Spotting an American traveler; A buzzed German's Perspective

As I travel the globe and visit different countries I make a point to talk with the people that live there and pick their brains about their feelings towards Americans. Sometimes that means talking with an Airbnb host for hours, other times I will strike up a conversation with the person sitting next to me on a train, and occasionally it's as simple as sparking up a conversation with someone at a bar for a few minutes. The vast spectrum of opinions about Americans can be overwhelming. There is absolutely no blanket generalization that you can attribute to opinions towards American travelers. Everyone has their own entirely subjective take based on their own different experiences. Some people love to meet Americans and are happy to talk about anything I choose to ask about. Others are more guarded with their opinions and reluctant to open up about more polarizing topics, for example, how they feel about American travelers overwhelming their country. Over the years, attempts to get the more guarded people to open up has led me to observe one important fact...alcohol helps!

Just a mid-day beer delivery in Munich. They keep their biergartens fully stocked.

On one particular afternoon, while in the beautiful city of Munich, my friend and I decided to make our way to a local biergarten, which is similar to an outdoor patio bar in the U.S. We purchased our beers and looked for a spot to sit down. This particular place used the old fashioned long tables and benches with no individual seats or chairs, kind of like long picnic tables. I personally don't mind seats like that because they can add to the ability to start up a conversation with a stranger, in fact, when your elbows are almost touching it's hard not to talk at some point. After we squeezed into a spot right in the middle of the bench, we began to speak in English and immediately a German man in his 20's, speaking excellent English, asked us what part of America we were from. We told him we were from California and he explained to us that he had lived in San Francisco for a few years which is why his English was so good. After we exchanged pleasantries for a while, I noticed him sit back down at the table with yet another weissbier(wheat beer) and I decided that it was a good time to ask him some more about his thoughts on Americans visiting his country.

I started with a simple lead-in question and asked him how he knew we were American. Before I asked, I was already fairly certain that his answer would in some way revolve around the fact that he heard us speaking English.

“Your shoes!” he replied, without a moment of hesitation.

I was surprised by his answer and quickly asked him to explain more. Luckily for me, he was either very friendly or all the beer that he had consumed made him a talkative person, because he explained about my shoes and many other characteristics that makes us Americans stick out in foreign countries. As far as my shoes, they were nothing special, I was just wearing white sneakers. Apparently white or any light colored shoes are not common for Bavarian men to wear. I quickly glanced around at the shoes of the other patrons and sure enough, almost all of them were black or dark brown. This is something that I had never thought of, but apparently it was a beacon flashing “American.” As I further inquired as to what other quirks screamed “American tourist,” I was surprised as to how many I could see in myself.

Just earlier that morning, I wore my mesh workout shorts and a t shirt as I headed down the street to get groceries. According to this man, wearing workout clothing or baggy hoodies for public errands is something that Americans do all the time and “most Bavarians would never do.” I think it makes it even more interesting because the German people are extremely open with their nudity, and happy to wear nothing at all in front of strangers. I guess they prefer to be dressed well or not dressed at all. I think I kind of like that mentality, although you will still find me at my local supermarket dressed as if I'm ready for a workout.

Another American trait that he pointed out, and one that I definitely saw in myself, was buying more than I need. It may be the Costco effect, or some other subconscious part of being an American, but it is definitely true that I purchase more than I should in a number of settings. According to this man, he sees it quite often. Whether it's a group of 18 year old students walking to their hotel with multiple cases of beer, or a family ordering a few plates of extra food with the expectation of taking home the leftovers, Americans do love excess. I don't know if I mind having more than I need, but I sure did take notice the next time I bought the largest size coffee only to throw away the last third of the cup when it got cold.

Now with all this being said, I love the fact that I was born an American. I obviously realize how lucky I am, and I'm thrilled with all the advantages that it affords me. I also enjoy living in the United States and even like most of the people that reside there. But when I visit another country, I don't always want to stand out as an American. So for those of you living in other countries or those of you with extensive travel experience, what other characteristics do you notice that just scream “American traveler?”