How Can I Not be the "Ugly American" Tourist in Poland?

He may have to in order to be heard above the German tourists :P I think he'll be ok, he doesn't seem to be out for a party.

Honestly, I don't like to talk to other Americans while I'm visiting. It takes away from the experience :) So, I avoid at all costs.....you won't be there in Aug-Sept will you Rakky?

Please try to speak less loud when in pubs, as I noticed americans try to show off a lot spoken english.

Yeah, we've already covered the whole "inside voice" thing ;)

You can't blame all Americans for a careless few. Most of us attempt Polish as it's much easier in the pub after tossing a few pints back :)

Yeah because the British don't get loud after a few beers do they....doh!!!!!!

I think with SOME Americans they seem to feel they are a cut above when their out of their homeland and want everybody around them to know they are American. I remember being at Heathrow airport a couple of years ago and this yank was complaining about not being able to take his overweight huge hand luggage onto the plane, shouting his head off. Everybody was like ohh just shut up you dick head.

The germans seem to like doing that aswell, theirs nothing like staying in a 4 star hotel in Wroclaw after a night on the beer with Germans running around the breakfast bar screeming at each other. If i had an Uzi, i'd hose emm.

I second Wroclaw Boy, he has summed it up nicely .. rep added :D

It think it's really unfair to rubbish Mr R's thread and to slag off Americans, it wasnt too long ago that the British were all being slagged off -it's totally unfair. I also stayed in a 4* in hotel Wraclaw and didn't see any Germans running round!

Wash your dirty mouth out with soap women. If youre as much of patriotic BRIT as you calim to be learn the language properly. Slag.

No, I'll be landing next Wednesday, staying only a week, so you won't have to avoid me while you're there. Late August and September are actually the months I'd PREFER to be there - much better mushroom-hunting in those months. That'll have to wait until next time. I'm giving some thought to organizing a mushroom foray from the US to the Carpathians. The Hotel Glimar in Wysowa looks to be an ideal base of operations for such an event. I'll know better in a couple of weeks, after I've been there.

Have fun Rakky! I know I will :)

That's where I went, and I got what I need. Excellent advice!

Thanks, buddy. You too. I'll expect mushroom photos.

Really? :) Fantastic,theyre really handy arnt they,make great camera bags as well,the little pockets are....should I say were perfect for film.
And the best thing is they dont look worth stealing :)

I have seen many from Europe where socks with sandels.

A murse!
Thats classic!!

Gas mask bag sounds like the ideal solution

Yes, I agree - they don't look like they could possibly contain anything worthwhile. There are so many pockets that I'm sure I'll lose track of what's where. It's flexible, so I can stash it just about anywhere, and who cares if it gets soiled? I can machine wash it! I showed it to my wife and she was so impressed with it that she wants one, too. There were a number of sizes, colors and configurations to choose from, so I'm sure I'll be getting more of these for other purposes as I need them.
Again - thanks for the great tip.

I would recommend a "murse" type bag too - In Australia I call it an urban style shoulder bag. I reckon they're better as you can hang it across your body diagonally so it sits on your front hip -safer than on your back (unless you have eyes in the back of your head).

Pretty much all the advice you see here is good. You can pretty much be yourself, but shy away from being loud, etc. I am middle-aged, and just to blend in a little more (which is pretty much my own look anyhow), I wore a rust or brown colored jacket with kacki pants, dark green/olive brimmed hat and usually an earthy-colored shirt. Everyone commented that I looked like a local, so I guess that worked for me.

Who cares what anyone thinks? Dress how you normally dress. Don't change your appearance for the sake of others! Who gives a rats arse what other people think? When I'm abroad I'm happy for others to know that I'm British. I'm proud of my nationality. Some people like us and some people don't. If they don't like us then so what?

The other day I saw about 15 Americans together walking up Regent St in London all wearing sweatshirts with 'USA' written across them massive letters covering their entire, rather generous, torsos. That was overkill. I cant believe at least one of them didnt think it a bad idea.

15 all with the same USA shirt? Either that was a sports team or you're blowing smoke up our tooters :)

The sweatshirts were dark blue with big red lettering which had a white border. Not specially made, but made by a name make.

It wasnt a sports team unless eating has become an Olympic event.

:) well, was there a hotdog eating contest? We do have lot's of these events. Never know. Some people love the USA I guess.... You'll never catch me in sth like that.

If I saw this, I would've had to say sth.

I work in Piccadilly so I see lots of Americans and mostly they look the same as other tourists. The idea that they are the loudest isnt true by the way. The Italians are far worse. They always feel the need to announce that they've arrived and that everyone should look at and listen to them.

I won't argue that we can be loud sometimes, but some of us know how to act. We have far too many people here for me to speak on behalf of. I can say that in NYC the British are constantly being jailed for acting like jacka*ses, but I know there are proper British tourists as well. Some people shouldn't be able to leave their home country ;)

I've run into quite a few Americans in PL acting a fool, so I understand what you're saying. I'm just happy I'm not one of them :)

We did pretty well, even though we dressed as we usually did. My father was clearly not an experienced traveler - he was unpacking new duds from its packaging material. He even unwrapped a new pair of shoes that he'd never worn before! Can you imagine toting a pair of shoes and not even knowing if you are comfortable in them? What a riot.
In Krakow there were obviously tourists from all over the place - very few looked anything alike in their styles of dress. It was great. So many languages being spoken! Being toted around by our guides the way we were, I guess it left no doubt as to our status as tourists, but our guides were so great that the trip went far beyond expectations - even hopes. We had a blast in Poland and I can't wait to make my next trip there.

Glad to hear you had a nice trip. What was the highlight? If you can think of just one!

How do you avoid being the ugly American?? Hmmm.. good question. Well you're breathing so by that definition you're ugly to the rest of the world...at least to Europe. Well, stay home or go to Cancun or the Caribbean. I get treated pretty well there.. by the locals anyway. And anyway, a 3 star there is like a 5 star in a lot of other places.

It probably had to do with the Olympics. There's no way 15 people would agree to dress exactly the same, and especially in shirts like that, unless there was a reason. If it wasn't for the Olympics then definitely they belonged to a club.



Are you sure all 15 looked like that? I find that so odd.

There were so many - touring Krakow by carriage, seeing the villages where my grandparents were raised, speaking with local people with first-hand knowledge of some of my father's first cousins, viewing the Beskidis and Lemko villages, celebrating my Rusyn ancestry with other Rusyns - not to mention the delicious meals we enjoyed!

Unfortunately, this is common in America - obesity is rampant. You have to be diligent to avoid processed foods and all of the high-fructose corn syrup that is marketed to you so powerfully. Most do not, so the slovenly American is the typical American.

Oh yes, money well spent! If that doesn't make you look a tourist I don't know what does!