'What is it with people?' 'They're the worst!' Thank you Elaine Benes and Jerry Seinfeld, I couldn't have said it better myself. I don't know if it has come across in other posts, but travelling can really make you hate tourists. There's nothing worse than going somewhere new and cool, then having a massive tour bus pull in and offload a bunch of the tour brigade who swarm over everything, climb on statues, line along view platforms and make more noise than a farmyard at feeding time. It always the worst when all the people come from the same country and I have theory why. Weird thing, every Japanese person I've met is quiet and polite(to the point of frustration). Busful of Japanese - loud, pushy and wholly inconsiderate. I haven't disliked a Brit I've met - great sense of humour and finally becoming humbled by the fact they're so crap at all their national sports. Put a big group together, they're drunk, loud, boorish and damn rude (especially to wait staff). Germans, arrogant. Aussies, loud (not me though :)), I only came across one group of French in New York, they never spoke to anyone else in the hostel (and blatantly stole food) They seem to feel travelling away from their country is a waste of time - fine by me. So my theory is when you travel with with your country mates you have a tendency to relax and not worry so much about what others are thinking - and all the negative cliches associated with your country come out. The tour group I was with in Vietnam was mixed and everyone was well behaved (Hi to anyone from 'Nam still reading - where are all the photos?). Or is it that solo travellers are more respectful and people who travel in large groups are more inclined to be ugly tourists? I'm not really sure, I didn't do psychology in Uni (wasn't up endless essays and 8 contact hours a week), but I have to admit the superior smugness feeling you get when you see ugly tourists doing their thing is pretty damn sweet.