Canadian flag on backpack

[rannios]

I'm going to backpack Europe for 4 weeks in December. There'll be a stretch of my trip where I'll be travelling solo through Italy, Austria, and Germany. Is it safe to leave my canadian flag on the back of my pack, or is it an invitation to getting robbed?

[CanuckAbroad]

Go for it.

But please don't be one of those dorks that puts Canadian flags on everything! It's really pretentious.

I mean the people that walk around with a massive canadian flag on their backpack (like 20cm sq), a maple leafs hat, shorts with a canadian flag on it, and water bottles that say "CANADA".

Wear the flag becuase you're a proud canadian - Not because some people assume that if you distinguish yourself from americans you'll be somehow treated better.

I've got flags on my backpack from every country I've been to, and my canadian flag is the smallest on the backpack.

Just my 2 cents

[pkennedy1990]

It's not a matter of "safety," since the time I went to Tijuana, Mexico, and I didn't have the Maple Leaf on my car, my car got broken into and my backpack stolen because in Mexico we are assumed to be "Americans" and that's what the world does to Americans!!! It's not "dorky" to not want to become a victim to something that was really meant to happen to an "American." It's not stupid, it could save your life! And even here in "Mother England" I have to wear a Maple Leaf big enough to land Air Canada with, just to keep from getting assaulted or beaten up walking down the streets of London, although because I'm female on top of that (and also First Nations, "Red Indian" to these people) there are some other issues working there; a female First Nations Canadian may not be safe anywhere in the world outside of Canada (and I hope I'm not saying "outside of the reserve," because I'd hate to think that I'm heading back to some sort of hibernation away from anti-"American" attacks!)
Not that it works; people see the Maple Leaf and start treating me like "American" anyway. It helps to analyse how much of "you're an American!" you can tolerate being told to you, not asked but TOLD. And how much of being treated like the world sees them you want to have to live down... as we Canadians all know, the world views "Americans" in a certain light, from imperial terrorists imposing their wishes on the rest of the world to just plain stupid, ignorant fools, among other things. America is all in the media, all in the news, and all over the world. So how many Maple Leaves you want to wear and where, depends on how much "you're an American!" you want to hear. I've been away for 8 months and I'm ready to stop looking for more Maple Leaves to put on clothes and bags and things and my forehead and about to call it quits and go back to the Reserve.
And as for getting robbed, that would happen anyway. You might get robbed for being Canadian, (I did, even here in so-called "safe" Mother England) but without it would be even worse, because then, again, "you're an American!" and you might personally get attacked as well as robbed. The world thinks that Canadians are all rich, that our streets are paved with gold, but without that distinction, guess what, the world thinks that about "America" too. So there's no getting away from that probability.

[Brenda]

Feel better?
Get over yourself. I hope the people who have the misfortune to encounter you on the streets of London do not assume that all people from Canada are like you.

The bitterness and victim stories are tiresome.

[expatmich]

I've been abroad for 14 years now. The general glint I've seen from being abroad for so long is that Canadians are perceived of as being dorky BECAUSE they try to sport the flag as much as they can. I've heard it over and over and over from all sorts of different nationalities. Canadians are the only ones to do it, and it's been a bit of an international joke. It's funny how many Americans we have met who admit to sewing a Canadian flag onto their belongings just to get people to think they're not American. Pathetic really, on both accounts. We live abroad, we are Canadian,and I don't walk around trying to prove it. I've neve been mugged, I've never been robbed, and so far, I've lived in south east asia and two countries in the middle east.....

[rannios]

Thanks for the replies. I read backpacking guides where they tell you to try to pretend like you're not a tourist, but I mean, I'm lugging a huge backpack around in the middle of the city... how can people not know? But at least it doesn't sound like it's a big deal to leave the flag on my pack. Anyone has tips against getting robbed? I mean, I can tuck away my passport and wallet in my coat, but there's not much I can do if people rob me in the hostel or the train when I'm sleeping... not that I've much to rob anyway, but it sucks to have someting like that f**k up my trip.

[CanuckAbroad]

Get a money belt (check out the Backpack Europe Guides on the right).

Make copies of all your documents and keep them in different spots.

Sure, it's obvious when you've got your big backpack - but there are going to be lots of times you don't have that with you. Just try not to walk around looking all confused and unsure of yourself, and you should be fine. I've never had any trouble.

Just keep your eyes open. The unfortunate reality is there are plenty of other tourists who don't have a clue that are much easier targets for pickpockets and scams.

[torontobound2006]

Geez pkennedy you make it seem like I should be ashamed to be a Canadian-American.