Rick Steves' Protégé Reveals One Common American Tourist Habit Europeans Find Odd

Loud voices, big tips, and graphic tees: Europeans have plenty of stereotypes about Americans abroad. But in general, most people in Europe see American tourists as friendly and curious, with customs that are slightly odd but rarely annoying. One habit that falls into this bemusing but harmless category is drinking a ton of water, according to Rick Steves' protégé, Cameron Hewitt. In a blog post on Steves' website, Hewitt writes, "among our many other foibles, Europeans perceive Americans as being bizarrely obsessed with (over-) hydrating."

He explains that in many parts of Europe, "requesting — and expecting — big glasses of tap water in restaurants" is seen as a distinctly American move. It's true that across much of the continent, free tap water isn't widely available, and you won't automatically be served pint-sized glasses of H20 sloshing with tons of ice. (Don't get us started on ice; the American devotion to ice water is another quirk Europeans don't quite get.) And while Americans tend to think nothing of toting a giant Hydro Flask around, in Europe, that kind of bottle is mostly reserved for the gym. But do Europeans really just exist on beer, wine, and itsy-bitsy glasses of sparkling water?

It turns out that the (over-)hydrating stereotype has some data behind it: Americans do seem to drink more water than Europeans. According to CivicScience research reported in Newsweek, U.S. adults consume around 70% more water than their European counterparts (57.5 ounces per day versus 33.8). This difference shows up in travel anecdotes, too. Americans of Reddit often take to the r/Europetravel forum to complain about feeling dehydrated abroad because of the lack of freely available drinking water.

But unlike tourists overdoing it on alcohol in Europe, drinking a lot of water isn't going to land you in much trouble beyond the occasional frantic search for a bathroom. (The lack of free public restrooms in Europe is another common American complaint.) Staying well-hydrated isn't the kind of bad habit that would make you what Rick Steves famously calls an "ugly tourist." If anything, especially when traveling in the heat of summer, guzzling a ton of water is one American quirk worth keeping. A little extra hydration never hurt anyone.