Worried Americans

Thank you, Frank! “YES” to all of this. :-)

We haven’t been outside the UK since before the election, so I can only speak for our experience here. And about that I will say that we honestly get more concern and sympathy than any other reaction once people hear our accents for the first time.

Just before Christmas my husband had to get an emergency dental procedure and the first joke his dentist made was, “Ah! An American in my chair! Political asylum, or just here for the Christmas cheer?”

That is NOT TO START a political discussion here. Just to give a flavor of the zeitgeist. We haven’t experienced anything in the way of “Yankee go home.” Everyone we meet (folks who weren’t already in our friend group) are very nice and very chill.

I expect it to be the same on the continent, too. :-)

Before and after election results I was, as I always have been in my 20 years of European solo travel treated with kindness . However my time in Denmark and 2 visits to Ireland in 2024 and later in Spain after the election results was different because people in those countries were extra kind and compassionate towards me. They simply couldn't understand why anyone could support the current president. In the Irish pubs and a wonderful jazz bar in Valencia while sharing a table I was asked my opinion. Once they ascertained that I was appalled by what was happening in the US, I was bought drinks and in Spain check kisses and drinks. So I guess it worked in my favor.

A thought on pro safety: the main problem is that if somebody hears a person talking with US American accent (I guess US Americans are meant) he can't clearly determine whether a stranger on the street is a US citizen, or an own co-citizen which grew up bilingual or migrated already.

After this joke again the question what an individual's understanding of "safety" is? Physical integrity? Knowing that most countries in Europe have gun control laws and by far only a tiny share of people killed by firearms? No reserved stares or whispered comments? Feeling welcome everywhere, also in other cultures' restaurants and bars?

For sure there are partly huge differences in culture, justice, and other topics between countries - most of them decades old, maybe some new.

Fully committed to community guidelines but discussing a little deeper besides "yes, safe as always" would help to understand the concerns of individuals raising those questions. The better we understand the concern the better we can help.

As an American living in Austria, I have made an effort to appear less American since the election - meaning that I purposefully do not wear clothing or hats from my university or speak loudly in English to my family on public transportation.

That said, my friends and acquaintances here are mainly just curious to talk to an American. Europeans are typically exposed to Americans who are curious about other cultures, so they really struggle to understand Americans who favor isolation and disdain foreigners.

As someone who comes from the Deep South (heck, I grew up and am friends with the Speaker of the House), I can share both sides of the coin with my curious Austrian friends.

But do I feel unsafe? Absolutely not - that is ridiculous. I have lived in West Africa during the Liberian civil war. Now that's unsafe. Curious Austrians, c'mon.

I am glad I get paid in Euro as well.

I’m sure statistically you’re far more likely to be murdered, assaulted, etc. back in the USA than even most third world countries.

Glad I don’t have to tip toe around my citizenship when travelling, yuck.

Glad I don’t have to tip toe around my citizenship when travelling, yuck.

Do others have to?

There’s enough posts long before the current political landscape where Americans were pretending to be Canadians

Yup, still havent been asked and no comments and I am out and about most of the day, every day, looking as American as all get out with my Aggie ball cap on. So I am not tip toeing around who I am.

Pushing past the hyperbole about safety, I presume Frank II was attempting to say, and correctly so if I am correct, that nothing concerning current US politics is negatively impacting American tourists in Europe.

I checked with a friend in Kyiv today. American are still being welcomed there as well. So, now might be a good time to go.

I can't imagine that personal safety is an issue anywhere. But I was not aware that the dollar in value had fallen in the last week.

Last November I was in England before and then after our elections, and I actually arrived in Paris on election date. There was much interest in what was happening politically in the US, but not all Europeans were displeased by the election results (I remember visiting with two cab drivers in London who were highly critical of the new Labour party in the UK and who seemed supportive of Trump), and I was never treated in a negative way because I was American. Further, in both London and Paris, I saw individuals wearing MAGA caps and shirts.

I realize that recent events have aggravated the concerns many Europeans have about American politics. But if you are concerned about politics adversely affecting your travel, I think it may be easier to travel to Europe than different parts of the US. I am speculating as to where Emily is originally from, but I suspect that some on this forum might feel more comfortable visiting and talking politics in Vienna than, say, Bossier Parish, the home of the House Speaker.