Having a few less Swiss tourists never hurt anyone.

I've been through the gulag (also called Customs and Immigration) a few times at Heathrow, and lived to tell the tale. It's an inconvenience, but I'm not about to take the complaint to drama-queen levels of "that's why everyone hates England."

I was roused not long ago on a night train from Amsterdam to Munich - by German Customs cops - who for some reason took this ole duffer for a drug smuggler - they took me and all my belongings into a baggage car and dumped everything out on the floor and went thru every little thing - they did however only do a visual anal check.

And then when they found nada - nothing - they just left me at 3 am with all my belongings scattered about in this dumpy baggage car - they must have mixed me up with someone for some reason but it reminded me of the SS days - so it can happen in Europe too.

kleeblatt; You obviously don't understand the dynamics of today world.

I think you should consider staying home.

I think all Americans would be happy.

WT; It's hopeless trying to explain rational thought!!

And kleeblatt; Best wishes for happy travels.

An Ugly American

This is a textbook troll post. Some people tried to be good humoured, but inevitably, unpleasantness has crept in. Janis's comment was spot on

Some of the business ex-pats I knew were country managers and went out of their way to learn nothing. There was one exception. A fellow who was posted to London returned as full Anglophile, and sported the old Terry-Thomas mustache. Unfortunately he lacked a sense of humor and talent and upon his return to the US, his career creumbled.

I'm Done Here

Ah, but if the last day of May falls on a Friday, one multiplies by two. So my math is correct.

I think the real unanswered question here is:

If you urinate on and extinguish the Eternal Flame, and you are not intoxicated, do you then get off scot free, because you cannot be arrested for public intoxication?


Excuse me, that should be "Ugly American free". The Scots would never do anything like that.

If it was Hogmanay they would.


Thin

Woohoo, what a mishmash of interesting experiences! Poor PalQ should have named the OP "Ugly Tourists". In all my travels I have a few embarrassing experiences. The first few times I traveled to Europe, I went with a planned tours. It was great to meet and spend time with people from different countries. The only thing that we experienced that caused us to discuss was breakfast behavior of Asian tour groups (we were told later they were Chinese tourists). Most of our tour group were inculturated into taking our turns by standing in line. Wow, it was quite a surprise when ten people moved in front of the line with no explanation. This happened three mornings, and there was no explanation like there had been an issue with departure times! Some of our tour group were beyond the "excuse me" and tried the elbowing-in technique. The breakfasts were frugal but sufficient for the groups except most of the portable food was packed up by the other tour group(s) leaving nothing for others to eat. This is an example of the "Ugly Tourist" to us!

One night when a group of us had gone out for dinner, there was a disagreement in the restaurant that was because a couple did not enjoy their meal. They (the couple) were loud and it was surreal. The waiters were apologetic to us. Our group were blaming it on the thought the loud couple were American!!! Those of us that had talked with them knew they were actually Canadians.

The worst experience I had was in one of the most wonderful restaurants in Venice. We were a group of seven where four of us were tourists. My uncle, a jovial Canadian priest, decided to tell a story (joke) about Francais. I had heard the couple sitting closest to us speak en Francais and I had to stop him. I was humiliated for us. So it is not all Americans that come across as ugly.

I never have met any "Ugly Americans" in my many other trips but some were tourists that either weren't well prepared or ill-prepared.

I was never good at math, no matter what the excuse.

Yes. And then immediately no. In a museum in Shanghai, after several days of hearing no Americans, there was a small group of loud college age kids pointing and laughing at a painting. Ugh, I thought, idiot fellow countrymen. Then one started speaking fluent Mandarin to a museum worker. I stopped judging my people after that.

Battambamg battambing! Take the moment to tell them what Battambamg is. And maybe they'll teach you something.

"For example in the Bayeux Cathedral once I was wearing a baseball cap and someone came up to me and shouted in French 'take your hat off in a church' - I did not realize I was being so offensive -"

That guy did you a favor. One of the things Americans do in our own country is not tell someone if they are doing something annoying. We walk past and roll our eyes.

At a department store one day a family of Vietnamese people were sitting in the middle of the aisle. People were walking by and whispering, not wanting to seem prejudice I think. No one would tell them to go sit somewhere else. I did, it isn't fair to let people make mistakes like that and not say something.

This is a pretty riidiculous thread. There are obnoxious tourists from every nationality. Specifically focusing on americans is pretty prejudicial. Every nationality has its good and bads, so please refrain from generalizing an entire country into a couple of annoying tourists.

HAHAHA. I find these posts rather funny. , but agree with the previous post.

if you have seen Bogan Aussies in Bali now that is UGLY!

Once my daughter stayed at a convent near Florence when doing some research there. Another guest, nationality concealed to avoid stereotyping, shat in the bidet in the shared bathroom. That's ugly! The screams of the nun who arrived in the morning to clean the bathroom could be heard in Prato.

I'm pleased to see that the past tense is acceptable!

""Fact is, Americans do not go through the same security screening in Europe as Europeans do in America, and that's what bothers a lot of Europeans." Well, 9/11 happened and since then things have been different.

Anyway, come to the US or don't come. Your loss if you don't. So much to see - much more than any one country in Europe has. Geographically, individual countries in Europe can't be match the U.S.

When I travel to Europe I'm not real happy about the exchange rate. But it's my decision to go or not.

That guy did you a favor. One of the things Americans do in our own country is not tell someone if they are doing something annoying>

yes but it was the way he did it - by yelling at me not politely saying 'you know in a church' politely - he thought I knew the rule and I told him but I see women wearing hats - what's the difference> - Only gave that retort because he was so stereotypically French rude.

but I now duly take off my caps when entering churches if anyone else is around - especially old foghies that like.

kenav, in the long run the memories of the high exchange rate will fade but not the memories of the trip. I'd rather pay a high exchange rate for a trip to Europe than pay a high price for a dress I will wear once because I would cringe at the memory of the dress.

A gentleman removes his hat when entering a church, when talking to a lady and when entering a private house or restaurant.

I think that Kenav just gave a little example of what an ugly tourist might look like.

Miss Prism - why do ladies have to cover their heads in Catholic churches? and men are supposed to remove hair covering?

Seems a double standard in this day and age and actually doing it reinforces an old-fashioned idea of women being second-class according to the Church - they can't become pope or priests, etc.

Do you always follow the most odious of customs? No matter what?

Priests ironically wear caps in churches?

NYC food snob -

But we did know where we were going and what taxi rates should be. It was the hopeless couple who wouldn't listen - even though we said we knew where we were going. They were just convinced everyone was trying to cheat them (IMHO they probably would have felt the same in NYC and should not travel anywhere.)

We have taken taxis many times in cities all over europe and only once had a problem (in Prague) and then the driver got the worst of it. I gave him a fair amount and he used some I;m sure very colorful language - but since I don;t speak Czech what did I care?

And - women no longer need to wear hats in catholic churches - that is decades out of date. And men should not wear hats indoors - anywhere - that's just basic manners.

<i><font color=#555555>"It was the hopeless couple who wouldn't listen… They were just convinced everyone was trying to cheat them"</font></i>

The point I was trying to make: No matter how sweet, friendly, and compassionate you are, you never really know someone until you discover their personal relationship with money. Sharing a taxi with complete strangers is one way to find out how that discovery works. Proceeding to share dinner is another.

I've learned the hard way on so-called "friends." It's that experience that prevents me from ever opening, completely, my hospitable nature to complete strangers, without having a good sense of the people first.

Miss Prism - why do ladies have to cover their heads in Catholic churches? and men are supposed to remove hair covering?

Seems a double standard in this day and age and actually doing it reinforces an old-fashioned idea of women being second-class
__________________

Yes it right up there with clitoral mutilation and sex trafficking.

I (American) accidentally picked up and bit into a woman's sausage in Prague last year. I cannot recall exactly how it happened; I hadn't been drinking or anything. I just somehow misinterpreted the ordering-and-picking-up-food routine at this particular stand at a farmer's market. Oh boy was I embarrassed. I apologized profusely. She and I were both shocked at my faux pas.

My ears still crisp thinking about it.

This doesn't really constitute "ugly Americanism" per se, but I did once have a ridiculous encounter which made me less than proud of our exports abroad. I was in the Sistine Chapel with about 20 other people. As I recall, they let you in in small groups and everyone was standing there, marveling at the ceiling in silence. When out of nowhere, a gentleman in a hokey midwestern accent declares, breaking the tranquil silence, "I'll tell you one thing . . . that Michelangelo SURE COULD PAINT!"

Hilarious, but I cringed :)

As someone who works as an international flight attendant, I see the "ugly American" every week either on my flight or walking around one of the international cities that I layover in.
One of my more recent brushes with this was on a flight from the US to Barcelona.A couple in their forties were seating across from my jumpseat were very excited about going on a 7 day cruise out of Barcelona. The couple have cruised and traveled extensively in Mexico,islands and around the US. The husband said he owned his own company and has traveled alot in Europe.
When asked if they had researched their trip;looked at any guidebooks or perhaps brought a Spanish or Italian phrasebook-I was told the following:
"I downloaded an APP and when a foreigner talks to me, I will just put my smartphone near his mouth to have the app translate it for me". ("I have a bunch of Mexicans working for me and I use it all the time to understand what they are saying"). So much for cultural diversity?
There are no words....Sadly there are soooooooo many more instances that I will save the rest for when we are at a GTG together?

And don't get me started on "sweet tea",ice cubes,not knowing the currency of the country they are going to,loudness in restaurants,dressing in inappropriate clothing...sorry!

Oh dear lord duty free, that app story is appalling. I had a near miss with that when I had a trip to Tuscany with a friend who is not well travelled outside the U.S. and Canada. Before we left she told me she was advised to get that app and follow that procedure. I nixed that idea immediately.

I tend to take the view that after the fourth gin, nobody's ugly.

I take the opposite view, Patrick: people who have taken four or more gins are more likely to be ugly.

<i>I'd like to know if you've seen any cases of Ugly Americanism on your travels - things that would fall under that description.</i>

A good example that springs to mind is my encounter with the US creationist in Edinburgh last year: http://www.fodors.com/community/fodo...ary-theory.cfm

Patrick and Padraig should not go drinking together.

PeterS - Glad you decided that I would be an Ugly Tourist. And that coming from someone in Australia!

OK, now that I have your attention - I have absolutely no idea what that last sentence of mine means. Just doing my Ugly Tourist thing, right here in my own country, to bug you. Meaningless.

And BTW - I live in the Borough of Queens in NYC - the most diverse county in the USA. Born and raised here in NYC so I guess I've been exposed to people from hundreds of foreign cultures (yes, literally). Have you?

The ugliest tourist was on a flight to Vienna. Couple behind me had a 5 year old son who constantly kicked my seat. Parents wouldn't do anything. Seven hour flight. They just smiled and shrugged their shoulders. They spoke German and a little English. Flight attendant told them to please control their child. Once again, they just smiled: "He can't help it." If that ain't ugly I don't know what is. And, no, there were no empty sets for me to move to.

"I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly."
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/qu...TUw5iCkDZt3.99

Yes some folks can tell ugliness drunk or sober!

True story: About ten years ago I was visiting Colima, MX, a fairly affluent university city in Mexico. It is the capital of the state of Colima, and a lovely and clean city, with some wonderful museums and art galleries. The woman I was traveling with - surprisingly she was well-traveled and educated - and I had breakfast at a restaurant located in the beautifully restored 19th century government building located in the center of Colima. When we finished, my friend packed up the leftover toasted bread from her plate.

We wandered outside onto a beautiful plaza, where an older and very distinguished looking man was sitting on a bench, reading a newspaper. To me he appeared to be a retired professor or other professional person. My friend approached him, and to my horror, offered him the napkin-wrapped bread. He demurred, but in her broken Spanish, she insisted he should take it, as she knew he was probably hungry. I was so embarrassed - I just kept saying, "No, no, no ..." to her, but she was so pushy the man finally took the bread from her, obviously to get rid of us. And he was even gracious about it - his manners must have taken over in the horribly uncomfortable situation.

The Ugly American, who believes all Americans are richer and better off than anyone in a "foreign" country.

Needless to say, that was my last shared adventure with this person.

scdreamer - that reminds me of a thread on Fodors some time ago about a woman who took her oldest clothes when travelling, and then left them for the 'grateful' cleaning staff in her hotel - in Europe.

Gordon - please don't bring up that post again, you may wake FrankS!

Honestly, I like Americans; they're usually friendly and polite, but sometimes can be a bit naive, especially if they have not travelled abroad before. Scared of everything, always worried about being ripped off, of being in an 'unsafe' area. I haven't really seen 'ugly' Americans. And Dutch people can be just as loud.

There was the American who asked the security guard at Buckingham Palace what time the Mall opened, to which the puzzled guard answered that it is just a road, it's always open....

This ugly American story is about me in my home town. We had been to Paris a few times where we treated rudely. When someone would ask me for directions with a French accent I would intentionally send them in the wrong direction. After the campaign to treat foreigners like humans for the Olympics in Albertville, I stopped doing it.
____

My funniest ugly American story came on my first trip, second day out of the United States in Iceland. The only way to get out of Reykjavík was by a tour. The young woman who was the tour guide spoke perfect English and was armed with the appropriate stats and information. The topography of Iceland is so odd, the US astronauts used to train there because it was the surface on Earth most like the Moon. When the tour guide asked if there were any questions, a deep baritone southern accent called out, "Yeah, how much does this bus weigh?"

To this day, my wife and I say, "How much does this weigh?" as a non sequitur for any occasion.

Interesting comments. We have spent the last two months in Venice (Venice, Italy, that is) and so we have seen our fair share of tourists/visitors/travellers. Ugly behaviour is not confined to any specific group of people, and I'd like to think that it is mostly due to ignorance.

You do see odd behavious though. Like the couple that blabbed for half a DVD explaining some exhibits at the Palazzo Mocenigo. DVD was in English, they spoke italian, so for them I suppose the soundtrack was just noise.

People who sit on bridges eating in Venice - that is seriously ugly, or at least inconsiderate.

People who compare what they are seeing to their home town, with a "our home town does it much better" or "the scenery in our home country is far more majestic than here" or "our place has a more diverse culture than here" approach. That is not un-ugly.

People ignoring "No Photograph" signs - unattractive, ugly-ish.

Dummies who want to touch things. Happened yesterday, near the Guggenheim. A gallery with delicate glass sculptures, gallery is named "the Venice Project". Couple of teenage girls touched the sculptures. Gallery owner went berserk, and was very polite to me. We talked for twenty minutes about running a gallery in Venice. Fascinating, quite intellectual.

People who follow racial stereotypes are ugly. Ugly. Period.

Interesting scene. I was standing outside a bar a couple of days ago. Gentleman expressed a one word question to me : "Rialto?". I explained that I was an Australian, and spoke a decent broken English. Too hard to give directions in Venice, so I walked with them until the way was clear. Interesting conversation, he is a building contractor in the USA, Michigan, I think. Son studying to be an engineer, etc. a pleasant time.

The thing is, if he was in New York, he would never ask for directions with a one word question. But when one is out of one's language zone and comfort zone, then the social niceties are much harder to achieve.

So mostly, I'm inclined to ascribe apparent "ugliness" to people just having a difficult time at that time.