I’ll be leading a US student group in twelve days from Rome, through Florence, Lucca, Parma and Venice, and then flying to Paris. These are well behaved students from a diverse arts school. What has the reception towards Americans in these areas been lately? Anything I should be aware of or does anyone have suggestions? Not looking for a political discussion, just trying to be prepared as well as possible. Thank you!
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6968 posts
I'd just tell the kids to leave any orange hats at home, behave like a nice, respectful guest, and they'll be fine.
Posted by
Republic of Texas / U.S.A. / Magyarország / Budapest
21956 posts
Most won't particularly care whether you are American or not. If the situation were reversed, would you expect Americans to treat the kids bad?
Posted by
36 posts
Since this topic has been discussed extensively and conversations like this frequently veer into political debates, I am locking this thread.
If you're interested in past discussions on this subject, here are two recent threads that might provide some insight:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/austria/considering-current-political-climate-should-we-still-be-going-to-europe
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/travel-during-this-administration
You can also check out our Inauguration Day Special episode - Traveling in the Age of Trump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa6o8P_cTyI
Thanks all.