# How to Avoid Looking Like an American Tourist **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 15, 2009, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-avoid-looking-like-an-american-tourist/481390 "2009-01-15T05:17:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-avoid-looking-like-an-american-tourist/481390/41 "2009-01-16T02:09:43Z")
> [@Sonnenstrahl](#): > > Is the ugly American stereotype still so strong that you’d be better off being assumed to be Canadian? In my experience, yes. But maybe I was the one assuming the stereotype and trying to avoid it. I’m not sure. ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-avoid-looking-like-an-american-tourist/481390/42 "2009-01-16T02:14:58Z")
> [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](#): > > Huh, really? I’ve only seen one onsen here with actual signs (well, actual picture signs, anyway-- though I can read tattoo in katakana) banning tatts. And friends with a couple of them have no trouble getting in, and no one stares. Maybe if you’re gaijin it’s easier to get away with? > > I’ll have to ask my tattoo’d J friends next time I see them. I was in Saitama at the time, I’m not sure how regional the rules are, although the onsens here in Niigata also forbid tattoos. We skirted around that rule by having Komattyan wear bandages which is more or less what everybody does. One onsen I visited in Shimane prefecture had rules against large bandages for just this reason. Gaijin get away with breaking some of these rules. Usually the staff thinks it is too much of a bother to try to argue about it. ---
**Author:** ![Rack-a-Bones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rack-a-Bones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rack-a-Bones)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-avoid-looking-like-an-american-tourist/481390/43 "2009-01-16T03:00:16Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > I’ve traveled extensively and I don’t think I was ever mistreated for being American. The advice listed only really helps you in Western European countries anyway, you can’t blend in in China even without the sneakers. What if you are an American that has two Chinese parents? 😛 Seriously though, I bet even if you spoke fluent Mandarin you would probably still be “outed” as soon as you began speaking. ---
**Author:** ![Unsquare\_Dance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b3f665/32.png) [@Unsquare\_Dance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unsquare_Dance)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-avoid-looking-like-an-american-tourist/481390/44 "2009-01-16T03:26:04Z")
> [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](#): > > I’ve never understood the point of these lists. Who gives a shit if you look like a tourist? (You think we aren’t going to realize you’re an American because you don’t wear trainers? The games up as soon as we hear you speak.) > > And the stuff about not wearing trainers (sneakers) is just bizarre. Most young British people wear trainers unless they’re at work. Agreed. I don’t feel like I should be embarrassed because I wasn’t born somewhere else. I can’t exactly help that I’m American, and I’m not going out of my way to offend anyone. I do make an effort to understand local customs and culture, but I’m not going to pretend I’m someone else. And not wearing your camera around your neck is a huge mistake—you will miss some great shots while fumbling around in your bag to get it out. When I was in Australia, I found everyone to be very friendly. They had lots of questions about the U.S. and didn’t mind answering some of my questions about them, even if they were stupid questions. I think lists like this just sound paranoid. Be friendly, be yourself, and people will probably like you. Kindness goes a long way in any country. One thing that does help: Have a sense of humor about the U.S. Don’t be defensive. I got lots of “gun-toting American” jokes, and we just rolled with them. My mother even quipped, “Yeah, but you Aussies have all the knives.” That got a big laugh. ---
**Author:** ![Vox\_Imperatoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-avoid-looking-like-an-american-tourist/481390/45 "2009-01-16T03:50:57Z")
> [@seodoa](#): > > One word: > > not here, at least. > > Also. I want to see somebody post the opposite guide to show them not-'muricans how to not look like not-'muricans in 'murica. Oooh, me! I live near the only Mercedes plant in the U.S., and a lot of the children of the Germans they transferred over here attend my school. It’s amazing how easy it is to spot them, even when they speak perfect English. In no particular order: 1. Fanny packs or other relatively unusual (and often tacky) accessories, like keffiyehs and shark-tooth necklaces. 2. Shirts with the logos of soccer teams or Formula 1 car companies. 3. Unconventional hairstyles and colors. 4. Lots of leather things compared to an American. 5. Their facial structure and appearance is just not quite the same as the typical British-descended Alabamian. 6. They tend to choose glasses over contacts more often. 7. The women seem to either wear more or less makeup than American women. 8. Being a vegetarian. 9. Hilarious slight mix-ups of words, like “golf bat”. 10. A general behavioral “vibe” that doesn’t come off quite the same as an American’s. Valete, Vox Imperatoris ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-avoid-looking-like-an-american-tourist/481390/46 "2009-01-16T03:55:24Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > Mind that I’m _South_ American, but as far as Thailand is concerned that piece of advice is pretty much useless. 😃 > > Everyone wears crocs and tennis shoes, carry their cameras around their necks, women wear shorts, big brand names on clothes, eat at McDonalds or KFC, etc, etc… > > One thing I noticed on the article, about holding the knife in the right and the fork in the left, I had no idea in the US it was customary to do it the other way around! > > Baseball caps, overburdened backpacks, pasty white with red on top and a certain air of cluelessness are the dead giveaways. 😉 Yes, actually, as has been pointed out by you and others in the thread, the list is not very helpful for places like Southeast Asia, where unless you’re some sort of Peace Corps Volunteer or other obvious official, there’s no way you can blend in. But this knife-and-fork thing. We elite know to hold the fork in the right hand. I always assumed holding it in the left hand designated a left-handed person, and lefties are of course our slaves. But in Thailand and other countries in the region, only a churl would put a fork in his mouth. That would be like spearing a piece of meat with your knife and placing that in your mouth. Here, as I’m sure **Ale** knows, it’s spoon and fork, with the fork used to shovel the food onto the spoon. You do see knife-and-fork sets more often now, but strictly in Western-food restaurants. And I admit that I nowadays more often see, in group settings, a fork used to spear a piece of meat in a communal dish and eaten that way, but fork and spoon is still mostly the way to go. > [@Sunspace](#): > > I’ve heard that in some countries, proselytizing is, in itself, a criminal offence. Nepal comes immediately to mind. > [@Rack-a-Bones](#): > > What if you are an American that has two Chinese parents? 😛 > > Seriously though, I bet even if you spoke fluent Mandarin you would probably still be “outed” as soon as you began speaking. The wife is ethnically Chinese but cannot speak any dialect. Chinese are always coming up to her and jabbering away whenever we’re in China or Hong Kong. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-avoid-looking-like-an-american-tourist/481390/47 "2009-01-16T04:12:29Z")
> [@seodoa](#): > > One word: > > not here, at least. > > Also. I want to see somebody post the opposite guide to show them not-'muricans how to not look like not-'muricans in 'murica. There are, of course, more Non-Americans in the world than Americans (despite what Hollywood and TV will tell you). Therefore, Americans are more likely to be out in that big, wide world than non-Americans are to be visiting America on holiday… And very few people in the US can pick the difference between a British and an Australian accent, in my experience. Even in places like Anaheim and Las Vegas, which are usually full of Aussie and Kiwi tourists, I still got asked where in England I was from. So, Americans are instantly identifiable as Americans when overseas, but non-Americans are not always identifiable as being anything except “Not American” when they’re visiting the US, from what I’ve see and experienced. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-avoid-looking-like-an-american-tourist/481390/48 "2009-01-16T04:35:01Z")
About clothing, [this is a definitive no-no.](http://www.zazzle.com/try_and_stop_us_shirt-235066282827351109) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-avoid-looking-like-an-american-tourist/481390/49 "2009-01-16T14:10:17Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > While I try not to dress like an American while traveling, I don’t pretend to pass as a native (fork hand, language, etc.) Once a local described Americans as dressing like children preparing to do lawn work. > > Oddly though, I have found that I will inevitably be asked for directions within 3 hours of arriving in a new city. This is true visiting cities in the US and abroad. When I explain that I just arrived myself, people always tell me that I look like I know where I’m going. Curious, that. Same thing happens to me. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-avoid-looking-like-an-american-tourist/481390/50 "2009-01-16T14:13:32Z")
> [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](#): > > Huh, really? I’ve only seen one onsen here with actual signs (well, actual picture signs, anyway-- though I can read tattoo in katakana) banning tatts. And friends with a couple of them have no trouble getting in, and no one stares. Maybe if you’re gaijin it’s easier to get away with? > > I’ll have to ask my tattoo’d J friends next time I see them. I’ve run into this. I was in Japan last year, traveling with my brother, who is quite familar with Japanese culture and speaks halfway decent Japanese. We spent a few days in Sendai. My brother has no tattoos, but I do. Big ones. One nearly full sleeve. One onsen outside the city turned us away. Another didn’t, but that may have been because I was wearing a jacket when we came to the door. When we got to the pool, after stripping down and the obligatory wash, there were four or five Japanese men already there. They all got up and left. My brother and I wondered why. Was it the tattoos? Was it possible that this particuar onsen wasn’t used to foreigners? Was it our extreme height (certainly by Japanese standards, and even for Americans, we’re quite tall, my brother especially)? Who knows. Anyway, we enjoyed having the place all to ourselves. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-avoid-looking-like-an-american-tourist/481390/51 "2009-01-16T14:32:18Z")
> [@seodoa](#): > > I was in Saitama at the time, I’m not sure how regional the rules are, although the onsens here in Niigata also forbid tattoos. > > We skirted around that rule by having Komattyan wear bandages which is more or less what everybody does. One onsen I visited in Shimane prefecture had rules against large bandages for just this reason. > > Gaijin get away with breaking some of these rules. Usually the staff thinks it is too much of a bother to try to argue about it. That must have worked in my favor when I took a trip to Tokyo and Kyoto. Nobody gave me any trouble about mine, even though it covered my entire shoulder at the time. (now a half-sleeve) I also had a long goatee and hair though and several girls wanted to take pictures with “Robu-Zom-Be” 😃 Perhaps they feared the terrible “Gaijin Smash”. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-avoid-looking-like-an-american-tourist/481390/52 "2009-01-16T17:01:50Z")
> [@Acid\_Lamp](#): > > and several girls wanted to take pictures with “Robu-Zom-Be” 😃 Ha! Laugh of the Day. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Caractacus\_Pott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@Caractacus\_Pott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caractacus_Pott)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-avoid-looking-like-an-american-tourist/481390/53 "2009-01-16T20:30:32Z")
Hey, **BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed** , did I blend into the crowds in Hakodate (Japan) over the holidays? I wore a suit, no ball cap, ate what was offered and knew a few words in Japanese. Tee hee hee, cheah, right. Over 6 feet tall and over 300 pounds of bearded white guy, no way. But I get what the guy in the link is getting at. Don’t grate on your host country’s nerves. Even though I was obviously an outsider, I brought all my manners, tried speaking softly and slower, and dressed in shirt and tie when not in the suit. I never got the cold shoulder from anyone or got the feeling I was singled out for bad service. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-avoid-looking-like-an-american-tourist/481390/54 "2009-01-16T22:27:13Z")
> [@Caractacus\_Pott](#): > > Hey, **BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed** , did I blend into the crowds in Hakodate (Japan) over the holidays? I wore a suit, no ball cap, ate what was offered and knew a few words in Japanese. Tee hee hee, cheah, right. Over 6 feet tall and over 300 pounds of bearded white guy, no way. > > But I get what the guy in the link is getting at. Don’t grate on your host country’s nerves. Even though I was obviously an outsider, I brought all my manners, tried speaking softly and slower, and dressed in shirt and tie when not in the suit. I never got the cold shoulder from anyone or got the feeling I was singled out for bad service. I get the lesson too. I will say that, in my experience, there’s no such thing as bad service in Japan. I was taken to a number of places (by Japanese friends) where they’d never seen a foreigner before, and never encountered anything but staggeringly polite, attentive service. Yes, I dressed decently (not quite shirt and tie, but then the locals weren’t that dressed up either), spoke softly, and returned politeness with politeness. And the result was I had a great time and always felt welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Caractacus\_Pott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@Caractacus\_Pott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caractacus_Pott)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-avoid-looking-like-an-american-tourist/481390/55 "2009-01-16T22:44:52Z")
**Saintly** , not to be contrary, but I’ve heard from some of my American friends in Japan that they’ve been followed around in stores like shoplifters and been accused of doing things they haven’t done. Most of them have lived in Japan a while, too. It’s not because they’re Americans, but that they’re buttheads. Buttheadedness transcends language. PS-My trip was incredible, too. ---
**Author:** ![Gleena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gleena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gleena)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-avoid-looking-like-an-american-tourist/481390/56 "2009-01-17T05:03:53Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > And very few people in the US can pick the difference between a British and an Australian accent, in my experience. Even in places like Anaheim and Las Vegas, which are usually full of Aussie and Kiwi tourists, I still got asked where in England I was from. So, Americans are instantly identifiable as Americans when overseas, but non-Americans are not always identifiable as being anything except “Not American” when they’re visiting the US, from what I’ve see and experienced. That’s because we are raised with the idea that the Aussie accent sounds like Paul Hogan, Brian Brown or the late Steve Irwin. Some Australians I know sound like that, but most sound not like that at all, but still vaugely Britishy sounding. We have few/no Kiwis that sound like Kiwis (Rusty doesn’t even sound Kiwi) so most Americans can’t place the typical Kiwi, either. In fact, I lived here for a year or two before I could hear the difference between typical Aussie (as opposed to Ocker Aussie) and Kiwi, even if it was pointed out to me. And no, American’s aren’t really instantly identifiable. I’m asked in no particular order if I’m Irish, Canadian or English. Canadian I understand, but English/Irish? WTF? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-avoid-looking-like-an-american-tourist/481390.md?page=2)