Traveling to Europe this summer...should i pose as a Canadian? (passport, photo)

[Back to NE]

Originally Posted by eureka1

I've been to Europe four times,total of maybe eight months,and NEVER had any negative reactions to my being an American. Would love to know why Back to NE's experience was so different.

Well I do like to talk to people about important issues like politics. And I do like to talk to people in bars, so to an extent I invite some of what I get. I also probably look like the typical white male American they associate America with like in TV and the movies. Though oddly I get called British alot by mistake when I travel? Must be my Fred Perry shirts?

[FlyMIA]

You dont need to. Most people in Europe (except for the French but they hate everyone who is not french) do not mind Americans at all. Just do not be the stupid loud tourist and it will be fine, if your nice they will be nice back. Lots of Americans travel to Europe they are very happy we come and bring them busisness.

[Regs4rl]

thanks for the replies so far. but, does anyone have any tips for how i should dress? i realize, obviously, that it's not a good idea to wear fannypacks and sandals with socks. lol. but what should i wear that is appropriate?



countries that i know i'm going to so far(my uncle is planning the trip and he hardly keeps me informed): Germany, France, Denmark, Scotland, and Russia(only St.Petersburg). i can already speak some French and a tad bit of German. and i'm in the process of learning some Russian and Danish, so i should be good with the language side of things.

[almost3am]

Originally Posted by mintleif

thanks for the replies so far. but, does anyone have any tips for how i should dress? i realize, obviously, that it's not a good idea to wear fannypacks and sandals with socks. lol. but what should i wear that is appropriate?



countries that i know i'm going to so far(my uncle is planning the trip and he hardly keeps me informed): Germany, France, Denmark, Scotland, and Russia(only St.Petersburg). also, regarding Scotland, should i learn Gaelic? i told a friend of mine that i was going to learn some Gaelic but he said that like less than 1% of Scottish actually speak Gaelic. i can already speak some French and a tad bit of German. and i'm in the process of learning some Russian and Danish.

I was thinking about this and I realized that in Russia, I always wore pants, never shorts...normally khaki. Then i realized, I almost always wear pants when traveling in Europe...unlike my trips to Rio, where I bring 1 or 2 pairs of pants and many shorts. The only time I can remember wearing shorts is when I hiked in the Alps.

[SunsetBeachFL]

Just be proud of the fact you're an American or you would be speaking German while in France. Do you forget the American men, women, dogs pigeons, trained seals and other assorted animals, mammals that have allowed you to travel?

Just be yourself... an American and don't forget to be proud of it. Want to fit in? Be nice, don't be obnoxious and enjoy yourself. Above all, remember the places you'll want to visit the next time you're there. Just be decent and you'll be fine, regardless of what you wear (skip the tennis shoes, though).

[yankinscotland]

Originally Posted by BlueWillowPlate

Yank, some of the friendliest, nicest people I ever met were the Scots.

Aye! And very funny as well.

[yankinscotland]

Originally Posted by mintleif

thanks for the replies so far. but, does anyone have any tips for how i should dress? i realize, obviously, that it's not a good idea to wear fannypacks and sandals with socks. lol. but what should i wear that is appropriate?



countries that i know i'm going to so far(my uncle is planning the trip and he hardly keeps me informed): Germany, France, Denmark, Scotland, and Russia(only St.Petersburg). also, regarding Scotland, should i learn Gaelic? i told a friend of mine that i was going to learn some Gaelic but he said that like less than 1% of Scottish actually speak Gaelic. i can already speak some French and a tad bit of German. and i'm in the process of learning some Russian and Danish.

In the UK (maybe other countries as well?) do not call it a fanny pack. Call it a bum bag. A fanny is not a butt! Only females have one. There's a series called Culture Shock country of choice that are very good.

[Finger Laker]

Yank can probably answer it better - but I didn't really see anything in Gaelic when I was there, including the towns away from Edinburgh and Glasgow

In Wales I did see a lot of Welsh, but English still seemed to be prevalent

as for dress - depends on the day and where you are at - be comfortable and don't be afraid to be a tourist

however, be respectful of the culture you are in as well - if you are spending a day looking at old churches than put on a nice shirt, a clean pair of pants and appropriate footwear

if you spend a day hiking some place the obviously wear hiking gear

dress as yourself and just modify to the local customs as to not be offensive

[yankinscotland]

Originally Posted by Finger Laker

Yank can probably answer it better - but I didn't really see anything in Gaelic when I was there, including the towns away from Edinburgh and Glasgow

In Wales I did see a lot of Welsh, but English still seemed to be prevalent

as for dress - depends on the day and where you are at - be comfortable and don't be afraid to be a tourist

however, be respectful of the culture you are in as well - if you are spending a day looking at old churches than put on a nice shirt, a clean pair of pants and appropriate footwear

if you spend a day hiking some place the obviously wear hiking gear

dress as yourself and just modify to the local customs as to not be offensive

Signs for towns are always in both Gaelic and English. There won't be anybody who speaks only Gaelic and Gaelic speakers are unfortunately a small minority - mainly the Outer Hebrides.

I've been on the underground in London before and heard very loud Americans, often using the word 'quaint'. Makes me cringe.

[sponger42]

Originally Posted by mintleif

thanks for the replies so far. but, does anyone have any tips for how i should dress? i realize, obviously, that it's not a good idea to wear fannypacks and sandals with socks. lol. but what should i wear that is appropriate?

You can't go wrong with neutral colored long pants and a neutral-colored long-sleeve shirt. I recommend a sturdy pair of hiking boots. Sandals or sandal-shoes might make you stand out, and your feet will get trashed in any kind of weather (as I found). Besides, you probably won't find yourself needing to swim across a river with your gear on your head and some sort of protection on your feet, which is about the only thing sandal-shoes are good for.

I always wore a pocketed vest (great for tucking away maps, metro cards, and other tourist paraphenalia in a jiffy) with my passports and such strapped under it, but that made some people assume I was a journalist or a photographer.


Funny American Tourist Story: In Budapest we were taking a stroll around Buda with a friend who was hosting us. Up comes a group of big people in shorts, hats, with dangling cameras and flapping maps. The surround us and start asking for "directions." This consisted of loudly shouting "CAN YOU TELL US WHERE THE T-O-W-N IS? The T-O-W-N! WE WANT TO GO TO THE T-O-W-N!!"

Uh, we were in the t-o-w-n. Lol. Until we came across that group (they had heavy New Jersey accents) we hadn't believed the stories of big sweaty loud American tourists. So, you'll probably do better than them, since you're actually conscious of not sticking out. And even so, it was a funny encounter, not an offensive one.