First Step to a Great Airplane View: Get a Window Seat

Dead Sea Scrolls Go Digital

The Ethics of Nicholas Kristof’s Travels

The Art of Noticing: ‘People Don’t Notice That Noticing is Important!’

A Tourist With a Shovel and a Hoe

When she arrived in Kenya to volunteer with the Maasai, Daniela Petrova looked down her nose at tourists there to have a good time. But was her own motivation much different?

How Should I Spend My Time in Spain?

Vagabonding traveler Rolf Potts answers your questions about travel

Paul Theroux: Invisible Man on a Ghost Train

Jim Benning asks the author of “Ghost Train to the Eastern Star” about his new book, aging and the challenge of disappearing in the age of the BlackBerry

Eat Ceviche in Lima

Grab a Cusqueña and get comfortable. As Nicholas Gill explains, a trip to a Peruvian cevichería can be an all-day immersion in good conversation and raw seafood.

Unsentimental Journeys: Wrestling With Paul Theroux

Bronwen Dickey considers “Ghost Train to the Eastern Star: 28,000 Miles in Search of the Great Railway Bazaar”

My Travels, My Feet

After taking one too many headless torso shots of herself, solo traveler Sophia Dembling started snapping photos of her feet around the world, from the Grand Canyon to Red Square

Seven Reasons to Have a Foreign Fling

Sure, having an overseas romance is fun. But Terry Ward points out seven other benefits to cross-border love, mon petit chou.

About That Canadian Flag on my Backpack

Are you Canadian?  I take it you are because you are quoting Canadian rockers that I’ve never heard of.  Anyhow, the fact that you are Canadian should make this whole thing somewhat less embarrassing than if you were a non-Canadian traveling under the Maple Leaf. 

I appreciate the confession - very brave. But I’m not buying it.

For some reason your dilemma reminds me of 30-year old mothers with lower back tattoos, although, in a somewhat less permanent way.  But if tattoos can be removed, I’m guessing that your Maple Leaf can be removed, too. 

I suspect that deep down you are proud of your flag and while you publicly curse it, you privately love it.

You might need therapy.

When we start looking to rock stars--especially Canadian ones--for our political and moral compass, we’ve truly found the path to Armageddon. No offense, <A HREF=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serj_Tankian>Serj Tankian</A> (System of a Down).

I think the only thing worse than that was the American trend that many of my brethren followed: not putting an American flag on their bag out of “fear”. When I first went to Europe, everyone said I should call myself Canadian if anyone asked about my nationality. Apparently, Europeans were randomly beating/killing/mugging American backpackers because of their President. Can’t say I blame them.

I say, wear that Maple Leaf proudly! If for no other reason, than in blatant defiance of travel-fear mongers.

Where’s Canada again?

Who care’s what Samual Johnson thinks?  Think for yourself.  If you are a proud Canadian wear your flag.  I think its friendly to do so because its a conversation starter, and can impart comaraderie.  In the U.S. its considered disrepsectful to wear the flag as clothing, but I’m not sure it that includes placing it on backpacks.

Kelsey - you’re onto me. I do love my flag, but I’ve always been a sucker for peer pressure. I remember being taught lots of “say no and still be cool” strategies for resistance in junior high ("the only thing I smoke is bacon!") but none of them dealt with hostel bullying.

Olivebeard - I always thought the whole Americans-posing-as-Canadians-in-Europe thing was made up by Canadians, as fodder for our feelings of (polite) smugness and (modest) superiority. Do people really do that?

I constantly lie about being an American to people that don’t need to know what my nationality is—specifically, taxi drivers, hotel owners, and generally anyone I’m buying a good or service from. To say this, says “he’s got money”, even when I don’t.

Instead, I’m often Argentine or Costa Rican, or anything else I want to be—because in the long run, who cares. It’s all good fun, and makes my life more stress free because they think I’m traveling from one Second World country into another, or because it’s a country they’ve never heard of, and have a harder time stereotyping me because of it.

We (2 yanks from the Washington, DC area) went to Jordan and Syria less than a month after 9/11.  I considered identifying ourselves as Canadian; then I thought, “What would I say if someone challenged me with ‘Oh yeah?  What’s the capital of Saskatchewan’?”

Turned out to be a moot issue.  Everyone we met was gracious and sympathetic.

An example of Banal Nationalism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banal_Nationalism

Hey Craig, I had forgotten this until you mentioned it, but in India we used to say we were from Moldova - because it left the touts at a complete loss for a reply. (If we said Canada, they said “TorontoVancouverMontreal! French or English? Bonjour!")

Jerry - I agree, most people are sensible and friendly regardless of your country of origin, and as for the ones that aren’t - quite frankly, they probably won’t make a distinction between Americans and Canadians and Brits and whoever else at this point.

Michael - That article makes my flag sound so sinister! A source for political violence? Ouch. I see the flags-on-backpacks thing as patriotic rather than nationalistic:

“Nationalism is not to be confused with patriotism. Both words are normally used in so vague a way that any definition is liable to be challenged, but one must draw a distinction between them, since two different and even opposing ideas are involved. By ‘patriotism’ I mean devotion to a particular place and a particular way of life, which one believes to be the best in the world but has no wish to force on other people. Patriotism is of its nature defensive, both militarily and culturally. Nationalism, on the other hand, is inseparable from the desire for power.”

-George Orwell

Eva wrote: “I’ve always been a sucker for peer pressure.”

Eva, lose the Maple Leaf and sew a Che Guevara patch on that pack. ALL the cool kids are doing it.

I am a Canadian of Asian decent. I cannot believe that someone still try to be a Canadian for own sake. I wonder how old you are now. It is totally old fashonned to do. If you are not Canadian, get rid of it.

Kanji, some people wear the Canadian flag because they are afraid terrorists will blow them up if they are obviously American.  Perhaps being of Asian decent (?brown haired and eyed?) it doesn’t occur to you that if terrorists were looking for westerners they might seek out blonde haired blue eye people.  Unless they are disrespecting a symbol, I’m fine with anyone wearing one.  Maybe once they are out traveling they will realize that its safer than they feared, and that they don’t need to hide under the Maple Leaf or the Union Jack.

I have an aunt which lives in Canada where she married a Canadian citizen. All O the pics that i have seen are mostly with Canadian flags. I thought is as a patriotism as well.

I am from Canada, and ironically most people I met with a maple leaf on their pack were actually Americans trying not to be seen as Americans. They would always say people would “treat them alot better”. I personally don’t rock the flag on my pack, I just think it is kind of lame. Who really gives a fuck if you show everyone you are Canadian?

I am getting a Canadian Flag tattoo because I want to.  I could care less about a quote from Samuel L Jackson in a movie or what some dude from the Tragically Hip say’s.  He should be grateful that Canadians are buying his CD’s.

To me, Canada is the #1 country in the world.  I am extremely proud to be Canadian and want everyone to know it, no matter where I travel. 
The flag itself is beautiful.
If you don’t want to have a permanent flag on your body, go buy some clothes from Roots.

When you focus on bigger things.. Bigger than you and your life, you can find peace