Survey: Americans think they are world’s worst tourists

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tired of the “ugly American” stereotype of U.S. travelers abroad? A new LivingSocial survey conducted among more than 5,600 respondents in five countries discovered that Americans ourselves believe we are the world’s worst tourists. The survey found that Americans, Canadians and Australians all gave U.S. tourists that dubious distinction, while the Irish identified their British neighbors as the worst, and the British called out the Germans for bad travel behavior.

Despite these self-doubts, respondents dismissed another common misperception: that most Americans have never traveled abroad. The survey found that 78 percent of Americans have visited at least one foreign country, 61 percent have visited multiple countries, and 36 percent have traveled to four or more foreign destinations. The average number of countries visited was more than four.

“Our survey puts the old wives’ tale to bed that only 15 percent of Americans own passports,” said Dave Madden, GM of LivingSocial Escapes, North America. “Americans turn out to be pretty active globetrotters, with the average person having visited at least four countries. Unfortunately, Americans have pretty low opinions of themselves as travelers, so it’s time to turn on that Yankee charm and improve our global image.”

Among other findings of the survey:

Sticky Fingers

Four in ten U.S. travelers (39%) admit to having stolen something from a hotel during a visit. The most common items pilfered were towels (28%), bathrobes (8%), batteries (5%), pillows (4%), remote controls (3%), sheets (3%), bibles (3%), and umbrellas (3%).

Staycation Nation

Two-thirds of employed respondents (65%) said they had taken at least one “staycation” in 2011 by using vacation time to relax at home.

All Work and No Play Makes Jack an American

Americans reported far fewer vacation days from work last year –16 days off — than their peers in Australia (27 days), Canada (21), Ireland (28), and the UK (23). Of those days off, Americans spent 10 days traveling outside of their home city and just under four outside the U.S.

Tough to Cut the Cord

Two-thirds of respondents (66 percent) say they check their e-mail or cell phone while on vacation.

Vacation Horror Stories

Percent of Americans who have experienced the following on vacation:

Airline lost luggage 21%
Hit by a weather disaster 21%
Got extremely lost 19%
Overcharged by a salesperson 16%
Missed a flight or connecting transportation 16%
Had an injury, severe illness or medical emergency 11%
Ran out of cash or couldn’t access money 8%
7%
Blacked out or had a hangover from too much booze
Couldn’t find a bathroom in time 7%
Got pickpocketed or robbed 5%
Got bitten by bedbugs 5%
Experienced local strikes or civil unrest 5%
Forgot or lost passport/ID 5%
Victim of a scam 3%
Got arrested or had a run-in with the law 3%
Broke up with a significant other 4%
World’s Worst Tourists

Americans say the country with the worst tourists is:

United States 20%
China 15%
France 14%
Japan 12%
Russia 11%
Korea 9%
India 9%
Germany 8%
Spain 7%
Britain 5%
Canada 5%
Italy 4%
The Netherlands 3%
Ireland 2%
Switzerland 2%
Australia 2%

Top Ten Dream Destinations
When given their choice of dozens of world wonders to visit,
Americans picked their top ten dream destinations as:

1. Great Barrier Reef, Australia
2. Eiffel Tower, France
3. Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
4. The Colosseum, Italy
5. Disney World, Florida, USA
6. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
7. Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA
8. Buckingham Palace, London, UK
9. Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy
10. Great Wall of China, China

Celebrity Travel Companion
Of the nation’s most followed Twitter users, Americans would most prefer to travel with:

1. Ellen DeGeneres
2. Oprah Winfrey
3. Taylor Swift
4. Leonardo DiCaprio
5. Katy Perry