Q – (4.27.25) – This September, we are headed on our first river cruise on Viking. I think we may be less traveled than some of your readers and we are getting extremely concerned about the anti-American feelings we hear mentioned on the news. There are obviously a lot of European who can’t stand Trump because of his abandoning NATO, tariffs, lack of support for Ukraine etc. But how will all of that affect US travelers? If we are going to be placed in a position as Americans of defending our country, I think we are comfortable delaying our overseas travels until calm prevails. My local travel agent says I am a “worry-wart” and I should just go and have a good time, or words to that effect. How are you counseling your clients on this matter.
A – This general subject is generating dozens of questions addressed to Traveltruth and we receive about five or six inquiries a week from guests of Churchill & Turen Ltd. over the phone. (800-445-7979)
We can well understand your concerns. We explain to our clients that, yes, there is a significant degree of anti-US Government reporting and editorial coverage in large segments of the European press. We are seeing things said about our current government that are new and some respected observers feel that, where in the past the American people were not necessarily linked to the actions of any President, that is not the case now.
We have been collecting a database of anti-American commentary from the world press in preparation for future articles we are working on. One of the things we discovered is that the most vitriolic commentary we could find, referring to our President as a certified “Psychopath” did not appear in any newspaper in Europe – it appeared in the Toronto Star.
But, to date, there seems to be no connection to what is shown overseas on TV and what appears in their newspapers and any overt anti-American actions taken toward tourists. Most of the world, a vast majority, feel that Americans are some of the nicest tourists on the planet and we are among the highest spenders.
Some travelers with imminent plans to travel abroad, are stating concerns about confrontation, tough questions, and political arguments. We think these concerns are overblown and there are few facts to support the contention that this will happen.
It might be wise to sort of turn the tables. Instead of you heading for the Danube, let’s suppose that you meet some tourists from Budapest sitting at the next table in your favorite restaurant back home. Are you going to start questioning them about Orban’s leadership and arguing politics over dinner?
You won’t do that because it is impolite and not really part of our culture and the manner in which we interact when we meet citizens of other countries. The same can be said of Europeans. They are generally far too polite to confront visitors for their political beliefs.
Sadly, you would be far more likely to possibly encounter a political argument on a cruise or tour filled with Americans of various educational backgrounds.
Go and enjoy. Turtles just don’t have much fun.
