Written by Phyllis Stoller for the great newsletter above. This version is slightly edited.
I have traveled a great deal, lived abroad and after returning to the US. This article is a ‘look back at travel experiences during ‘uncomfortable’ or ‘new’ political climates. How will a “change of government” effect our enjoyment as tourists?
Walking down the street in Paris or Berlin, Americans are pretty obvious; we are tall and large. We have good teeth and youthful colored hair. We wear bright colors and expensive sneakers. We carry water bottles next to our phones. We look a bit lost on a foreign sidewalk or when using public transportation.
I have traveled and lived abroad at times when our country was unpopular.
In 1965, my parents sent me to high school in Montreux, Switzerland. 1965 was the year Lyndon Johnson began unlimited air strikes on Vietnam. 1965 included televised race riots in Selma and Watts. The US invaded the Dominican Republic. Did these crises effect Americans in a foreign high school? The short answer is NO. We were still welcomed as uniquely American – ultra friendly, curious, chatty, even bold. The European and Middle Eastern students liked our little Americanisms: contact lenses, for instance. We had the guts to explore Lake Geneva towns on Sundays, instead of going to church. We were outspoken, were proud of our democracy. We were not tarnished by politics; we were just us.
In 1967 I went on the “Spain on $5 a day” trip. Thank you Arthur Frommer for making Europe accessible. Spain was our enemy in WW2. Its fascist leader, Franco, was still in power. National Catholicism controlled people and made the US look faithless. We were Americans, who expressed opinions in public and wore clothes a bit skimpier than the authorities liked. Did this matter in how Spaniards treated us? Not at all. We were interesting to them. Americans talked a lot, were unusually friendly and seemed to Spaniards to have wealthy charmed lives.
I lived in England for 10 years and during both Watergate and the Iran hostage crisis. In those days, televisions were 12 inches wide; the UK government owned BBC which broadcast a few hours a day. Were the English interested in our dirty Watergate laundry? Nope. They worried about NATO’s viability and their weak economy, about Irish terrorism and local violence. Did anyone insult us? Well, once yes, but the insults were combined with alcohol in a pub. A very inebriated young man accused us of supporting IRA bombs with money from Massachusetts. Besides that incident, we, as Americans, were seen as tourists on fast moving 5 country trips. We spent money, had accents like John Wayne, and ate a lot. My very British boss, the CEO of a consulting firm, shared: I am hiring you because Americans solve problems. They never say “can’t”. He knew I needed acculturation to work with a British staff; but he admired the can do American attitudes. Politics was never discussed in the office.
In the 1980’s and 90’s I visited ‘Burma’, Iran, and Cuba , countries highly critical of the US. In Burma, local monks allowed us to walk with them on morning rounds. Merchants traded our lipsticks for anything that said the much wanted logo of The United States or had a US brand. In Cuba, where my company still offers women’s trips, we heard: “You are American, my cousin lives in Union City, NJ. Do you know him?” In Iran with The Women’s Travel Group, students remarked out loud “Welcome back, America. Can we do a selfie with you? Iranian adults wanted to know “Will America bring us jobs?”. Nowhere were we painted with politics or treated poorly.
Today we begin a new administration, one which with a mixed reception-this is not a political article. Will Trump’s four years change how American tourists are treated? Having been an ex pat for many years and a proud American, here are my suggestions. Keep an open mind. Don’t have thin skin. When asked about our country and its politics, be ready with educated answers. Explain our laws and history. Do not criticize and beat up our government. You are not running for office; you are simply an ambassador.
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