To hate being recognised as a Brit when I'm abroad before I've even spoken?

[Hammy02]

I'm not ashamed to be British but I'm aware of how the typical Brit is often perceived by Europeans (boozers, overweight & un-chic) so I ain't a happy bunny when I'm spotted immediately. I am not overweight, nor a heavy drinker and dress well so what is it that makes me stand out as a Brit abroad?

I've lived in Australia for many years but can still instantly spot the English tourists - the mum has a T-shirt with a shiny metallic pattern on the front, nicely tucked in to bright green shorts, hubby has a short sleeved polyester shirt with collar also nicely tucked in to awful hiking style shorts. The poor children in their "holiday" T-shirts and shorts always have socks and trainers/sandals on even if it's 38C. They are all carrying brightly coloured back-packs and have streaks of bright red sunburn where they've missed with the factor 30+.

I love them and always strike up conversations and ask them if their feet are sweating. They think I'm a tourist too until I tell them I've been here since 1980 :) What North East accent??

For some reason everyone think DH and I are Canadian. On our honeymoon everyone kept asking if we were Canadian and when we said we were British noone believed us because we were "too polite".

I've had it start happening over here too. One of the staff in our local corner shop asked if I was Canadian the other week. Nope. Born and raised within 5 miles of where I live now!

The secret?

Someone once told my dad how they spot people so easily, he was spotted as being australian every time

apparently its the shoes

YANBU.

I'm from Northern Ireland. When I'm overseas people think I'm English when they first look at me - I have dark hair, pale skin and blue eyes.

When I speak they look at me like and ask when I'm from.

When I tell them they ask, "Where is Northern Ireland, is that in Ireland or near London?"

Is hard to explain that actually NI is a country in its own right, and it is a boat or plane journey to anywhere near London!

Slightly off topic, but dd is ALWAYS thrilled when we go to London as we are constantly stopped and asked for directions. "we must look like real Londoners!"

I did used to live there, but I keep my A-Z in my handbag :D

In Europe, the lack of stonewashed jeans and strappy sparkle wedges usually gives it away.

In America, its easy to spot them. The men are usually wearing shorts and trainers. And are less triangular than Americans. And the teeth are often a giveaway.

I am the opposite, I always get people speaking to me in a foreign language thinking that I come from their country . It happened all the time when I lived in Turkey and even when I went to Portugal this year.

In the US we were asked if we were Australian, and once if we were from Kentucky (WTF?)

In Holland we were mistaken for Germans several times.

Everywhere we go, people ask us for directions (in various languages). We must just look like generic "locals".

Limited oh gosh yes! There is a good number of Italians that gets unleashed abroad every year: they tend to be loud, jump queues, to not speak the language and be generally quite annoying.
And then there are the lovely ones, like me...

Oh dear, I do apologize for my terrible english in the last spot (typical Italian )

Well I could spot us abroad too. Sunburn on pasty skin and a shit summer wardrobe.

you can always find the brits in the wine section of our local hypermarket!!

I'm Italian and whenever I go to a touristy place at home people think I am German. In England people tend to guess I'm not English but don't usually guess Italy.

I'm lightly tanned with sort of mousy but very very big curly hair, and a very middle-Europe sort of face.

I do think English people have very distinctive 'English' faces.

begoneyabampot. I flew to Dalaman from Gatwick this summer too. Behind us on the plane were three of the most foul mouthed vile common disgusting people I have even come accross. They were young, good looking types. (Perhaps a bit Essex?) Nice clothes etc. But the Behaviour!!! Swore very loudly the whole way even though there were kids in front and behind. Cabin crew asked them to keep the noise down a few times. They had brought their own booze onto the place which the cabin crew took off them and earned themselves a foul mouthed tirade for their trouble. I guess they were drunk before they even got on the plane

I hated to think if the impression of the average Brit that they were going to give in Turkey. Ought to have had their passports removed and been sent home. Grrr

I went away to Amsterdam at the weekend to meet some friends of all different nationalities.

They said they spotted me before they even heard me speak or saw me move, because i just 'look' english.

I have no idea why.

I do think English people have very distinctive 'English' faces

Also baldness - English men seem to be bald/thinning far more than other Europeans do, except maybe Scandinavians (genetic links I guess)

I do see many European men with dyed hair; but I was at a reception last night and loads were balding and they were from all the NATO nations. The Brits were the least bald actually.

luggage type. Porters often guess we are German.

Apparently hardshell cases are favoured by Germans.

Thebreadstick, "I often get asked if I'm from Scotland when abroad, not sure why ... I don't even have ginger hair!"
Call the cliche cops!

its the pink skin and back fat , and mid length linen pants

and its the faces, I can aways spot an english face

that said, people think I am german

mioooow

begonyabampot Ah so its just Northerners who let us Brits down abroad

Whilst in the US I have been mistaken for Australian, in Thailand, French and DH has been mistaken for Spanish, Italian and Mexican!

I can spot the English a mile away - I don't know what it is, but there's just something, much like I can spot other South Africans and now have developed the talent for French spotting.

Nobody has a freaking clue where I'm from though, and in Russia I kept on being asked directions, so maybe I have found my looky-likey home. DP is just assumed to be from anywhere in the Mediterranean and got lots of dirty looks in Greece when people would talk to him (expecting him to be greek and understand) and he'd ignore them.

HappyHome - can only speak from personal experience here and the majority of the those I saw flying to Doncaster looked like guests from Jeremy Kyle - flying Easy Jet (whisper). Our flight on the contrary was rather refined in comparison - but we were flying Monarch to the south.

I think I must nationality blind, I just can't see what others do. As you may be aware, I live in the middle of nowhere in Sweden, where the most exotic visitor is considered to be someone from 2 villages over. And yet I've had complete strangers ask me a couple of times where abouts in Ireland I come from. It freaks me out a bit because I'm home counties English but my parents are Irish. How did they know?

I confess that I do wind them up a bit by telling them I'm from Wales. It's very funny, bless them, they just can't grasp the concept of Wales. :o