French and American Tourists
Jon over at The DC Traveler sent me a link about the French being the worst tourist according to 15,000 European hotel agents who took an Expedia survey. At Gadling, where the article was posted, they also state that American tourists (in the same survey) were voted the worst dressed! Why am I not surprised by these findings? And then paradoxically I am!
It’s true that the French are perhaps more demanding in restaurants, but is anyone surprised by that fact?! I, for one, have always found the French to be very polite and accommodating. I really don’t understand why they’ve gotten such a bad rap on being so rude and condescending. In 36 years, I have almost never found the French to be rude. The few times when I have witnessed a confrontation in Paris, it has always been because a tourist was being impossible, or making unreasonable demands!
On the other hand, Americans being the worst dressed is of no surprise either! Who else wanders around Paris in white sneakers and a French beret trying to pass as a Parisian?! One hundred percent of the time you can count on it being an American tourist! No joke! (I wish I were, but I’m not!) In the same survey, however, Americans were second only to the Japanese in being polite and tidy, and they were rated as the biggest spenders.
So what does all this say? Not much really. I have traveled the world for more years than I want to admit and I find that the Golden Rule really does apply. People tend to treat you as you treat others. Sure there are exceptions, but you take it all in stride; any seasoned traveler knows that!
Photo Credits: Flickr
2 Comments
As a traveler, one of the things I dread to see is when the local people give you the hostile response when you can’t speak their language and when they can tell that you are asking for road directions.
Well, that of course is dependent on each individual we meet and should not blame the entire race.
It’s so true Clara, I think the problem is we tend to generalize too much. (I did it in my post!)
I also find that a smile is a universal language everyone understands and it helps tremendously when you speak several languages. No matter what continent I’m on, I can usually find someone who speaks English, French, or Spanish!