Travel Tip: Don't be an "ugly American."

Googles Images

When preparing for my first trip to Europe, my parents gave me countless tidbits of advice (some obviously outdated, which I didn’t mention to them); information that I nodded my head to and tucked away, more focused on packing and getting my passport together. However, one piece of advice stuck with me. My parents constantly warned me: “Don’t be an ugly American.” By this they meant they expected me to be respectful and courteous always, to act in accordance with the culture's expectations, and accepting of a new culture. They didn’t want me to offend others, or embarrass myself. They had raised me to behave appropriately in new situations, and always wanted to make sure it carried over when I was out of their supervision. This trip was no exception. With no intentions behave in such a way that would reflect poorly on all Americans, and myself, I agreed. This is not to say I didn’t enjoy my trip, but I definitely made sure I followed German customs. For example, it was expected that bare shoulders were covered in cathedrals, so I always brought a cardigan. Instead of drinking flat water like we do here in America, and isn’t commonly served in Germany, I tried Mineralwasser, or bubbly water.

Google Images

However, some of the other kids on the school trip weren’t aware of what it meant to be an “ugly American.” On one of the first nights there, a boy from my school decided to wear adult-sized footie pajamas with rockets printed on them around the hotel. I remember him coming to my room beforehand looking completely ridiculous. Honestly, it was hilarious. He was always a goof in school, and that didn’t change because of our location. Had he stopped there, it probably would have been fine. But he left and went to the hotel weight room where he bench-pressed a few times, and then went into the hot tub. A stereotypical meathead, he wasn’t a slender guy, and the footie pajamas inevitably ripped when he got out of the hot tub. Of course, this rip happened in the worse place possibly, the butt, and at the worst time possible; he flashed several other guests of the hotel, who were no doubt shocked and horrified. Overall, I took a very valuable travel tip from from my friend’s odd behavior that my parents had warned me of from the beginning: having fun encouraged and expected, but being respectful of other ways of life is imperative when traveling to other countries.

Me and friends at the Berlin Wall

Photo by Ines A.