Being American while traveling in Europe in May

It´s a recurrent question on may travel forums with destination Europe. There are zero issues with US visitors coming to Europe (well, at least to Spain), European citizens are very clearly discerning between the people and the government and there are no ill feelings towards visitors coming from the USA.

I just got back from a trip to London and Paris, and every local I met there was so nice to us. We never encountered any problem at all. One Brit I was chatting with made a few jokes about the US and the current administration, and I laughed and assured her that I agreed with everything she said.

I would not only refer to current history but also the war in the past - so for educated Spanish people the current political environment is not so surprising and different from things happened in the past.

And I also doubt that you will be directly confronted by this. But I do not subscribe the idea that people in Europe differentiate between people of a country and their governments because one is caused / voted by the other.

Have a good journey.

I’m sure you will be fine, though fwiw, Portugal will be having national elections next month, May 18, so things might be more political minded than usual.

You can always consult travel warnings of any countries on United States State Department website
Currently Spain is at Level 2 exercise increased caution due to terrorism and civil unrest:
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/spain-travel-advisory.html

Currently Portugal is at Level 1
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/portugal-travel-advisory.html

I've always thought the US State Department warnings (for Europe at least) to be b*llocks, perpetuating fear where there is no need. They're even more open to politically charged fearmongering under the current administration now

No, not bollocks, when there was a rash of incidents of inexperienced traveling Americans and others being pickpocketed in Barcelona this was reported on the U.S. Department of State website.

Sorry, you don't make a great case for it not being a bit rubbish. I don't think pickpocketing counts as civil unrest or terrorism lol

As long as you don't wear a MAGA hat you'll be fine.

Sorry, you don't make a great case for it not being a bit rubbish.

It's not just the U.S. :
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/spain/safety-and-security

All of the colonialists thinking about bad karma.

AI...those warnings on Spain do make little sense, Spain is absolutely in peace and there's no unrest or any threatening risks for visitors.

Probably a good rule of thumb not to engage with AI generated forum posts lol

I agree about the US State warnings. I think the UK site is less likely to inspire needless fear.

No one will know, or care, if you are American or Zambian.
I just returned from 3.5 weeks in Spain I think there were two times that the conversation with Spaniards ventured into politics, and even then, those discussions arose from exasperated comments that I made about the situation in the US.

I am happy to be living Europe during these times.

My perception is that here between Europeans and Americans there is more respect, more kindness, more tolerance, more effort to understand and listen than there is between Americans in the United States.

.

And before you walk into Europe thinking everyone thinks like you .... It’s my perception that the majority in Europe dont much like the current US administration. But havent heard the kind of hateful rhetoric I hear coming out of the US.

But if the majority aren’t crazy about him, how small is the minority that are okay with him .... my perception is maybe 25%. The only place I found an actual poll was in the UK and it was 16%. But the current administration appears to receive less animosity in Italy and Spain and all Eastern Europe so I suspect the average of the continent is higher than the UK’s.

So if you telegraph your attitude you could insult 1 in 4 people or 1 in 4 people might insult you. In Eastern Europe it could be closer to 50/50 ... so stay away from there unless you can leave your politics at home.

I love your post. Much agreed.

I'd also say it's usually not the best idea to dive into heavy political talks when you're abroad—especially if you’re super firm about your opinions. You probably don’t know much about how that culture historically sees the U.S., so if you stir the pot, you might end up getting more than you expected.

How are they being received--just fine. The locals hear your accent when you speak, or hear you speaking in English, but they can't figure out where you are from.

When someone does ask me, here are the variety of responses I hear.
In February people said -- this will pass, you have judges, and we've been through this before
In March and April--they ask me to explain what happened, or they say that they are sorry, but 30% in about every country loves the current administration.
Outliers: have no sympathy based on previous US actions in either their countries or in the rest of the world and think justice is being served. This is akin to what Enric wrote above.

My advice: state your nationality and move on and don't give a nice mid-western smile. You're on vacation and deserve to relax.

Let's look at this another way using the other current bad boys on the world stage. If a Russian or Chinese couple came to your home town as tourists, would they be treated badly?

In the words of Rakim, one of the greatest MCs in the history of hip hop, It ain't where you're from, it's where you're at

We recently spent 3 weeks in Spain. We were often asked where we came from and the response was always positive when we replied 'California.' We never felt negative vibes from anyone about being American. I spent a little time watching the Spanish news on TV and was amused at the unflattering photos shown of Trump and Vance. I had difficulty following the reports but did recognize the word 'estupido' one time they were talking about them!

Thank you everyone for your input. Loved some of the comments, but especially the “Don’t wear your maga hat”!!

I think an American in Spain or Portugal (or anywhere in Europe) is quantifiably safer than an American in America. It's a weird idea to wrap your head around, but statistically, we (the US) tend to do fairly poorly in safety rankings compared to most developed countries.

IOW, you'll be fine.

Being American while traveling in Europe in May

What nationality would you be if traveling in June?

LOL

Good one, Frank.

Yes good one Frank!