But those things just go together. This is not sarcasm.

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Qunlap@reddit

always feels a bit childish to me. like grown-ups playing dress-up as highschoolers.

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purritowraptor@reddit

Oh it's not a bad thing! But it's a largely true observation in my experience.

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Nuttonbutton@reddit

I've seen Germans starting to catch up on this one

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mudo2000@reddit

Only 2 ds in adidas. All
Day
I
Dream
About
Sex

My German husband now only has Texas related caps that he wears nearly daily. Gotta keep em guessing haha.

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Additional-Office705@reddit

I've seen plenty of Europeans and Canadians wearing Ivy League school sweaters.

That's a really interesting observation from 30 years ago. (Also, aggy is... different)

I can say that if everyone went to the school that was on their shirt, small towns in Germany, Austria, and Italy were visited last month by a disproportionate amount of students/alumni from Harvard, MIT, Stanford, UCLA, Cal, University of Texas, etc. Pretty much all of the elite universities or well known ones.

It's similar to how it would seem that 25% of Europeans were Yankee fans based on their caps. Or they bought NY hats as souvenirs/representative of New York City.

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ThrownAback@reddit

Was in France in the late '70s and US college tees and sweatshirts were getting popular there. Met some folks who were excited about getting UCLA clothing, but pronounced UCLA as "oohkla".

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wwhsd@reddit

If I see someone in KU gear anywhere in the world though, I know damn well what their response to me giving them a friendly “Rock chalk!” will be.

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dre235@reddit

Probably.

IrishFlukey@reddit

If you are an athlete and need a rest after burst as short as those, you probably should be in hospital, on a ventilator. The players were constantly switching over anyway. I know that was partially tactical, bringing on different types of players for different roles. It looked strange having about 100 players milling around on the sideline. Apparently, on TV the Georgia coach complimented the 120 players in the locker room after the match. Contrast that to soccer, which also has 11 players on the pitch at a time, but has just seven players on the bench, with a maximum of five substitutions allowed. Then you had the large huddles at the American Football, looking like 50 or 60 players, if not more. With all the noise going on, those on the outer edge surely would not be able to hear what was being said at the centre.

During the stops you had all sorts of other people coming onto the pitch, from players, coaches, musicians, dancers, media, flag carriers and more. In most other sports, the play area is basically a sterile zone for players and officials only, during play periods. Some of the backroom team, particularly the medical people, might get on for assisting a player, but that is about it. At halftime you would see media and others on the pitch in those other sports, but not during play periods. They would be quickly told to get off if they did come on. So again, something unusual for us to see.

Rugby and soccer definitely have more action. At a given moment some players are indeed jogging around or even standing, but the ball is in motion the majority of the time and play is ongoing and most of the players are moving. As for processing what's happened, you can do that as you watch a sport. As an American Football fan, you can process that a lot quicker than I could, like I would process my sports quicker. So part of it is what you are used to. If you and I were sitting beside each other at our respective sports, we could explain them to each other. As fans, we love to explain our sports to first-timers. So if you come to the Iowa v Kansas match next year, you can sit beside me and explain it all, and I will bring you to a Hurling or Gaelic Football match and reciprocate. Thanks for the discussion. It is now Sunday morning in Ireland, so time for me to sleep after my busy day of sport, which also included playing some Gaelic Football and Hurling before going to the American Football. Goodnight from Dublin.

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EdgeCityRed@reddit

Bit of an exaggeration, but it gives you time to meet friends and drink. :)

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IrishFlukey@reddit

Well, a 70 minute game of either of our two national sports, Hurling and Gaelic Football, is all over in less than 90 minutes, including half time. A lot of action during those two 35 minute halves. If I am at a match, I will usually meet friends in a nearby pub afterwards and have drinks there. Occasionally before a match, but never during one.

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EdgeCityRed@reddit

Do they sell beer at the stadium?

Usually, fans tailgate prior to football games outside.

I see there are some "corporate party packages" for this game tomorrow, but those seem to be overpriced businesspeople box seat clubby things.

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IrishFlukey@reddit

Yes, they have beer at the stadium. I go to watch the games though. We know about the tailgating. There will be a bit of that tomorrow amongst the visitors.

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HatoradeSipper@reddit

Georgia Tech's punter is from Ireland if you need help picking a team

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IrishFlukey@reddit

Yes, David Shanahan, from Castleisland in County Kerry. I was recently in Florida, so that is a reason to support them, you could say. It is my first game, so I will be going to see what it is like, so I will be watching as a neutral. Personally, I am a Hurling and Gaelic Football fan.

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HatoradeSipper@reddit

That gaelic football vid was super interesting, I've seen the term a few times but always assumed it was just rugby with a different ruleset.

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stevie855@reddit (OP)

Ha! Was about to google that up!

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Expiscor@reddit

I like to think so but sometimes I definitely can’t. I was on a walking tour in Budapest and there was a guy who was wearing a flannel with a Harley Davidson t-shirt underneath and had a bass pro shop ball cap. I absolutely thought he was from somewhere in the US.

Turns out he was German

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Hot_Head_5927@reddit

No, probably not. America is too diverse. Any one American can look any way.

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Southern_Blue@reddit

Americans stood out on Okinawa, even the ones of Asian descent. They were bigger and I didn't mean fat. They were taller. They were mostly off duty military.

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ThanosSnapsSlimJims@reddit

I'm a veteran, and very against U.S. presence in Okinawa and/or Yokusko. I want Americans banned from there and bases removed.

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Kakapocalypse@reddit

...you want citizenship revoked for just being in a region of a foreign country? And an ally at that?

Buddy, you need tol hit up the VA and get your meds refilled, because holy shit, I haven't heard anything that crazy in a long time. Like I don't agree with the rest of your comment, sure, but that's a simple disagreement... but stripping citizenship for visiting? Good lord.

Also, fyi, don't believe everything you read. Many Japanese are more than happy to have a US base there, including Okinawans.

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ThanosSnapsSlimJims@reddit

Ah, I don’t take meds. If you want your meds refilled, no need to project. Don’t believe that sexual assault happened? That’s not a me issue. That’s not a simple disagreement, that’s revisionism. I’d say ‘Good lord’, but I don’t believe in invisible friends. Your whole comment comes across as ‘fake news’.

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Kakapocalypse@reddit

Man, did I say anything about that particular crime not happening? No, I'm calling you out for the most ridiculous fucking thing I've ever read on reddit. Stripping citizenship as punishment for a crime is incredibly drastic, and reserved only for treason - which, even then, is rarely used.

Nobody is denying sexual assault has occurred in Okinawa at the hands of US military. But ultimately, that's a price the Japaness government is very happy to pay for what they get out of having the base there. I think you fail to realize that the Japaense are using the Americans far more than the reverse.

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ThanosSnapsSlimJims@reddit

You can call me out if you want. I'm also calling you out for the most ridiculous fucking thing I've ever read on reddit. The Japanese ambassador apparently has an issue with it, Things seem to be change. I've been watching things as they develop, so I'm not really faili8ng to realize anything.

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Nahgloshi@reddit

lol. Why?

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rancid_oil@reddit

Why are we there anyway? WWII ended a few years ago, I'm sure things have cooled down.

A friend from school was Air Force, stationed in Okinawa. From what i understand, military guys would get weekend passes or whatever and basically wreak havoc on the city. Rapes get covered up, no penalties for cancellation illegal driving, public drunkenness and fight pickin...

Why should we be there?

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Royal-Alarm-3400@reddit

My son was in the signal corp in Korea. The army came down hard on soldiers in caught in red line areas. Regular MP patrols on those areas. There were bulletins out for a whore deliberately infecting aides on GI's. He had a ROK roommate. He said those guys were sweating up a storm when ROK inspections were coming.

The Pacific Island bases and sites of the biggest battles in the Pacific are of strategic interest. They'd be a great launching point to disrupt the supply/ shipping lines to Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Korea, and the Philippines.

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rancid_oil@reddit

I'm glad to hear they're disciplined there. I don't know if it was the base's culture or the time (late 90s-2004ish). But he told some stories that made me squeamish. It was also weird having my acid-tripping stoner buddy from school working on Air Force computer systems and having a totally different personality. He wasn't xxxx anymore; he was a brainwashed soldier (or whatever the Air Force calls em). I was 23 and living in the Bay Area, attending all the anti war protests and living my young hippie days lol. It was totally weird when I did see him. He invited me to Parlor and Truth Social. I couldn't talk to him. It was too weird.

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Kakapocalypse@reddit

You should read up on this one country in eastern Asia, they have a huge economy and a growing military, with a somewhat antagonistic disposition to the US, EU, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and basically anyone else who would challenge their hegemony in Asia. The country is called "China."

Believe me, the American bases in the southern pacific are more than welcome by the hosts in pretty much all cases. Whatever local complaints there may be, pale in comparison to the value of having a deterrent against China.

It’s like you saw the words I posted and ignored them. Then you go on to say Okinawa should be independent. I live in the real world, doesn’t seem you do.

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Southern_Blue@reddit

I agree. I don't know about revoking citizenship, but we don't need to be there.

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chattytrout@reddit

Reminds me of a story a coworker once told me. He was in the Navy in the late 90's/early 2000's, and stationed in Japan for a bit. One time he and some buddies are at a local restaurant that offers a large pasta bowl that's meant to feed a family of 4. They each order one of those bowls. So you have this restaurant full of families eating one large bowl of pasta, meanwhile there's a table of 4 Americans, each eating a family's worth of food.

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Impossible-Taro-2330@reddit

This is exactly what I thought of when I heard RFK Jr and Trump complaining about how sick our kids are these days.

All I could think of is, control the intake + eat clean = healthier populations.

115machine@reddit

I don’t know if I could do it reliably but there are 2 things I’d look for:

Sneakers/tennis shoes, baseball caps, and jeans. A lot of Europeans still wear more traditional/nicer shoes just to go out and about. Sneakers as everyday wear is more of an American thing. Baseball caps are definitely American, as are jeans, although denim pants have caught on in Western Europe in the last few decades.

Relaxed/looser posture and walk: Americans are known for having a tendency to lean on things or shift their weight to one side when standing around. The CIA had to train American agents not to do this when abroad. I also heard a story of a French tailor who came to the US in the 1900s who said that despite employing the same clothes measuring practices that would make clothing comfortable for his European clients, his American clientele would complain about the clothes being tight and restricting. I think Americans tend to make more exaggerated movements when walking (bigger arm swings, little more leg lift,etc.)

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I lived abroad for a long time. I think caucasians from the English speaking world tend to be hard to tell apart: US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada. Australians and Americans might be the hardest to tell apart for me. UK might be the most different from the others.

CaptainAwesome06@reddit

Picking the most inconvenient places (for other people) to stop and take pictures or check their map

Asian tourists have entered the chat.

I've spent so much time trying to get to my train to go home just to be blocked by 100 tourists blocking the turnstiles, taking photos, and flashing peace signs. I don't get it. It's just a Metro station.

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Loud_Insect_7119@reddit

Makes me think of this one hilariously weird experience I had at a tiny little restaurant/gas station in the middle of nowhere. I mean it was seriously the middle of nowhere, the town itself only has like 50 residents, and then there's nothing around for miles. Some teammates and I were coming back from a search and rescue mission and stopped to get gas and use the bathroom.

I have no idea why they were out there, but there was a literal bus full of Asian tourists in the place. They were blocking the freaking doors to take pictures of everything, lol. Then when we squeezed through and got in line to use the bathroom, they started swarming us to take pictures of us. I don't know if it was because we were in our uniforms or what, but it was so bizarre. Felt like a freaking celebrity, lmao.

Which was further enhanced when the owner spotted us and came to escort us through the crowd to go use the employee bathroom, which we greatly appreciated because it was taking us forever to get to the public bathroom. He seemed completely befuddled by the whole thing as well.

The whole surreal feeling was also exaggerated because we were exhausted, we'd headed out at like 1 AM and then had been in the field for like 10 hours, so it all felt a little trippy. We got back in the truck and were just like, "What the hell just happened?"

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CaptainAwesome06@reddit

You just unlocked more relevant memories.

My wife and I had to go up to Philadelphia (we lived near DC) so we decided to take the kids and make a trip out of it. While at the Liberty Bell, my kids pulled out their National Parks passports and got the park ranger to stamp them. I guess some nearly by Japanese tourists saw what was happening and followed suit. I turned around to see a bunch of tourists getting their real passports stamped by the ranger.

While travelling through India, the locals will routinely ask to take a selfie with you. I was there on business with a little bit of sightseeing. We'd usually play along and take the photo. We talked about it and decided it was because they don't see many white people. One of my coworkers is from the Middle East and he didn't get asked for any photos. Just us white guys.

After the business part of the trip was over, my wife flew out to meet me there. We ended up taking a (really long) day trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. Everything there is super cheap so for the two of us to get airfare, a private car from the airport to the Taj Majal, and a private tour guide was like $300. While talking with the guide, we brought up the photo thing. He told us that these people will post the photos on social media and act like they've been hanging out with rich Westerners all day. The funniest thing was that the tour guide asked for a selfie at the end because he said guiding westerners gives him tour guide cred over guiding other Indians. He was a 10/10 guide so I had no issue with that.

At some point I ended up asking for selfies in return so I have a bunch of selfies with me and random Indian guys. I never understood that if it was so common, surely they aren't fooling any of their friends. I was constantly getting asked to take selfies.

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BranchBarkLeaf@reddit

4. Super polite

Yes! And people still say that Americans are rude. It’s not true!

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LionLucy@reddit

I've worked in touristy parts of Scotland so I've met a LOT of American tourists. They're always super friendly and polite, but they ask for things with a self-confidence that reads as rude in some places, especially with older generations. "I'll have the chicken" as opposed to "please can I have the chicken?" Or asking for things that aren't exactly as they appear on the menu, without being like "excuse me? Hi? Yes, sorry. I know this is really annoying, it's totally ok if not, but would it be at all possible for me to have that with a piece of toast instead of a roll? Is that ok? Sorry."

You're right to be like that! It makes life simpler. But some people just can't get used to it.

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elblanco@reddit

without being like "excuse me? Hi? Yes, sorry. I know this is really annoying, it's totally ok if not, but would it be at all possible for me to have that with a piece of toast instead of a roll? Is that ok? Sorry."

LionLucy@reddit

Maps. Guide books. Water bottle. Umbrella. Sunscreen. Bug spray. Binoculars. First aid kit. Spare pair of socks. You can never be too prepared when you're going to a couple of museums and a West End show.

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Fappy_as_a_Clam@reddit

Water bottle.

Nah, in this sub we learned a few weeks ago that Europeans don't really drink water and it is, in fact, Americans who have a weird obsession with staying hydrated.

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Impossible-Taro-2330@reddit

LOL! My Swedish family gave me a small juice glass for water. I asked if they had something larger, so they dug around and found something like big gulp size. It was perfect! I could drink their good, cold water ALL DAY!

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TywinDeVillena@reddit

Jack Wolfskin is the easiest way to spot a German

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gvsteve@reddit

Also could be Engelbert Strauss

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CupBeEmpty@reddit

For me it’s them in the White Mountains. They are usually well kitted out but none of the brands of outdoor gear are known to me.

Also the locals tend to be sporting well worn stuff that was bought several years ago and they don’t quite have the right gear, like a nice REI jacket but Target “sport” shoes or completely worn out Keens.

The Germans look far too pristine.

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Timofeo@reddit

Germans love wearing pristine, rugged-duty gear for the lightest of activities.

Last year I walked up the Drachenfels across from Bonn along the Rhine. It was a foggy cool Saturday morning, maybe 55F. Paved chat/pea gravel trail up a steep hill, maybe 1000 foot climb over 2 miles to an old castle.

I wore a smartwool t-shirt, shorts, and sneakers with a bottle of sparkling water and a granola bar in tow.

Ok, so story time. I’m from Texas, I don’t know fuck all about living in the mountains. My wife and I took a long backpacking trip up blue lakes trail in Colorado. Wife gets mild altitude sickness but we tough it out and make camp. Freak rain storm comes in and brings colder weather than expected and we’re cold, wet, and now have a hard time starting a fire, but finally get it going. That night was absolutely miserable.

There’s only one other couple camped on the mountain a few hundred yards from us. After warming ourselves for an hour or two the girl comes up to us, speaking in a heavy German accent, and obviously very defeated. She says, “My boyfriend won’t come and ask but I’m cold, everything is wet, and he can’t start the fire. How did you get yours going?” Knowing they had the same trouble I did finding any dry tinder I looked at her and said, “I used bits of an extra sock. Here you go.” I will never forget the mixture of genius, and disappointment on her face. Realizing all they had to do was burn a piece of fucking sock to get there fire going. She took my sock, and 5 minutes later, I saw their fire going.

Frank Abbott

His wiki page says nothing about Grant.

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ke3408@reddit

Oh my gosh wow. I only really know what my great-grandma used to tell us. I didn't know there was like actual evidence beyond that.

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Orthodontic braces are super accessible and have been for a long time now

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Royal-Alarm-3400@reddit

American dental care is corporate and highly marketed. Corporate ads flood the media. When run like a corporation, you can keep track of the service billings of each individual dentist. Is the dentist billings matching the corporate projections? Is his billing amount average or under average? Dentistry is a very demanding job; stressful and tedious. Being an American dentist is tough. Owning an American dental corporation is a potential gold strike. You don't have to be a dentist to do it either.

X-Rays don't reveal everything. Theirs a lot of dental discretion that can't be backed by X-Rays. Cracks in molars are often not seen in X-rays, so are small cavities between teeth and some soft tissue issues. What's a brilliant move by the dental industry is the exorbitant cost of dental education. The earning pressure on new grads caused by their student loans creates a need to seek out a high earnings position. The vast majority of Americans brush twice daily, but despite this, a lot of Americans are turning to implants based on the cost of " maintaining" their teeth at the dental office. Often, they're told that they aren't flossing enough or brushing after every meal that's causing their needed treatments.

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ke3408@reddit

Probably but I bring Costco multipacks of Crest with me to Italy because I'd rather face the consequences of toxic levels of chemical exposure with a bright white smile. I have a Chernobyl worth of toothpaste in my cabinet. Totally worth it.

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LilyMarie90@reddit

Oh, I believe that lol. I wish I could get those Crest strips for example, but until I know someone who's traveling to the US and back on a regular basis, it's not happening

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Fappy_as_a_Clam@reddit

They white strips are key, that's the absolute easiest way to improve your smile by a mile (lol)

It's like $25 and your smile is noticeably better, and people will compliment it and love it

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LilyMarie90@reddit

Yeah thanks a lot, I just said they're literally illegal here

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Fappy_as_a_Clam@reddit

Yes I was sympathizing with it sucking that you can't get them lol

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ke3408@reddit

Honestly if you really want them, just jump on an Americans in Germany group on Facebook ask if anyone will bring a pack on their next flight. It sounds weird but there are a lot of people that fly back and forth and no one would bat an eye at the request.

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Teacup_Monkey_72@reddit

Yes! In the EU, regular toothpaste legally can't contain more that 0.1% hydrogen peroxide. I just checked my regular tube of Crest, and it's 4%. I.e., more than 40 times more powerful than the strongest European toothpaste.

I feel attacked. But to be fair, I look as if I have more than two.

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bakstruy25@reddit

Maybe 30 years ago but a lot of metro areas in europe are pretty much like that now. London had multiracial friend groups everywhere from what I saw.

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i_drink_wd40@reddit

Two white guts, an East Asian, and a black dude

... That's my main friend group exactly.

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gratusin@reddit

My wife and I are white and we took our neighbors who are darker skinned Hispanic to rural Slovenia where she grew up. They got some funny looks until they started talking and my wife said that unfortunately the locals assumed they were Roma (gypsy) until they heard us speaking English.

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stevie855@reddit (OP)

Lol two white guts, I imagined two white people with beer guts wearing Hawaii shirts!

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CaptainAwesome06@reddit

Two white guts

I was recently in with Amsterdam and France

Until I spoke, they were never able to tell. The French were often especially surprised.

I must not look very American

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CapitalFill4@reddit

I think it’s generally gotten a lot harder to ID most Americans. BUT. I was in Lisbon last summer and when I heard a table of college boys at an outdoor cafe, late at night, loudly barking and shouting “he’s got that dawg in him,” I felt pretty confident where they were from.

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moonchild88_@reddit

I live in korea

Material_Ad6173@reddit

Occasional smoking while drinking is completely different to how Europeans smoke - with no shame, regardless if there are kids around or if the situation and space is appropriate.

I recently traveled through Europe for several weeks - people smoke during dinner at the outside tables and at the playgrounds while watching kids; I cannot imagine that in the US. Or at least, I've never seen it. I have a few friends in the US that smoke and they always go far from others and never smoke near kids/people eating.

None of my wealthy friends smoke. And I'm taking about $500K+ annual income wealthy. They usually just exercise, eat well and drink a lot, but never smoke lol

Yep, feels like there are two subsets of Americans who smoke cigarettes: older working class folks (not the type that travels abroad much) and young, highly educated, artsy, often LGBT city folks.

I guess me and my coworkers aren't American! Most of us are smokers.

OMG THIS!!! SO many foreign people smoke (especially at my school with a large foreign Chinese pop) and I'mlike...yall don't know how bad this is for you? Its not taboo in the US just yet but it does get serious side eyes.

perdovim@reddit

Americans are easy to spot, they have the largest personal space, so they walk and move differently.

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DSPGerm@reddit

Depending on the country, we’re usually taller and fatter than most.

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Matta174@reddit

Very easily

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Barjack521@reddit

At the top of your lungs yell/sing “sweet Caroline…” any white American within earshot will respond

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DueCaramel7770@reddit

In Korea someone put Bohemian Rhapsody on the bars stereo and the entire place ERUPTED

mavynn_blacke@reddit

I don't think people in other countries know how genuinely fascinating and utterly charming we find them. How very much we want to be friends with all of them. I don't want them to be anything at all like us. I want them to be completely different and to tell me all about how different they are!! I mean, don't be shits and put down America and Americans while you tell me about the differences, just... tell me! Because I am going to be way more fascinatinated by the differences in crosswalks, seriously, diagonal sort of stripes instead of two parallel lines! Or the fact that they all get so dressed up to go to market and you would never really see anyone in sweat pants than say, a gun debate or some political drama. I can get that conversation at home.

I recently had a knock down dragged out battle over the size of water bottles in the United States versus Poland. It was great!!

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Griegz@reddit

I definitely strut with a lean when walking casually.

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Peregrine415@reddit

Yes, in many cases, and it's not only limited to Caucasians. A couple of years ago, a friend and I were in Taipei and we asked a stranger to take our picture. Even though he was Asian in Asia, we were sure he was American. He was. He was on a biz trip to Taiwan and killing time before flying out in the evening.

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LazyBoyD@reddit

I’m Black and have visited Spain, Italy, Israel, Australia, and Thailand. In each country I was outed as American by other Americans I crossed paths with.

No-BrowEntertainment@reddit

In London, they’re the ones lugging around huge suitcases and walking on the right side of the paths

CupBeEmpty@reddit

Oh my word. I have had so many “serious dad conversations” with my 10 year old. “Honey this is a luxury and you are in one of the most beautiful places in the country, having a meltdown about how your tshirt tag is bothering you or that you want a snack isn’t a good thing.”

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FlipsMontague@reddit

"I don't care, you ruined my life by taking my phone away while I was playing a game during our Vatican tour!"

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alphasierrraaa@reddit

lmao one time as a kid i was being a brat and giving my parents crap for flying budget airlines while all my friends could fly business on vacation

Then my mom was like “do you know how many people haven’t even been on a single flight, learn to appreciate”

I apologize for being such an annoying kid lol

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CupBeEmpty@reddit

Yup. I took my kid up a mountain and at the top she was complaining about something ridiculous. I told her to look out and see the range because none of her friends have seen this view. This was just her and dad. I think it got to her because she forgot about whatever it was that was annoying her.

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alphasierrraaa@reddit

You sound like an amazing dad

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CupBeEmpty@reddit

Try to be but good lord it is hard hiking with kids.

I gotta check my own annoyance pretty much the whole way.

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Spinelli-Wuz-My-Idol@reddit

Same lol I was such a brat. I lowkey regret it.

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Fappy_as_a_Clam@reddit

Why did he even bring you?

I ask my mom this all the time, because I was the same. Now there are pics of me and my brother looking miserable on vacation because we clearly didn't want to be there, and we clearly didn't ask to have all the money spent on us.

The rest of the world:
Ask your seppo friend where the toilet is. She probably took a selfie with the bidet.

American: I’ll take you there! Here are some coins for access. There’s a water fountain next to the toilet! Amazing!

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Sufficient_Mirror_12@reddit

Seppo isn't a nice term.

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bananapanqueques@reddit

I used an ugly word to emphasize an attitude of many Europeans and Aussies toward Americans. I do not think Americans are seppos.

The merch they wear. Americans, more than most other nationalities, wear clothing that implies where they are from - sports team, universities, etc.

Everyone is mentioning good points, but if I’m being honest, I don’t know until I hear them speak.

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bundyratbagpuss@reddit

It’s easier to hear them than to spot them.

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sebzebb@reddit

Usually baseball caps show me that theres another friend from the homeland

Also if i see ice or water in their cup too

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1_Pump_Dump@reddit

Look for the dude leaning on stuff.

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Lokidemon@reddit

Usually baseball caps.

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terrapinone@reddit

Hmmm. Fat entitled loudmouths?

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BasicBitch_666@reddit

I haven't seen these mentioned yet, so....

If they're overweight, I'm assuming they're American. And I'm saying this as an overweight American.

Just got back from a family trip to the UK and France and we played this game a lot
My observations:

Eating while strolling or doing something else. Brits and the French tend to sit down and enjoy their food and drink, although it was not uncommon to see a Brit taking a pull from a coffee cup or water bottle.
Smiling to everyone is absolutely dead-on. Chatting to complete strangers too.
Casual wear on adult mean older than 30. I did it too (it was just too hot on most days), but seeing a guy in his 50s wearing a t-shirt and baseball cap was huge flag.
Logos everywhere. The one exception was the occasional and stereotypical chav in an Adidas running suit and the ubiquitous football jersey.

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LexiNovember@reddit

Irritating the locals via friendliness, and posture/stride/lean/body language are big giveaways. Also attempting to maintain our deeply important personal space bubble of about three feet around us at all times. 😂

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catiebug@reddit

No, but I could hear them. Our standard conversation volume is so high. As an expat, I matched my volume to the locals, but I'm not sure Americans on vacation even necessarily notice it.

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Additional-Office705@reddit

That's just not true and a boring old stereotype that I'm not sure was ever based in truth but xenophobia.

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Time is money, even if we aren't making any money at that moment. Call it a product of work culture, to always need to be productive and earning money.

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Argent_Mayakovski@reddit

Yeah. Atleisure is the big giveaway for me.

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Bad_wit_Usernames@reddit

I lived in several foreign countries when I was in the military. Sometimes you could spot an American, sometimes you couldn't. Sometimes you'd spot someone who you thought was an American, but wasn't.

TV likes to portray Americans as the loud, rude tourist when traveling, well that's really not much the case at all. From my experience, it's very much the opposite.

The big thing that always stood out for me, was the friendlier attitude, Gucci handbags, or you had some folks actually walking around with bags or clothing with the US Flag on it.

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starlight-madness@reddit

Being very facially expressive gives it away. Not even just happy, American faces are an open book when it comes to their emotions and they don’t even realize it. I remember thinking the actress who plays Kimiko from The Boys was Japanese (born and raised) but when she started “arguing” with Frenchie I turned to my friend and was like ”Oh my god, she’s American!!” You can take any one of us back to our ancestral countries, mix us in, and still be able to pick us out of a line up just from body language alone.

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elblanco@reddit

Americans tend to be "big" in various ways, either overweight, or overmuscled. We used to be relatively tall compared to local populations (except in Northern Europe), but nutrition has caught up well in many areas.

Jeans.

I've never been to Europe, but my sister and parents have. They said hardly saw anyone wearing denim pants.

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stormy2587@reddit

I mean there are certain ways of dressing that are just very middle america.

It’s especially prevalent among men. Certain ways of styling your hair. Like quintessential dad clothes are very common throughout the us. Cargo shorts, faded jeans, polos in certain pastel colors tucked into a their pants somehow holding a not insubstantial gut. Or A certain type of loose fitting plaid button down.

I think older men in the US by and large have a sort of carte blanche to prioritize functionality over style at all costs. Even upper middle class men over a certain age do this. I think a lot of men over a certain age think putting effort into your appearance and grooming beyond a very basic level is viewed as unmasculine.

There are similar things in the US for women but they’re harder for me to describe. For instance that Karen hairdo that was common among middle age women. It’s a bit out of fashion now but if I do see it abroad, I assume that person is american.

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MyMorningSun@reddit

There's a lot if body language giveaways. Posture, stance, facial expressions (smiling or generally just more animated and expressive), hand motions.

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redditcommander@reddit

I was a consular officer overseas doing American Citizen Services for a bit. The obvious one is the blue passport. I will also add the immediate sense of entitlement. I once had a dude call the emergency line to ask if the Consulate could help him carry his bags because they were heavy.

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anneofgraygardens@reddit

I want to say no, not 100% of the time.

That said, one time I found myself in a little cafe at a bus station in a village in Macedonia on the border with Albania. There were two women about my own age and when I looked at them, I knew immediately that they were Americans. They saw me and although we were perfect strangers, they gestured that i should come over and sit with them.

We ended up hanging out and traveling together in Albania for a few days.

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Shifu_1@reddit

Teeth.
White tube socks.
Wearing sports team logos that aren’t the Knicks or other huge teams.
good posture and looking straight ahead while walking (a lot of other nationalities kinda look down)

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jwumb0@reddit

The real give away is the sneakers. I’ve really only seen Americans wear running shoes everywhere.

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Historical-Composer2@reddit

I’ve heard we talk a lot to strangers and ask everyone how they are doing.

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Salmoninthewell@reddit

I served in Armenia as a Peace Corps volunteer and my host dad tried to get me to go talk to a stranger who was an American, which he’d determined based on the fact that he was wearing a watch.

Also, same country, I was astounded to see someone wearing iPhone headphones. He turned out to be an American actor.

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Guinnessron@reddit

College gear and Baseball hats. And maybe still UnderArmour

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huazzy@reddit

Wearing lots of college apparel.

I was in Phuket Thailand over the holidays. Family would come eat breakfast in head to toe Kansas State gear.

110% sure they're American.

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eustaciasgarden@reddit

Leaning on things. Americans always do this

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SageMitso@reddit

I was in greece last year visiting friends and family, recognized someone was from New York by the way they were walking. Also was able to tell he was from the bronx.

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Carouselcolours@reddit

As an American that grew up mostly in Canada, I know most people don't clock me due to a drama class exercise I participated in during college. It was one of those “go to one side of the room if you’ve done this, stay if not” type exercises.

There was a wildly inappropriate one that was along the lines of “Canadian born vs. Foreign born”, and I was the only white girl on the foreign side besides the Australian exchange student. Lots of folks were double checking I was on the right side of the room 🫠

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tychobrahesmoose@reddit

I was at a bar in Greece that would play Sweet Caroline once a night. Supposedly they could tell how many Americans there were by how many people in the crowd would sing the "ba ba baaa" parts and then they would adjust their playlist accordingly.

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Tactational@reddit

The loud speaking, mention of American politics, or the nasally AAAHH in words.

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Additional-Office705@reddit

The loud speaking

Nope. Europeans are just as loud.

mention of American politics

Nope. Europeans are more likely to bring it up to us and give us lectures about things they haven't a clue about.

The question was for fellow Americans. It's in the OP.

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Komnos@reddit

mention of American politics

Heh. My high school marching band was in the St. Patrick's Day parade in Dublin back in the early 2000s. While we were setting up beforehand, some Irish dude came up and started asking my friends and me what we thought of Bush.

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MoonieNine@reddit

Years ago I was on a train platform in Japan, and I saw a group of seemingly Japanese girls in school uniform. Very common. But I knew quickly something was different. They used their hands and body more when they spoke. They were a little more boisterous. When I walked closer, Some of them were indeed speaking flawless English. Then I noticed the badge on their uniform and it was for an American school in Tokyo or something.

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Acrobatic_End6355@reddit

I feel like many Americans are usually bigger in body and other characteristics than Chinese people. Like a loud personality. But it also helps if you are not Asian anyway, and the fact that the US has one of the highest populations in the world.

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Additional-Office705@reddit

other characteristics than Chinese people. Like a loud personality.

Oh hunny... I don't think you wanna go down this route.

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skepticalG@reddit

And good likelihood of being fat.

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mwhite5990@reddit

I used to live in Paris as a teen and when we first moved there we met up with another American family. Their daughter didn’t hadn’t met us yet but she went downstairs to let us into the building and she spotted my family immediately. I was surprised she was able to do it, but looking back we all dressed in a very American style at the time. I was wearing a hoodie from the beach I went to. The rest of my family would wear similarly very American looking clothes.

Over time I became pretty good at spotting American tourists. They often wore baseball hats, hoodies, and sneakers. Men often wore cargo shorts, sometimes basketball shorts. Some were better at blending in though.

Americans usually roll up wearing clothing draped in red, white, and blue and usually have a pet eagle perched on their arms. Pretty easy to spot.

But realistically, it's not about how they look but how they sound. I was in Europe and Americans/Canadians were easy to spot.

Also, a lot of Americans seem to like to wear clothing with specific sports teams or geographic areas. Even here in America, those souvenir t-shirts are pretty popular for people to wear.

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AllSoulsNight@reddit

In the UK, it was big bright clothing and luggage. We saw such a crowd and then heard: I know, right!? At a restaurant we heard someone asking for ranch salad dressing! In Italy it was a larger sized family with one in a mobility scooter. Bonus, the dad had a trucker style ball cap on. I know Americans are quite chatty, especially my husband, lol.

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SanchosaurusRex@reddit

Sleeve tattoos will be common in a lot of Western countries now, and even some Asian ones.

Sometimes people that look American to me will turn out to be Australian or Canadian. Like I was in Japan and saw a white family, the dad was bald, kinda paunchy and wearing a Billabong shirt. Turns out it was an Aussie.

Gen Z dresses pretty similarly between the US and Western Europe, Canada, Australia, etc (social media makes trends pretty global).

I visited Normandy for a D-Day anniversary and I’d see guys dressed like American vet bros, then they’d talk and be British, German, or French.

Obviously though there are going to be Americans that fly under the radar. I had two Americans ask me for directions in London, but that could be because my fiancé is pasty white with an Ed Sheeran-esque haircut (he’s not a ginger, though).

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MaximumAsparagus@reddit

I get asked for directions everywhere I go. It's happened in Venice, London, Edinburgh, etc.... I guess I give off local vibes lmfao

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vizard0@reddit

The biggest give away is volume. I live in the UK (specifically Scotland) these days. I hear a north American accent with an increase in volume, they're definitely not Canadian. And this is normal conversation. Americans are loud. I've caught myself speaking loudly where there was no need several times since I moved here.

Beyond that, obvious American clothing is a giveaway. (Hint, don't walk around one of the most gun phobic countries in the world with 2nd amendment t-shirts. I saw someone with tacticool pants and jacket sit down to breakfast with a t-shirt with multiple eagles, AR15s, and something about cold dead hands on it. They were getting the side eye from other guests at the hotel in addition to the staff.)

Tattoos are not and indicator, I've seen plenty of Scottish people with full sleeve tattoos here, one of my coworkers is working on his second sleeve. Honestly, Edinburgh seems less formal than most major cities on the East Coast.

Very few people wear sunglasses regularly, it's Scotland, we don't get enough sun for that.

Shorts and sandals, no one wears them, but that's because it's never actually hot. The heat wave was when it hit 82 F.

As for attitude, I'm in Scotland. Contrary to what a lot of people think, the Scots are generally really friendly. (This does not apply to really crowded pubs in Glasgow after 10pm). Smiling, that's less common, but I lived in NYC before this and honestly, the people smiling were those you wanted to avoid, odds were they were going to try to scam you.

The biggest thing that Americans do that gets mocked here is the "My great grandfather was from clan MacWhatever, therefore I'm Scottish too!" Please, don't do that. It makes living and visiting here harder for all Americans.

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killer_corg@reddit

Baseball cap

Sleeve tattoos are getting popular among non Americans.

It gets mentioned a lot, but the CIA has to train spies to not lean on things

https://www.cpr.org/2019/01/03/cia-chief-pushes-for-more-spies-abroad-surveillance-makes-that-harder/

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