Everything you do and say in your language, with your accent (and flag stitched on your backpack) is duly noted by other cultures.
Aussie Boys – Photo by Margaritanitz
Let’s not lie, in a line up of five travelers, you could easily pick out the nationality of each.
Socks and sandals? Hello Scandinavian. Short shorts and a platform flip flop? That would be the American. Moon tan and neatly laced sensible shoes? Let’s see, the Pom?
Painfully stylish with a permanent snooty look on their face? Clearly French. Singlet and board shorts and a pair of weather beaten thongs? That’s the Aussie, me.
We all know the myth of the Aussie. Laid-back, easy-going, perennially tanned, with a beer in hand. We take it easy, mate, have a smile for everyone and although some of us say g’day, none of us drink Fosters.
But we won’t hold it against you if you think we do. We’ll just pull your leg and tell you we ride kangaroos to school.
For a while now, Australians have enjoyed a pristine reputation as travelers.
We smile at New Yorkers on the subway, which really unnerves them. We try and drink the Germans under the table, refusing to admit defeat despite the fact that our livers simply aren’t up to the challenge. We are everybody’s friend.
The Land Down Undah
There is a new generation of Aussie travelers in town, tarnishing an image our predecessors worked very hard to carve.
Somebody hit the lights. There is a new generation of Aussie travelers in town, tarnishing an image our predecessors worked very hard (drank liters of beer and spun millions of tall tales) to carve.
This new Aussie traveler, whilst probably sun damaged, talkative and not at all averse to having a drink with Duncan (Australian joke … anyone?) is most likely between the ages of 18-25, and sporting a long mane in an effort to rebel against the all-too-fresh memory of school rules.
The new Aussie might grin at you in the check-in line, but they’ll also keep you awake till 3am by trawling up and down the hostel corridors alternately repeating the C and F words.
You see, this is a whole new brash, obnoxious Backpacker Generation for whom world travel is more about beer bongs and swapping hostel beds than it is any sort of cultural immersion.
Look, we’re lovely people, for the most part. And we generally enjoy a good reputation.
All I’m saying is we have to be careful. Because at any minute, the tables can turn. Our larrikin persona can, in the blink of an eye, be construed as obnoxious.
The Eyes Of The Other
Photo by Chilling Soul
Of course, it is easy to forget how we are perceived globally, to step outside our own little national bubble and see ourselves through the eyes of the other few billion that are out there.
And that goes for everyone, not just the little brats of the international family. Hot pants can be too hot, comments too presumptuous and arrogance is never welcome.
In one’s own context, so much is permissible and taken for granted – phrases, manners, social norms – that it is easy to forget that it may not be the case elsewhere.
That people who function in the exact same way we do, just a few thousand miles away, may be repulsed by what we find perfectly okay.
Spitting, nose-blowing, touching – fine some places, absolutely not in others. And nor should you, as a traveler, expect what is okay in your own backyard, to be okay everywhere else (ignorance is one of the most reviled traits in travelers).
Of course, many hang ups and reputations are so deeply ingrained they are nearly impossible to reverse; we can only remedy them bit by bit.
Practice Awareness
At the end of the day, Poms look down on Australians (when they’re not roasting their skin beneath its rays) as being a country of their unwanted convicts, just as they look down on Americans for being loud and generally ignorant.
Americans, for their part, are genuinely surprised the rest of the world sees them any other way than how they see themselves, and are equally as surprised crocodiles don’t live in the backyard swimming pools of Australians.
Europeans had it all figured out a long time ago and so look on with the gentle humour of a parent.
And Asian cultures run the gamut from the Japanese, who are obsessed with anything Anglo-kitsch to the Thai (who are probably sick of all things Anglo-Kitsch).
But, it’s worth everyone’s while to just be aware. Everything you do and say in your language, with your accent (and probably your flag stitched on your backpack) is duly noted.
And whilst perhaps not commented on at the time by a polite local, the reputation you build as a result, speaks volumes.
What do you think of your own nationality abroad? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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Ha! I thought this might be about Australians even before I clicked through to read it. Seems there’s a growing awareness that the larrikin Aussie abroad is fast becoming a loud-mouthed, arrogant Aussie abroad.
I wonder if it all comes back to the 95-5% rule, in that the 5% of any nationality that are less than pleasant travelers give a bad name to the well behaved 95%?
And yep, I’ve had trouble checking into hostels in Aus too. Makes you wonder where we’re supposed to stay when we’re traveling and seeing our own country.
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It’s always fun as an American traveler to surprise people who have preconceived notions about you (i.e. loud and ignorant). I can’t even count the number of people who asked me if I voted for GWB. I remember meeting a French-speaking Swiss man in Spain, and having him be astounded that I could carry a conversation in his language. At the end of a pleasant talk he told me, “You’ve really changed my impression of Americans.” I don’t think he realized it was a back-handed compliment, so I replied, “Thanks, and you’ve really changed my opinion of the Swiss.”
It took a few moments for it to sink in. Then we both laughed.
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I don’t know if Australians abroad have ever had a ‘pristine’ reputation – even 15-20 years ago Aussies and Earls Court were synonymous with the best and worst of Australians overseas. Indeed, one of my first experiences in London were a couple of Australian lads on Earls Court tube station, at about 5am in the morning, both gripping souvlakis and one with his trousers around his ankles.
Generally the worst behaved Australians I’ve met overseas are in groups – nice blokes (individually) doing exactly what they would be doing at home with the football/cricket team or a group of mates out on the lash. There may be more ugly Australians around today, but about in proportion to the like-minded Brits, Americans and Canadians.
Maybe it’s just my experiences, but I can’t remember any New Zealanders who fall in to the same mould.
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Excellent story, Olivia! I’m Canadian but have lived in London for many years. It’s generally quite easy to pick out Canadians as they generally plaster the maple leaf about their person to avoid the worst fate of being mistaken for Americans (altho’ some sneaky Americans now wear a maple leaf or two as they probably feel it’s an insurance to be treated better by the locals).
A friend (Canadian) who now lives in London, in a flat opposite Stamford Bridge, Chelsea Football club’s grounds, recently told me she was following a group of elderly Canadians down her street, who were all dressed in some combination of red and white (to match their flags no doubt!) when a group of local lads started shouting at them – ‘red and white isn’t allowed around here!’ I asked Jenny if she had told the bewildered group of Canadians the reason for the barrage of abuse (red and white are the colours of arch rival club, Arsenal) and, no, she hadn’t bothered. No doubt these Canadians went back home and warned their friends not to wear red and white in some parts of London as the locals don’t like it!
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“Maybe it’s just my experiences, but I can’t remember any New Zealanders who fall in to the same mould.”
That’s only because nobody waits long enough to listen for how they pronounce the number “six” and just assumes Kiwis are Aussies.
(Which no doubt drives both groups insane, and with even more sympathy for the relatively rare Tasmanian)…In my opinion and to stereotype – Aussies are excellent travelers. Brilliant sense of humor, great conversation, optimistic, jovial – fun. That is, up until the point of The One Beer Too Many, when the repressed side of their personality comes out and they become their own Evil Twin. That’s largely true for most travelers + beer, but Aussies have such a Jekyll-and-Hyde turnabout it’s freaky.
Still, I have to hand it to them: it takes a fair amount of beer for Aussies to approach a competing level of obnoxiousness that many people bring with them completely sober. But what it comes down to is that people are people everywhere and it’s apparently human nature to take note of someone’s nationality when you see them acting like swine. Aussies are no different – no better, no worse. No worries.
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Ony canadians usually stitch their flags to their backpacks, don’t they?
Nice article. Everybody loves aussie travellers!
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Oh I’ve seen a few flags with the southern cross stitched lovingly onto backpacks. it certainly used to just be the canadians, poor things.
Ha ha most people love aussie travellers … don’t know about all
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Great Article!
I remember shuddering as my fellow students tried to pay for things in Quebec (all french speaking). I think someone actually said, “Takey vous credit cardo?”
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Generally I have found Aussies to be the loud crazy ones when living in London (and I lived in Earls Court while there) and when travelling around. When I do meet fellow Canadians they are generally quieter but just as up for a party. Unfortunately just the other day I was in a bar in Geneva, drinking some wine and I heard from the other side of the room a loud voice proclaiming to her companions to just `put everything on her visa because her daddy was paying for everything.` She then proceeded to not even try and order anything in French, just assumed they spoke English and whether I liked it or not I got to hear her entire conversation. I held out a hope she was American but once she started talking about Ontario, I knew I had encountered that other, `five percent,` which actually may be a wee bit larger then previously thought.
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Hi Liv, Great article! I think you have captured what so many of us feel when travelling and seeing someone of your own nationality. Often I cringe at the loud borish and often culturally insensitive behaviour of my compatriots. That said EVERY country has them, that minority who because of their behaviour make themselves appear to be a minority. However I must admit I think I have often fallen into the category of the former, especially if I have been isolated from my fellow Australians for an extended period, if I run into them naturally copious amounts of beer are drunk. But this only happens occassionally and not every night of my trip. I must add the scurge of contiki tours may be partially to blame for alot of the bad behaviour identified. Just a theory.
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hahahahahah Sean, I think you’re onto something. Perhaps that is the next article … ‘How Contiki is Ruining our Reputation.’
oh look, everyone loves a catch up when you run into a fellow countryman/woman in the middle of nowhere – but there is a fine line between that and the horrors of borish (great word) insensitive behaviour.
And it’s true re: every country, although some worse than others. Eg: I am yet to experience a borish swede. Although there is a first for everything …
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Luckily, as an American, I rarely have to see my fellow countrymen. I like it that way. I travel to see other people not my own. hehehe
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Ohhh I don’t know Matt, I come across a fair few of your country men on a regular basis. In fact I’d say a good 20% of my uni campus is comprised of your fair kind. I do love Americans though, and I love visiting America, you all aren’t that bad
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Oh and Daniel – re the kiwi accent … spot on. Lovely people, but shocking accent. I’m not sure what you mean though, by the Tasmanian comment …
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I mean that because there are relatively few Tasmanians, people assume they’re either Aussie or Kiwi. No one would guess their nationality correctly because numbers aren’t on their side.
It must be a pain to have this conversation over and over:
“You an Aussie?” “No.”
“Kiwi, then?” “No…”Are Tasmanians “Tazzies?” (Sounds like a candy…)
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But Tasmanians are Australians…
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I know it, but it’s funny… I met a pair of travelers who went through the above with me, and they emphasized being Tasmanian like it was completely different. I just assumed it was a PC thing!
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Boy, do I feel kinda dumb… they way they stressed it wasn’t rude, but it was on the lines of “DON’T refer to me as mere Aussie, you uneducated plebe…” They seemed like nice enough girls… I just assumed they were touchy about it or something and just preferred to be called Tasmanian.
So what’s up with this? Is there anything that would prompt this response? (Er, aside from the topic of this article, maybe?)
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Hmmm, I dunno, I’ve only ever met one Tasmanian and since everyone called him “Tazzy” there was no way to lose track of where he was from…
I know that Tasmanians get ragged on by “mainland” Aussies a lot for supposedly being odd or backwoods (sort of an Appalachia equivalent?) so maybe that’s resulted in them being defensive…?
Geez, people get offended by strangers for such odd things. Tazzies not wanting to be called Australians even though factually speaking, that’s what they are. It’s like the Canadians who freak out about being confused with Americans… Our accents are really, really similar in most cases – how is a foreigner supposed to know better?
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You know, I think travelers break down less by nationality and more by the reason they’re traveling. You’ve got the travelers who are out solely to have a good time–they want to drink, party, hook up, and hang out primarily with other travelers. They don’t take the time to learn any of the language or what is acceptable or not in other cultures. It’s all about them and having their wishes fulfilled. Then there are those who travel to experience other cultures, to meet people from other parts of the world, and to challenge themselves and their own assumptions. They too might enjoy a good party night every now and then but are more likely not to cross the line to drunken, obnoxious fool. Every country produces a good share of both types.
One thing that bothers me when I travel is when people pretend to be from a different country, usually because they’re embarrassed by the stereotypes attached to their country or by behavior of other travelers proudly proclaiming to be of said country. If you’re being an enlightened traveler, do your country a favor and let people know that’s where you are from. Perhaps it will help change opinions. As an American, I have to wonder why, if you’re being a respectful traveler, you would travel with a maple leaf on your bag. Now if you’re just going to go party and make a fool of yourself, okay… (I kid.)
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If it’s the reverse, and an Aussie doesn’t want to be called a Tasmanian, do they say “Don’t Taz me, bro?”
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Ha!
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Great points, Theresa! Your closing joke makes me want to ask something I’ve always wanted to know about Canadians….
Hey Ian, if you’re out there listening: if Canadians are so patriotic, why are so many of them hell-bent to leave Canada?
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Man…I came in late to this lively discussion. Before I leave home friends say I should sew a Canadaian flag on my pack because of the GWB/Iraq war nastiness and the general “ugly American” vibe overseas. Hate being a poser and I don’t pronounce “project” with a long “oh”. My deep understanding of hockey and curling is lacking. Although some of my best friends are Canuck and one girlfriend married for the beauty of Vancouver and good health care. I see her point.
Actually I’ll pat myself on the back for reprsenting the States well in Africa and Madagascar Actually got compliments from football fans while watching the World Cup, knowing the players’ professional clubs of origin, watching the tourney start to finish, and understanding my favorite American sport is refered to as gridiron by every nation but my own
.Only Americans I met in Madagascar were Peace Corps volunteers or lemur researchers. In six weeks I was the alone on the free wheeling vagabond circuit and felt an obligation to “represent” well. In many cases I was the first Yank many people had ever met. Early apology to any French BNT fans, but the native Malagasy preferred my company. No “big head” of their former colonial masters and I tipped well.
I’ll quote Tom Petty….”She’s an American Girl”. You gotta be authentic. Gotta be what you are…in the best and kindest manner.
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Daniel, I had a sneaking suspicion you might have been told Tasmanians weren’t Australian by some bitter Tassies hahaha. They are indeed Australians, but they get a really hard time from the mainlanders (as someone said) – you know, we say they have 11 toes, 2 heads etc etc. Poor things … it may explain their insistence that they’re NOT merely Australian, their from a whole different island hahaha.
Agree with the notion of doing your country a favour and not denying where you’re from – if you’re a polite, aware, educated traveller then do not rob your country of such brilliant representation
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Great comment Theresa, right on.
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Liv, you folks need to ease up on Tassies so they don’t make some of us look stupid when posting comments. =)
Two words of defense for aggrieved Tasmanians: “Errol” and “Flynn.” Okay, not a flawless defense since he was kinda sleazy – but the sword duel between him and Basil Rathbone in “The Adventures of Robin Hood” was a blast.
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Hahahahaha – I know, blame the mainlanders for the Tasmanian fight for independence …. although I’m not sure if they’d be more offended by being called Just Australians or Kiwis … no one wants that accent …
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A cool story!!! However, we can’t do without all those stereotypes about Brits, Americans and Canadians etc.
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Well, alright! It’s a bit of a pity that this thread has gone into a discussion between Aussies, Canadians and Americans and their local differences, apparently … it’s all still quite civil and funny, I have to admit … BUT I dare you to spot the BELGIAN !
And I dare you to spot the difference between the Walloon and the Flemishman within the Belgians (which should be fairly easy once you will have discovered “the Belgian” on your explorations.
Greetings to you all and thank you for the story Olivia!
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Good points. On my travels there have been a few times when I've cringed at seeing and hearing Aussies behaving badly, especially the bogan ones from outer suburbs on say their first trip to thailand. On the other hand I've found that the majority of fellow countrymen I met O/S where well travelled and had appreciation for other cultures. It is more the ones that have newver travelled outside Oz that are ignorant and racist and non-tollerant of other cultures and one eyed that wind me up…
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