An analysis by Allianz Partners predicts that 55% more Americans will travel to Europe this summer than last year.
Insider asked luxury accommodation providers, cafe co-owners and bartenders for their thoughts on what Americans need to know when traveling on the continent, from volume control to tipping.
1. Keep tipping
In the United States, it is essential to tip staff, and this may be a sign of the recognition that hospitality industry staff rely on tips.
Many Americans have brought their tipping custom to Europe, and hospitality staff greatly appreciate the additional income. Cameron Temple, who works for the Luxury Chalet Company, a high-end accommodation provider in the Alps, said, “Their good tips for standard service and tendency to spend more than customers from other countries are positive for local communities.” “It’s having an impact,” he said.
“Americans almost always tip and are much more generous than the French,” Stephanie Telling, co-owner of We Are Keys Cafe in Normandy, France, told Insider. “If you see a note in the tip box, you can be sure that an American tourist just stopped by.”
But Benfield said she has noticed that some Americans are starting to avoid tipping after hearing that tipping is not required in Europe.
“The new trend is the lack of tipping,” Stephanie Benfield, who works at Adventura Cocktail Bar in Salema Algarve, Portugal, told Insider. “Service staff in mainland Europe are still not paid very well and rely on tips. We’ve seen American customers be very generous, but it’s common not to tip at all. The euro is always appreciated.”
2. Please be quiet
“We immediately identify Americans because they are louder than the typical French client,” Telling said.
Temple agreed that American patrons are “often noisier than the locals.”
3. Don’t make demands
According to Benfield, whether intentionally or not, Americans can come across as demanding when traveling in Europe.
The bartender said that as he juggles incoming drink orders, he is often interrupted by Americans trying to order.
It’s not entirely clear where this demand for quick service comes from, but it could be that “the friendly Portuguese style doesn’t live up to the expectations of the sophisticated bartending service they’re used to.” She suggested that there might be.
“There’s added pressure, unspoken expectations, and I feel like I can’t live up to them,” Benfield said. “It might be awkward.”
Telling also told Insider that her staff has noticed that Americans who are not served their food right away try to order at the register instead of waiting at the table.
Telling said if Americans assume they have no choice but to order in the way they’re used to, it could “impact the team in a negative way.” “In France, people are more likely to ask how the system works and follow the system that is in place,” she added.
4. Learn the basics of language
No one expects Americans to be fluent in mainland European languages, but Temple said, “Hello, please, thank you, excuse me, excuse me,” “Can I have…” and “Bill…” He said he knew basic things like, “Can I receive the money?” ” When you travel in Europe, you will go far.
Telling told Insider that she loves it when American tourists come to the cafe and don’t try to speak English, even though she speaks English fluently. “They really want to practice their French,” she says.
5. Consider how you use knives and forks, especially in high-end restaurants.
Benfield warned that American tourists may not know how to use cutlery, which is rare in Europe, and could be a shock to staff at fine dining restaurants.
According to Benfield, when cutting food at the beginning of a meal, Americans hold a fork in their left hand and a knife in their right hand, then put down the knife and switch to their right hand to use the fork, using it like a shovel to set down the food. It is said that there are many. into their mouths.
“At local restaurants, you can always tell that a customer is American by the way they cut the food first, without using a knife for the rest of the meal,” Benfield says. You’d be surprised at this in a high-end restaurant.
In Europe, knives and forks are used together during meals. The fork is in your left or non-dominant hand, the knife is in your right hand, and both utensils are facing down.
6. Go with the flow
It’s no surprise that Americans use travel books and travel websites to plan their adventures in Europe, but locals say Americans are so obsessed with “planning” that they can’t find many of the best places and experiences. I feel like I’m missing something.
“You don’t have to visit every tourist destination,” Benfield said. “Take the roads less traveled, follow the recommendations of locals, and have fun. Many American tourists seem tired from trying to cram everything in.”
“Sometimes people come to the bar, finish their drinks within minutes, and leave to complete their Rick Steves itinerary rather than just relaxing,” she told Insider.
7. Ask what’s good on the menu, not just what you know.
Benfield and Telling found that Americans gravitate toward what they know when they go out to eat or drink.
“We have a bar that has most of the ingredients and can make most drinks, but there are items on the menu for a reason,” Benfield said. He added that the outside request’ was probably not as good as the bar. drinks they offer.
Benfield said Americans often “bark what they want” before reading the menu or asking what they recommend. “Rather than trying something new, they choose what they’re familiar with,” Benfield says.
I realized the same thing about communicating. “I remember having a bad interaction with one person who saw we made all kinds of eggs and really wanted an omelet that wasn’t on the menu,” Telling said.
“He didn’t understand why we couldn’t make it for him. I think American restaurants are probably much more flexible in changing their menus to satisfy their clients.”
Rather than ordering what she knows and expecting staff to prepare what she wants, Benfield looks over the menu and asks staff and locals what she wants. I suggested asking if they would recommend it.
8. Punctuality
Staff at ski resorts around the Temple of the Alps work with consistent feedback that Americans are late for ski lessons.
“They arrive with a legitimate presence,” Temple recalled one of the staff members telling her. They gave the example of a group of Americans who showed up 30 minutes late for a private lesson in hopes of skipping the gondola line.
“They need to arrive on time or book a later time slot,” Temple said. “Don’t expect to get in line right away just because you book a lesson. After all, we’re all paying for lift tickets.”
9. Keep the fun story going
One of the things that hospitality workers and locals like about Americans is their kindness.
“They’re always willing to talk to you and chat with you,” Benfield said. “Most are very accommodating and will be happy to help you when you visit the United States.”
