'But why, oh why, do the wrong people travel, when the right people stay at home?" -- Noel Coward

The 'Not-So' Quiet American....
I once met a man that said, "I have no desire to travel. I read National Geographic and I learn all I need to know."
Yikes! I really hope he does not travel with that state of mind. I think he would be the kind of traveler that would not be a good ambassador for America.
Unfortunately, I have seen way too many travelers that needed to stay at home.
When I was 18 I spent a semester of college in the UK. There were 25 of us that went from the same college. That semester was the best education I had in my 18 years.
Unfortunately there were many other young Americans that were not so happy. I am not sure why they did not like England. Most of us were in love with the country. We found the people lovely and the country absolutely gorgeous. But there were about 5 that hated it. They did not like the food, the accommodations, the people...they just wanted to go home. If I could have afforded their ticket home,I would have helped with their early departure.
In one specific ugly incident, several of us had gone to the Tower of London. Close to the Tower is a group of shops and restaurants. We had gone to a little restaurant that advertised "All-American" Hamburgers. I was curious as to what it would be, but the vocal unhappy young man in our group wanted...well McDonald's I guess? When the hamburger he received was not "American" enough...he let everyone know it. He was downright rude. He told the waitress to take it back and make a proper hamburger. He ranted on about how they advertised falsely about it being a true American hamburger. He continued on for a good 5 minutes. I was only 18 and and wished I had been a little more gutsy. I wish I had defended the waitress more. As it turns out, she was really good at defending herself. She let him have it right back. What I thought was admirable is that she did not attack his nationality. She just told him how rude he was and invited him to eat elsewhere.
He still demanded the burger they promised and he demanded at that point that he be treated like an "American." She refused to serve him...the manager came out and asked him to leave.
The rest of us were invited to stay. After the place calmed down, we apologized for his behavior. We assured the waitress and the manager that we were more the average Americans than he was.
At the end of our summer stay, this young man vowed that he was never leaving America again. I hope he stayed true to that vow.
It was a wonderful lesson for me. Since this was my first time overseas, I learned what to do for all of my future travels. Instead of ducking my head and apologizing for my 'nationality.' I learned how to show the world how wonderful Americans truly are. It is my mission when I travel to erase any memory of any 'ugly' Americans that have come before me.