54 Unhinged Tales Of American Tourists’ Shenanigans That Made Locals Realize Where They’re From

My absolute favourite is when an american group was in london for the nfl games they host here, and stopped me at kings cross to ask the following question: "hey can we walk to wembley stadium from here?".

I live in an area of England with lots of steep, narrow, winding roads. One day as a family we were out for a drive and came across a traffic jam up a particularly steep and tightly bending road, and at the top, stuck in the road, was an American holiday-maker in a hired car with a manual gearbox completely unable to drive any further up the hill as she had come to a stop and couldn't work out how to pull away again, having had little experience with a manual gearbox before. In the end the situation became so bad several people got out to try and direct traffic while my dad got in her car and drove it up the hill and around the bend so she could get on her way. It was absurd and I felt a bit sorry for her but she was so annoying, I can still hear her whining "you gotta back up, man, you gotta back up man!" to the car behind her because she kept having wheelspin and sliding backwards.

I was in Cornwall for a few days and we’d gone out for lunch in a cafe/bar. A group of Americans were at the table next to us, they were lovely, seemed so excited about their trip. One of their group had been to the bar and came back with their drinks. He proudly announces, ‘I got us all a pint of the best British cider. It’s called Strongbow, the brits drink nothing else.’

I was in Lisbon with my gf watching sporting Lisbon (football team) play a game. Inside the stadium it is a dry place that doesn’t sell alcohol.

However once inside I spotted a bar selling the local beer. There were a group of Americans stood around next to the bar in a group each holding two glasses of beer each.

We asked them whether the beer had alcohol in them as I thought no alcohol was sold inside the stadium. They replied enthusiastically yes. The bar was just behind them, so in front of them I asked the bar man whether the beer had alcohol in them. He said no they did not.

We had to stifle our laughter at watching the Americans groups faces as they realised they had bought quite a lot of non-alcoholic beers.

I saw a guy Shout manically at the top of his voice‘Jesus Christ is an American’ over and over. when he was losing an argument about how the world needs America in an Irish bar. He was removed. Or; in the Rembrandt museum, Amsterdam, another tourist shouting manically’ this wasn’t pained by Rembrandt & it isn’t a self portrait’ whilst pointing at a self portrait by Rembrandt. Or, yet another, vomiting down themselves mid sentence in Florence whilst thanking the Afro Americans for their contributions to the English language after drinking ‘strong’ European beer. Or, young American marines trying to impress a group of German female students in Hamburg by ‘introducing’ them to Jaegermeister. (Which, in case you don’t know, originated in Germany and is seen as a bit of an old person’s drink).

The US Flag on every part of equipment.

And the entitlement that everything should serve their entertainment. "No, we can not open the 1300 year old grave for you to look".

Had an American customer ask me for a large coke, which is about 44oz, and they were surprised about how small it was compared to their large.

The amount of Ignorance i've seen from American tourists is breathtaking.

I've seen.

Americans think London is full of Australians due to lots of cockney accents lol.

Surprised to find out we do have electrictity over here. (yes hahaha)

that we don't all live in castles.

they only recognise people with posh accents as English/British lol

and we have cars.

yes I have really heard stuff like this.

Was on a couch tour of the Alps. Bus stops at the point where Italy, Slovenia and Austria meet. Awesome scenery, memorial to the partisans. American gentlman says, 'I shan't bother getting off, we've got bigger mountains than that at home'.

I work at a supermarket: “I have to PAY for a shopping cart?!”. Turns out Americans don’t have to put a token/pound in the trolley to unlock it.

Glasgow airport, American tourist: “How to get to Edinboro? “ Airport information desk helper, “I’m sorry, where do you wish to go?”.

I work in retail, an American came in wanting to buy something and then attach it to his membership, I couldn't find him for a while but then realise that his name was spelt wrong. I was just like "oh the other store missed the E off the end of your name, but I've added it now, sorted" and he jokingly shouted "I'M SUING".

All my managers peered around the corner looking terrified lol. It's not really a thing joked about over here I guess.

An American couple were walking through my hometown with their 2 or 3 year old toddler. The toddler got too close to my dog and the dog growled at him, and he said to the dog in a really OTT southern American accent, "No! This is not your territory. This is everybody's territory."

Honestly can't imagine a British toddler saying something like that.

My funniest experience is actually an experience of me as a tourist. I was in New York with some friends on a college trip and we'd stopped off at Foot Locker outside the Empire State Building and this guy in there was so funny. We asked him where something was and afterwards said "ah cheers mate" and he was like "Cheers? What y'all mean cheers? You want me to start cheerleading or something?" and then proceeded to prance around the top floor of this shop. Then he said "God why'd they keep the black guy upstairs, it's freaking hot up here and they got the black guy here! I'm sweating like... Well a black guy in America I guess!" top quality from him and had us laughing for the rest of the day.