Blanca Valbuena

20 Mistakes American Tourist do when Traveling to Europe

Recently I been thinking how poorly I have acted when I first started traveling abroad.  I am not the typical American but I did make loads of them.   I can blame this on not being tuned into the fact that the country I was visiting is not only a difference country but not what we learn back home or movies.  Italy, France, UK, Germany, Spain, Portugal, and Greece are only 50% of what you think. Here are examples: Did you know Spain is not 1 country really and they speak more then 5 different langauges? Did you know Italy is a pretty new nation, younger then the US? Did you know most people in France didn’t speak the french we know till the last 100-years? Did you know “Coffeeshops” in the Netherlands are for tourists and not for the locals? Did you know Portugal is Not Spain? These are just a few misconceptions and I decided to put together a list of definite mistakes Americans make while traveling in Europe.
  1. Speak English vs just learning the easiest native words (like Hello)
Stop being lazy and learn a few local words.   It’s the difference of you coming off as an American jerk (yeah most countries think Americans are jerks) and having a few mom
  1. Dressing in khakis and shorts
  2. Learning a bit about what’s going on in the country.
  3. Talking incredibly loud in Public
  4. Using American Express Cards
  5. Expecting closets in apartments
  6. Asking for a Bud at a restaurant
  7. Bring American appliances to Europe
  8. Eating with your hands
  9. Not using a bidet
  10. Asking for a kids meal
  11. Asking people “What do you do for a living” immediately
  12. Hitting on locals without doing the properly being introduced
  13. Begging in Tourist places
  14. Tipping everywhere
  15. Dressing in American Flag
  16.  Not Interacting with Locals
  17. Asking What the wifi code is everywhere
  18. Not going to the doctor because you heard XYZ “health care sucks”
  19. Bragging the Donat Trump is Great

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