I was interviewed for an article that ran on CNN.com last Friday about the sad behavior of some travelers resulting in them being labeled as Ugly Americans.
I’ve seen obnoxious behavior the world over by tourists from North America to Israel and by backpackers and the well-heeled. No group of people are immune to it (except, perhaps, my readers!) which is why it deserves a mention here.
I’ve made my mistakes along the way and discussed this recently in a post about ethical travel. In that post, I talked about how to avoid some faux pas during your travels. But, what do you do when OTHERS are misbehaving? This is a conundrum as it may not be my (or your) place to butt into someone else’s business. But, it’s given me a chance to ponder this issue.
1. Set a good example. By being a good ambassador yourself, hopefully others will model your behavior. First-time travelers might just need a travel mentor to help them understand how their behavior might be perceived by the locals.
2. Treat other travelers well. Once when I was traveling in Indonesia, I spent a day touring the island of Bali with a small group of people, including a professional businessman on a short holiday. He obviously had more money than any of the backpackers he adopted for the day. He paid for our driver and bought us cold drinks. For him, the cost of the day trip probably amounted to very little, but for us, having him pay the tab was a grand gesture. I’ve since paid that kindness forward to other backpackers who obviously were traveling on far less than me.
When you treat other travelers well, there’s a sense of well-being that will naturally spill over into the interactions with the locals.
3. Know when to keep out of a situation. If you observe behavior by other travelers that’s obnoxious but of no physical or emotional harm aimed directly at the locals, it’s probably best to simply observe or ignore the incident or, better yet, leave the area so you don’t have to be exposed to it.
If the situation is harming someone, consider finding the police or security to intervene. If it’s a violent situation, you don’t want to get caught in the middle.
What if no one is being hurt but the behavior sets a bad example for you and/or your country? Unfortunately, I don’t have a solid answer to this as it really just depends on the situation. Ask yourself if you will really change someone’s travel style or behavior if you confront the obnoxious person. Might you put yourself in harm’s way simply by stating your opinion?
Now that we have a president who is actually extending a hand to the rest of the world, it’s time that we, as travelers, do the same.
Travel Well,
Beth
(By the way, I am currently traveling in Thailand and Bhutan. Will be writing about those travels upon returning in mid-May. Please sign up for my RSS feed so you don’t miss my adventures!)
Photo credit: esper.art.br
Related links:
Ethical Travel – Have You Sinned?
10 Tips for Eco-friendly Travel
Mark ("TravelWonders") says
I have challenged one or two Australians who were being embarassing at the time, but in general I think your advice is pretty spot on. The main effort is to set a good example yourself.
nomadicmatt says
congrats on being interviewed. I always thought of myself as a good looking american. i think the survey recently found french were worse tourists than americans….
marina villatoro says
i see a lot of americans here and i have to say, i’m embarrassed to be part of that culture sometimes. they don’t ever bother to learn the language, get angry at you for not knowing english and act as though they are owed the world.
The Travel Expert(a) – Living and Traveling Central America
Angela says
One way you can approach other westerners who are being insulting or obnoxious is to assume (or pretend) that really they are just uninformed rather than uncaring. You can say something like, “I’m sure you probably didn’t realize this, but your bare shoulders are actually considered an insult in this temple – you’ll probably want to throw a sarong over them.” A friendly approach can be very effective!
Nik says
Hiya Beth, grats on the CNN Interview!
I suppose I have no business commenting here, considering that I’m no American.. =p but just wanted to say its great to see other ethical travelers making their voices heard..
Personally I haven’t got any bad experiences “yet” with foreign travelers, be it from US or Europe, but I think one of the main points people need to remember is that the world is becoming smaller and smaller. There’s no point in categorizing people as Americans or locals or Europeans no more.. We’re all just passers-by in this amazing planet we call home!
Just received Thursday’s interview on you for my site. Thanks much for that, and.. still waiting for your Tour Package for both Male n Female.. ๐
Peter Carey says
I totally agree with the concept of paying it forward. Ever since someone gave me $50 in the middle of nowhere Utah for gas, I’ve been helping fellow travelers when I can.
Josh says
Congrats on the CNN interview! Interesting points, especially number 2. I completely agree and would suggest that travelers take that mindset beyond other travelers and extend it to the locals. Buy all your friends a beer? Buy some of the locals one too. Sure wouldn’t hurt their perception of foreigners as “ugly”.
Allison West says
Congrats on the CNN interview Beth! I just discovered your blog and it’s fantastic, I’m adding you to my blogroll. I think you have some excellent advice here that everyone should follow when travelling abroad.
Barrie Lie-Birchall says
For many decades I have traveled across the archipelago of Indonesia and have met my fair share of tourists and travelers. The majority have been well-mannered and respectful of the people and culture. However, there are those who ‘like to let their presence known’. It’s disrespectful. There is good and bad in all nations.
patriciaj says
I must admit, once in a while I was embarrassed by other people from my country and well, pretended to be Canadian.
jessiev says
brava, beth!! that goes for behavior at home, too.
harleyblues says
Wow, what a nifty lil blog you have here Wonderluster!
the only places that I have traveled out of the United States were, Canada as a young girl ๐ Mosr recently, England, France, Spain, included in these was seeing Paul McCartney in concert hehe..
It was too for one.. I Love Europe and I tell you if I had the monies I would be traveling more often!
ta
hb~