" It ’s subtle when you ’re American , but it ’s passing obvious to local anesthetic . "
As an American who’s lived abroad, I frequently come across Americans Abroad™ content because it’s funny and relatable, and sometimes I want to learn how not to get clocked as an American (particularly the embarrassing or obnoxious parts).
Most recently, I came acrossa videofrom a creator who laid out all the dead giveaways that someone is an American in Paris, which included drinking iced coffee (especially from a major chain like Starbucks), wearing leggings, and having an orange-hue spray tan.
Non-Americansrecently sharedhow they have identified Americans in their countries, so Iflipped it overto Americans themselves to hear their own experiences getting clocked as American by locals. Here’s everything they shared:
1.“I was in Paris in the supermarket trying to pick out a bottle of wine. A very stately French man came and offered assistance in choosing a wine. He spoke to me in broken English. He asked where I was from in America. I immediately asked why he assumed I was American. He looked down and stated…‘Your shoes.’ I was wearing white tennis sneakers.”
2.“While in Scotland and England, I was told my straight, white teeth gave me away before they even heard me speak.”
3.“My friend from the UK always says she can spot an American in a heartbeat because of our “excessive” politeness. She always says no one should smile that much to strangers, lol!”
— Anonymous
4.“Because I tipped well. I travel to the Caribbean often and have been ID’d as an American many times after tipping.”
5.“I’m Chinese American, and while traveling through Asia, most people can easily tell I’m American. I think how I do my makeup and hair is distinctly different. In a lot of east Asia, I’ve also noticed people tend to prefer neutral colors, but I’m almost always wearing something colorful.”
6.“We had many American friends and acquaintances come see us inFrancealll the time. The recurring themes for nearly every single one of them were:
Talking really forte all the sentence , no matter the place or set ( Germans and Spanish people can be flash also , but less in world-wide ) .
Walking up to people and flat out speaking English , assuming the others would just understand and accommodate .
loud complaining in storehouse and restaurants ( I ’ll never forget this one missy promulgate , ' Ewwww , my steak is crashing ' ) .
- Being super surprised and embarrassed about semi - nudity in pharmacy and perfume advertizing . "
— rohonhonhon
7.“I was only ever spotted when I was with other Americans because the others were LOUD. On my own, I wear the kind of clothes generally worn by people of the country I’m in and am quiet and keep to myself.”
8.“We drink coffee or eat a snack on the go! I’ve lived in a few European countries, and only tourists will get a to-go cup of coffee and drink it while walking or on the bus instead of sitting down or at least taking your cup over to a nice bench or park. The same thing goes for eating a bag of chips or a sandwich on the run… unheard of over here.”
9.“In Scandinavia, I physically blended in being tall and blonde, but when they greeted me with ‘Hej’ I would respond with a peppy ‘Hi!’ and they would immediately respond in English.”
" Also , in the summer , I much live in shorts , and it seems that most Europeans do not . "
— numbaonestunna
10.“When I was 16, I went on a school-organized trip to Europe in high school. I was in the Amsterdam International Airport waiting for my flight home to the US after spending two weeks traveling around Europe. While waiting, I saw this small breakfast kiosk that seemed to be really popular with travelers. I ordered an orange juice and paid for it at the counter, but when paying, I asked if I could get ice in it.”
11.“I have a serious valley girl Californian accent complete with vocal fry. The moment I open my mouth, they know lol.”
— taylora4e62a0521
12.“This was recently: as soon as we touched down. Talking with my husband at baggage claim, I was asked if we were fromFargo. They’d seen the movie. We’re from Twin Cities, Minnesota. 🤦🏻♀️”
13.“It’s the baseball caps… Sure, people from other parts of the world will toss on a cap for a purely practical avoid-sunburn-while-gardening moment, or rock a monochromatic high-end baseball cap for a put-together look, but only Americans wear scrappy, colorful, and clearly beloved baseball caps as the centerpieces of our outfits.”
14.“Not myself, but my ex, who is American. We lived in Germany and just started dating at the time. We were meeting at a festival, and my brother was waiting for him with me. My brother had not met my ex before and asked me for a description. All I said was, ‘he’ll be the one looking like an American.’ My brother chuckled. A few minutes later, he pointed into the crowd and said, ‘That’s him, right?’ He was correct. My ex was wearing sneakers, cargo shorts, a polo shirt, and a baseball cap. He really stood out, hahaha!”
15.“In Europe I blended in quite well, but in Latin America I was just too darn tall to be a local.”
— CourtesyFlush
Similarly , " My boyfriend and I were studying afield in France and took a day misstep to Tours . I was outside a restaurant looking at their menu when a man occur up to me , speaking in French . My boyfriend was down the street look at a sign and came over when he understand this man speak to me . When my boyfriend approached , the man immediately switched to English . At this tip , my boyfriend had n’t said anything , but the man could tell he was an American , apparently because of how magniloquent my boyfriend was ( 6'6 " ) . "
16.“A Polish friend of mine tells a joke like this: ‘What do you call someone who speaks two languages? Bilingual. What do you call someone who speaks only one language? An American.’ Knowing only one language is a dead giveaway because in nearly every other country I have traveled to, people tend to be functional in more than one language. It’s not just English that gives you away because a decent amount of Brits are functional in another European language.”
This is also on-key in my experience as an American overseas . In the French spoken language trend I took in Montréal , I was typically the only one who spoke only one other language ( * cries in American * ) .
17.“I was in Germany, where I was served a rock-hard bread roll. I couldn’t even bite into it, so I attacked it with a knife, trying to cut off some of the outer part to get to the center. A German man walked by, looked at me, stopped, and said, ‘You must be an American, where all you people eat is that horrible soft stuff you call Wonder Bread.’ Umm. Ok.”
18.“My wife and I went to Holland in 1985 for my aunt’s wedding anniversary. Coming from a Dutch family, I speak good Dutch. In Amsterdam, I asked someone on the street for directions to the Rijksmuseum in Dutch. He answered me in English. I asked him why he spoke to me in English. He laughed and said, ‘Only Americans have Mickey Mouse shown on their camera strap.'”
19.“My accent and overall appearance. Then I told them I was from Texas, and they got really excited. I’m pretty sure they thought I had traveled there on horseback.”
— CalliopeM
20.“I was visiting London in the late 1990s. One night I was walking down the street, smoking a cigarette, when a man came up and asked if I could spot a fag. The look of horror and disgust on my face was a dead giveaway! Luckily, we had a good laugh about it afterward.”
21.“We entered restaurants and asked if we could have for a table for two. Apparently, It’s seat yourself in the UK unless otherwise stated. Employees are totally baffled why we were ‘asking for tables.'”
22.“My husband wears flip-flops and shorts everywhere. In late April, in England, the employee at the rental car company said, ‘Isn’t it a bit nippy for flip-flops?’ in the most British accent ever, then proceeded to ask us where in the USA we were from.”
23.“I traveled to the Virgin Islands and was walking on the right-hand side, which is custom in America. However, they instantly knew I was American. They only walked on the left side in the US Virgin Islands. Who knew?”
24.“The phrase ‘How are you?’ When I first moved to Sweden, I would often get asked if I was American during short conversations because of that phrase. It is generally seen as normal friendliness in the US. People here tend to be very kind but also very private, so the eager friendliness vibe is a dead giveaway if you’re American. Luckily most people find it charming, rather than creepy.”
(Cont’d) “Living here for a few years now, I can easily spot the American tourists by their volume, eye contact, and clothes. Swedes tend to speak much more quietly and are always aware of what is appropriate for the space and vibe. It’s like Americans are yelling in comparison — always. Additionally, Americans look confidently around and make eye contact with strangers, while most locals or other visiting foreigners keep a low, humble profile.”
" Lastly , Americans are easily spotted by their sure-enough ( read : not stylish ) lawn tennis shoes , athleisure wear , jean , and the JCPenney / Kohls BASIC - character apparel . It ’s pernicious when you ’re American , but it ’s super obvious to locals . All of this to say , it ’s never a bad thing unless you ’re also an arse . Just because you may be spotted does n’t mean you postulate to change how you behave or dress when go . Just conduct with respect and forgivingness , and you ’ll be a welcome visitor . "
