Despite the age-old adage: ‘Mind your Ps and Qs!’, sadly, in today’s society, you’re more than likely to happen upon people for whom etiquette is a thing of the past, and politeness has gone out of the window.And that’s certainly the case when you’re out and about travelling. Tourists are often criticised for ruining popular holiday destinations and crowding beautiful cities, but not all foreign visitors are as complained-about as others.While Americans can be demanding, the French snobbish and Germans rather regimented, us Brits have plenty of equally significant cultural personality traits that make us perhaps not the most pleasant to be around. Here’s our guide to spotting the rudest tourists abroad – so you know who to avoid altogether!Annoying Americans American tourists are consistently considered among the most irritating by other nationalities travelling abroadAthleisure? Donned. Starbucks order? With extra cream and syrup. Volume of speech? Right up to the max. If these criteria apply, you’re probably looking at an American abroad. And they’re far from the favourite tourists.What some might consider forward and enthusiastic, others find just plain rude. ‘Americans take the cake for me,’ one South African hospitality worker anonymously told the Daily Mail.’It’s because they’re a special kind of rude. Honestly, it’s very often an ignorant rude. Not all the time, but I find the Americans do it more than anybody else.’Bothersome Britons English louts: Britons – especially those on alcohol-heavy breaks – can be some of the most poorly behaved touristsTrigger warning: This one might apply to you…’Another tourist group that commonly disregards socially acceptable behaviour is Britons, particularly in beach destinations where drinking is involved,’ says Alex Andreichuk, CEO of Altezza Travel, a mountaineering and safari tour operator. Join the discussionWhich tourist behaviors have you found most shocking or offensive when traveling abroad?What’s your view?’This is something that is very noticeable in parts of Europe, but we see it here in Africa as well, especially around beach resorts and coastal areas, where excessive drinking often leads to very loud and disrespectful behaviour.’He’s not alone in thinking the drinking culture among Britons makes them the worst tourists. One Reddit user said: ‘Ha! I live in Budapest and the worst groups by far are the British stag and hen parties. ‘So much so that some bars have a “no stag parties” sign at the door. Drunk, obnoxious and shirtless sums it up.’It doesn’t apply universally though – one traveller said: ‘Groups of British tourists going to cheap places to party in Europe are not the same as British tourists I meet in Canada, who are generally very lovely and respectful.’ French fiends Ooh la la! French tourists can be demanding and seemingly rude They might be reputed to be classy wine-drinkers, but the French are renowned for getting under people’s skin while travelling.’If you force me to pick one nationality that can sometimes come across as rude, I’d probably have to say… the French. I’m French myself, so I think I’m allowed to say that,’ Vincent Brunet told the Daily Mail.He has been working in tourism in Las Vegas for years, and now runs Gun Blast Vegas, an outdoor shooting experience for visitors. Vincent added: ‘French travellers can be demanding. You can deliver exactly what was promised, they can have a great time, tell you they loved it – and somehow there can still be this feeling of, “Yes, but what else?” I’ve even seen it in reviews. ‘Someone can leave really happy, say everything was great, and then give four stars because, in their mind, five stars means you had to go beyond what was originally included.’He concedes: ‘But after years of dealing with people from all over the world, I’ve also learned that “rude” is often the wrong word. Some cultures are more direct.’Some people negotiate more. Some keep asking the same question in slightly different ways. Others stay very much within their own family or group and don’t really interact with the guide or the other guests. ‘At first, depending on your own culture, that can feel rude. Most of the time, it isn’t. It’s just different.’But unfortunately, he’s not alone in pointing the finger at les Francais. ‘Used to work at one of the big museums and word would always go out on the radios when a French school group was in,’ one former museum staff member wrote online. ‘They were known for spitting over balconies, stealing from the gift shop.’Ger-manners Direct or just disrespectful? Germans are the next victim on the list’German tourists have always seen and experienced everything better than where they are currently visiting, and they’ll make sure they tell you about it,’ one social media comment said. With a reputation for timeliness, order and planning, they aren’t the worst by any means – but their directness can sometimes be misconstrued.One Reddit post said: ‘Beige vest and socks-in-sandals-wearing pensioners pouring out of buses and swarming landmarks all over Europe and Northern Africa? Very much true.’Expecting five-star service at two-star prices and being passive aggressive about it. Also true for a large part of German tourists.’The same clientele also travels to places with amazing cuisine just to eat nothing but fries and schnitzel for two weeks.’The discourteous Dutch Bad manners: One hospitality worker said the Dutch were the worst tourists she’d metThis next one might surprise you…’I remember that the worst tourists that we had were Dutch,’ one anonymous hospitality worker based in France said.’I was always joking with my colleagues that whenever we saw a hot, super tall, blonde couple, speaking in a language we didn’t understand, and coming with kids, we would know they were Dutch.’The kids were always super rude. They were always touching everything in the gift shop, turning everything inside out, making such a mess. They’d remove the plastic covers of the flutes we sold in the shop to test them out – it was disgusting.’We were so surprised, because we weren’t expecting Dutch people to be so rude.’Aloof Australians G’day mate: Australian tourists are also often criticised for their behaviour while travellingLaid-back to some and insufferable to others, Australian tourists divide opinion.’I’ve spent about three years in total backpacking and travelling EU over the past decade, working in all kinds of roles and jobs,’ one Reddit user wrote. ‘One time I got a job working at a hostel in Vilnius. ‘I was hired purely as someone to get drunk people out of the hostel and to the bars, and the only folk I really had trouble with were Australians.’I’ve seen an Australian girl punch a bloke square in the face, and then he hit her back ten times harder. Not sure what it was over but I had to kick them out… and on and on. I’ve got dozens of war stories of violent drunk Australians.’Australian backpackers do have a bad reputation based on the very minor few that ruin it for the rest.’… and what about busloads of Chinese tourists? Arriving en masse: Large tour groups from China have also been criticisedChinese tourists arriving in huge tour groups are also among the most complained-about groups.Alex of Altezza Travel added: ‘I’m not going to bash Chinese tourists as an entire group, but internationally, I’ve noticed that they’re commonly among the worst, especially when travelling in groups. ‘They tend to disregard local customs and rules, regardless of whether they are official government regulations or local guidelines. They’ll cross barriers at museums, cut queues, and smoke in areas where it’s not allowed. ‘In national parks, they’re not shy about playing loud music, scaring away animals and completely disregarding the peace and quiet of others. ‘And worst of all, they can be rude towards others. I can’t even count how many times I’ve seen children behave in unimaginable ways towards others while their mothers simply looked on.’