A Picture is Worth a 1000 Words...

It's been a tough year for the globetrotters and the travel industry, alike. Keep your fingers crossed that this continues, friends!

Does this fall under the PATRIOT ACT?

Oh my. Oh my my my. I am literally in shock (no pun intended).

As you may or may not know (I’ve mentioned it several times on this blog), my undergrad degree is in an aviation discipline. Ergo, I am far more forgiving of the TSA and the seemingly ridiculous security rules that we all love so much. You see, this is a personal thing to me. Yes, I travel often. Yes, it is sometimes a PITA. But, more than that, I have friends who get on those airplanes and navigate the no-longer-friendly skies for you each and every day. Security, no matter how ridiculous it may seem, is a necessary evil. If it saves just one life, I’m ok with it.

However, I have my limits. This may be it.

Today’s Washington Times reports reports that the FAA is investigating whether or not it will require fliers to wear bracelets that double as stun guns! Yep, I’m serious.

Lamperd Less Lethal is promoting the use of a bracelet (which they, of course, manufacture) that will essentially make aviation security digitized. According to the Times, the “Elecronic ID Bracelet” (well, that’s a considerably placid name, all things considered) would:

- take the place of an airline boarding pass
-contain personal information about the traveler
- be able to monitor the whereabouts of each passenger and his/her luggage
- shock the wearer on command, completely immobilizing him/her for several minutes

The Times adds, “Every airline passenger would be tracked by a government-funded GPS, containing personal, private and confidential information, and that it would shock the customer worse than an electronic dog collar if he/she got out of line?”

I know. I know. This sounds like some sort of science fiction headline made up to grab attention, right? How does the Times know this anyway? “According to a letter from DHS official, Paul S. Ruwaldt of the Science and Technology Directorate, office of Research and Development, to the inventor whom he had previously met with, he wrote, “To make it clear, we [the federal government] are interested in…the immobilizing security bracelet, and look forward to receiving a written proposal.” The letterhead, in case you were wondering, came from the DHS office at the William J. Hughes Technical Center at the Atlantic City International Airport, or the Federal Aviation Administration headquarters.”

Go ahead. Leave your comments. I’m dying to hear what you think.

Some aMUSEment for your 4th!

Recently, I discovered an amazing new travel site--TravelMuse. TravelMuse has so many features that it's hard to even begin to scratch the surface on all of the handy things here for the traveler. Since that would be impossible, I've chosen a few of my favorite features to share with you. Regardless of time constraints, go play with the website--you won't be disappointed!

The site is actually an online weekly magazine. Each week, you'll find a new cover section and theme. Since it's Independence Day weekend, this week's theme is "Historic America", and features articles on Colonial Williamsburg, Mount Rushmore, etc.

However, a unique and probably the coolest feature of TravelMuse is the "Inspiration Finder."

Here, you'll find a questionnaire. Just let TravelMuse know where you'd like to depart from, how many travelers there will be, what time of year you'd like to travel (or the specific dates you'd like to travel), the desired duration of your trip, your minimum hotel class, your desired budget per person, the type of trip you'd like to take (choose as many key words as you'd like) and your maximum flight time, and it'll come up with....

...this. Based on the information you provided, TravelMuse will recommend four locations. Within this screen, you'll find an estimated cost for the trip (as well as several package options) and how well each trip matches your keywords.

Cool, right? In addition to the "Inspiration Finder", TravelMuse also has some of the best free destination guides I've seen.

Be forewarned--this website is addicting. ;)

Earth Day

As I’m sure you know, today is Earth Day, which clearly lends itself to a topic that has been a large part of our life (at least in the sense of the media) over the past couple of years. Al Gore summed it up and won an Oscar for it, the celebs are all over promoting it (despite some decidedly wasteful habits), and the smart car-makers are cashing in on it. What is it, you ask? Green…Green habits, green lifestyles, and in this case, green travel.

Now, this…this is an uncomfortable topic for an aviation enthusiast. We’re not exactly the greenest people on this planet, and we surely won’t be winning any Nobel peace prizes for our promotion of green activities. However, no matter what your stance is on global warming, a few of these pictures show us that we, as a species, have a little bit of changing to do.


I’m not going to lie or be a hypocrite and tell you that I am the greenest of people. No, my friends, I am not. In fact, besides being a vegetarian, at best, I’m a mediocre tree-hugger. While I try to remember those “little things” that make a big difference, I certainly have a lot to improve upon in that department. This is why, I suspect, until recently, green travel is really not something that has crossed my mind.

Again, as awful as it is to admit it, I'm not going to tell you that from now on, I won’t be travelling via airplane, I will only stay in eco-friendly hotels, and raw vegetables shall by my meal of choice. Let’s get real—I’m a bratty American with an affection for flying and those little life luxuries. But I do believe that there are some small steps we can take in travel, just like in life, to make a big difference.

Here are a few small changes you can make while travelling to try to reduce your footprint while travelling.

1) Carbon offset fees. These mini donations can make a big difference. According to about.com, Delta was able to collect enough donations last year to plant enough trees to offset the carbon footprint of 2900 Americans over the course of a year. Oddly, 1% American airlines offer the service, but you can also purchase carbon offset from TerraPass through Expedia, whether or not you booked your trip through them.

2) Unplug those chargers. If you simply unplug those electronic chargers when they’re not charging electronics, you can save up to 100 lbs of emissions each year!

3) Find and select a "green" hotel.

Also, if you're interested in learning more about green travel, Go Green Travel Green is starting a series today entitled 25 Days to Green Travel. Today's post, "31 Reasons to Travel Green in Pictures" was the source of the photos for this post.

And, if this beautiful picture of the Swiss Alps isn't reason enough to clean up our act, even if just a little, I can't imagine what is. ;)

DAL+NWA=DAL

Taking a REALLY quick study break to update you in case you haven't heard the news.

As expected, Delta & Northwest officially announced their merger today.

You can view the website they have created explaining the merger here, and you can find the official announcement that WorldPerks members received below.

Of course, NWA is painting a very pretty picture for consumers about the merger, but only time will tell. As a small market consumer, I have my nervous reservations, but all we can do is wait and see.

If you have any questions regarding the merger & how it may affect you, I will try to put that handy-dandy bachelor's degree to use and answer what I am able to answer. Just leave a comment with questions. :)


*please excuse any typos/grammar errors--I meant what I said about a really quick study break. ;)
_______________________________________________

As a valued Northwest Airlines customer and WorldPerks® member, I wanted you to be among the first to hear that we have announced a merger with Delta Air Lines. Subject to regulatory review, our two airlines are joining forces to create America’s premier global airline which, upon closing of the merger, will be called Delta Air Lines.

By combining Northwest and Delta, we are building a stronger, more resilient airline that will be a leader in providing customer service and value. Our combined airline will offer unprecedented access to the world, enabling you to fly to more destinations, have more flight choices and more ways than ever to earn and redeem your WorldPerks miles.

You can be assured that your WorldPerks miles and Elite program status will be unaffected by this merger. In addition, you can continue to earn miles through use of partners like WorldPerks Visa®. And once the new Delta Air Lines emerges you can look forward to being a part of the world’s largest frequent flyer program with expanded benefits.

The combined Delta Air Lines will serve more U.S. communities and connect to more worldwide destinations than any global airline. Our hubs – both Delta’s and Northwest’s – will be retained and enhanced. We will be the only U.S. airline to offer direct service from the United States to all of the world’s major business centers in Asia, Latin America, Europe, Africa and around North America.

Both airlines bring tremendous strengths to this new partnership. Our complementary service networks form an end-to-end system that is truly greater than the sum of its parts. This is a merger by addition, not subtraction, which means all of our hubs – both Northwest’s and Delta’s – will be retained. In addition, building on both airlines’ proud, decades-long history of serving small communities, we plan to enhance global connections to small towns and cities across the U.S.

All of these positive benefits of our combination mean that we can:
-Offer a true global network where our customers will be able to fly to more destinations, have more schedule options and more opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles in what will become the world’s best and most comprehensive frequent flyer program.
-Continue to serve our current roster of destinations and to maintain our hubs in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York, Salt Lake City, Amsterdam and Tokyo.
-Improve our customers’ travel experience, through new products and services including enhanced self-service tools, better bag-tracking technology, more onboard services, including more meal options, new seats and refurbished cabins.


While we work to secure approval of our merger, which may take up to 6 to 8 months, it will be business-as-usual at both airlines. We will continue to operate as independent airlines and the people of Northwest will remain focused on providing you with the very best in safe, reliable and convenient air travel. At the same time, both airlines will be planning for a seamless integration of our two airlines, one that delivers to you the enhanced benefits that will earn – and retain – your preference.

As we work through this process, we will keep you informed at every step along the way. Thank you for your business and we look forward to serving you on your next Northwest flight.

Sincerely,

Bob Soukup
Managing Director, WorldPerks

The Answer

Click Here for the answer!

Crazy, huh?

I'd love to hear what you think! Would you stay? Does this change your image of this brand? Leave me a comment and let me know. :)

Want to play a game?

Ok, play along with me here. It'll be fun, trust me.

If you would, I'd oh so greatly appreciate it if you would leave a comment with your guess. :)

Ready?

Guess which major US hotel chain these rooms belong to.

If you already know the answer, shhhhh! Don't tell (but do leave a comment letting me know you know the answer). :)

TravelZoo Contest

I promise more (and more interesting) St. Lucia posts coming soon, but at the moment I'm not feeling too well. In the mean time, check out a new travel-related contest sponsored by TravelZoo. :) LOTS of opportunities to win tons of cool trips, and even some cash. :)

Click on the link below! Good luck!


http://www.winthetop20.com/index.php?Plink=L1205800493673250627

Interesting Article.

I, for one, had absolutely no idea...Just thought I would share with you.

___________________________________

http://www.frommers.com/blog/2008/02/we-are-about-to-advertise-delights-of.html

We are about to advertise the delights of visiting the U.S.A. while at the same time adopting constant measures to keep foreigners out

In Washington, D.C. this past week, I heard a lot of talk about the probability that the new session of Congress will set up a public-private organization spending $200 million dollars a year to promote and market incoming travel to the United States. According to various estimates, the United States has lost as much as 20% of the foreign tourists that were visiting our country each year prior to September 11.

That decline has cost us tens of billions of dollars in economic income, nearly similar amounts in taxes, and hundreds of thousands of jobs.

And how would such advertising increase our incoming tourism? Surely, foreigners are already aware of our nation's attractions and of how cheap it is for them to enjoy a stay; the weak U.S. dollar has made us into a staggering bargain. The reason they are not coming here is not a lack of marketing but because we have made the visit into a procedural nightmare.

To visit the U.S.A., most foreign citizens must apply for a visa, in person, at a U.S. consulate in their country, undergoing an interview by a consular official and sometimes traveling hundreds of miles to the consulate. Just to apply for such an interview often takes two months and the payment of $131 per visa, to be paid whether or not the visa is issued. If it is denied, you are out the $131.

In conducting the interview, some consular officials are more concerned with heading off illegal immigration than with thwarting terrorism. In Panama two months ago, I met an educated, English-speaking woman who has a fine job in a Latin American corporation. She has never been able to obtain a visa to visit her sister in California because she fits the profile -- young, single -- of a possible illegal immigrant.

Every month, one or another department in our government erects another barrier to incoming tourism, without consulting any other department having broader responsibilities. The recent increase in the visa fee to $131 was a typical misguided decision by someone in the State Department, who should have been reducing the fee rather than raising it. Not a single terrorist will be deterred by the extra $31 added to the former $100 fee.

This month, the Department of Homeland Security has confronted millions of Canadian motorists with the need to show a birth certificate in order to drive over the U.S./Canada border to go shopping. Not a single terrorist will be thwarted from entering by this need to obtain an easily forged document -- but millions of Canadians will decide that they can put off that shopping trip.

Recently, the Department of Homeland Security has required that even those foreigners who need not obtain visas (because they are in a "visa waiver" country) must provide the Department, 72 hours in advance of arrival, with a proposed itinerary for that trip. What will be done with that itinerary has never been explained, nor has anyone suggested that we have the manpower to check on whether foreigners adhere to their itineraries. After the foreigner provides this wholly absurd piece of paper, they then must be fingerprinted -- all ten digits -- upon clearing U.S. immigration at their arrival airport. Imagine how you would feel if you faced such procedures on a trip to London or Rome.

And I could go on and on. What's needed is not additional marketing dollars, but a dynamic official in our government appointed to a prominent position and given the responsibility of representing our touristic interests with respect to the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security. We need someone constantly questioning whether these random acts of nuisance by State Department and Homeland Security bureaucrats are unnecessarily harming our economic interests while creating no tools at all for combating terrorism.

No one in our government is presently performing that role as a champion of tourism. Instead, we are about to appropriate money to encourage foreigners to visit a country that is working hard to keep them out.

What Can I Get for a Dollar?

Sadly, not much anymore.

With the decline of the greenback, American explorers are facing an ever-increasing travel price tag. So, where to go, where to go....

In the most recent issue, Conde' Nast Traveler featured a list of places where the American dollar still yields a decent vale.

The List (in order of the best exchange rates):

Costa Rica

Laos

Egypt

Cambodia

Mexico

Vietnam

Panama

Barbados

Jordan

38% of Canadians View G.W. as a Bigger Threat to World Peace Than Osama Bin Laden

I'm serious.

Read on.

(2nd part in a series I am featuring from MSN travel on the view of American travelers abroad).

____________________

How American Travelers Are Viewed Abroad: Canada

By Diane Vadino

http://travel.msn.com/Guides/article.aspx?cp-documentid=426625&page=2

Despite similarities in U.S. and Canadian culture, differing political philosophies and Canadians’ desire to assert their own national identity can lead to tension between geographical neighbors. Second in a series.

It's a gorgeous day in Toronto as Bruce Bell, one of the city's top tour guides, begins to unravel the close, complex and occasionally contentious relationship that exists between his country and its neighbor to the south—separated by what’s commonly (if erroneously) cited as the longest unguarded border in the world.

"When Bill Clinton came to Toronto a couple years ago to do his book signing, people were sleeping outside the bookstore, which was unprecedented," Bell says, as he leads a group of visitors through the city's Yorkville neighborhood, past the spectacularly refashioned entrance to the Royal Ontario Museum—the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, who is best-known in the U.S. for his work designing the master plan for the former World Trade Center site.

The neighborhood is absolutely buzzing—not just in front of the museum but along the streets and sidewalks of this busy shopping district, home to designer shops such as Gucci and Chanel and at least one small art gallery overflowing with visitors. It's exhibiting work by the Canadian musical icon Leonard Cohen, who’s in town to premiere a new collaboration with American minimalist composer Philip Glass at the city's new all-arts festival, Luminato.

As these architectural and artistic projects suggest, the relationship between the U.S. and Canada has strengthened in recent years. But it’s also been strained at times by American foreign policy and by a new U.S. law requiring both U.S. and Canadian citizens to carry a passport when traveling between the two countries. (Until next summer, this law affects only air travel, a rule that was temporarily relaxed this year after record backlogs at U.S. passport offices.) “We’re still trying to get the American government to change that and resume talks for making a special card for Canadian citizens,” says tour guide Bell. “All our lives we’d never needed a passport to cross the border. We’d always felt that America was our family, and [the new law] kind of hurt our feelings.”

While passport rules may be discouraging some cross-border travel, if there’s any single factor promoting it—at least southward—it’s the robust Canadian currency. As of Sept. 21, the Canadian dollar, known as the loonie, was on par with the American dollar for the first time since 1976—giving Americans traveling internationally yet another opportunity for recoil at the currency exchange, and Canadians a firm incentive to cross the border in search of shopping deals on American products.

The boundaries between American and Canadian tastes and identities are an ongoing point of sensitivity among Canadians. “Whenever a famous Canadian is mentioned in conversation, you’re guaranteed to hear one of the Canadians present say, ‘He's Canadian, you know!’ with pride,” says Stu Wilson, a Vancouver native now living in London. “Especially when the person is part of an industry that’s dominated by Americans, like Steve Nash winning MVP of the NBA.” (The Phoenix Suns point guard was born in South Africa, but raised in British Columbia.)

Among travelers, any confusion can be downright disdained: Witness the popularity of the Canadian backpack adorned with sewn-on maple leafs—rather stridently proclaiming the owner’s citizenship. “I used to wear a Canadian flag on my backpack until I met some Canadians that had them plastered with flags all over,” says Chris Vernon, also from British Columbia. “Now I simply state that I’m from Vancouver.” Wilson adds that he thinks the need for demarcation occasionally goes too far. “I think there's a feeling that Canadians want to distance ourselves from the Americans now more than we have in the past. It’s like Canadians want to make sure everyone knows ‘we're not American’ as the definition of who they are,” Wilson says. “I don't think that's a good thing, and in reality we’re so close to the Americans in cultural and general views that it's a bizarre place to be, when we’re so scared of being lumped in with them.”
Despite those apparent similarities, the Canadian affinity for the U.S. executive branch has dimmed a bit in recent years. (In a 2005 survey, 38% of Canadians ranked President Bush a bigger threat to world peace than Osama bin Laden.) But even the creators of that study pointed out that a significant majority of Canadians (68%) maintain an overall positive impression of Americans as individuals.

However, the countries do feature distinct political philosophies that divide Americans and Canadians ideologically. As filmmaker Michael Moore, among others, has amply pointed out, Canada maintains markedly different views from American policy on public health care, gun control and international relations. (Most notably, though Canadian troops were sent to Afghanistan, where dozens have died, Canadian participation in Iraq has been exceptionally limited.)

Dora, a Canadian attorney and mother who now lives with her American husband and children in Los Angeles, has witnessed this schism firsthand: “Very weird to me is the health-care system [in the U.S.]—all the paperwork, and the hassle of dealing with the insurance companies, and the tragedy of not having insurance,” she says. “For all its faults, the Canadian health-care system, as run by each province, is at least available to all­—and no paperwork.” But still, she defends her adopted home: “I cannot partake in much of the anti-American sentiment that floats around Quebec,” she says. “Like a mini-France, they trash-talk the Americans, but they’re all over U.S. goods in the most shameless way … Mickey Mouse or Marc Jacobs or whatever.”

Whether that tension is a variation on all-in-the-family ribbing or evidence of a more profound split may all come down to individual beliefs. But the question remains: Do Canadians and Americans maintain fundamentally different—and maybe utterly irreconcilable—worldviews?

“This is something that is discussed endlessly here,” says Sue, an Ottawa-based editor. “For Canadians, if anything, living beside the U.S. has given us a massive inferiority complex, which we express by making fun of Americans at the drop of a hat and being all smug about the fact that the rest of the world likes us better.” But that’s not the end of the story for her. “I don't really think actual Canadians think they're so different from actual Americans,” she says. “I mean, you're not all a bunch of war-mongering Bible-thumpers, right?”

Diane Vadino writes about fashion, travel and film from her base in Brooklyn, N.Y. Her debut novel, Smart Girls Like Me, was published in October.

God Bless America

Ok, so we all know it. No matter who we are as individuals, as Americans, we're viewed as the a*sholes of the world.

Yes, foreign friends, we are aware.

But, I promise--we are not all loud. We're not all rude. We're not all obnoxious. And, we're not even all rich! Truth be told, contrary to what many other cultures believe, we are not even all supporters of our fearless leader (no, I am not making a political statement--just dispelling a myth). And, shockingly, many of us do have an interest in cultures other than our own.

But, honestly, I suspect that many-an-American has earned us our fantastic reputation. In reality, it came from somewhere and I am pretty sure the entire rest of the world didn't make it up like a high school rumor.

In an effort to help my fellow American's disband our reputation (good luck to us!), I've found a great new series being featured by MSN travel that fills us in on how, exactly, we're viewed in various countries. The first step is awareness, right?

Regardless of whether or not you think you fit the stereotype of a “typical American tourist”, it really is a fascinating read. I’ll be featuring more from this series on the blog. (It came just in time—I’m in the last 3 weeks of my wedding, so I don’t have a ton of time to blog, but I definitely don’t want to leave you hanging.)

Without further ado, I present to you, the British view of Americans.

Enjoy!

P.S. If we have any non-American readers out there, I'd love to hear your take!

_____________________________

How American Travelers Are Viewed Abroad: The U.K.

By Diane Vadino

http://travel.msn.com/Guides/article.aspx?cp-documentid=388354

The Photo Featured With the Article. ;)

Which affects British perceptions more: Stereotypes of the “ugly American” or our country’s foreign policy? Or is something else at play? First in a series.



Despite the title of the smash TV hit, it may surprise you to learn that American Idol had its genesis in the U.K. But when it comes to cultures crossing boundaries, it’s America that rules the waves. So when you journey overseas, you’re bound to confront strong opinions about the U.S.—our culture, our people and our government. Like it or not, an American abroad is a living symbol of his homeland, and is occasionally held to account for it, from the top of the Eiffel Tower to the base of Ayers Rock. In this series, we’ll explore perspectives about Americans from a variety of countries around the world.



To start, here’s a classic view of the U.S. traveler in Britain: “When I think of American tourists, I think of people in front of the British Museum, yelling across large spaces to each other about how to use their digital cameras,” says Ian Hamilton, a university student in Glasgow. “Or complaining loudly in McDonald’s about how the chips taste in London versus how they taste in America.”



Fortunately, that unflattering view appears to be in the minority, at least among the British people I spoke with. When giving their opinions of American tourists, most were positive—as long as we were talking about an American, in the singular. “When abroad as individuals or couples, Americans are sociable, friendly and generous, but something seems to happen when Americans are abroad in groups,” says Geoff Smith, a British tech worker. “A group of Yanks is loud, raucous, insular and appears to have no interest in the local culture.”



Indeed, solitary travelers conjured up an entirely different reaction than a group of Americans, who were perceived as camera-wielding, Bush-supporting boors. “Universally idiotic; large Hawaiian shirts; large cameras; stupid questions,” says Ian Clifford, a software developer from Nottingham, ticking off the stereotypical qualities of a group of average American tourists. And, says Clifford, these are the more cultured members of U.S. society: “Only 10 percent of Americans have passports. What on earth have you left behind?”



Clifford’s deflated figure isn’t exactly right. According to the U.S. Department of State, more than 25 percent of American citizens have been issued passports, and that number has likely risen since new regulations require more U.S. travelers to carry them. But Clifford’s impression—and the unmistakable antipathy it suggests—haven’t developed in a vacuum. What’s made all the difference is our involvement in Iraq, the predominant political issue of the past four years.



In fact, a new MSN-Zogby poll shows that the vast majority of Americans (89 percent) believe that those in other countries view Americans based on their perception of the United States in general, while just 7 percent say that foreigners’ attitudes are based on their experiences with individual travelers. That suggests that at least according to Americans, it’s policy—rather than stereotypes of U.S. travelers—that contributes more to how they’re seen abroad. (The interactive survey of 10,642 adults nationwide was conducted March 5-7, 2007, and carries a margin of error of +/- 1.0 percentage points.)



Bush’s poodle?

Prime Minister Tony Blair’s continued support of White House policy is another factor that affects how American travelers are viewed in the U.K. Popular British endorsement of the war has dropped from roughly two-thirds in 2003 to 29 percent, according to a BBC survey conducted this March. And to many Brits, the much-vaunted “special relationship” between our two countries was brightly illuminated at last summer’s G8 Summit in Russia. In what became a notorious incident, President Bush greeted the leader of the United Kingdom with “Yo, Blair,” displaying a lack of formality—and, some said, respect—that led to Blair’s being pilloried in the British press as Bush’s “poodle.” That sort of disregard between leaders, some said, reflected an assumed American superiority—as well as a general disrespect of other cultures. "It's like the U.S. is the flash kid in school with the money and great clothes and neat stuff who gets 'wanker' muttered behind their back as they walk down the hall," says Smith. "But they either don't hear or don't care, because they have the money and great clothes and neat stuff."



Of course, not everyone in the U.K. believes that U.S. involvement in Iraq reflects arrogance in world affairs. On a recent trip to London, I changed money at a booth on busy Oxford Street. The clerk asked me where I was from, and I asked him the same. "Iraq," he said. "I'm sorry," I replied, not knowing how to respond. What do you say to someone whose country your own has invaded? "Don't worry for me," he said. "I'm a Kurd. My family is better than ever. Saddam is dead. We love George Bush!" And he pointed to a small picture of the U.S. president on his desk.



But even those who admire U.S. foreign policy can be taken aback by America’s ever-spreading commercial culture. Forget about suggesting a coffee break at Starbucks, for example. The British don’t mind chain shops but loudly prefer their homegrown alternatives, such as Caffè Nero and Costa Coffee, even if the number of Starbucks locations overwhelms both. (A 2004 poll by the Guardian newspaper found that more than half of the Britons surveyed believed American culture—coffee shops included—threatened their own.)



Such biases are likely to affect even the quiet American shopping for flowers on Columbia Road, who’ll notice subtle changes in how she’s treated by local merchants. But is there something else contributing to Britons’ impressions of American travelers? Smith gives a clue as he describes his perceptions of U.S. citizens at home and the opinions they express abroad. “All my friends who have traveled through America tell me that on their home ground the Americans are as hospitable as you could ever want,” he says. “But what is it about guns? And alien abductions? And intelligent design?” Don’t think of his questions as proof of irreconcilable differences; instead, consider them talking points for the pub.



Diane Vadino writes about fashion, travel and film from her base in San Francisco. Her debut novel, Smart Girls Like Me, will be published in September.