How to Avoid Anti-American Sentiment When Traveling Abroad
6 min readI’ve heard recently from travelers wondering if they’ll encounter negativity toward U.S. tourists abroad because of tariffs and other political conditions. Not only do I think well-behaved travelers have nothing to worry about, I also think you’ll be surprised and delighted by just how nice people are in most countries. Now is actually an important ...
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I’ve heard recently from travelers wondering if they’ll encounter negativity toward U.S. tourists abroad because of tariffs and other political conditions. Not only do I think well-behaved travelers have nothing to worry about, I also think you’ll be surprised and delighted by just how nice people are in most countries. Now is actually an important time to be traveling and serving as an unofficial ambassador for our country, I believe: If people have misperceptions about the U.S., you can help rectify them.
Over the past several months, I have not heard any feedback from our travelers reporting any negativity toward U.S. citizens. What I have heard—dozens of times a week, in our travelers’ trip reviews—is how friendly the locals were. Read the reviews below to see what I mean. Or, if there’s a specific country you want to know about—say, Canada or Panama or countries in Central Europe—go to The WOW List, scroll down to the country, and click on READ TRIP REVIEWS.
A bigger reason I’m not worried is this: I’ve spent four decades traveling the world, including during periods when, and in places where, there was great disapproval of U.S. policy. During the Persian Gulf War and the second Gulf War, for instance, friends told me to say I was Canadian and pin a maple-leaf flag on my bag. I never did: I was always upfront about being a U.S. citizen—and I never encountered any problem. Why? Because people distinguish between individuals and their governments. Most people around the world don’t like their own government’s actions. They want to make sure you don’t paint them with that brush, which is why they don’t paint you with that brush. If someone were visiting the U.S. from another country, would you blame them for their government’s actions?
Another reason I’ve always felt safe and stayed safe is that I’ve always traveled privately and inconspicuously. I wear no logos, political or otherwise. I show respect by using local greetings and etiquette. I avoid crowds and demonstrations. I’m never on a big tour bus with signage that screams USA or amid a loud group of “Ugly American” tourists. That’s what could make you a target.
There are more reasons why well-behaved travelers should not be nervous: Most countries—and pretty much everybody in the hospitality business—hugely value U.S. tourism dollars. Americans are known to spend and tip a lot. So service providers want you to have a good time. Last but not least, the best local fixers have strong relationships on the ground that buffer and protect you from problems. Their local friendships translate into friendliness from the people you meet via their travel arrangements.
ARGENTINA AND CHILE: “Some of the warmest people we’ve ever encountered…”
Travelers were treated to a private concert in a historic estancia. Photo: Traveler Kitty Bean Yancey
“Imagine hotel rooms with drop-dead views of lakes, mountains and volcanoes, and interacting with some of the warmest people we’ve ever encountered. That made our amazingly well-planned trip to Patagonia and Argentina’s Lake Country one of the more memorable trips in decades of travel. Jordan and Krista steered us to fantastic hotels and lodges (most off the beaten tourist track, as we requested) and secured us exceptional rooms and activities, including dinner at a chef’s home and a private horseback ride.
Our WOW Moment was the best we’ve had. We were taken to an historic estancia and entered the ranch house to find a locally famed musician and his daughter and son ready to give us a private concert of his songs about Patagonia. We’ll remember it always.
I’m a semi-retired travel writer but use Wendy’s WOW experts to explore new territory because they can ensure a special trip with insider experiences.” —Kitty Bean Yancey
To get your own WOW trip, start with our trip questionnaire, reached via the black button below.
UZBEKISTAN: “The local people were extremely friendly. I felt extremely safe, even walking around at night…”
A local crowd at Lyabi Hauz restaurant in Bukhara, Uzbekistan. Photo: Timothy Baker
“I have just returned from a wonderful trip to Uzbekistan focused on Silk Road history and culture. Zulya and her staff provided an excellent experience. The local people were extremely friendly. I felt extremely safe throughout the entire trip, even walking around at night.
The country has a wealth of amazing sites, without the crowds and the expense of Europe. Everything was very clean, from my hotel rooms to historical sites, mosques, and cities.
One of the highlights was having lunch with Zulya’s multigenerational family. I adore them all, especially her mother, who is in her 80s. She said that she has adopted me as her fifth son!” —Chris Ng
To get your own WOW trip, start with our trip questionnaire, reached via the black button below.
SRI LANKA: “U.S. tariffs did not seem to change the way they dealt with us…”
A friendly family of pottery makers in Sri Lanka.
“In three weeks, we saw most of Sri Lanka and felt we had a good overview of the people and culture. Thanks to Miguel and Nicola for their hard work.
The people of Sri Lanka are some of the gentlest and friendliest people we have encountered. The likely adverse effects caused by the U.S. tariffs did not seem to change the way they dealt with us.
The food was one of the big surprises. We had two cooking classes where we ‘helped’ the chefs. In each of those we prepared about ten curry dishes. We had tours of a tea plantation and a cinnamon plantation, hikes on two sections of the Pekoe Trail, two boat trips where we saw a great number of birds and flying foxes, a visit to a woman potter, and five game drives, where we saw a leopard and multiple elephants.
We had breakfast with Miguel at the Amangalla. We really enjoyed meeting him. He has done a great job creating the Pekoe Trail. Hiking it was one of the highlights of our trip.” —James Robertson
To get your own WOW trip, start with our trip questionnaire, reached via the black button below.
BELIZE: “The people are the friendliest I have ever met…”
A boy shows off his conch-blowing skills in Belize. Photo: Timothy Baker
“We would go back to Belize in a heartbeat. The people are the friendliest I have ever met, and the easy accessibility to excursions and relaxation allowed us to fully relax in the short period of time we had in the country.
Patricia did a fabulous job picking great guides and a perfect resort. She based us out of Naïa Resort in Placencia. We took a couple days to relax on the beach, indulge in the spa and experience the local restaurants, which were delicious. Then we headed to the Silk Cayes and the reef to snorkel. Our guide was awesome and took us through the coral reef, pointing out all the different sea creatures that we would have missed on our own. We then went behind the reef and saw nurse sharks, sea turtles, rays, and tons of other fish. Truly a special experience.” —Anna Dvorchik
To get your own WOW trip, start with our trip questionnaire, reached via the black button below.
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