There are numerous online platforms that can help us travel. And it's a good thing that this American tourist decided to use one of them.
A few days ago, a woman who goes on Reddit by the nickname LBsusername submitted a post to its 'UK Travel' community, saying that she and her family have chosen the United Kingdom for their first overseas trip, and shared their itinerary, asking the locals to share their thoughts on it.
However, as they started going through the family's plan, people began doubting if it's even possible.
One American family chose the UK for their first international trip
Image credits: Mike Bird
However, after the family shared their itinerary, the locals started questioning their plans
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People were concerned that the family won't be able to visit all of the locations in such a short time
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The "Ugly American" tourist stereotype is widespread
Image credits: Quintin Gellar (not the actual photo)
According to travel writer Rick Steves, who is on a mission to empower people from the US to have fun, affordable, and culturally broadening European trips, some Americans are ethnocentric and have earned themselves (as well as their compatriots) an "ugly" tourist reputation because they:
- criticize "strange" customs and cultural differences. They don't try to understand that only a Hindu knows the value of India's sacred cows, and only a devout Spanish Catholic appreciates the true worth of his town's patron saint;
- demand to find America in Europe. They throw a fit if the air-conditioning breaks down in a hotel. They insist on orange juice and eggs (sunny-side up) for breakfast, long beds, English menus, punctuality in Italy, and cold beer in England. They measure Europe with an American yardstick;
- invade a country while making no effort to communicate with the locals. Traveling in packs, they talk at and about Europeans in a condescending manner. They see the world as a pyramid, with the United States on top and the "less developed" world trying to get there;
- think the rest of the world is "ganging up on them" when their country (with Israel) is outvoted 172 to 2 in the United Nations;
- ask the classic question "how much is that in real money?"
However, Steves said that Europeans judge you as an individual, not by your government. "I have never been treated like the Ugly American," he wrote. "My Americanness in Europe, if anything, has been an asset."
"When I'm in Europe, I'm the best German or Spaniard or Italian I can be. While I never drink tea at home, after a long day of sightseeing in England, 'a spot of tea' really does feel right. I drink wine in France and beer in Germany. In Italy I eat small breakfasts. Find ways to really be there."
Posting your itinerary on Reddit and asking locals to critique it is the first step. I feel bad for the family a little bit. As the woman said, it's their first overseas trip and it's not their fault they didn't know the particulars.
But in reality, Europe generally welcomes American tourists with open arms
Image credits: Myburgh Roux (not the actual photo)
The US market has long been a coveted demographic for tourism boards, tour operators, and destination management companies (DMC) around the world for numerous reasons, perhaps most notably because of their incomes: averaging about $75,000 annually, salaries in the US are the seventh-highest in the world.
Discretionary income means higher budgets for travel expenses, and American tourists indeed tend to spend more on dining, hotels and organized tours than their counterparts from other countries, tourism experts say. Plus, they're used to tipping and also take longer trips and often bring a passel of loved ones with them.
"This is something that's always been happening, but given the pandemic and the lost business for a lot of travel brands when American tourists weren't coming, I think it's become even more important to remarket those experiences," said Michael Rozenblit, co-founder of The World Was Here First, a travel site focused on US and European destinations and promoting responsible tourism.
"Following these couple of years when Americans were staying closer to home, there’s a renewed interest in operators and DMCs remarketing toward US tourists again now."
One of the strongest indicators of how the tourism industry continues to attract American travelers is the newly launched airline routes and expanded service to the States. Although air travel demand has been growing globally since most pandemic restrictions have been lifted, tapping into the lucrative US market remains a top priority for many both major carriers and budget operators.
For example, this June, British Airways started a new route from Cincinnati to London – an immensely popular destination for American travelers, especially royals watchers, over the last year – operating with a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on five weekly flights during the summer (and four in the winter).
But PLAY Airlines, an Iceland-based carrier whose routes between Europe and the US stop in Reykjavik, and ZIPAIR, which is a low-cost subsidiary of Japan Airlines that just launched service from San Francisco to Tokyo, also have entered the market with an eye on attracting American passengers.
So I guess it's in both the Europeans and Americans' best interest to get along and continue cooperating instead of hating on each other.
Luckily, this family eventually got the message
