The people I was traveling were definitely Americans. They were all very nice, but sometimes a little embarrassing to be seen with. Maybe I’m a snob for feeling this way, but I really did.
One family asked Lance, our guide, where the nearest McDonald’s was every time we stopped to eat.
While we were in Paris, one woman asked where the nearest Wal-Mart was.
One very outgoing woman screamed every time she saw a mildly inappropriate poster on the Metro in Paris.
One woman did a dance when she stepped in dog shit in Paris.
One man constantly made comments about people driving “on the wrong side of the rode” in London.
One woman yelled at a street vendor in Florence for being rude.
Every time Lance told us something about a country, one woman would compare it to something in the U.S.
One woman asked what the Louvre is while we were walking into it.
One woman had fingernails painted with American flags (but I’ll give her some leeway here and assume it’s because we left two days after Independence day).
It was still a great trip, and all of the people above, though sometimes mildly embarrassing to be seen with, are incredibly nice people. And these American-isms didn’t negatively impact my trip at all. They just showed me that next time I travel, I probably want to do it alone or only with close friends or family.
How to be Awkward 