Loud Americans

During yet another trip to The Surfin Burrito in the Cancun Hotel Zone this past Saturday, I was listening in on the conversation of the 2 tables next to us. Why was I listening in, you ask? Because they were speaking so loudly I had no choice. Of course, they had to be gringos.

In Cancun, American tourists have a reputation for being loud. I’m here to tell you that this stereotype is pretty much dead on, to an extent.

When I hop on the bus to go into the Hotel Zone, it’s filled with mostly Mexicans for awhile… and the bus is silent. Once the bus leaves downtown Cancun and enters the Hotel Zone, tourists start to get on. And the volume level goes way up. I’m not gonna lie, it’s pretty amusing to see dozens of Mexicans sitting quietly in their seats on their way to work while my fellow gringos scream things like “WALMART??”, “DUDE! STEVE WAS SO WASTED LAST NIGHT!”  or “HILTON? HIL-TON? YES? SI? YOU LET ME KNOW! OK! GRACIAS!”

I even heard one guy shout aloud on the bus, asking in all seriousness where the bus stop for “COKER BONGER” was. Jorge and I assume he meant to say Coco Bongo.

What I’ve noticed after 7 years here is that most American tourists are low-key when in public, so the stereotype isn’t 100% true. However, I’ve also never seen anyone from another country act that loudly unless they’re at a party or a sporting event.

In a nutshell: Not all American tourists are loud, but all loud tourists are American.

It’s not a bad thing or an offensive thing to be loud in public. (Especially not in Cancun!) It is pretty funny to watch, though.

What kind of tourist are you?

**Edit: After posting this, I’ve been told by a few friends that it’s not just Americans. Turns out Canadians can get quite rowdy as well. 😉 Party on, Canada. Party on.

I’m In USA Today!!

Thanks to everyone for all the great comments over the weekend. After a few days, I’m feeling much calmer about everything 🙂 Let’s hope the situations blow over.

On to more important things…

A few days ago, I was quoted in USAToday!! (My friend Kelly from CancunCanuck.com was quoted as well… she’s much more articulate than I am!) Kitty Bean Yancey wrote a great article on whether or not Cancun is a safe tourist destination.

As usual, reading the comments makes me a little angry. Then again, the quotes from people who have actually BEEN to Mexico/Cancun are quite positive… even if many choose to believe the news more than the millions of people with first-hand experience.

But whatever, right? Tourism hasn’t gone down in Cancun, despite all the bad press, because most American international travelers know what’s up 🙂

Check it out:

Cancun: Is it Safe for Visitors?