Jenson

Please allow me to wonder aloud about something that continues to surprise me on this board.

Why is that American posters on European travel boards put themselves (and other Americans) down by saying, ?I know this is a dumb American question? but??

Do you know how many people in Europe have never been to the US? And, of course, Europeans on a whole are more culturally diverse, because there?s so much culture within their doorstep. It?s much more common for Europeans to travel Europe due to proximity.

And for Europeans who stereotype Americans as culturally inept, please try to remember that since the U.S. is so large that many Americans can spend a lifetime trying to see things within their own country. Since we have much less vacation time than Europeans and culturally do not put as much value on traveling, many Americans spent their limited vacation time and limited vacation dollars traveling within their own country. Yes, America is much more homogeneous than Europe, but if Europeans never left their own birth country, they?d run out of new things to see much more quickly.

While it?s unfortunate that many Americans never get to see all the amazing things Europe offers that America can?t, I wanted to point some of these thoughts out because I continue to see European posters on this board who seem to have the tone that Americans are naïve. To make matters worse, Americans then start apologizing for themselves!

Patrick

Interesting points, Jenson. I also suspect that the frequent posts which put American tourists down for their manners, wardrobe, and actions usually come from other Americans, not Europeans. I suspect that many American travelers like to think they're better than other American travelers by putting down others for the way they dress, etc. I often doubt that the average European really cares whether of not an American tourist is wearing sneakers or a pink jogging suit. I suspect that those rants come from other Americans. But I could be wrong.

uh_no_ying1

damn fine points jenson! and why is it always texans who seem to be the blunt of these dumb American jokes? envy perhaps!

people who mock visiting foreigners for their apparent differences are the ones likely to make fun of their own compatriots! the rest of us could care less. why place so much importance on the little stuff?

but jenson, "Americans are naive?" I always thought the opposite!

&gt

WhoAmI

I think that one of the reasons (among others) why Europeans see Americans as naive is that whenever they get criticised or made fun of they are all too quick to put it down to jealousy. This reminds me of mothers telling their children not to worry about other kids poking fun at them, because "they are only jealous". It may make the kid feel better, but it's hardly ever true.

WhoAmI

I've just come across another thread a bit further down in which the poster asks whether they can draw euros from an ATM at Gatwick. I assume the poster is American because they also talk about bringing along some US dollars. Sorry, but I can't imagine someone from Europe asking if they can draw GBPs from an ATM at JFK. The poster then goes on to ask how long the "lines" are for the ATMs in Dublin Airport - hmmm, how long is a piece of string?

Really, Americans don't help their own image do they?

indytravel

You never know WhoAmI, I found I could withdraw Euros from an ATM at the train station in Oslo.

WhoAmI

But I bet you were surprised Indy

Patrick

Yes, WhoAmI, you are showing that you are a little "naive". More and more ATMs especially in airports are offering "foreign" currencies, so a European who fails to ask about the possibility of withdrawing GBP's at JFK could simply be missing out. It's unfortunate that such a potentially good question should be met with distain by others, especially those who think they know all.

And while we're on the subject, I see countless posts from Americans trying to figure out how to tip appropriately in European countries. But unfortunately it seems very few Europeans bother to find out the appropriate policies for the US before visiting here. As a result Europeans are often despised by the hospitality industry, because many waiters "see them coming" and know they are likely not to get tipped appropriately for the country these people are visiting.

The only way one can find out these things is by asking. Too bad that when someone does ask, they are met with cries about how "ignorant" or "stupid" they are for not already knowing.

sunnybrook_becky

If a traveler asks me if they can obtain yen, euros or GBP from a machine in San Francisco, I say yes. I assume JFK has the same kind of foreign exchange ATMs, so what would be surprising about having them in London, Oslo, Tokyo, Sydney ...?

Intrepid

People who start out with the words, "I know this is a dumb question, but" probably do this in everyday life, too, and not just in/on places like travel boards. The fact that they do so is not, I don't think, a "put down" of anyone else but themselves, even if they do add the words "a dumb American question." That assumes that only Americans ask dumb questions which speaks volumes about the questioner's intelligence...not so much a put down as it is a measure of their own ignorance of others.
I suppose if it is "much more common for Europeans for Europe to travel [within] Europe due to proximity" I suspect it is much for common for Aemricans to travel within the US due to proximity, too...so what's the difference?
I disagree that Americans don't put as much value on traveling as do Europeans and like the Europeans a lot of Americans probably feel they cannot afford to travel to Europe because of the expense involved, just as many Europeans probably don't come here for the same reason.
The US has a long way to go in terms of really accepting the cultural "diversity" we like to brag about...some insist that there be only one language spoken here; many insist that there be only one religion (Christian) here; and many wish there were only one color of skin here. And the Europeans..are some of them any more accepting of such "diversity" than we are? The anti-semitic problem in France? The absolute opposition to building the channel tunnel and removing Britain from "isolation" from the Continent. The long-standing behind the back joke that the Greeks are the N's of Europe?

This board is as diverse as the users..nothing here surprises me anymore!

indytravel

You bet I was surprised WhoAmI. Not only is Norway not even in the EU, they don't have a border with a country that uses the Euro. Well there is that bit of Finland above the Arctic circle. So what the heck was a Euro dispensing machine doing in a train station there? The closest thing you could do would be train to Finland. Or it's probably to buy Euros on the way to the airport.

On the other hand I'm also surprised that the Eurostar train station in London doesn't have a Euro dispensing machine. You'd think somebody would figure out that people have time to kill waiting for a train to go to France. I'd much rather use the ATM in Waterloo when I have time than wait in line for one in France. Maybe the real problem is the banks aren't allowed to make enough money off of ATM transactions, so it isn't worth their while to offer the service?

hansikday

WhoAmI, don't kid yourself, many Europeans are jealous of Americans.

WhoAmI

Indy, yes, I suppose it mustn't be worth their while. When you think that the bank that owns the ATM you're using would have to put their "mark up" on the exchange rate, plus any mark up your own bank then adds on for changing it back to your own currency before deducting it from your account, plus possible fees for using another bank's ATM, I suppose that the actual rate you end up with would make a lot of people think twice about using them.

I do find it surprising that you can get a variety of foreign currencies from ATMs in San Francisco, so Becky and Patrick are quite correct in thinking that I'm naive in that respect. I must admit it's not something I've ever come across at any of the many ATMs I've used. (But then I've never been to SF!)

sunnybrook_becky

You may be entirely missing the point WAI if you just chalk-up your fallacious assumption (ie stupid American for asking about ATM w/foreign currency) to your naivete of such matters.

WhoAmI

Becky, I didn't use the word "stupid", nor did I mean to imply it. I think you'll find it was Patrick that used the words stupid and ignorant. I merely used the ATM example to illustrate why SOME Europeans think that SOME Americans come across as naive and I've already admitted that I was the ignorant one in that respect.

Patrick

I hope that anyone who reads the above post, realizes that the way I used the words "stupid" and "ignorant" was in quotation marks, and in relation to explaining how those words are misused and unguided. I do not believe in calling anyone stupid or ignorant, particularly in relation to their asking serious questions (no matter how misguided or naive those questions might be).

Randy

If you do not have the knowledge, there is no such thing as a dumb question.

Robdaddy

For WhoAmI: What's wrong with asking about how long the line is likely to be? Oh, wait, I get it: the question pertained to Dublin, so the writer should have said "queue" instead of "line", is that right?

Well, guess what, this is hardly a threat to world peace, you know. Y'all say "on queue", we say "in line"; why rag on someone over it?

beachcomber

So "Greeks are the N's of Europe"? I think I could have gone all day without that double-barreled racist comment.

Plates

In response to the statement form Jenson:
"And for Europeans who stereotype Americans as culturally inept, please try to remember that since the U.S. is so large that many Americans can spend a lifetime trying to see things within their own country. Since we have much less vacation time than Europeans and culturally do not put as much value on traveling, many Americans spent their limited vacation time and limited vacation dollars traveling within their own country"

Why do you feel you have to spend your time travelling your own country? What's wrong with South America? Parts of it are probably closer (depending on where you live) and chances are that your food and accommodation will be cheaper so your hard earned dollars will go further.