Will American Tourists Abroad Be Welcome or Just Tolerated? Insights from Jennifer Brooks

I had a whole row to myself during the mostly empty transatlantic flight.

Even though it was pleasant not having someone’s elbow digging into my side while flying economy, the abundance of vacant seats made me uneasy. European flights typically pack in American travelers en route abroad and Europeans returning home.

However, this happened prior to President Donald Trump threatening Europe with retaliatory tariffs, describing the European Union as being worse than China, and stating that the EU was formed solely to undermine the United States. This also occurred before Minnesota’s native Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth referred to Europeans as a group of “PATHETIC” (with emphasis added for effect) freeloaders during an unsecured Signal conversation.

I raised all the armrests beside me, extended my limbs, and pondered over the latest news stories.

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My buddies and I planned a trip to Ireland before heading to Italy—two countries where Trump had hinted at imposing 20% tariffs as shown on his large tariff outline, soon after threatening up to 200% duties on Irish whiskey and Tuscan wines. Over several months, we kept messaging each other, debating if Americans would still feel welcomed or just barely accepted during our travels.

I have journeyed from Istanbul to Xi’an, then to Cape Town and finally to Lake Titicaca. The sole other instance where I experienced this slight twinge of unease was post-9/11, during my coverage of the 2004 Olympics in Greece. At that time, we were advised not to attract notice for being Americans; avoid flying flags and anything else that might single you out as a potential target.

Then the aircraft touched down, marking the beginning of an enchanting Italian holiday. It was delightful.

While I can’t represent every person worldwide, the individuals I encountered locally were kind, hospitable, and showed absolutely no interest in discussing Donald Trump. There wasn’t any resentment towards Americans; rather, they appeared somewhat sympathetic toward our country.

You come across as pleasant,” remarked the pharmacist at the Roman drugstore where we had paused to examine the racks for a distinctive line of Italian toothpaste available in tastes such as rhubarb, anise, and jasmine. The emphasis was clearly on the “you.

During our visit to the Forum, we were taken aback when our guide highlighted areas marred by fascist influence—where countless individuals had been displaced from their homes to allow Mussolini to transform historical structures into tools for propaganda. Just one day prior, an unfortunate incident occurred where an American visitor was seriously injured after getting pierced by spikes near the Colosseum; however, this mishap did not seem to tarnish anyone’s perception of our country.

During our journey, we saw white smoke rising above the Vatican. This indicated that we had a new Pope. He was an American from the Midwest; our very first Pope named Ope.

An Italian volunteer admitted, as we idled next to him in an enormous line at the Vatican Museum, that he’d been hoping for an Italian pope this time.

“I apologize,” I said. “‘Sorry’ was one of just three phrases I could recall from Duolingo, and it turned out to be quite useful during my travels.”

“But I quite enjoy Pope Leo,” he quickly assured us. “He has a very likable face.” You come across as pleasant, Pope Leo XIV. The emphasis is on you.

As it turns out, the rest of the world doesn’t dislike America anywhere near as much as Americans tend to dislike themselves.

With my adventure concluded, I returned to the airport and began reading through all the news stories I’d been missing. Authorities detained a father at a service station, abandoning his two young children inside their vehicle unattended. Lawmakers were considering cutting healthcare benefits for low-income individuals and senior citizens so they could finance tax breaks for wealthy people instead. Meanwhile, the president was disregarding the Constitution’s emoluments clause as he got ready to receive an extravagant private airplane from Qatar as some kind of “present.” Additionally, officials left open the possibility of using military action to acquire control over Greenland.

I had a whole row to myself during the nearly empty flight back to the United States.

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