How to Avoid Being an ‘Ugly American’

I just read this article on MSN and I can really relate to it since I live abroad and can vouch for seeing these types of personality traits in Americans who travel to Europe. I really think there are some good tips here to think about when traveling abroad.

Do you love to share your political views with the locals you meet while traveling? Do you think that people in other countries should do everything the American way? Does your voice tend to get as loud as the print on your Hawaiian shirt? If so, then you might be an “ugly American.”

The concept of the ugly American has existed ever since an increasing number of ordinary, middle-class travelers began exploring the world over a half-century ago. Now, an organization called Business for Diplomatic Action, concerned by an apparent rise in what it calls “negative stereotypes about our collective personality,” is hoping to clean up the image of Americans abroad. The group has published a set of guidelines for travelers, the World Citizens Guide, that suggests proper ways of behaving when visiting countries outside of the U.S.

Among its tips:

• Be humble. In many countries, boasting is considered very rude. … Assume resentment as a default and play down your wealth, power and status.
• Refrain from lecturing. Nobody likes a know-it-all, and nobody likes a whole nation of them.
• Be quiet. A loud voice is often perceived as a bragging voice. Casual profanity is almost always considered unacceptable.
• Dress for respect. Jeans, T-shirts and sneakers work for many of us much of the time, but there are people in other countries who believe such casualness is a sign of disrespect to them and their beliefs.
  

These might seem like obvious ways to behave when you’re traveling abroad, and you may not appreciate the guide’s somewhat patronizing tone. But it appears we could use the advice. In studies conducted in more than 100 countries by DDB Worldwide after 9/11, respondents perceived Americans as loud, arrogant and disrespectful of local cultures. And in a new survey of seven Asian countries, the results of which were published this week in a Japanese newspaper, the image of the U.S. was reported to have declined across the board in the past decade, particularly in countries with large Muslim populations.

I agree for the most part with these suggestions. I haven't really had a problem as far as wearing a T-shirt and jeans, but I think that being loud is one of the biggest problems that Americans have in foreign cultures. Germans for the most part are a quiet people and don't appreciate a lot of noise.