At the risk of sounding judgmental, the biggest mistake I frequently saw travelers make is being judgmental or defensive. I especially disliked seeing other Americans saying they were from Canada. I realize we live in a politically charged climate, but that won’t change unless we are honest about who we are and how we can improve. So I recommend rather than defending yourself or country, and rather trying to prove your point, just listen and ask questions about why people think what they think. Try to understand who they are first before ever explaining who you are. In fact, to encourage people to speak I avoided mentioning my trip or under-exaggerated it so that the entire conversation didn’t result in how and why to ride a bicycle around the world.