I have traveled to many countries, some when living abroad and some after returning to the US. This article is a ‘look back at travel experiences during ‘uncomfortable’ or ‘new’ political climates. Today we enter a new political climate.  How will a “change of government” affect our enjoyment as tourists?

Walking down the street in Paris or Berlin, Americans are pretty obvious; we are tall even large. We have good teeth and youth looking colored hair. We wear brighter colors and expensive sneakers. We carry water bottles next to our phones. We look a bit lost on a foreign sidewalk or when attempting to use public transportation.

Below I share my personal experiences, traveling at times when our country was less than popular.

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 affect us as Americans in a foreign high school. The short answer is No. We were still welcomed as uniquely American – ultra friendly, curious, chatty. The European students loved our little Americanisms: contact lenses, for instance.  We had bold attitudes.  We had the guts to explore Lake Geneva towns on Sundays, instead of going to church. We were outspoken, Americans who were proud of our democracy.  We were not tarnished by politics.

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; propaganda 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  live  charmed lives.

I lived in England for 10 years.  My husband and I experienced the shame of Watergate 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 learned to eat fish and chips. My very British boss, the CEO of a management consulting firm, shared: I am hiring you because Americans solve problems. They never say “can’t”.  He knew I had some acculturation to work with an all British staff; but he admired the can do American attitudes.

In the 1980’s and 90’s I visited ‘Burma’, Iran, 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 United States or had a US logo. 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 is loved and hated-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 their history. Do not criticize and beat up our government. You are not running for office; you are simply an ambassador.