Some overseas travel etiquette tips courtesy of devilgrrl.

[devilgrrl]

1. Try to learn some of the language of the country that you're going to - it goes a long way with the locals no matter how poorly you speak it. I got a free meal and beverage just because I tried and didn't even have to pay to sit!
2. If in Italy - women don't wear shorts unless they're participating in sports. So if you aren't jogging, cycling or playing tennis don't even think about it, you'll stick out like a sore thumb. Oh! No white sneakers either.
3. Make it abundantly clear that you think The Bush Crime Family (La Famiglia Criminale di Bush) are flamingest-hugest assholes known to man and an embarrassment to the United States of America, you'll make friends faster that you ever could have possibly imagined.

:shrug: Worked for me.

[Oversea Visitor]

1. Almost everyone love Clinton

Ouch now has to talk bad of own President to have friends outside US.
Very Very telling.

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. 4. Spit on the sidewalk after you say, "George Bush."

I'm just sayin...

[fudge stripe cookays]

3. And wear one of these....

Translation:
"American Apology Shirt"
"I'm sorry my president is an idiot. I didn't vote for him."

[scipian]

4. haha

Nice translation :)

My eldest brother traveled in Russia, Germany, Eastern Europe, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea. The Europeans thought he was Russian and the Asians thought he was European. He was pleased and din't tell them that he was American. It would have ruined his reputaion. :)

[devilgrrl]

6. I wore my "George W. Bush - Weapon of Mass Destruction" t-shirt...

it was a hit on Capri!

[Old and In the Way]

11. Got a link for that? I'd like to buy one....

[cassiepriam]

5. Avoiding dropping bombs, torturing and maiming innocent women

and children.

Foreigners don't like that.

[pitohui]

7. learning dozens of languages impractical

tip #1 is silly, no offense, the presumption is that you only travel once or to one country, after a certain age -- and most americans cannot afford to travel when young but only when they are much older -- you cannot easily learn new languages

there are literally over 100 countries and depending on where you travel, you are not going to be able to learn the language, you are going to need to know how to get along w.out the crutch of language, for instance, even if you know spanish, if you doing some backwoods investigations, you may find yourself in a village in mexico or bolivia where spanish is not spoken, you are going to have to realistic and flexible and either pretty good at charades or at sketches!

or say you are going to china and you are tone deaf (as i am), you are not going to be able to speak or understand a tonal language, you are going to have to find other ways to get along that don't depend on the crutch of language

admit i have been pleased to find how far you can go w.out much in the way of language, it's liberating


#2 is good, apparently no one wears shorts except americans, avoid them, you can wear spandex while climbing hell's gate in kenya instead and everyone will think you're from italy as long as you keep your mouth shut :-)

#3 in my travels i have also found that * is a hated figure on the world stage but i never bring up the issue of politics, it is up to the other person and i hear out what they have to say first, i'm a visitor & i'm not there to debate if it should happen we disagree

[TahitiNut]

16. I agree with devilgrrl. I learn SOME of the language.

If I can find the time to spend even a day or two in a country, I can find the time to learn some basic phrases. It always makes a good impression - that one respects them enough to make the effort. It's appreciated more in some countries than others. France is famous for expecting folks to at least try. (Funny how many Frenchmen remembered their English when I tried to speak as much French as I could, if only from Berlitz.) In many places in Germany, local people are pleased to practice their English.

[kath]

18. It's not very hard to buy a little phrase book and at least learn how to

say a few basic things such as "please", "thank you", "hello" "good-bye", etc. Making even a little effort goes a long way toward not making you seem like the typical "ugly American".

Berlitz has little pocket-sized phrasebooks in lots of languages. I think they're called "French for Travellers", etc.

[mcscajun]

8. No White Sneakers, Anywhere. No Logo Clothing. No Rock Concert

Sporting team jerseys or Music Festival T-Shirts. No baseball caps. They brand you as a gauche American at fifty paces. devilgrrl is right; at least TRY to know a few words and phrases of the language, and don't be obnoxious about finding English-speakers; be polite about it. Most Europeans are multi-lingual, and most Americans aren't. So who has the high ground here?

Try to keep "I can't believe they don't have..." out of your public utterances, where what follows is something you take for granted in the US, whether it's a favorite beverage, convenience food, hygiene product, or utility. Whatever it is, you traveled to be someplace different from home, so revel in the differences and don't bitch about them.

[Old and In the Way]

9. I put a "W" sticker on the back of my passport.

The one with the red circle and bar on it, just before the last time I left the country. I got a chuckle from the custom's guy in HK...the US customs guy didn't seem to have a problem with it when I returned, either.

[haab]

10. Don't look like an American

And keep your voice down....

[Clark2008]

12. No. 4 - Tip well

That goes further than any language barrier.


;)

[TahitiNut]

13. I disagree. Overtipping Americans often raise the ire of residents.

Tipping habits should be kept in tight alignment with the local customs. Throwing money around like a drunken sailor rarely invites respect. One can demonstrate gratitude in many ways other than throwing money around - and a compliment to the maitre d' or owner/operator is often appreciated more. Holding the door for a local resident or other courtesies go a long way to showing one's gratitude for being hosted well.

[Clark2008]

23. I didn't say throw money around

I said "tip well."

In other words, don't be an American cheapskate.

[Cleita]

14. Good advice along the lines of "When in Rome...".

There is no reason to be discourteous about people's customs when you are a guest in their homes or country. It's like taking your shoes off when you vist the homes of your Asian friends, respectful of them on their property.

[WolverineDG]

15. Smiling helps a lot too.

Learning simple courtesy words/phrases is easy & pays off when you're abroad. The one that works best is, surprisingly (not), "Thank you."

dg

[Neecy]

17. Good tips...

In Germany, when you buy a pack of smokes the matches are *not* free, so don't automatically pick up a pack of matches at a kiosk or you'll quickly be berated in German.

[Rosemary2205]

19. I'll add

stomping all over old men in baseballs caps is appearantly helps one blend in too.

[caledesi]

20. So I am walking with my husband down the street in Italy wearing shorts

(not knowing what a faux pas it was) and everyone kept staring at me. I turned to my husband and said "Why are they all staring at me, I mean they have better leather shoes than me!"

When we finally caught on, we laughed for days.

Oh, to be young and naive again.

[moc]

21. Disagree with you re: shorts in Italy. We were there 2 yrs ago

and there were many locals in shorts. (The place we stayed for 2 weeks was frequented by Italians and Germans, but we were the only Americans in town.)

However, if you go into a cathedral, make sure your shoulders are covered and your pants/skirt are below the knee.

[caledesi]

22. This was 10 years ago. My how times have changed. nt