The Ugly American Tourist

Filed in archive News on March 16, 2006

"We were troubled a little at dinner today by the conduct of an American, who talked very loudly and coarsely and laughed boisterously where all others were so quiet and well behaved."

So wrote Mark Twain in his book Innocents Abroad.

That was in 1867. 139 years later and the image of the Ugly American is still alive and well. There are still people whose impression of Americans -- especially tourists -- is unfavorable. Loud and obnoxious have been attached to the word American to describe them.

It is wrong to generalize and think that ALL Americans are like that. Because that is definitely NOT the case. However, we also cannot deny the fact that there exists the Ugly Americans, just as there exists Ugly nationals from other countries.

At least, there are several students who care and who are keen on erasing the image of the Ugly Americans. Thank God for efforts such as the World Citizens Guide.

A must read for Americans -- not just for students, imo -- who are off to travel outside the USA. Download the Free Abridged Version to get the 25 simple suggestions on how to show the world that not all americans are ugly.