A new study from a travel risk and crisis response group, Global Rescue, recently found that some Americans downplay their nationality when traveling.
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Researchers asked experienced international travelers to share their attitudes, behaviors, and preferences related to global travel, safety, and technology. The goal was to better understand traveler sentiment when it comes to security.
In other words, some travelers now consider their passport as part of their situational awareness, meaning they might strategically omit important information like their nationality. For some, it’s about avoiding awkward social situations—but for others, it’s about safety.
According to Dan Richards, CEO of Global Rescue, “Travelers are also considering how their nationality may affect the way they are perceived once they arrive. Political tensions, military conflicts and public sentiment can change that calculation quickly.”
Here’s what the Global Rescue Fall 2026 Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey has to say about downplaying American nationality abroad.
Americans are downplaying nationality, according to the Global Rescue Fall 2026 Traveler Sentiment & Safety Survey
The Global Rescue survey found that more travelers are avoiding revealing their nationality because of how they’ll be perceived or treated. This isn’t unique to Americans.
A whopping 44% of survey respondents admitted to concealing or de-emphasizing their nationality when traveling abroad. Of that number, 10% say they always conceal their nationality, while 34% only occasionally keep silent about their passport. Only 16% of respondents say they never conceal their nationality.
Again, the Global Rescue survey isn’t specific to Americans. The numbers listed above reflect all survey respondents. Amongst non-US respondents, only 21% say they conceal their nationality—and only 3% do so every trip compared to 10% of Americans traveling abroad. That means Americans are around 2.5 times more likely to keep mum about their nationality when traveling.
Women are slightly more likely to stay quiet about their nationality. Among American women, 50% of respondents always or sometimes conceal their nationality, compared to 41% of men.
According to Richards, Americans might be staying quiet as part of their situational awareness, which is a key tenet of staying safe when traveling abroad. It could affect their personal safety, at worst, or simply draw unwanted attention to them.
You can read through the full study on Global Rescue.