I'm English but when I was about 16 my father was working in the Netherlands and I was going to an American international school in Den Haag. One of our neighbours was an American seargant stationed at an American base in the country and I went to school with his son. The seargant was a very nice guy and had been declared the American soldier of the year a couple of years earlier. One day, over lunch at his house he said he was taking his family to England for a holiday to see where he had been stationed some years earlier. When I asked him how he was going, he said he was going to drive. I asked him which ferry he was taking, Hook of Holland, Dunkirk, Calais? He looked at me with a queer expression and said "Oh no! I'm not taking a ferry! I'm driving!" After being stationed in the UK for four years he still did not realise it was an island!🤣

Wearing a baseball cap *as an adult*, *indoors*, *in your own home* - that's probably as a American as it gets! 😜

I'm from Sweden, once I had my sailing yacht anchored in an Norwegian fjord and some Americans came up to my boat with some plastic jugs and asked me where they could fill drinking water. Behind them there was a glacier waterfall... 😳 The day before I had filled 300 liter of fresh water from that waterfall, it is probably the best tasting, most mineral rich, most clean water in the world... But when I suggested them that water they said they can't drink water that has touched the ground. So I told them about the village further in the fjord where they could get chlorinated leadpiped water, there they went...

Not sure that it still applies but back when I was a kid in the 70s, I was taught that wearing hats indoors was rude.

American soldiers complaining that we have too many stairs in Europe. I was like: duuuude, you should be in your best shape. These stairs should be a piece of cake for you.

I am an Australian, of a certain vintage. Over the decades, no matter where I travel, be it in Australia or overseas, people approach me asking for directions to this place or that. I figure I must look like someone who belongs to the local location. Some years ago I was in the city of Vancouver in B.C. My family and I had only just arrived by car 2 hours before. It was my first time in Vancouver. My teenage son and I headed out by foot to a nearby convenience store to buy some food, when an American plated car pulled up along side of us. A middle-aged lady leaned out the passenger window and asked directions to such and such in a demanding tone. So I replied "You keep going for 2 blocks, then turn left, after one block it will just on your right". Without much of a thankyou the car sped off. I turned and looked at my son, who was looking at me wide eyed. "I thought you said you've never been to Vancouver before Dad, how do you know where that place is?" To which I replied 'I don't know where the place they want is, and by the time they find out that, we will be long gone'. My son couldn't wait to get back to our accommodation to tell his mother and brother.

Had an argue recently with an American (I´m German) about the Wrestler Gunther, who is an Austrian. The American said he didn´t like him so he should go back to Germany. As I told him Gunther is from Austria the American meant Austria is in Germany, like a State. I told him that I´m from Germany and that´s not true, Austria is a Neighbour State from Germany, like Kanada to the US. He said I got to get my Geography knowledge right. The last Time he looked at a Map there were no Neighbour State of Austria beside Germany. I bursted out laughing and left him alone. The stupidity and ignorance. 😂

My dad is a cab driver in Brussels. He recounted this anecdote to me: once he was driving an american soldier. Chatting with my dad in the cab, he said he was being posted at the local ambassy for a while and made arrangements to import his personnal car from the US, a corvette, and looking forward to driving it everywhere and show of to belgian ladies. My dad stopped at a gas station and pointed at the signs with a smile "sir, in europe our gas prices are in liters, not gallons." The poor soldier had a breakdown as he realised how truely unaffordable it is to fuel his thirsty corvette over here. 😂

"There's no eating and driving... there's no texting and driving with a manual car". Oh boy, you're so wrong about that :D

I was in Thailand in the early 1990's and used to drink in a bar which was owned by a Canadian. I was in there late one night and a rare occurence happened an American wandered in, imagine the Joy on the owners face when a Fellow North American came in, when asked where he come from he said "Born and Raised in Seattle“ well Ken (the Canadian) said " we are practically neighbours, born and raised in Vancouver" imagine the look on Kens Face when The American said hed never heard of it! Im English and i knew it was only a few hours drive apart and on the American continent thats so close, but no The American insisted he wasnt Joking he'd never heard of Vancouver in the 30 years hed been alive!. Cue the rest of the bar falling off their stools laughing, Ken (the owner) rolling his eyes to the heavens and The American looking around blissfully unaware of anything 🤣😂🤣😂

One Example more: Holiday in the USA, talking with a guy about cars. American guy proudly says, he drives a BMW. Me: nice i have a BMW too American guy: oh, really, never thought you have BMW in Germany too ....

When my English cousin moved to America to be with his American wife, ( girlfriend at the time) she said they would go to a restaurant on his first night there. He put on a shirt and tie,pair of trousers and nice shoes. He said he was confused why the rest of the group, all Americans, were in shorts and t shirts. They took him to burger king 😂

In the UK (and assume, the rest of Europe as the laws are fairly harmonised), if you pass your driving test in an auto, you have a restricted licence, which isn't really a badge of honour.

In Europe generally a restaurant tends to be further up market than a fast food joint. I was brought up to think that it wasn't a restaurant if it didn't serve alcohol. I would never under any circumstances call McDonald's a restaurant.

I once read a story from somebody who worked at a car rental in austria. american woman rented a car. drove from vienna to budapest and somewhere else just in first gear. complained that the car was crap. the plastic hood on the motor was molten.

An American professor once told me: " If you speak three or more languages, you are highly educated. If you speak two languages, you are educated. If you only speak one language, you are an American." 😂 And if people don't understand you, just speak slower and louder 😂

I like to play dumb with Americans announcing their state as where they’re from. “Oh you’re from Idaho? That’s a city in Canada isn’t it?” And yes I’ve experienced exactly the same thing on (probably the same brand) tour bus in Scotland

A couple of decades ago when I worked in the port of Antwerp (Belgium) I went on board a ship moored in the lock and met an American passenger. When I told him the ship was moored in the biggest lock in the world (at that time), he said that was not possible. I asked why and his response was: "Because it's not possible that the biggest lock in the world is not in the States." And then there was the American lady when on tour of Europe asked a guide in Bruges when the themepark closed in the evening. For those who shouldn't know: Bruges is a city full of medieval buildings.

French here. Last year I went one month to California (mainly San Diego, LA). Talking to people... regular question was : "have you ever been to America". My favourite answer was : "Yes. two times in France. This is my third time in America but first time in USA" Most of them didn't understand... I had to explain longest terrestrial border of France was shared with Brazil... and visited some french islands in Caribbeans too.

The "gene" percentage is so prevalent. I watched a cooking video from a Texan making koláče, and some girl in the commets was like "Yo, I'm Czech and love kolache..." So I asked her if she can speak Czech, and what are her favorite Czech dishes, and of course she couldn't speak Czech, and named like 4 Slovak dishes, and only one Czech. I think her great grand parents came to the US from Czechoslovakia or maybe even before that from Austria-Hungary.

Being spotted as American in Europe is not a problem at all. An European who goes to South America or Southeast Asia will immediately be recognized as an European. On the French Riviera it is easy to spot some Dutch, English, Germans for example. In the same way as French people in Spain, Portugal...etc. These are the behaviors that may cause concern regardless of the “tourist”. Kindness, politeness and open-mindedness are the key words. And this is clearly the case for the vast majority of tourists.

If you ever travel abroad you don't have "not to look like an American". You don't also have to adapt to the local fashion style. You're from USA and there is nothing bad about it, just respect the locals and their customs, remember that it's mainly you who needs to help the locals understand you (if you don't speak the local language) and everything will be great. You'll find the locals more receptive to you and you'll enjoy your stay much more.

Yes you can always spot an American tourist ( if you hadn't heard them). Weighing 400 pounds but dressed for the gym 😁

Easy, as a kiwi who first came across the first wave of Americans who immigrated to New Zealand in the 80s to the 90s, I found them to be loud, brash, and arrogant more in the top half of the North Island. They were buying up huge on properties around the areas, and you can hear them behind you at supermarket checkouts pissing and moaning about the level of service and long queues...meanwhile we kiwis are queuing up quietly and patiently. It's not the way you dress, but the way you speak, its so loud they make it known that "I'm American, I want to be served now!" Really? Different hemisphere, Different culture, get use to it.!! The Americans I've met since, that era are the genuine people. They are well travelled and they are the good ones, they know.

My big memory of an American couple was a few years ago. A 5 year old child I was counselling would talk about his fear of his Dad. I managed to convince the Dad to go to an anger management course. I agreed to go as his support person and spent every Wednesday evenings in my own time listening to Mums & Dads talk about frustration and rage and trauma. BUT… an American couple that attended with all of us Australians were sucking the oxygen out of the room over the first 5 or 6 night. They were loud AF, massively over shared, psychoanalysed themselves, talked about highly personal things about their partner, were dishonest about their motivations. It’s like they had no self awareness or respect for the other people and sharing the time equitably. They just talked and talked and talked. It was all about them. I could have learnt a lot that I could have taken back to help supporting families at work. Unfortunately, I was just cringing and withdrawing inside and wanting the evening to be over. It really turned me off Americans in a way I hadn’t felt before.

My father is Belgian, my mother is Dutch, my sister was born in France, I was born in Switserland and before I turned 16 I’d lived on three continents and was fluent in 4 languages at native speaker level. It was always easy to pick out American citizens, especially tourists. Here are a few examples: An American lady wondering why the castle of Chillon, which has foundations dating back to Roman times, had been built so close to the railway tracks. The tour guide’s face (she’d just explained about the Roman foundations) was priceless. We were taking friends out on that tour because they were visiting from Malaysia. They had a good laugh about it too. The new High School principal of our international school in Kuala Lumpur insisting on more ‘real food’ on the menu (burgers, fries, burritos…) in the school canteen and not understanding why (a) the budget increased and (b) these items didn’t sell well. Whilst a little less than 50% of the student body consisted of US citizens, the rest calendars from all over. The local dishes were cheaper and tastier. The American kids already got a lot of American food at home but would always quickly clue in on the possibility to save lunch money for other things whilst simultaneously being able to eat tasty foods. Teenagers are hungry creatures. I did a few stints as an assistant tour guide/translator on tours through Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. These included visiting temples, mosques etc. Tourists would be informed they needed to dress appropriately. That meant no shorts and no tank tops in sole cases and for the mosques, it also meant either bringing your own scarf or agreeing to use a head covering provided by the mosque for the ladies. We also had a stash and made sure those were washed, ironed, and wrapped in sealed packages to take care of any hygiene concerns. I lost count of the ladies in tank tops exclaiming “but I’m an AMERICAN!” For a short while I owned a 2nd hand BMW with automatic gear shift. Hated it. It was the crappiest, most impractical car I’d ever had. Made the mistake of telling one of my American friends I vastly preferred my previous car, a Fiat Punto with manual gear shift. “YOU DRIVE A STICK SHIFT??? And… but… a BEAMER!” He couldn’t wrap his mind around me preferring a manual car of any brand to a BMW, even after I’d explained the shifting was sluggish, the car guzzled gas and even the simplest yearly checkup was ridiculously expensive. A friend of mine came over from the States. We went for a walk around where I live (Belgian countryside). She was blown away most of us hang our laundry out to dry and don’t have air conditioning. Our windows tilt open at the top to air the house without having to fully open the windows. Almost every choir, dog training club, football (sorry: soccer) club, etc has a small bar and they serve alcohol. Members don’t go home immediately after practice or classes. You have a drink first and yes, legal drinking age for undistilled alcohol is 16. And no, those kids don’t all turn into raging alcoholics. Absolutely blew her mind. Me, quickly learning to pack up my drawing as an art student doing an assignment outside every time I spotted American tourists because so many of them simply wouldn’t believe I wasn’t a street artist and wouldn’t sell my work. I needed that grade. “Then why are you sitting out here, drawing that church?” Erm… because it’s for an assignment? Traveling to the States and being asked where I’m from. “Belgium.” - “Oh, that’s the capital of Brussels, right?” So close… Or: “Europe. Belgium.” - “Oh! I have a friend who is from (insert any other European city in another country). Her name is (insert name). Have you met her?” Americans complaining the average French, Italian, Spanish or Portuguese person doesn’t speak English or does so with an accent so thick you could cut slices off it for a week. Telling Spaniards they don’t speak “real” Spanish. Lost count of how many times I’ve seen that happen. Also when visiting the US: when learning where I’m from and often having to explain roughly where Belgium is: “My (insert ancestors several generations back) is from (insert a country several countries away). We’re practically cousins!” Being asked where Belgium is. Learning not to say “Where NATO headquarters is.” Because then, they think I have to pass security checks every time I go out to get groceries. I seriously got that question more than once. Truth be told, you’re right the US citizens I’ve met both outside and inside of the US are some of the most friendly people I’ve ever met. But at the same time, they’re very easy to pick out, often easier than people from other countries. And they seem to be a steady source of grins, giggles and facepalms.

I live in Oslo, Norway, and one time when I was walking near the docks, I overheard some Americans asking each other, loudly I might add; “Is that Denmark over there?” then they pointed towards a small island in the fjord. So, from then on, that island is Denmark in my books.

I was in Paris with my sister for a few days and we organised to go on a guided tour of The Palace of Versailles. There was an American couple in our tour group and once we had got off the bus we had to wait outside while the tour guide got our tickets. I learned that they were from Boston and I realised we had something in common so in an effort to make conversation I told him that The Red Sox were owned by the same people who owned Liverpool FC (my hometown football team in UK). He then frightened me by immediately shouting "GREEN MONSTER!!" in my face. He carried on repeating it as if I would understand what he meant but I just stared at him startled not knowing what he was talking about. He didn't even clarify himself or anything and I think one of us just ended up walking away from the other. I was left with my sister and an Australian woman all looking at each other wondering if that just happened and went over how awkward it was. I was perplexed until I got back to the hotel and googled it. I have no idea about Baseball or The Red Sox other than they are owned by Fenway Sports Group.

with a manual you also have way more control over the power you put to the wheels on snowy and icy roads unlike automatics.

It´s is easy to spot most Americans turists. High pitch "chainsaw" voices, rotund bodies and entitled to do anything. Hi from Stockholm - Sweden.

The last American I spoke to face to face here in England, when he told me he was American, I said "Oh, I'm sorry mate", he looked bemused, I walked off smugly.

One of my worst experiences with an 'American' was in Bangkok. It cost 7 baht (20 US cents) to take a ferry across the river to a temple that was founded in the mid 1600s. We were waiting in line for the ferry, and half-way through, this guy found out that the 20c ticket that he paid for would only take him across the river, rather than the entire length it, and he became furious and demanded a refund. It took all of my willpower to refrain from interfering.

I am from Essen in West Germany an American Lady in a rental car stopped and asked how far it is to Paris. I answered a good four days march!

At a café-restaurant terrasse in Paris, 2 obviously American ladies sat at the table next to mine. They ignored the home-made "Today's Special" dish on the menu and opted for a cheese burger (home made so, admittedly, better than at McDonald's, but still ...). To wash it down, one of them ordered a ... cappuccino (???), and the other a beer, which, though sitting at a table, ignoring the glass that the waitress had brought her, she gulped down straight from the bottle ... I felt sorry for them ... Another way to spot them is when they want "to do" the Louvre Museum (the 2nd largest museum in the world, featuring some 35,000 art pieces on display) IN LESS THAN 3 HOURS!!! I find that plain offensive! I understand that Americans don't have many holidays (vacation) days, but then, why not limit their visits to one country at the time per year? How on Earth can they expect "to do" London, Paris, Athens, Madrid, Berlin, Venice, ... in less than a week??? Even in Europe (50 countries!), people plan: "this year, we'll go to Italy", or to Spain, or Prague, "next year, we'll go to Greece, ...", but we don't generally try to pack as many destinations as possible in a short period of time.

I’m a Brit and I’ve been driving Manual/stick shift cars all my life. My employer sent me to New York (Staten Island) for 6 months. I had never driven an automatic before. No problem, just follow the boss from the rental garage at Newark to the hotel. When you only learn and drive manual then an automatic is easy. How an earth US people drive stick shift here I’ll never understand. In the UK if you only learned automatic then your driving licence restricts you to automatics. As Brits we all know the usual stupid things we do on European holidays like saying words louder or adding an “O” to a word. However, if I’m in the USA and asked where I’m from because I have an accent and Welsh and I say Wales I get one of two replies “Which part of England is that”, or “My Aunty Mary is from Wales, do you know her?”. Look, Wales is not the biggest country but it’s the size of New Jersey ok! I have been known to say to an idiot “Which part of Canada are you from”. Unfortunately, when you meet a US tourist they show their ignorance in special ways. I was working in Amsterdam and at the Central station an elderly US lady was having a loud argument with the station café cashier. She wanted to pay in US$, the cashier said sorry we don’t take $, only Gilda’s, the lady was taken aback, everyone takes $, it’s the international currency! Should these people be allowed to leave the country?

That story about asking where people are from and the Americans saying their state or city, I’ve had that discussion with someone in the YT comments, when this woman was asked by a European where she was from and when she replied, Arkansas, the response was, “I don’t know where that is.” The American called that response “stupid”, so I leapt to the European’s defence by explaining that not everyone knows all the states of America. I was promptly chastised for being stupid.

Oh my word - great job IWrocker🤣I am a German native married to a Minnesotan and I lived more than a decade in the US - different states - Minnesota, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, then a few years in Qatar and now we are back in Germany. Rest assured Americans are not the only dumb nuts when they travel. Me thinks a certain percentage of every and any culture on this beautiful planet of ours does their very best to cement clichés about their point of origin. While living in the US I was repeatedly asked how Hitler is doing health wise, for example. In Qatar, trying to surprise my husband with a Burger King meal after a challenging day, the Filipino working there figured out that I am from Germany because I talked to my daughter on the phone while standing in line. He then greeted me with a perfect "Hitler Gruss", standing at attention, clicking his heels together, raising his hand, and bellowing "Heil Hitler" - I was mortified. The "Hitler Gruss" is punishable by law in Germany. Turns out Hitler is a revered authoritarian figure in the Philippines. So, I had to tell this poor guy to never EVER great a German tourist like this ever again. In addition, I think baseball cap and cargo shorts are way better then sandals and socks - it is so embarrassing to me but if you see a guy wearing socks AND sandals you will find him without a shadow of a doubt to be a German.

Backwards baseball caps are a dead giveaway. I had a couple of US visitors a few years ago. They were very confused about the fact that they'd come from winter and it was summer here in Australia. "So,,," one of them asked, thinking deeply, "you have christmas in the middle of the year, right?" I was in Ireland a couple of months ago. I was at a railway station when an American walked up to a railway employee and asked what that language was above English on the signs. She rolled her eyes and said "Gaelic". I think that, unless they've researched it, most of us from outside the US have no idea what jaywalking is. It's a uniquely US concept. And congrats on knowing how to pronounce "Porsche". 🙂

Back in the 60s here in the UK I recall seeing a TV series staring Lucille Ball. My mother found it hysterical but I couldn't stand it. EVERYBODY on that show constantly shouted. Maybe they were worried that the microphones wouldn't pick up their voice properly. I gather this was also a popular show in America. I believe this show was, single handedly, responsible for promoting the habbit of shouting. It then got passed on through the generations to the point that now, every American shouts all the time. It's just force of habbit.

The first story is hillarious. I live in Prague and Americans can be pretty annoying on public transport. Not only are Americans pretty loud in general, imo it's also partly the fact that they're not used to using public transport and aren't aware of the "rules". At least in Czechia and neighboring countries, you're expected to be quiet on trams and buses etc. and keep your voice down when talking with friends. Trying to talk to strangers on public transport would be perceived as extremely weird. And no wonder the locals look grumpy compared to the tourists. The Americans are on vacation in a new city, probably heading to brunch while we're on our way to work lol.

1. Jaywalking is a thing in Poland (You can get a ticket from Police for it) 2. Backpacks and cargo shorts... well i live in a tourist town in Poland (Kraków) and i see a lot of people from other parts of EU with backpacks and cargo shorts.... I also used both when i was on vacation on the Polish seaside this year.... Also baseball caps...i use those a lot during summer time.... so i think its a gross overgeneralization. I think "Spotting the American" it's not about those things separately, but overall image that contains multiple things at one time (clothes, hairstyle, attitude etc)

Hi Ian !!! I just have to share this observations I did during my years working on Cruiseships (as an engineer) . I worked on 5 Star ++ ships, so quite an extensive all inclusive service level for the passengers. In each passenger cabin there was a safe, clearly marked as such too with instructions on how to use it clearly posted on it and in the cabin. For each new cruise with the new batch of passengers, there were always like 20-30 cabins that these safes had to be changed in, because the passengers thought they were microwaveowens where they could heat the McDonalds/Burger King or whatever fastfood they prefered when they got back onboard after a trip on land.....🤣And yes, these passengers were in 99% of the cases from the US of A. 🙂 Hope you and your family have all had an awsome Xmas!! Greeting from Norway

Literally just came back from work, commuting by bus in Warsaw, and there was a REALLY loud American. She was just happily asking her friend about how many stops to their destination and stuff, but boy she made sure everybody in the bus know! The funny thing is - I'm pretty sure she wasn't aware of that (It's just that here you don't talk to people while in the bus and definitely not in the full voice)

Americans have a tendency to refer to Europe as a nation and the countrys different states, and that annoys me a bit. Thats shows you don't even care what country you are in, it's just ''Europe''. The cultures and languages are so different depending in witch country you are in. For me as a swede it would be far more culturecrossing going to France or Poland comparing going to Canada or USA.

Live In South Yorkshire, England. In my late teens early 20s I worked in a small restaurant mostly waiting tables. During late spring to early autumn we'd get lots of groups of American tourists passing through & 9/10 times they were always Very friendly, Polite & tipped very well which was always a nice bonus. Some would seem confused by our reaction of surprise to a large tip & some were more surprised that we were paid properly (well national minimum wage but still better than a lot of food service workers in the US get paid)

One video clip I saw in another channel that I found really showed American hypocrisy was a 2 Americans sitting at a cafe listening to a couple (I am guessing from Indonesia as we could only just hear them) saying 'Why can't everyone visiting America learn American (?) so we can understand them?' which cuts to an American (by the drawl I am guess from the southern states) couple visiting Italy (the Vatican was in the background) saying 'Why can't Europeans learn to speak English so they can understand us?' while trying to get directions.

I lived in Germany for 13 years. My friends and I would have fun playing a game we called spot the American. Regarding transmissions manual transmissions used to be more fuel efficient than automatics, but that has changed. Automatics are now more fuel efficient.

I was touring around Scandinavia some years ago on a bus tour. It had it's usual mix of Poms, us Aussies and Mericans. Guess who were the loudest, and guess who would say something along the lines of "back in the US, we would do it this way". Eventually they settled down and things went more smoothly, they were quite friendly so all went well eventually.

$1000 fine for texting in a car here in Western Australia! My wife and went to a movie in Southern Germany back in the 90s and the movie theatre was full of US Army personnel. All the way through the movie, people shouted responses to the movie as if it was an interactive experience! Added to that, the quantities of food eaten by the movie goers were massive and consumed with an almost equal volume of the responses! Love ur work, iwrocker, keep it up!

On a more positive note: I have over the years actually worked with a number of Americans here in Sweden (expats as they call themselves), and despite the old joke about Americans only knowing one language and barely that, they were actually very good at speaking Swedish, albeit with a strong accent.

What is usually most irritating for non-Americans is the American perception of being exceptional, that everything American is better than how things are in the rest of the world and that American lives are for some reason more valuable then the lives of the non-Americans. When I hear the phrase “American lives” in the news, it makes my skin crawl.

6:36 well put!! Manual shifting is driving. Automatic is riding along just steering.

Manual car...your battery is dead...np...just give it a little movement, put in second gear and fire it up with key on pos 2...car will start. Not possible with any automatic transmission car ever!

It is not the basecap or the cargoshorts. It's the appearance at all. If you want to don't look like an American tourist, then the best way is, to go to a clothing store and buy some things there after asking an employee there. The thing with manual shifting is / was because of the 3 gear atomatics. They consumed more fuel and were slower in acceleration than stick shift. So, when you wanted to drive a little more sporty, you had to buy stickshift. And in Germany with Autobahn this was a real deal.

20 years ago, a friend of mine went to study in the USA (he got tuition) and when he was there he drove a BMW M3 We are all in wonder "where did you get the money for such a car" (well, he is a student) He started laughing he says, I went to buy a car, and when I got there, a BMW M3 was very cheap for 20% of the regular price I look at the car "he says" and I ask what's the matter, why is it so cheap? the seller is desperate, they can't sell it because it has a manual transmission And so he bought a brand new BMW M3 for nothing

I sat in JFK Airport, on my way back to South Africa after a trip to the US in 1997. Waiting at the gate, a long row of young American girls were talking about their trip to South Africa. It was rather interesting, and I was listening all ears, looking straight ahead of me, smiling. It was general chit chat about the normal things, lions and wildlife everywhere and so, until one girl said "I wonder what they eat in South Africa?". Another girl, from way down the row proclaimed, "probably nuts and berries!" Giggles galore from me. I bet they were surprised when they landed at OR Tambo in Johannesburg and saw a great big sprawling city as they drove out to where ever they were going. That being said, I absolutely love Americans in general. They are some of the best people you will ever meet. Friendly, outgoing, welcoming, a bit loud, but South Africans can be loud too. I really enjoy my trips to America, the small towns are the best.

How to not stand out as an American: 1. Lose the baseball cap. 2. Keep your mouth shut. 3. There is no number three. That is all. 🤣

Your German camouflage would be the seasonal jack Wolfskin Outdoor Gear as soon as you leave the house for more than a minute.

Where are you from? Boston! Ah! I've been to Boston several times, nice little town and the church is a landmark! I do like hiking in the midlands and especially Lincolnshire. :D

A fun story: There is an american military base on south Spain, located near the strait of gibraltar called "La base de Rota". Initially, soldiers were sent as a kind of "punishment" destination back in the 90's. In the USA, the military was kind of confused because a lot of americans were asking for a permanent destination on this military base and initially it made no sense. What was happening is that on that time 2k-3k monthly earnings in spain before the euro € was a fortune. They were rich, and they had a way of living you can't even imagine in the US for low rank soldiers. As far as I know, nowadays it's not what it has been before, but it's not an easy destination because everyone knows that it's no longer a punishment but a luxury destination.

As a Pole, I only wear a baseball cap in the summer on hot days because it protects me from the sun. As for the backpack, in Europe no one walks around the city with a backpack every day, going to a cafe, for example, because it makes you sweat even more in the summer. Of course, sometimes I leave the house with a small backpack (not a tourist one) for shopping, but this is in autumn or winter when I want to keep my hands free.

Always funny Americans and their work culture. Indeed they work a lot of hours but just work not efficient ( for example Europeans work less hours but still are able to produce more and better.)

Re: driving a manual gearbox, here in Australia a couple of weeks ago three 19-22 year old stole car after break-in to steal keys first. They only made it 100 metres down the street where they abandoned the car as it was a manual and none could drive "stick" manual 😅

Americans travel to Paris and London and tell everyone they have done Europe

I love the run down of clothing, cargo shorts, baseball caps etc, it reminds me of National Lampoon's European Vacation when Beverley D'Angelo, Chevy Chase and kids are in Italy and decide to buy clothes to blend in. Made themselves even more visible. I was at a hire car firm in Spain, "Yes I can drive a stick, I'm American". This was shouted to the lady behind the counter, obviously if you raise your voice, they will understand. When we went outside to get our own car, the grinding noises, car jumping forward after being started in gear with no clutch depressed was painful to hear, like finger nails on a blackboard.

About the manual: I did an exchange program in 1990/91 with the US ( I´m from Germany). We went to the US in 1990 (all 15 at that time). I went back 3 years later ( when we were 18) and met up with these guys again. Out of our group of 10 back then there was 1 girl(!) who was able to drive a stick! She used to have an old Subaru from her granddad... But only barfooted or with socks only.

The worst thing on an automatic transmission is that you have no engine brake. To slow down gently in a manual you just step of the gas and shift a gear down without having to touch the brake pedal.

In America the cars have precedence hence the jaywalking laws, in Europe it's the pedestrians that come first.

An American says they're from Georgia, yeah that's not going to cause any confusion when travelling abroad.

Regarding what to wear to avoid looking like tourists, I think the following applies to almost all European countries: if it's hot, simply a T-Shirt, jeans, comfortable shoes or sneakers, a wallet with your bank cards and documents and your cell phone. If it's cold, swap your T-Shirt for a warm sweater, wear a warm jacket and perhaps a wool hat and scarf. Ladies typically also wear a shoulder bag. As simple as that! Another thing is that, as a rule, locals don't carry cameras or video cameras everywhere !

I am German and I was travelling to Japan a few month ago with 3 friends. One evening we went to the Skytree in Tokyo and were amazed by the view on the city.... when we suddenly heard a gorup of very loud tourists. We turned around and saw 3 guys and 2 girls with US flag themed outfits. The japanese people around them tried to avoid that group as much as possible - those 5 claimed more space than a group of 30 Japanese XD Then our group went to the lift to go to the upper platform and avoid those noisy Americans only to have them join the lift last second and after the door closed, one of them yelled "WALL OF DEATH". The atmosphere became so weird and we hoped, that the Japanese people don't think we are part of them.

My answer to your dress code question. I myself am Austrian, I live in the greater Vienna area and work and move around a lot in Vienna. I wear cargo pants, both long and short, because they are practical. You can store everything important, such as keys, wallet, glasses case, cell phone, cap (relatively) safely without needing another bag. You also usually see me with a backpack when I'm on the way to/from work (for shopping on the way home), on the way to/from a concert (for merch) or when we go hiking. The only time I leave my backpack at home is when we go for a stroll. So don't worry about that, many locals also wear these typical American things. 😉

That was really entertaining! :) Thanks. Btw.: Have you ever heard of or reacted to the "Wuppertaler Schwebebahn" from Germany..? It is not a car or truck, but it's quite interessting as it is more like a "flying train". The "train" hangs (!) on the rails, around 15 meters about the streets, but mostly about the river Wupper. It was built back in 1901 (!) and is still in daily operation - but with modern trains now, of course. Maybe you want to check it out and react to it?! There are also english videos about it, like "Suspension Railway In Wuppertal: Story Of A Landmark".

😂❤Well, maybe the US is not sending their best people...in Finland, Helsinki, every summer these huge Cruise Ships arrives with thousands of Americans...and when those fleet of interstate "busses" are wobbling everywhere, so that you can hear them miiles away,,,those people are representing "Americans" to regular joe Finnish people. Sad, but true😮😂❤

In Germany it´s easy, just wear Sandals with white socks 🤣🤣

Great video. Nice reacting to comments.

Like Americans we the Dutch can be loud too. We're known for being loud in other EU countries. When I travelled to visit Vienna Austria one time it really surprised me how quiet it was on the streets and in public transport. It almost felt eery. It is just a cultural difference I think. It's really Dutch to think we tend not to stick out very much while in reality we stick out like a sore thumb 🤣🤣🤣

I've never been to the USA, but given the circumstances, I can say that I know a good number of Americans, whether due to my work (I work in the tourist sector), or through online interactions on various platforms, namely through online games, of which I'm a fan. Regarding the characteristics of Americans, frankly I think they are identical to those of most countries belonging to Western democracies, some better, some worse, some idiots... just like everywhere. Yes, we can say that they are a little extravagant or noisy, if we compare them to some other countries, namely northern and eastern European countries. There is just one characteristic that I consider very strong in Americans and that, in a way, surprises me: how little they know about other cultures and countries other than the USA. In this aspect, any inhabitant of any European country knows much more about the world in general than Americans. Other than that, they are, as I said, people like any other in Western countries.

The baseball cap. I am also a carrier of it myself. In my spare time now. But from 11 to 24. almost always. I also had a Florida crocodile cab. As a Christmas gift from the company I worked for at the time. And a T-shirt. At the time we were trying to set up something in the USA.

Now our family (UK based) is getting older, 50% of us bought automatics for a lazy driving experience.

Ah yes. I just love when people say "I'm from PT, AZ" I'm like, ah... must be Murican. Then they are annoyed, when I say: Murica I guess, no idea where those 2 letter places are in there.

The reason automatic isn’t more common in Europe is because of fuel prices, manual is more economical when done right, also the roads are more challenging in Europe and so it’s better to have full control of the gears. I prefer manual control myself

hahaha Always have a good laugh with you Ian As for driving a manual car, that's all I have ever driven here in Australia since 1978...

As an Icelandic person we get a lot of American tourists, and I find absolutely nothing wrong with them telling me from what state they're from instead of country, because to me, I feel like every state is kinda its own country. For me, someone saying they're from the USA is the same as someone saying they're from Europe. USA is huge, with over 300 million people. Squishing it into this one thing is kinda silly.

Icelander here, I used to drive buses that catered mostly to hotels and therefore tourists. I've learned the following from my days on the job: 1. Only Americans will attempt to tip. *Only Americans*. I always appreciated their generosity, but I also made a point of telling them that tipping, while appreciated, is never expected in my country. 2. Some of the older buses had manual transmission and I will never forget how one elderly American commented behind my back: "Oh, it's a manual." Bless him. 3. Americans are probably the sweetest and most kind-hearted passengers I have ever had the pleasure of driving around. Some are loud, yes, but that doesn't matter if they're the only passengers. I miss meeting Americans...

Driving in many countries, you are not allowed to eat, drink, or use your phones.

I agree with your thoughts on manuals over autos, especially when you have some grunt under bonnet.

I agree with you totally bro about the extra enjoyment and safety using manual transmission.

I hate to do this but.... there is one American lady who comes into the cafe I go to regularly and.... you can hear her half way down the street. Inside the cafe she is so loud she's louder than the music in the background. All americans are not like this but it is one way of spotting some. Sorry Ian lol

I have to admit, I love watching shows like The Amazing Race, where I get a huge laugh out of the teams getting manual cars and not knowing how to drive them. Until recently I've always had manuals. Damned arthritis in my shoulder makes them tricky now, but over 40 years driving (and 20+ riding a motorcycle) I think I've earned an auto. Automatics are definitely much better today than they were years ago, but it used to be a real trade off with lack of fuel economy and power delivery/control. As far as identifying American tourists - yeah, it's a definite look. Maybe try to observe what the locals are wearing and match it?

Going to watch your videos about the Skodas in Rally, love Rally!

German here: Back in the Eighties (long long time ago) I used to live in London. One day I went to Trafalgar Square (can't remember why), where I saw a bunch of very loud people standing there directly at Nelson's column for making photos (back then with 'real' cameras,) and I thought 'Oh, Americans!' When I got nearer I noticed that they were Germans. I was soo embarrassed! It is not only the Americans!

When travelling abroad, a fast way to be semi-specific about where you're from would be a compass point as well as country. For instance "Northern US" would work perfectly fine, and so would "USA, Chicago" or "Illinois, USA" for instance. Basically give people the ability to choose the granularity they want (in europe we do this a lot when visiting neighbouring countries, since we don't know what level of familiarity the other has). For dressing, well, the best thing would probably be to just look at the poeple in "walk through [town]" videos. But overall europeans dress for the occasion. If we wear sneakers (or ahtletic wear) it is to/from doing sports - so sneakers would imply you are jogging. So pretty much anything else (for that matter sandals/flipflops/thongs implies the beach). (Business) casual shoes would be common in cities, out on the countryside half-boots and workwear shoes. If you find a workwear boot that has the general "flow" of a casual shoe you have a pretty good allrounder. Baseball caps are either "it is very sunny" (Chicago(US) is about as far north as Rome(Italy), and the italians would be more likely to go for sunglasses (easier to pocket when indoors or at night)) or that you are on your way to/from sports. If you want to wear headgear (which is perfectly fine) just get something that doesn't imply sports, a normal flatcap for instance would be viewed as just another stylistic choice without further implications in most european countries (if out on the countryside would even be viewed as a pragmatic choice). Backpacks are common in europe, however that is small backpacks that obviously are for city-use, and they are never stuffed full. And usually nonchanlantly slung over just one shoulder (stuffed backpack implies either going to school or to/from sport). Cargo shorts - just wear chinos/jeans/cargo-pants. Shorts implies sport, beach, around the house, "I'm just stopping by in the middle of a drive", or "I'm melting in this scorching heat". And also, dress for the occasion, which means if it is a hot day (but not yet "I'm melting" hot) just wear airy/loose pants in a thin material that breathes. For shirts basically avoid sweaters that flaunts a brand (discreet is fine, flaunting isn't), and for t-shirts just go with a simple single-coloured one (polo-shirts fall in between sweater and tshirt) (optionally with a funny print on it, but university shirts are a big no (unless a parody/joke)) The amusing part probably is that a common ranch-hand in the US would only be a quick change of headgear away from fitting in just fine as a stylish european (with how it is sensible all-round clothing, except for if at night/clubbing (in that case just pull on a jacket and it is sorted)). In winter time in places that actually have a winter the rule is "function over fashion" (so the weirdo is the stylish person, not the one that looks like it is heading to a date with the Michelin mascot) Most people comminut one or two fashion faux pas, but it takes a USonian (or teenagers) to do more than that at the same time.

I like the "we say it as we read it!" then I say "Arkansas are you sure"

Awesome presentation Ian 😂 I have spoken to many Americans traveling here in NZ. I basically warn them using their Map regarding my city of short cuts and the local crime here. Especially the ladies on night life here. I'm use to Americans 😂I have cousins in Nevada and Washington State .

I have spent a great deal of time over the years touring around the US and honestly have met some fantastic people, and made several life long friends. However, I used to live in a part of the UK where we saw a lot of American tourists and although most were great, there was what I would call this hard core group that lived up to the stereotypes. And for the record, I have not encountered this type while in America, only here as tourists. For example: I had an American nurse once comment that she was amazed at how well English people spoke American. I had a guy once exclaim, ‘wow you guys have apple pie!’ Another, ‘wow you guys have asphalt roads!’ Other things include, surprise that we have running water in out homes, electricity, internet, the list goes on. We've had Canadian, Australian, various European and Japanese tourist, but, I have only ever heard this type of comment coming from Americans, again just a small minority. So my advice would be, think before you make a stupid comment. Lol. But seriously though, Don’t criticizer the British National Health Service, we all know it has its issues but, criticizing it is a good way to experience it first hand. Nuff said! Don’t call castles or other historic landmarks quaint. Don’t complain constantly about the weather, especially if you are from Seattle, I’ve been there, it rains more than it does here. But honestly, most people are friendly and if you show an interest are happy to talk about their home towns etc. But remember, that some of these places are people's homes, not movie sets or theme parks. Oh and if visiting the UK, travel away from London, the country has a vast array of incredible places to visit.

It always gets me why Americans say “Paris France, or London England or Rome Italy”. Most people know where they are. It also amuses me how Americans are so proud of their “freedom” but to a casual observer, Americans have way more restrictions than other countries. 😂

I, a German, would suggest: to not replace the bag pack but go for a simple Eastpack, those stand out less because many usem for school. Cargo shorts: just wear the ones that don't stop half way between knee and foot. If youse rockin a hat make it plain one. And depending where you are wipe the "über "smile and muffel the exhaust and keep it at continental level (roughly giving the region works, something like near the eastern side of the Rockies)when taking about where you come from unless prompted. Important: when asking someone else something be responsibly/respectfully polite in the words you choose.

"I'm from Birmingham (Alabama)" "oh... Doesn't sound like a very Birmingham (UK) accent..."

Love the cap! Go Queenslander! This was fun.