If you’ve ever traveled abroad as an American, the chances are you know how it feels to be detected as one. It’s not that we hide it (in fact, we are prouder than anything else!) but sometimes you just wish you could blend in with the rest of the crowd and feel what it’s like to be treated as a local.
And all it takes is to step foot inside, for example, a “bar” in Italy and order a beer on tap, or worse, a cappuccino after 12, and here you’ve earned a bunch of eyerolls with a solid “where in America are you from?” But in order to find out what really gives Americans away in an instant, we have to look at what non-Americans have to say about their radars themselves.
So below we collected some of the most interesting responses to “How do you spot an American tourist ‘from a mile away’?” on “AskReddit” and wow, this is kinda weirdly specific.
Americans are very loud, I swear you have loudhailers hidden in your clothes somewhere.
Over 40, the tourists tend to be more on the very overweight side, but the women still wear yoga pants and the men always have a combination of button up shirts and loose fitting cargo shorts. And both men and women wear baseball caps and Oakley’s or sunglasses similar to that style; with white trainers.
Under 40, you’re very friendly, in a way that’s both endearing and creepy. When we chat I feel like I’m being indoctrinated into a cult.
The way they dress. For some reason Americans abroad dress like they’re doing some hard core exploring in the Amazon…even when they’re just visiting a European city.
Saying “hi, how are you?” to the barista, servers, retail workers. My country doesn’t quite have that culture so I find it really sweet.
When they introduce themselves they never say they’re from America: mostly the state/city they’re from.
Amazed by things which are more than 200 years old, presumably because they don’t have many things that old in the USA.
“Hey oh you’re [Irish/Scottish/Italian/etc]! I’m [same] too!”
“Oh really? Whereabouts you from?”
“California. My great great great grandpappy was from here though!”
We are morons about diet. Another American moved to where I lived. He preached about high protein diets, b*tched about how he couldn’t find fat free milk or pasteurized egg whites, in a country that specializes in high-fat cuisine.
Many of the things we say loudly, includes many irrelevant details. In Israel, no one gives a f*ck about irrelevant details. “Yes” or “no” answers are of high value in middle eastern culture; but in American culture we like to tell you all about why something is or that our daughter got married last year or our cat has diabetes.
They’re looking for a store open at like 11pm. Even if in most European countries stores close at like 7-8 pm
when they cross the street, they expect cars to stop for them. in my country, the cars will run you down without thinking twice.
They get over-excited over very ordinary events and say things like “OMG look that grass how green it is!
Tipping. Americans will try to tip everyone, even in countries where tipping isn’t a thing/is considered a serious insult.
Asking for the bathroom in a restaurant or public place. Do you need to take a shower? No. What you’re really looking for is the toilet.
You can hear them in museums when everyone else is extra silent.
They’re always asking for extra ice in their drinks.
dollars. God damn it, people – hit a money exchange before you hit the market. Especially in a country where hard currency was still illegal.
They always look cheerful and are constantly smiling and seeming happy. Tourists from other places look more neutral or even unhappy.
I remember I was a small kid in Tijuana. They were typically a lot more good looking than the local population. The girls were hot as hell. The Marines that would come around from San Diego looked like superheroes and made these other guys look like sh*t.
We’d get European tourists as well but the American ones looked bigger and kind of stronger. Especially the military guys, like something out of these Marvel comics, at least the ones in their twenties.
All buff, tall, etc.
The military tourists were always very friendly to me and made me want to be like them when I grew up, which is why I’m going to enlist in the USMC a few years after college, haha.
Very friendly, generous people, very funny too.
I always felt embarrassingly underdressed when traveling in Europe.
On the flip side, as a native Arizonan I can always spot the European/English tourist because they will be bright red.
They have impeccable facial hair. Maybe Americans get a trim before they go on holiday, but I’m always impressed by the tidy beards and mustaches.
For some reason, American tourists in Norway always seem to be marveled at how technologically advanced Norway is. Read: how everywhere takes and prefers card, how chuggers that go about with those money jugs also have a sign with an account number you can send money to, how there’s a lot of electric cars here, etc etc etc.
Also, they always seem to automatically assume that if you aren’t norwegian, you’re either a tourist, or, if you’re middle eastern, a refugee. It’s always a button annoying when you try to help some lost American couple find a stave church and they brush you off just because you have an Australian accent and are apparently a tourist who doesn’t know the place like them even though you’ve lived in that area for ten years.
Expecting everyone to speak English and/or not wanting to learn the local language.
In my experience, any combination of the following:
white socks
wearing a sun visor
Talking incredibly loud
Their phone will be on a belt loop
American teenagers are usually better at blending in however, so the trick with these guys is to wait until you’re in a restaurant, at which point they’ll make their presence known by complaining about the local food.
In terms of positives however, I find most American tourists are incredibly friendly and sociable, they usually have no problem talking to strangers and striking up a pleasant conversation, something we Europeans never do with each other (this is also another “tell”, but it’s one we should adopt).
Footwear. Americans for some reason wear sneakers / running shoes when unnecessary. Also usually loud along with their accent, it’s very distinct when heard abroad. Except some Canadians have a very similar accent. And dress, kind of hard to explain this one though. Usually unintentionally stand out when back home they’d blend in perfectly.
Just an American view on identitying other Americans overseas.
Americans think the world impressed by their city. No one cares that you’re from Las Vegas
Everyone else is freezing outside and then there’s that American walking around in shorts as if it’s nothing.
“Does that come with a side order of French Fries?”
This phrase and that sentence alone are so foreign here even if you faked an accent perfectly it would stand out.
i am Central African.
I’ve lived in the USA for 18 years, originally from England. It’s not really anything specific, and it’s hard to explain but Americans have a certain attitude and way of holding themselves that’s easily noticeable. They just seem more confident and at ease than other nations. You don’t notice it at first, but it’s easy to spot after you’ve lived here a while. Last time we were in England we stopped at a convenience store and two young Americans were sitting opposite, they hadn’t spoken but we knew immediately.
My wife walked up:
“You here on vacation?”
“Oh.. yeah! Wow, how did you know?”
“Duh. Where are you from?”
Proudly. “We’re from the USA”
“Oh, really honey? Where do you think I’m from?!”
Turns out they were from Ohio and the last thing they expected in some quiet British convenience store was to find someone from their home country.
My wife says I’ve never acquired it either, she can usually spot English people really quickly too.
They ask things like ‘what is that in degrees Fahrenheit?’ ‘How many miles?’ and ‘That’s two pounds’???
In Germany, I never realized how many other Americans wore baseball hats.
In the UK, first-time American tourists look bewildered trying to navigate their rental car in busy roundabouts (traffic circles).
Look for the crocs, walking cane, Hawaiian shirt, shorts, wiiide hiker’s hat, and a map.
The way they like to say “oh you call this X? We call that Y in America” or something along those lines
All the Americans I saw abroad always traveled as a family and had a MILLION bags, usually the mom would be carrying the largest/most.
Also, we are the only ones who would differentiate between different parts of the country. My European friends never understood why I always asked where in America another American was from. I guess they didn’t understand that people from California can be VERY different from Kentucky or Southern people, so you gotta know in order to judge this new person based on stereotypes.
They’re usually tanned, and grinning ear to ear as they marvel loudly about some aspect of our culture. Also very likely to strike up conversation with any passer by, which many of the locals here (rural UK) find intimidating or annoying. Also their accents are super distinct, so if any of them ever talk at a normal volume level (jk that never happens) you can still hear them from a mile away.
He’s politely letting an entire tour bus full of Chinese jump the line by pushing past him and his entire family.
They’re the first to kick off when it’s a hot day and the Grade II listed hotel I work in doesn’t have air-conditioning.
Then they leave a bad review 🙁 believe me, I would LOVE air con but we’re not allowed to change the building.
They pronounce things horribly and make zero attempt to say it correctly.
Quite often on the heavy side weight-wise (sorry!)
Hand-held fans, maybe because air conditioning is very common in the USA.
staring confusedly at the food you just ordered. Beef Stroganoff in a fancy restaurant doesn’t look like your Hamburger Helper version, and fish soup is traditionally served with the head still attached
He/She/they will usually be the only that takes up the space where 2 people should be.
Easy joke aside, living in Switzerland i’ve noticed the american trends tend to be more blatant here. Things like popped collars, sunglasses even during the rain, obnoxiously loud talking in bars are usually a dead give away to me. Dont know why, but it seems that the US people living here are just generally stand out more compared to the rest
They take their shoes off for airport security, even when there is a sign saying not to take shoes off.
I’ve seen multiple American tourists here in Canada asking their partners “WhErEs tHe sNoW?” I really hope they were joking it was summer at the time.
They ask for to-go coffee cups. Everyone else in Europe sits and drinks their coffee, but Americans always seem to be in a rush so they take their coffee to go.
I mostly find them in the most visited beaches when I go for a vacation inside of my own country and a real easy tell there is that they’re the most sun burnt around. Most of them look like a walking tomato.
They are little sweet, little shy & little soft spoken. They usually respect everyone around them. They take selfie with old age people. The best part is they apologize too much. Sometimes it feels like they are just scared to come to my country Vietnam.
I live in Toronto, and the most obvious sign of a tourist is turning around, seeing the CN Tower and trying to take a group selfie in front of it. Get off the sidewalk.
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