As Franck Verhaeghe and two friends were planning a marching trip to Mexico City, they plotted French as well as museums where they would stay and which museums to visit, as well as French. “It's not that I don't think it's safe for Americans,” said Werhague, 65, who lives in California, but “I can imagine someone who isn't very happy with us.
Two months after the second term, President Trump panicked in Europe over the potential collapse of the alliance. A boycott inspired by Canadian American products. Tensions between Denmark and Greenland over the island's independence. He also urged protests in Istanbul and Panama on the possibility of US territorial expansion.
His proposal also forces some Americans to rethink their travel plans.
Operational adjustment
Since taking office, some agencies have noticed a decline in sales of international travel by Americans. Tour operators are keeping enquiries from customers who are concerned about how they will receive it overseas. Risk management company Global Rescue recently conducted a survey that found that 72% of “experienced” US travelers hope to see less welcome abroad this year.
The tension doesn't seem to translate into widespread cancellations, but social media and travel forums are full of Americans asking for variations of “Do they hate us?”
Christine Bauer, a New Hampshire retired who is planning a trip to France, asked travelers at Rick Steves' European Forum for insight into how French people are responding to changes in American foreign policy. A few days later, “Trump and Musk began to humiliate NATO and their allies,” she became even more concerned. She and her husband have not made any changes “for now,” but “hopefully travel is less safe.”
Vicci Jaffe, 68, is rethinking about his excursion to Berlin this fall. Her concerns stem from not only the rise of the far right in Germany, but also from the political changes at home. “How would I be considered while in Berlin?” she asked. “At least, I'm not only embarrassed, but I'm also afraid of retaliation and violence.”
Some people, including Verhaeghe, who travels to Mexico using a second European passport, are coordinating their behavior. Chicago educator Cheryl Carlson, 63, will be revealing her nationality in advance to her and her husband's accommodation owner during her trip to Canada. Peter Serkian, 60, travels to Canada twice a month from Farmington Hills, Michigan, pays in Canadian dollars rather than US dollars. “I'm trying to hide that I'm an American,” he said.
I'm scared
These measures are preventative. The interviewees in this article did not experience any actual anti-American sentiment. But tension is at the expense of it. Cameron Hewitt, European content and editor-in-chief of Rick Steves, saw the dip in the sale of the guidebook and “literally start the inauguration day,” he said.
Lisa Worth, owner of Atakito, which offers tours to Oaxaca, Mexico, said she feels that some of the prospective guests are scared. “We have decided to cancel our weekly tour in February due to travel partners who had planned their trip due to concerns about Mexico's safety, and the anxiety around the current administration and surroundings have paused travel decisions in the short term. Others have postponed it due to “concerns about inflation and unemployment.”
Jack Ezon, founder of Embark Beyond, a luxury travel agency based in New York, has cancelled a trip to Mexico with his client. “They were on birthday party trips and booking the entire hotel,” he said. “But this was just after the entire tariffs and their security team said, “Don't go, there's anti-American sentiment, that would be too dangerous.” ”
The fear has not been butted by the experience of other clients, Eson said, adding that reservations to Mexico have been rebounded. And sales to Europe are booming. “Since Covid, recovery from the crisis has been much faster,” he said.
It is difficult to identify the cause of travelers' anxiety. Jeffroy, executive vice president of tour company Colette, said the plane crash, tariffs and stock market instability were contributing. “We're a little behind the last four or five weeks from what we were producing at this point,” Roy said. “It's swirling right now, but it's really hard to know exactly what's causing the change.”
What Roy describes as “mild fear” is more of a nervous call than a cancellation. And he isn't too worried this year as many reservations are made far ahead of time. If uncertainty continues, he says, “I don't know about 2026.”
Unexpected interest
Since Trump took office, several destinations have raised interest. He said he wanted to “buy” Greenland, one of the 52 locations in the New York Times in 2025, said the Greenland Tourism Bureau was looking at evidence of “a fascinating curiosity about destinations.”
New attention had a similar impact on Panama. Panama says it hopes Trump will get back to the US. Carlos Ivan Espinosa, owner of Panama Canal Tour, said his company has experienced a significant increase in bookings by US tourists. “President Trump's declaration” “awakens curiosity,” he said.
That's not to say there was no protest against American rhetoric, especially in Canada. In Canada, citizens opposed Trump's tariffs and opposed his expressed desire to turn the country into a “51st state.”
But these protests aren't directed at American individuals, said Donna Salter, a retired Vancouver journalist. She, like many Canadians, vows to travel to the United States during this administration, but she welcomes Americans. “We love Americans, and we especially love American dollars now,” Salter said.
Not all foreigners are receptive. A user in one Scotland said they are not welcomed by “Maga Tourists,” and farmers on Bornholm, Denmark's island of Bornholm have ended an agreement with a US travel agency that they will receive tourists from their homes for coffee and chat. “If I had to discuss democracy with such government representatives, I would be ridiculous,” farmer Knud Andersen told Danish broadcaster Dr.
On a trip to Italy, California's Rebecca Andersons and her family had taxi drivers who began criticism of American politics with Ronald Reagan, and ended with Trump. “I'm too young to vote for Reagan, and in fact I'm a Californian who voted for Harris,” Anderson told him. Apparently they found themselves singing “volare” with the driver later.
Other Americans employ tactics designed to distract criticism, such as answering the question “Where did you come from?” By the name of the state. Suluk Nichols, California, ordered a button from Etsy that read, “I didn't vote for him.” She plans to wear them on her trip to Europe.
Tactics may not be necessary. Mariana Hamman, who owns a tour agency in Mexico, said none of her colleagues reported encountering anti-American sentiment. “Sometimes you can see the graffiti of 'Gringo', go home,'” she said. “But it's not about politics, it's about lingering.”
When California's David Rojas Crane recently traveled to Mexico, he was hoping for his hopes that “seeing anti-Americans” never happened. “What I learned was that people distinguish between American people and the American government.”
According to Rick Steves' Europe's Hewitt, the fear that other countries equate politicians with their actions is a distinctive American unrest and emerged during the Gulf War. “Looking at history, most European countries have experiences with rulers that they are not particularly proud of, especially in retrospect.”
Bo Albertus, the principal of the Danish 57-year-old school, agrees. He manages a Danish Facebook group (Strength of 89,000) dedicated to boycotting American products. But American citizens are welcome in his country, Albert said. “The Danish people don't have problems with Americans. We have problems with the American administration,” he added, even tourists wearing Magazine hats will be treated well. “Because Denmark has freedom of speech.”
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