Gary’s Q&A

Listener question & Gary’s response · Transcript passage

MrBillMcBill on Discord asks As an American who is going to start traveling abroad soon, what can I do to avoid the negative stereotypes of American tourists? I’m afraid of being seen as just another annoying American to be dealt with, and if I’m perceived that way, I think it will prevent me from fully experiencing the culture of the place and people. Any tips?

I’ve never had a problem. Almost everyone understands the distinction between people and governments. The further you get away from the US, the less of a problem the negative stereotype becomes. Australians have a negative stereotype in Bali, and the English do in parts of Spain. Whenever a place gets a lot of tourists from one particular place, that place that sends the tourists will get a bad reputation.