My son just got a letter about how to not act American

To be fair, this is a very specific 'type' of traveller - kids/uni students and, yes, as others have commented, kids and young adults in other countries do have similar instruction. I can remember going on a school exchange to Germany when I was about 14 and (remember, I am not a dinosaur...yet) having our teachers told us 'not to mention the war'!!!! Now, the other UK peas will also remember a somewhat infamous episode of a certain comedy over here and can probably empathise with the teachers as it was on it's god-knows-what-number re-run before we went!

I know I shared this on the other board, but when I was in London, we used to joke that you could always spot the American because they were the ones wearing the 'London, England' T-shirts!

However, don't forget that other country's tourists are also stereo-typed.....have a good laugh at the fact that a lot of Europe, especially the summer tourist areas, (the world, maybe?) sees Brits as being loud, drunk and obnoxious. Oh, and drunk. In addition to that, they are drunk hooligans who only want egg and chips, or maybe ham and chips!

It's because Americans were being targeted at overseas locations.  We weren't saying this to the schools or work, but casual acquaintances, such as vendors in a market.  And I doubt we really fooled anyone.  I expected to be known as an American in Seoul because there is a large military presence and I most certainly do not look Korean.  But in England and Paris, we were pegged as Americans from the moment we said hello or bonjour.  I'm assuming it was the accent, as we seemed to be dressed like any other person on the street.  

It wasn't meant to be disrespectful, it was meant to keep us from being targeted as we were buying bread and groceries.  It was an incredibly tense time and I can't tell you how vulnerable I felt with North Korea flexing it's nuclear might, and two young children on what was essentially an island, with no way out other than by boat or by plane.  We had thousands of dollars stashed in our apartment to bribe our way out and DH and I had a code that we used because our phone was tapped.  I never let the van get more than a gallon or two below full and there were times when I had all our necessities stuffed into a backpack and ready to flee.  We had a binder with all of our information in it, including our toe tags that I personally had to fill out.  We were at Yongsan in Seoul, which was 7 war time minutes from the DMZ.  My preschool aged children considered it routine to be escorted with guards carrying machine guns and bomb sniffing dogs.    I can't even begin to describe how anxious i was living over there, in spite of how graciously the South Koreans treated us.  I ended up coming back 6 months early because it was just. too. much.

We have been bashed in our own home by our French friends.
I said a few choice about plumbing, stable society and good schooling available to all.

When they realized that I was no longer going to take their America bashing, they became great friends.

From someone who is planning to come to your country next summer....thank you!

Number one on that list should be the black socks with sandals I see in NYC all the time.

My husband used to go to China on business a couple of times a year. The first couple of times, he was cautioned about stopping for random kids or women on the street-never to give money to beggars because it turns you into a target and you'd get swarmed everywhere you went. He said he got approached often and usually heard the words 'rich American' along with the request for money.

He learned to make sure his shirts were pulled well over his tattoos because some people were frightened by them, and some people were intrigued. He was told people thought he was a gangster.

He had people constantly touching him, commenting on his hair (blonde) his height (average here) or the fact that his forearms were hairy. LOL He said it was the oddest sensation to stand out that much. No one was particularly shy about approaching him or asking him questions.

The Chinese people were so good to him though- he just loved travelling there. They were gracious and accommodating; he saw and did so much when he wasn't working. They tried very hard to anticipate his needs and preferences. They were always asking him about western everything, and offering to find him good western food. He always told them "I can eat western food anytime. Take me where you like to eat." They were always shocked by that.

My SIL and her SO travel internationally a lot. They are very obnoxious and probably fit more stereotypes than not- but they would never believe it. They're too busy telling everyone else why they aren't doing it right. People don't even ride the buses the right way in their opinion -because they're such 'stupid tourists'. They look down their noses at every vacation we ever take and try to educate us on traveling where and how they prefer to travel. Argh.
But my favorite- SIL likes to mimic the accent of the English speaking countries they visit, so they blend in. She'd rather die than be taken for a tourist. If the bad accent didn't give her away, everything else about them would. It's like that Youtube video of the woman who puts on makeup and makes every mistake in the book (intentionally) to make a point. Except they are every 'what not to wear/do/say' as a tourist. Anywhere, any country, any time.

Not me personally. I have a SIL who travels all over Europe all of the time (she lives there) so I've seen the pictures, thanks. And I have a friend who lives in China, nuff said.

Doesn't mean I wouldn't want to visit those places, but it seems really fucking backwards to consider Americans "spoiled" because we'd prefer a toilet to a hole.

Funny thing...we love our toilets, but it seems that squatting is a better position. So now you can buy a squatty potty to allow you to use a regular toilet in squatting position. Go figure.

The Turkish toilets I've seen have always been clean. They DO flush - and the flushing removes poop just as well as flushing a regular toilet after someone uses it. The biggest issue I've seen is people not knowing where to stand when flushing and getting splashed when the water comes out.

That's too bad you were treated that way. I was in Scotland and Ireland, so maybe that makes a difference, but we were treated very well and asked many questions about America. DH has been too many more places than I have because he travels for work, but I can't say he ever recalls being treated poorly. Maybe because we aren't loud and offensive, and try to be respectful? Which everyone should do.

I was in Cambridge, at the railway station.   I was neither loud nor disrespectful, I just had an accent that was mistaken for American.  After he noticed my maple leaf, he apologized profusely and told me that he had thought I was American, as if that were an excuse.

My son did a semester in the south of France last year and all of the exchange students-Canadians, Americans, Brits, etc.-were required at the very beginning to attend a class detailing local customs and expectations of behavior and the like.

I'm not offended if I'm mistaken for an American. I will say I'm Canadian. For some reason Canadians are often painted as defensive if we set someone straight on our nationality.

I lived in Europe for 8 years. You can spot an American a mile away. The way they walk in a crowd, their clothes, the baseball hat on their head, the way they are when with a group. Why do I know? Because the military drills it in your head NOT to act like that. You are considered a very easy target. I lived in Germany on 9/11. Being told you are a target because of your behavior is something you are going to be aware of. It was scary, and the knowledge of those obviously American behaviors stuck. Heck, I act like a German tourist when I'm in America simply to avoid the same stereotypes here (but without the pushing and the ability to stand in a queue )

Every country has stereotypes both in the US and abroad. Ask any German if they can spot a Turk in the crowd. Ask any Russian if they can spot a German. We also play the game of "what team do they play for" and you'd be surprised at how well you can do if you travel a lot.

My extended family are some of the ugliest American tourists. Complete with the "Why do I need Euros?" question... I strongly believe that you must learn please, thank you and excuse me in the language of the country - at a minimum. Basic manners just don't stop because you can't speak the language. Try. When you refuse you are the egotistical, the world revolves around me American that they expect you to be.

My favorite stereotype happened in Dublin on Thanksgiving one year. The Hard Rock Cafe had a big sign that said "Hey Americans, we have your turkey. Come on in." We laughed so hard and went and ate turkey.