Yanks for nothing!
An American tourist who slammed a picturesque Italian town for being overrun by “loud” fellow Americans is now being virtually tossed into the Mediterranean.
Keri — a travel influencer currently based in Poland — recently shared her gripes about Positano, a jewel of Italy’s Amalfi Coast, in a viral Instagram Reel.
“I already know I’m gonna get absolutely destroyed for this one,” she admitted at the start of the March 30 clip.
And she was right.
Keri vented that the wildly popular cliffside town didn’t live up to the influencer hype. “Positano, you were not what I expected you to be,” she said before unleashing her disgruntled diatribe.
An American tourist named Keri (above) documented herself, drink in hand, breezily navigating a charming, coastal Italian town. “There were just so many Americans,” she said in her viral video. “It was, like, the people that weren’t well traveled, like, just loud and yelling down the tiny streets while repping their favorite football team.” instagram/kerimybags
“For starters, there weren’t many authentic restaurants. Like, there wasn’t even good gelato. And there was maybe one good pizza place and one good pasta place, but most of them were fancy and overpriced,” she said.
The content creator wasn’t feeling the nightlife either, complaining, “One good rooftop bar that gets super crowded, and then one club that you have to pay cover for. And bar-hopping just didn’t seem like a thing.”
Beach vibes? Not quite.
“You have one tiny, crowded beach,” she continued. “It’s like you have to do a beach club, but they’re all so expensive. And I felt like the one we went to just didn’t live up to the hype.”
Transportation woes were also on the menu.
“You basically have to hike to get around because you are locked in on the side,” Keri continued, referring to the town’s steep, narrow streets.
Coastal Amalfi towns (above) are popular destinations for tourists. Universal Images Group via Getty Images
But the comment that really lit a fire under viewers? Her rant about other Americans.
“There were just so many Americans,” she said. “It was, like, the people that weren’t well traveled, like, just loud and yelling down the tiny streets while repping their favorite football team.”
Even Keri acknowledged the backlash was coming: “This next one is gonna sound so hypocritical, and I know it’s gonna get taken the wrong way,” she said during her rant.
And it did.
Keri’s video was met with fierce criticism, with many calling her “tone-deaf,” “ungrateful” — and the embodiment of the problem she’s complaining about.
The content creator’s video (above) criticized fellow Americans who “weren’t well travelled,” for which she received harsh criticism. Numerous people labeled her out of touch and unappreciative — not to mention representative of the very issue she was addressing. instagram/kerimybags
“I get what you’re trying to say, but it’s still tone deaf,” one person wrote. “Primarily, YOU are the chief American tourist everybody hates with your tripod out in public.”
Others mocked her for seemingly expecting a beach party scene from a historic hilltop village.
“If you want rooftop bar hopping, just go to Nashville,” one user snapped.
Another chimed in, “Going to the Amalfi Coast and complaining about the lack of bar hopping opportunities while never leaving Positano … girl, you f–ked up bad.”
“This is such peak ‘I’m-an-American-tourist-and-the-world-should-adjust-to-me’ energy,” one commenter wrote in a scathing takedown.
Several viewers of the video ridiculed the travel influencer for apparently anticipating a beach party atmosphere in an ancient hillside village. Pictured is the town of Atrani, which is along the same coast as Positano. JFL Photography – stock.adobe.com
“Don’t come whining about the number of steps you have to climb when you’re literally visiting a town that’s built on a cliffside,” they continued. “Did you think it came with escalators?”
Another viewer didn’t hold back: “I mean, when an uncultured, quintessential American stereotype like yourself goes to these places, it contributes to the ‘lack of authenticity’ that you complain about.”
And then there was this ultimate roast: “It sounds like you wanted to go to Nashville, not a 900-year-old town on the side of a Mediterranean cliff,” a critic wrote.
Some pointed out the irony of blaming influencers for seemingly misleading her when she is one herself.
“What a concept: Influencers influence mass tourism in an area not built for the volume … and then complain about it being crowded and commercialized.”
Still, Keri tried to strike a diplomatic note in the caption of her video.
“Don’t hate the messenger,” she penned. “It’s a beautiful place and worth a visit obviously. I feel privileged to have experienced this! Just brace yourself for these things. Not trying to be negative, just transparent about my views and experience.”
She did note a few highlights — including a boat day and cooking class — but those got lost in the sea of online backlash.
“Girl,” one person summed it up, “you are not ‘well-traveled’ if bars are your top priority.”
