Round The World Tickets
Anti-Americanism while traveling the world
There’s no denying that the United States isn’t the darling of the world community, and in the last decade or two our popularity has probably slipped a bit below usual. We sometimes have American RTW travelers wondering how they’ll be received while on the road, and occasionally people will joke about sewing a maple leaf to their backpack and telling everyone they are Canadian. Well, rest easy because that isn’t necessary and you’ll almost certainly get a warm reception everywhere you go, although it is up to you to do your part.
Very few people “hate Americans”
There might be some of this in parts of the Middle East, but for the most part even the most vocal critic of the USA will enthusiastically tell you how he hates the American government, but also has nothing against American people. Think about it. If you met someone from Iran or North Korea would you assume they were bad people? You might actually be sympathetic that their leaders have stirred things up and that they are victims in this whole mess. It all depends on how the person acts once the conversation has begun, and it’s easy to stay out of trouble if that’s your goal.
There are at least two major types of American travelers
These major categories tend to blend together more in, say, Europe, but in most other places you’ll see big groups of older and bigger people climbing in and out of tour buses and then waddling into 4-star hotels. Since those people often make almost no attempt to actually interact with the culture, choosing instead to just see it through a bus window, those tourists often get made fun of by locals. The other major group is the independent traveler/backpacker-type, and since this group tends to travel low to the ground and maximize their interaction with the locals, they are generally pretty well liked, or at least tolerated. If you fit into this second group the locals will generally assume you are open minded and that you are there to appreciate their home.
How to stay out of trouble
If you want to stay safe and not become unpopular, you’ll follow the age-old advice of steering clear of discussions about politics or religion. If you feel strongly about one or both this can be tricky, especially after a few beers, but trust me, you’ll never actually “win” one of these arguments, and you’ll be saving everyone lots of acrimony if you just change the subject. One slightly frustrating thing is that people who’ve never been to America, or maybe they’ve visited New York City, hear so much news about the States every day that they think they know exactly what’s going on in your hometown. Many newspapers and TV networks around the world have a bit of an anti-American tone to their stories, but the locals have no way of knowing it, so they believe it all as the gospel truth. They’ll often criticize you for not knowing who their prime minister is, or something like that, and they’ll also be sure they know more about the American governments shenanigans around the world than you do. Avoid even starting these conversations if at all possible.
Be a good guest in general
Especially early in your travel career, you might encounter many things in foreign places that seem better at home. Do yourself a favor and keep those thoughts to yourself. If you meet some locals, or even people from another country, and you start pointing out that our buses are cleaner or our grocery stores have better selections, or our TVs get way more channels, then you’ll not be welcome for long. Once you’ve traveled more this gets easier, but at first it’s very tempting to constantly compare the place you are in with your home. On the other hand, if you find something that’s better there, feel free to point it out as often as you like. People LOVE to hear that their food is better or their girls are prettier or their bars are more fun. Locals won’t care who you voted for in 2004 if you spend most of your time complimenting their country.
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