# How to Pass as a Canadian While Traveling > A Canadian journalist shares tips on how travelers can pass as Canadians to score better service abroad. Find out whether these tricks actually work. - URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/yak-prykynutysia-kanadtsem-pid-chas-podorozhi/ - Language: en - Published: 2024-11-30 - Categories: Travel, Culture, Historic Sites, Leisure, Tours, Canada --- In the summer of 1999, like thousands of other Canadian twenty-somethings, I set off to backpack across Europe after finishing college. Riding the train from Munich to Amsterdam, I spotted another solo traveler sitting across from me. Just like mine, her backpack had a big Canadian flag sewn onto it. "Where in Canada are you from?" I asked, thrilled at the chance to share the long ride with a fellow countrywoman. But something felt off. She started fidgeting and wouldn't meet my eyes. "Um, Toronto," she said. After a bit of gentle interrogation, she came clean. She was actually from Minnesota, close enough to our northern neighbor that her accent didn't immediately raise suspicion, but far enough away culturally that her attempt at deception was doomed to wither under the smothering-polite questioning of a curious Canadian. Her confession was understandable. Eight hours is a long time to try to convince a Canadian that you're one of them. Are the ugly Americans a thing of the past? Back in 1999, my American seatmate's attempt at deception was somewhat forgivable. The U.S. military was deeply involved in Kosovo, and Americans weren't exactly welcome in many international circles. But do today's Americans still feel the need to borrow the Canadian flag when they travel abroad? I wouldn't have thought so. After all, these days it's the Chinese who get called the "new ugly Americans." Even so, according to the Canadian flight-booking site FlightNetwork.com, playing Canadian by wearing the celebrated red maple leaf still earns Americans better service abroad, provided they can also play the part. In honor of Canada Day on July 1 (remember that date if you have any hope of fooling someone), the Ontario-based site brought in a body-language expert to offer some tongue-in-cheek advice on how Americans and Brits might try to fake their Canadian-ness. "Using distinctly Canadian symbols, body language and facial expressions is a time-tested way to improve your travel experience abroad," says Allison Eberle, vice president of operations at FlightNetwork.com. "It's no surprise that travelers from other countries do everything they can to look Canadian." ![](/storage/image/prev/august-article-image-66-1-2024.jpg) The site enlisted body-language expert and author Mark Bowden of TruthPlane Inc. to demonstrate the "fake Canadian tells that instantly give away a 'flag thief,' whether they're American, English or anyone else." Here are a few of the tips he lays out. - The Maple Apology: A Canadian gesture that signals deference by raising the shoulders in an apologetic motion, presenting yourself as non-threatening. - The Canadian Crinkle: Showing the wrinkles around your eyes when you smile, a sign of genuine friendliness. - The Hat Tip: A slight tilt of the head while smiling, conveying politeness and warmth. Alternatively, the absence of these gestures can help you spot a fake Canadian. - Stars and Gripes Forever: A jutting chin and a blank face (or worse, a scowl) leads the person on the receiving end to assume something is wrong before the traveler even speaks. - American Psycho: A well-meaning but misplaced gesture in which the hands are held out, palms down, over other people's heads in an attempt to calm the situation, a move that usually has the effect of escalating tension instead. - The Polka-Loon: An overly friendly head tilt done in a way that suggests you might be in need of some pharmaceutical assistance. These are all clever pointers, but body language and Canadian flags alone aren't enough to fool anyone. If you really want to convince people you're Canadian, here are two more tips to add to your arsenal. Apologize. For everything. "Is it true what they say? If a Canadian apologizes three times, does the maple fairy bring you a hockey puck autographed by Rick Moranis?" My American friend recently asked me this after I emailed him apologizing several times for not being able to make it to a lunch we'd planned. Joke all you want, but we take pride in our reputation for extraordinary politeness. When two Canadians accidentally bump into each other, a strange ritual often unfolds. No matter who's at fault, both parties will apologize. Repeatedly. It's a reflex. If you stick out your foot and trip me, I'll say "sorry" to you. After all, I might have hurt your leg. "Did you know he's Canadian?" When a celebrity hails from the Great White North, no Canadian can resist pointing it out to any non-Canadians within earshot. When Pamela Anderson, Paul Anka, Jim Carrey, Leonard Cohen, Keanu Reeves, Ryan Gosling, Ryan Reynolds, William Shatner, Linda Evangelista or Dan Aykroyd come up in conversation, you'll see us start to fidget and get visibly excited until we get the chance to blurt out, "Did you know he/she is from Canada!?" Study this list of famous Canadians before you hit the road. Proudly announce their nationality to anyone who'll listen whenever they show up on TV or their music comes on. You'll fit right in. The only exception is when the conversation turns to Justin Bieber or Celine Dion. You Americans are welcome to claim them as your own if you like. We won't object. Happy Canada Day! Carla Cripps is a Canadian digital producer based in Bangkok. Most people assume she's American until she says the word "about."