they hold the "Ugly American" title anymore. They used to. Of course, I still see some "bad" (regardless how you define it) behaviour among Americans while traveling but there are others who do not exhibit such behaviour...obviously. Just a matter of timing and chance.

In my travels I've encountered "ugly" tourists of many nationalities, including (I'm ashamed to say), Canadians. I remember one in particular during a trip to the U.K. that was spouting the classic refrain..... "why can't they drive on the proper side of the road like we do at home, why don't they have the same foods we have at home, etc." She seemed to be expecting the locals to configure the country to fit her preconceived ideas.

As others mentioned in previous replies, many years ago Americans were doing more travelling than those from a lot of other countries, so were more visible. Now a lot of people from developing countries have increasing affluence and are doing more travelling, and some of them are behaving just as badly and could also be labeled as "ugly" travellers.

Perhaps it would help if the RS guidebooks were translated into other languages, so people from other countries could learn the RS travel philosophy and be inquisitive and polite guests in the countries they visit ;-)

The 'ugly American' moniker has been around for about as long as America has been a country; a land of immigrants, who didn't have any kind of caste system or, social class constraints. Those in other countries who came across an American was either amused by their hutzpah or, put-off by their 'lack of class and place'. Post WWII, as the rest of Europe was rebuilding and dealing with economic challenges of re-assembling their societies, the US's economy post-war improved and the overall standard of living skyrocketed. US serviceman, diplomats and businessman were posted all around the world, their higher standard of living combined with a chip on the shoulder of 'winning the war' attitude rubbed a lot of folks wrong. Understandably resentment built when boorish and obnoxious American twenty somethings (we're all jerks at one time in our twenties), overseas for the first time, interacted with the locals.

Fast forward today and in my 40+ years of travel, I've seen three types of ugly Americans. The first is the teenager/college-ager, away internationally for the first time. Not terribly self-aware, full of confidence and constantly looking for a good time, their ability to 'know the temperature of the room' and act appropriately is pretty low. Flip-flops, headphones, loud talking, wearing sweats & tees and creating a scene...typical youth. Another group are senior travelers, for some, their first time international traveling also; every conversation begins with 'Back in the States...', or, the endless string of complains, whining and criticisms. Usually traveling in packaged tours, mass groups moving like an amoeba, not really interacting with the country they're visiting. Lastly, the final group is the Know-It-All American, this person isn't age specific, they're usually well-traveled however they'll tell you about all their travels, what you're doing wrong, and their interaction with locals comes across as forced, disingenuous, being cute and cheeky with the locals but, they're really are just making an donkey of themselves. Usually unassuming, however crack the shell and it's a big reveal that they're much more aware or, 'woke' than you. You just don't know the world like they do and 'they know how things really are', they've got the answers to the world's problems. Social media has helped develop this creature.

Fear not, Americans come from a large country with a very big population, which means generalizations are just that, too general. There's other big countries with massive populations that travel too and...we're not too bad. Social media, internet and easy to watch videos have made travel much more accessible which helps round-off those edges and corners which people may have had before their journeys. American's are traveling to more obscure places (like the Germans) and willing to spend more time in places (like Aus & NZ) than past generations. Lets acknowledge that we've become better travelers, get off our moralistic high-horse and help those who may not be so keen or, aware. Nobody likes a scold or, a high-minded, look-down their nose type.

Our first trip to Europe was in 1966 when Deb was 14 and I was 15. We had a wonderful chaperone, a truly remarkable lady who spent months with us preparing for the trip. We discussed the sights we would see and the cultures we would encounter. We also spent a lot of time learning how to behave like ladies and gentlemen. Our chaperone had high standards.

In the following 53 years, we’ve strived to live up to her standards. Sadly, not every American tourist was “raised right”. It is not a new problem, read Mark Twain’s “Innocents Abroad”.

A fundamental part of Rick Steves’ “Savvy Traveler” is responsible tourism and I thank him for promoting the concept of being a good guest. I don’t think the percentage of clueless Ugly Americans has changed much, there’s just so many more traveling than 50 years ago.

I have found that when you are a good guest, our hosts are appreciative and respond warmly and enthusiastically. We have also observed that generally they don’t suffer fools lightly. I’ve overheard American tourists complain of rude and aloof “foreigners”. I’ve wanted to tell them if they weren’t such jerks, you’d find they are actually overwhelmingly nice.

Two comments:

• Can it be that it is somehow typical American not to ask others (non-US users) on the forum how is their past and current impression of US travelers in their region?
• I am smiling and waiting for the first real statement from a non-US and non-Canadian.

The note about the origin of the phrase "The ugly American" was correct, in all but one particular.

The ugly American was actually the hero of the book. He was the only one who actually understood the people of Sarkhan. He went around in the rural areas, finding out what people really needed. He provided things like bicycle-powered pumps, which were appropriate technologies for a non-electrified rural area. He was physically ugly in his face, but he was a good person who did good things, and the communists assassinated him for that reason.

The phrase is never used correctly.

RS has a similar ethos. It has to do with his notion of "the American dream". In his lecture on travel, he goes to considerable effort in discussing the fact that each country has it's own "dream", and many are quite different from the "American dream". Those who travel to countries which have policies about immigration, success, social support systems, etc, which differ from those in the USA should think about the notion that not every country shares the "American dream" nor should it.

I don't remember a time in Europe when I thought I received rude treatment because I was an American, which says something about others but also on how we are perceived. Sure, most of us are bad with other languages. And it may be that most on these forums travel with an usually high curiosity about and respect for other cultures. But I have normally been treated in Europe with a respect and hospitality that I don't think I would have seen if we did have an Ugly American image.

And I can remember staying in a very small hotel in Berlin, which I learned of on these forums, where the lady running the hotel joined her guests for fabulous breakfasts. She thought North Americans didn't eat enough in the morning, but my sense was that she liked very much Americans staying at her hotel. Russians were a different matter.

MarkK has it - we need to hear more of what Europeans say to this.

My impressions is that Europeans (from conversation and observation) look at "average American tourists" as being less cultured, and ignorant of geography, history, social customs, etc., but not so much as arrogant, as in the past. That is, Europeans are more patronizing and condescending than they are angered by Americans . The ugly label prejudice has been passed on.

@MarkK:

This forum is probably 90% USA American travelers. There are certainly many Europeans (3-4 UK, 3-4 Germany), and there are a number of Americans who reside abroad (Austria, UK, Germany). I am unaware of contributors from other countries. There is one traveler who recently joined from France, and occasionally some from India/SE Asia. So, the likelihood of non-USA comments is small, simply based on the demographics.

I would agree with others that many here are frequent travelers who are in some cases quite well educated. Both my wife and I have advanced degrees. Between us, we speak 6 languages with varying degrees of competence. I would imagine than others here are similar in their competency .

In addition, I am sure that many of those who post here are children or grandchildren of European immigration to the USA. My mom's family is DonauSchwaben, and that has led me to a great amount of reading in the history of that ethnic group, of the Balkans, of the Ottoman control of Europe, of power politics (esp in the run-up to WWI and to WWII). In some cases, persons here have done "ancestor tourism", in which we go to those places from which family came.

What we see less of is the USA cruise passenger, the USA tour participant. Most, but not all, here are independent travelers who do so partly because independent travel is modestly adventurous. When you travel alone, you must solve small problems. How do I get to the next place? Where should I eat? How do I find a bathroom? If you are on a tour, these questions are handled by the tour operator.

You, @MarkK, are one of a handful of Germans, and it's always refreshing to hear your perspective.

I have a theory. Could it be that you notice more "ugly americans" than other nationalities because of language? My wife and I were on a cruise from Quebec City to Boston a few years ago, one evening it was announced that overnight we'd be leaving Canadian waters and entering American water. One table clapped and cheered making comments such as "finally" and "Thank God, it's about time ". Now if these comments had been made in another language, would I have known they were being rude? For all I would have known they could have been saying how sad they were to leave Canada behind. I'm sure all countries have their Village Idiots but we may not notice if we don't understand the language.

I am a curious traveler in the states and outside of the states. I do the best I am able to do in most environments. "Ugly" is out! I do wear long sleeves, long pants, and a hat while out in the sun. I think I look "funny" and my behaviors demonstrate courtesy. And when two locals in Spain shout out "American Tourist", without me speaking, I wonder if it was the hat that was the give away.

@Paul: the headline was set to "stereotype". Although we all know that everyone is individual and that stereotypes do not exist in real world, it is the topic. So, let us stay on that for this exchange.

To me a logical step would be first to find out what is the stereotype of US travelers in other countries. OP was posting "obnoxious, rude, inconsiderate, self-centered and/or feel entitled". So, is it this the existing picture?

To me this procedure is somehow typical US American business: start things with an own picture of an issue before exploring what is the real issue. By the way: not only politics define the picture of a country, much more the businesses do. Look at Volkswagen cheat (damaging the German image) or at what Uber, AirBnB, Cisco, Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft ... are doing. The partly illiegal and also enemious behaviour of companies imo perfectly fulfill the mentioned stereotypes. These companies and their traveling business people are setting an ugly scene in the worst possible way. From my German business perspective they are a bigger technological danger than the Chinese ones.

Back to topic: Since this is a travel forum I like to contribute a link to a German article on what is typical for US American tourists. This picture has only little to do with the description posted by OP but is also somehow symbolic. And yes, intereseted readers have to read or translate German to understand. This is by the way point #1 in this article :-)

For me also a typical US American issue to use the short version "Americans" which is imo not correct as we talk about "US Americans". USA is not all America to me - but may be I am wrong.

Personally I experience "half" US Americans (double citizenship) as the hardest critical persons. I think you can imagine how Jewish half US / half Danish people feel after this last week. And yes I know one who is traveling the world from one business congress to the next.

Well, I guess I'll add to the European perspectives, specifically from Spain.

More than the "Ugly American" Stereotypes, I have found, what I would describe, as the "Curiously Naïve American". They may not know much about the history, culture, or even geography of the place they are visiting, but they are willing to get their hands dirty, "meet the locals", and learn about the local culture... and are awestruck when something is older than 100 years lol. This is more than can be said for some of the party/beach tourism we get from places like France, Germany, UK - who don't dare to venture more than 15 km inland from the beach.

The one thing Americans are annoyingly squeamish about is with the local food, anything with tentacles or not ultra-processed? No thanks they'll meet you at the McDonalds across the street - https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/eating-at-mcdonalds

Though I have met a few "Ugly American" stereotypes in Spain, one in particular was in the bus in Barcelona. He was taking to his wife, very loud, saying something along the lines of everyone in Barcelona smells, the bus smells, the city smells etc. I assume he thought us silly locals on the bus could not possibly understand English. The good/bad thing with the American Accent is that it cuts through everything like a hot knife through butter, not too good when in a confined space like a bus or restaurant.

Nancy, what some people dont get is that part of the act of being ugly is thinking that you are so superior in intellect or thought that you feel that you are above the rules; cultural rules, societal rules and forum rules.

In tourism I suspect some of the moniker was earned through the ignorance of Americans, some through the jealousy of others. The three groups that I most notice are US with crying brats, UK with crying brats, and pushy Russians.

It will be a pity if this thread is lost because of the politics, but if you use the phrase "Ugly American", at this time, to many (?Most) non Americans, it is likely to bring up an image of one man - your president. I'm not making a political judgement but he is the epitome of the stererotype - big, brash, rich and gives the impression that if you don't agree with his views, then you are wrong.

In my travels, nearly all the Americans I have met have been pleasant, interesting, interested and respectful of other's cultures - all round good tourists. As always, it is the exceptions that stand out and give others a bad name.
In the same way, I (British) consider myself to a good tourist - and yet the behaviour of some of my countrymen/women on holiday is appalling - and I'd hate us all to be judged against the football hooligan element.

I hate to break it to everyone, but Americans are pretty normal as tourists on average. The new money is elsewhere with those folks moving in frightened herds or buying every shiny object they see, but oblivious to where they are. Have you not yet been pushed out of the way by Russians going to the Gucci store or trampled by Chinese groups on Plitvice or Hallstatt? Oy!

When I was a kid and teenager, during occasional summers I had to take classes run by the State Department for foreign service dependents, primarily focused around personal safety while abroad. One of the things the instructor mentioned a few times and cautioned us against was "John Wayne Syndrome". There's a number of different things people might use "John Wayne Syndrome" to refer to, but this particular instructor described it as a kind of swagger, "I'm invincible", "My country is rich and big and powerful so I command respect" attitude some people from the US might have when traveling or living abroad. I've certainly seen it manifest itself a few times - overhearing another person from the US at a restaurant complaining "Why don't they speak better English here?? If you're going to serve tourists you should all speak good English!" or "If you want American customers you should have ranch dressing!"; thinking local laws don't apply to a tourist from the US, and any cop giving ya a hard time is just looking for a bribe; believing one is owed something extra because "You'd all be speaking German now if it wasn't for us" or "Without our money this place would still be in the Stone Age".

As others have mentioned, though, I often think the "ugly, loud, obnoxious" tourist label often gets pinned to whichever nationality is most visible in a particular place, at a particular time. Folks from the US were often the most visible, noticeable tourists in many places for a good long while, and so were primed and ready to get pegged as ugly Americans. As tourists, we'll all either occasionally or often stand out, we'll make mistakes, we'll slip up or say or do something we shouldn't have, or we'll be under a bit more of a microscope than others. We'll travel somewhere on the heels of those who came before us, and may accidentally do something that reinforces a stereotype that someone else was on the lookout for, armed with a stereotype we just unwittingly reinforced.

It isn't a uniquely US thing, though. At a certain Red Sea resort in Egypt I used to visit often, Russian tourists were the ones everyone would complain about. Whether or not they were any worse than anyone else likely wasn't all too important - they were just the newest, most noticeable group coming in larger and larger numbers each year, so stood out to everyone. In different parts of Egypt, visitors from Gulf Arab countries were the ones everyone complained about. In Argentina, I'd often hear complaints about the Brazilian tourists, but they were just the most common nationality among the tourists. During my first couple trips to Prague many years back, rowdy British tourists on stag weekends were the ones everyone feared. Even here, complaints about big groups of rude Chinese tourists is a recurring theme. I don't think people are being rude so much as they're being noticed. In some cases as well, I often felt it was less about nationality, more about socio economic status. Where someone was from mattered less than they're being a fairly well-off individual, used to getting what they wanted wherever they were from and so expecting the same wherever they went.

Two stories to add here
First off last year I ran into my first truly ugly American while in a Rhine River Boat. She was as far from me as you can get on those (and that is pretty far) yet she was yelling into her phone so load while doing a video call holding the cell at arms length to get herself in the shot with the shore in the background that I know she was talking to her sister back in .Chicago. She continued to shout at her sister for at least a half hour.

Story two. Ugly Spanish.
I worked in an office building a decade or so ago with a really gorgeous tall redhead. On day in the way back from lunch we get on the elevator with to guys from Spain that work at a Spanish company on the floor below ours. My co worker we in her last 20s and dressed in a short skirt that really showed off her legs. And these two guys make some sort of comment,
She turned reder then her hair and spun around on them and stated to let them have it in fluent Spanish.... while I just glared at them (I am 6-5) Unknown to the two idiots my co worker was fluent in Spanish having been part Spanish and having lived and went to school in space for a couple years.
the two guys got off a floor early and slunk away.

My co worker would never tell me exactly what the said other then it was a very very rude thing to say about a young lady.

So every country can have its ugly members.

And I too will be amazed if this thread is not just deleted as some folks (and I am talking to BOTH sides) can’t leave politics out of it. So PLEASE let this forum stay away from politics...

More than the "Ugly American" Stereotypes, I have found, what I would describe, as the "Curiously Naïve American".*

This is exactly the stereotype the French used to have of the Americans. Everything Carlos wrote was what was said north of the border in France, too. Our moniker was “Les grands enfants” or big children, due to curiosity, wonderment, enthusiasm (gushing) and naivety. This was told to me many times years ago, but I don’t know if it’s still the stereotype today. Balso, Andrew, or others living in France, is it still said today?

Well said JC.

Frank II answered this question. Now we have obnoxious Russians, roving British hooligans, Chinese groups shoving their way through museums and there are many more. As for us Americans, we are no longer considered ugly, just fat.

Have any of you considered the one sided natured of most of this discussion? Or rather the (subconscious) bias when it comes to discussing how outsiders perceive a group when the discussion is 90+% by members within that group? I can't help but wonder what this thread would look like if 90+% of the respondents were non-US. Might it not be something like, to paraphrase Richard: "Now we have obnoxious Russians, roving British hooligans, Chinese groups shoving their way through museums and there are many more. And then of course, then there are the Amrericans". It's not that I don't love you guys, or that I think all Americans, Brits, Chinese, or Russians are all the same. I'm just saying that I think you're seeing yourselves through different eyes than the rest of the world sees. Or am I dead wrong?

CJean, Emily nailed it pretty good. And its ego to think anyone cares about us one way or another.

@Bets, never heard of the phrase "les grands enfants" referring to Americans, but it's true that many French people I know, myself included, tend to find typical American enthusiasm ("Oh my god! This is awesome") either endearingly sweet, or a bit grating depending on one's level of grumpiness.
Other than that, American tourists have become a small minority in Paris these days, so I can't think of any persistent stereotype. A few clichés remain (in particular, talking loudly, on par with the Spanish), but that's about it for me. Oh yes, an obsession with Van Gogh too.

The psychologists call it "Selective Perception." And we are all guilty of it to one degree or another with different levels of intensiveness. We often remember the few times we have encountered ugly ?????? but rarely remember the hundreds of other times that we didn't. I can think of a half a dozen and perhaps a couple more truly Ugly Americans -- the couple with all of their luggage piled on seat across from them on the train when it was standing room only; two Texan, Baptist ministers in shorts and loud Caribbean shirts trying to enter a cathedral, etc. Paul thinks we are ripping on the president but that is his perception. And, obviously, not many others. Perceptions are rarely based on fact.

There are people who behave badly in public regardless of where they are -- home or abroad. We don't mind when they are home but we do object when they are abroad and loosely representing all American tourists. Has it become worse? Hard to judge but my perception is that it is about the same. There are always clueless people. It is just a matter of how we deal with them.

Not sure how much value there is to discussing this question. We all should be aware of our behavior and the effect on others. Maybe because of long time service in a very public role -- education and elected govt -- that I am very conscious of how i handle myself in public situations. When traveling we like to maintain a low profile and I think we are good at it. But other perceptions may disagree.

My guide in Kranj (Slovenia) today said that his stereotype of American tourists is "not very smart." Happily, he said I surprised him.

I’d say the stereotype is somewhat common due to the fact that Europe is relatively far away and before inexpensive air fares, it wasn’t a place that Americans could visit frequently. Plus, so many Americans are suburban, so they’re not used to big cities and public transit.

I think it’s easier now, you can watch YouTube and get a much better idea of what Your destinations are like.

It appears that "ugly Canadians" are becoming a problem in some areas these days - https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/jeopardy-champ-scolds-surprisingly-awful-canadians-in-seattle-1.4564235 .

I was almost too ashamed to post this ;-)

I don’t think 90% of the posts come from the USA, but I’m sure the moderators know the real number.

Based on the stated location of contributors I'd sugest that 90% is a low estimate, I'd guess that it was higher however it's impossible to prove, even for the moderators, if people are using a vpn.

I remember sitting at breakfast with a young couple who owned a small B&B in a remote area of Skye in Scotland. They had two small children and ran the B&B themselves. They also lived on the property.

We were curious and asked them about the life of a B&B owner. We talked about guests in general and guest from different countries in particular. They had recently instituted a two night minimum. They found guest who blew in for one night were generally unpleasant. They were harried and impatient and looking to push on to the next tourist site. They tended to be rude and demanding.

They found North Americans a mixed bag. They felt US citizens to be more gregarious. They tolerated but weren't fond of Germans who they felt were somewhat cold and matter-of-fact. Italians bewildered them. They said they come in like tornadoes, big and loud and all over the place. They were confounded by their sugar consumption at breakfast. Each table had a large bowl of sugar and by the end of the meal, all the sugar would be gone! They said this wasn't isolated, most Italians ate sugar like there was no tomorrow!

It turns out American tourists don't have a monopoly on irritating behavior. I think a few Mark Twain quotes from Innocents Abroad are in order:

“Why will people be so stupid as to suppose themselves the only foreigners among a crowd of ten thousand persons?”

“The gentle reader will never, never know what a consummate ass he can become, until he goes abroad.”

“In Paris they just simply opened their eyes and stared when we spoke to them in French! We never did succeed in making those idiots understand their own language.”

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.”

“Human nature appears to be just the same, all over the world”

and finally:

“Memories which someday will become all beautiful when the last annoyance that encumbers them shall have faded out of our minds.”

I had a giggly time watching ... let's just call them loud.... Americans' behavior directed at a traveler who they thought did not understand English. That traveler was me. I was a young backpacker and taking the ferry on Lake Geneva from Montreaux to (I think) Lausanne. Maybe it was Geneva. The trip was about two hours long, and I settled into a bench seat with my backpack beside me. A tour group of some 15 Americans got aboard, and found seats nearby. Six ladies of the group entertained themselves during the entire voyage by talking about me: Where might I be from? Look at my backpack. Might it be heavy? Why is she traveling alone? I wonder what she's reading? etc. etc. They were truly only about ten feet away from me. I never responded or looked up; just kept reading my book. As the boat slowed to approach the dock, we lined up to get off. The tour leader was talking to others, trying to figure out how to continue once they were off the boat. I approached him, and in my very best Oklahoma English said something to the effect of "Your train passes should be good for using the tram by the dock, which should take you to the main train station." The ladies' jaws dropped. "You.. You speak English!" they stammered. "Why yes, of course." I smiled and nodded at each of them. "Have a lovely afternoon." And off I went. I could only imagine how many Europeans they had verbally dissected during their tour. Hopefully a few less, after meeting me.

The ugliest travelers I have encountered in my 5 trips to Europe have been Brits. But I have also met some great Brits that we still communicate with on social media. Not sure if that means I think the "ugly American" is overdone. It's kind of like my mom always yelled at me for being the loudest in a group. I always thought it was because she knew my voice so "heard" it over everyone else. Not sure an citizen of the USA can honestly evaluate the stereotype since we "know" "Americans". BTW - I never identify myself as an "American" thanks to my Canadian friend who politely mentioned - she was too.

Luckily, I have only had those rare occasions where Americans ask me if I speak English. They usually get one of two replies, "yes, of course. " or, "yes, what do you think?"

If Germans ask, "Why do you speak German?" I play it by ear as to what type of reply they get. That situation is hardly ever comes up...lucky for me and likewise for them.

Thanks for your replies. Nice to get perspectives from different people located in different places. My guess is that people on the Rick Steves Forum ( I still call it what Rick originally did — The Graffiti Wall ) are more introspective and thoughtful than any random bore who just got off a plane or boat, and everyone still has good days and less-good days, home and abroad.

After thinking a bit more, I gotta ask - the folks with Maple Leaf flag patches or pins: is that because they’re so proud of being Canadian (justifiably so), or to ensure that no one mistakes them for being from their North American neighbor, the U.S.A. ?

Americans can be bad. I've heard and seen many groan-inducing scenes over the years. "What? No free coffee refill?", "I want ice in my coke.", "Why aren't there any wash cloths?", "Why are there so many knobs on the shower?", "Why don't they have an elevator?" and yelling across train stations, "Hey, our train is over here. Hurry up!"

I'm guilty of at least a few tourista errors over the years.

That said, I don't think Americans are the worst on any particular issue. I've heard louder, ruder, less formal, less polite things from travelers who aren't Americans (Brits and Russians come to mind). Asians can be difficult because most countries aren't accustomed to lining up, instead it's normal to edge your way to the front.

the folks with Maple Leaf flag patches or pins: is that because
they’re so proud of being Canadian (justifiably so), or to ensure that
no one mistakes them for being from their North American neighbor, the
U.S.A. ?

For me, I'd say the answer is yes to all those reasons. I have a ball cap with the Maple Leaf on it that I wear proudly. I also wear it because I'm often asked by locals in Europe if I'm American. I tell them no, I'm Canadian. I was surprised because some will respond that it's the same thing. One local explained that if you're from North America, you're American. I'm curious how my fellow Canadians feel about that, I'm not insulted, but I'd rather be know as a Canadian.

Not so proudly, I bought the hat because of an 'ugly american' incident in Venice a couple of years ago. Early one morning I hopped on a Vaporetto and watched as a group of American seniors were yelling at a Vaporetto cop (Transit cop?) who was giving them tickets for riding without paying. They said they'd been riding all week without paying and, I quote, "How were we to know, we're American." Their behaviour at this female transit cop got so bad that the locals were starting to turn on them. I was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt and so clearly not a local and I was trying to make myself invisible so nobody would think I was part of this group. This is the point where I decided I was going to buy a hat with a Maple Leaf on it. Fast forward to this May, I was on an RS tour in France, there was me and my wife representing Canada and 26 of the nicest Americans anybody would ever want to meet. I still had my hat that I did wear proudly, but inside I was a bit ashamed that I let one incident make me feel that I had to distance myself from the rest of you.

I grew up in Europe and have family still living there, so I experience the cultural differences firsthand. The two most common characterizations that I've heard overseas are "loud" and "entitled". I can't compare from 40 years ago because I was barely a child then and wasn't living in the US, but I strongly assume there is more exposure to American tourists now than ever (you can see this by viewing the large increases in the issuance of passports and # of passports in circulation using State Department data over the years. See https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/after/passport-statistics.html) Even though other tourists have their own stereotypes and their numbers can dilute Americans overseas doesn't automatically make the American stereotypes go away.

I'll admit to having impersonated a Canadian, on my first visit abroad, with a maple leaf luggage tag. It was advice I was given by a few other travelers. At the time, politics and an unpopular president made anti-Americanism a headline subject, and there were reports of awkward encounters abroad. I was also aware of the Ugly-A stereotype and wanted to avoid adding to it. I found it didn't matter as people recognized I personally was unlikely to cause trouble. It was a broadening experience in many ways.

To answer the OP, I think the stereotype is still valid, but everyone else has caught up to us. I do wonder if other nationalities have a similar self-awareness of their stereotype. I remember being told back then by an Austrian pension-owner that he thought Americans were violent, uncultured, uneducated and without manners (e.g., coming to breakfast in their pajamas). His comments always stuck with me as something to avoid in my behavior. I'm not sure most people think about it, at least the ones who do come here and ask.

I'm often asked by locals in Europe if I'm American. I tell them no, I'm Canadian. I was surprised because some will respond that it's the same thing

It is isn't it ; )

Although I can't differentiate between a Canadian accent and a generic US accent. If I talk with a Canadian without knowing they're Canadian then I'll assume they're from the US.

The discussion of accents reminded me of my grandson who spent his first year in college studying in Paris. After coming home to spend some time here, he's now back in France awaiting the beginning of more studies. He's living in Loches. While he speaks excellent French, his accent gives him away. Most French attribute his excellent command of French to growing up speaking it, but they know the accent is wrong. They've decided he must be French Canadian! He delights in telling them he's a Georgia boy.

Pronouncing a longer “o” seems to indicate that some people are from north of the 49th Parallel. In fact, it seems that pronunciation of vowels is what makes speech in different parts of the USA sound unique.

And I understand that Britain has a wide range of accents and dialects.

A colleague from Switzerland, who’s fluent in French and English, and teaches the former in a High School, takes a group of Junior Year students to France for a month each summer. She drills into them proper behavior in France, so they won’t verge on “Ugly.” Another woman at the school, who’s originally from France, makes a point of reminding everyone that the Swiss woman who teaches French, “Isn’t French, you know!”

He delights in telling them he's a Georgia boy.

I’m sure he explains he’s not from the original Georgia, the Republic of Georgia, famous for its ancient culture, cuisine, and for being the first civilization to make wine, but from a young, upstart place famous for peaches, pecans, peanuts, the Bulldogs, and ....

I hope that Canadians never experienced Bavarian slang people laughing bei pronouncing the Bavarian version of "Kanada" which is close to "Koana da" (= nobody there). One of the bad intercultural jokes in Europe.

Canadians also have a number of accents and let me call them 'inflections'. Growing up on the West Coast, I always assumed I had a rather neutral non accented voice, but one time my 'Canadian accent' was noted. As someone mentioned, not sure it is that much different that a very neutral US accent but I guess we all have our own giveaways.
I don't tend to look at other tourists unless they are behaving badly and they are often not from the US. I see more 'badly behaved Americans' when in the US. Perhaps they are part of that 60% of the population who choose not to carry a passport? I am more likely to notice the ignorant loud Brits frequently dressed inappropriately either for local culture or weather; hordes of tour groups who can only move en masse and irregardless of others; and hen/stag parties of any nationality.
Yes, I have used my velcro attached Canadian flag as a 'no, I am not 'American' when I was traveling in some countries south of the equator where it was safer for me to do so. My first foreign trip abroad in 1976 I had a Canadian flag sewn to my purse for a similar reason (there were definitely 'ugly Americans' on that cruise). I think it was in Crete, some elderly lady asked for it in trade for some hand made lace pieces. I agreed and she whipped out a 10 in knife to cut the stitches. It was lethal. I almost gave her the whole purse but she did a neat job of stitch removal. After than I never used a flag until it became prudent again.

I will always feel like the ugly American because I am unable to speak any language other than English, although I'm trying to learn Spanish. I think it's very rude that I travel to other countries and expect them to speak my language. And yes, I do try to learn and butcher the basic phrases. My husband does speak French-2 yrs high school, 2 years college-which is 4 years more than anyone told me to take. (But I sure did enjoy the music and art appreciation courses I took in college instead of taking a language!)

"the folks with Maple Leaf flag patches or pins: is that because they’re so proud of being Canadian (justifiably so), or to ensure that no one mistakes them for being from their North American neighbor, the U.S.A. ?"

I think that's a holdover from a previous era and a time when the U.S. President of the day was unpopular. I can't remember the origins of the Canadian flag on backpacks but I vaguely recall it had something to do with that.

For some reason this practice continues today, although probably not as prevalent. In the current Amazing Race Canada (which is still in progress), I noticed that some of the teams had the ubiquitous Canadian Flag sewn onto their backpacks. That always induces a "roll of the eyes" when I see them.

I purposely don't have any identifying features on my luggage. If people want to know where I'm from, they can always ask and they often do during conversations. Most Europeans don't have the ability to discern home location from speech and they sometimes assume I'm American, Australian or British and only make the correct guess a fraction of the time. If I think it's necessary to wear some kind of identification, I have a small Canadian flag lapel pin that could be used.

Hopefully the locals will judge me by my behaviour as a guest in their country, rather than on my nationality.

a young, upstart place famous for peaches, pecans, peanuts, the Bulldogs, and ....

:D
You left of sweet tea. Next time you're heading south on I-75 going to Disney World, stop by. We'll set a spell on our back porch that overlooks a creek and a hardwood bottom and sip some.

I've spent many a good holiday in the US, mainly the New England states and Virginia, and I've not come across the ugly American enough to upset me. Sure there are distinct accents but I doubt whether any wait staff in a French or Italian village restaurant can tell the difference between an Ontario and a New York or Ohio state accent. Us Canadians are secretly giving Americans a bad name, not the nice guys we are made out to be.

Americans may appear a bit pushy for the most part, left confused as to why there is no English menu or why the service is so slow. A couple of years ago we visited Reichsburg Castle. Our lovely tour guide told us that he had information leaflets in many languages and started to read them off. French, Dutch, whatever, and before he had a chance to say the third two women thrust their hands into the air. "Russian", one cried out. "American", said the other. The guide smiled and ignored them until the end, when he said "Yes, I also have leaflets in Russian and American languages."

"I think I'm equally unattractive on either side of the Atlantic." - Ha.

Frankly in most locations in the world in the last 50 years if you speak English you are constantly American by the locals no matter where you are from. The US has been the dominant power and thus gets all the credit and blame for everything done by anyone that speaks English.
I actually got into a discussion with a well educated man who was born in Afghanistan who told me the US has been suppressing and screwing around with Afghanistan for over 100 years.

He then went on to give me examples of how the US screwed over places in Africa and Asia back in the day (mostly the 1700s and 1800s. I tried to point out that before WW1 the US was not that powerful and didn’t do much to anyone and that he was probably thinking of England/Great Britain but he was insistent on it being the US because he hated the US and everything that he did not like that an English speaking person ever did was done by the US.

So I am sure that anytime you get a rude a Canadians (or probably any other English speaking person) the US gets the blame.
Kind of like the way so many people attribute so much damage to Sherman’s march to the sea when Sherman’s Army never was within a hundred miles of whatever location they are talking about. Sherman’s March is famous, and is blamed for a lot of damage so it must have been Sherman’s army that tipped over Great great great great great grandpas outhouse. Not the kids from next door.
Thus if anyone speaking English is rude it must be those rude Americans because everyone knows that The English are to polite and proper to be Rude and the Canadians are just to laid back and nice so it must be those Rude Americans.

“...... and the Canadians are just too laid back and nice ....”

Well, that is so true (she said nicely).

I've never been mistaken for an American in the countless number of countries I've visited. It's either been British or Australian although bizarrely I was asked if I was German and that was in Atlanta, GA!!!

Frankly in most locations in the world in the last 50 years if you
speak English you are constantly American by the locals no matter
where you are from. The US has been the dominant power and thus gets
all the credit and blame for everything done by anyone that speaks
English.

Yikes. I've commented on this post a couple of times defending the Americans despite a couple of notable situations I've witnessed, but when I read this centre of the universe type of attitude I can understand how the stereotype can take hold.

In one of the most cringeworthy (but eerily satisfying) episodes of Bald and Bankrupt on YouTube, the guy (a Briton) meets up with a random Russian alcoholic ex-cop in Belarus and proceeds to his friend's apartment for drinks, which, somewhere between shots, singing, an a crazy rendition of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, quickly escalates to accusations of being an American spy and having bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

JC, were you wearing lederhosen that suggested you were German in Georgia?

Seriously, it seems a lot of locals, in any place, need to determine where a non-local is from. And in many places, it also seems, if you’re from even 20 miles away, then you’re foreign on some level. Some humans seem to be territorial, and protective of their “turf,” even if they moved there, and became “locals” afterwards. Territorial identity can be subjective.

JC, were you wearing lederhosen that suggested you were German in Georgia?

Fortunately I'm unable to post any photo's that may or may not exist of me wearing Lederhosen.

Funny, about 30-40% of the time Germans think I'm English, but it's usually only those who don't speak much English so they can't distinguish the various accents. When I moved here I had trouble between Scottish and Irish accents - learned my lesson. I can usually tell Kiwis from Aussies now.

That said, my take is parts of the stereotype are absolutely deserved in totality with many exceptions to which it's unfair. But that's true of all countries. Where I live, the biggest nuisance are British stag-dos (that's bachelor parties in American) but it's not all uncommon to find groups of Scandinavian young men enjoying the cheap alcohol in Germany and behaving boorishly. Or take a look at Russians on holiday in Baden-Baden. No country has a monopoly on bad behavior abroad and the worst I've seen has not come from Americans.

As someone who interacts with Americans in Germany for a living, I'd say the most frustrating thing is expectations. That is, Americans (not all, it's a generalization, etc) expect things to operate the same way here they are at home, so thus starts the litany of complaints: Why do we have to pay for water and why is it fizzy? Why do I have to pay to use the toilet? Why is the service so slow? Why do I have to ask for the check? She didn't smile at me, is she being rude? They must know English and if they're not speaking it to me, it must be on purpose (this is a disturbingly common belief) and so on. My own liberal, semi-traveled brother decided he didn't like European toasting culture because making eye contact made him feel "weird" and he didn't feel like he should have to do it, even though I explained it's the custom because, "it's stupid." I told him, "When in Rome..." and he said it triggered his anxiety and then I just threw up my hands and muttered something about millennials.

As an American, I don't feel at all hated living and traveling in Europe. I feel like most people give me the benefit of the doubt and I try to put my best food forward, even if that foot is mispronouncing words and very self-conscious.

And our culture has it's upsides: we are largely considered to be gregarious, open, funny, and curious. Countless times I've taken Americans on tours where reserved German winemakers come out of their shells around my American customers that doesn't usually happen with guests from other parts of the world.

The mentions of "previously unpopular American Presidents" reminded me of this, probably unpopular, thought. European news about America comes largely from our major news outlets. Even if it's coming from BBC or France-Presse, it's likely a reprint of American news. Our major news outlets, without exception, like d's and don't like r's. When I hear one of our Presidents is or isn't well liked in Europe, I've never been surprised.

Too many Americans infer that whether our current President is/isn't liked in Europe is a reflection on how they view you. I don't believe most Europeans switch from liking to disliking Americans based on the most recent election.

“Even if it is coming from BBC or France-Press, it is likely a reprint of American news.”

I find this hard to believe. Can you substantiate this?

I'm with Norma above, just look at the difference between El Pais or France24 compared with CNN or Fox News, the news stories are mostly different (except for Brexit), so is the writing style, less advocacy journalism, it's simply a different audience.

Traveling in Europe over the years, I've always assumed that there will be Europeans, assuming more on the continent, who could base their treatment of Americans depending on the particular president in office. The main point whether that borders on being "hated" is if that bothers you or affects your decision to go to the place.

Apart from the current situation, I went to Europe the first time when Nixon was in office and Vietnam was still going on. Interesting going over solo in those days of yesteryear. Then two years later after Nixon had won his landslide reelection bid, I did my second trip. Then in the summer of 1973 it was Nixon and Watergate

In 2003 I was there again after Bush invaded Iraq which public opinion polls showed overwhelming evidence of opposition (in Germany that stood at 86%). That trip of 7 weeks focused on going to France, Poland and Germany.

Regardless, in light of now, I still go. True, there are differences being a traveler as opposed to living there...just depends on various factors.

It's nothing as overt as "disliking" Americans, it's more subtle than that-increased or diminished standing and reassessment of an ally is more like it, no matter who the "president" is. I think it is a reflection of how we as Americans are viewed by others around the world. It does seem as though Europeans are more aware of us than we are of them-certainly these days.

And a new candidate for the Village Idiot award.....to be fair though, even though this latest one was American, he's just joining a long list of nationalities to get busted.
https://www.wantedinrome.com/news/tourist-carves-name-into-colosseum.html?fbclid=IwAR0hXDv-BgUUHP33FhlNVXJ4f9YImW4r0ACzORbXBwnKYk7oRkzcmw0AscQ

@Allan, wow, only a €400 fine for carving your name into the Colosseum, a small price to pay for eternity! In California it's a $1000 fine for just littering near the road lol