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At passport control, your nationality is no secret. At the hotel bar, it may be different.

A new travel survey says 44 per cent of respondents downplay their nationality abroad at least some of the time. The reason is simple. They worry about how others may judge or treat them.

The finding comes from the Global Rescue Fall 2026 Traveller Sentiment and Safety Survey, released on 26 October. It points to a side of modern travel that glossy brochures rarely show. Some guests would rather skip the debate about what their leaders say or do.

Ten per cent said they hid or played down their home country all or most of the time. A further 34 per cent did so sometimes. By contrast, 38 per cent said they usually did not, while 16 per cent said they never did.

The old flag sewn to the backpack may not be quite the icebreaker it once was.

US travellers are more likely to say less

The clearest gap lies between US and non-US respondents.

Half of US respondents said they sometimes played down their roots. That included 12 per cent who did so all or most of the time, and 38 per cent who did so sometimes.

For non-US respondents, the total was just 21 per cent. Three per cent said they did so all or most of the time. Another 18 per cent did so sometimes.

That makes US respondents about 2.4 times as likely to report this habit.

It is a sharp gap. Yet it does not prove that US guests face more abuse or threats. The survey tells us what people say they do, and why. It doesn’t tell us how often they faced real harm.

“Personal security abroad is influenced by more than the destination itself,” said Dan Richards, chief executive of The Global Rescue Companies.

He also made a point worth keeping in mind: “That does not mean travelers should expect hostility.”

Quite right. A guest’s fears are not the same thing as a host’s views. Most hotel staff have more to do than debate world affairs over breakfast.

Women more likely to keep their origins quiet

The figures also show a gap between women and men.

Half of the women polled said they sometimes played down their home country. Men were 42 per cent.

About 13 per cent of women said they did so all or most of the time, compared with 9 per cent of men. A further 37 per cent of women said they did so sometimes, against 33 per cent of men.

Men were more likely to say they never did so: 17 per cent, against 14 per cent of women.

That may point to a gap in how the two groups judge risk. It doesn’t explain why each person made that choice. Nor can the figures alone prove that gender caused it.

What this means for the travel trade

For travel agents, tour firms and business travel teams, the lesson is clear. A guest may need more than a sound flight plan and a good hotel. They may also want to know what to expect on the ground.

Advice about local customs, hot topics and street protests can help. It should be based on facts about each place, not broad claims about whole nations or their people.

The Australian Government’s Smartraveller advice on protests and civil unrest tells people to watch local news, know the laws and avoid protests. Even a calm march can turn tense without much warning. It also pays to check official travel advice both before and during a trip.

Of course, tact is not the same as a false claim. A traveller can choose not to discuss their home country with a stranger. That does not mean they should give false details to border staff, police or other officials who have a legal right to ask.

Add a note of caution to these figures. The material reviewed did not state the survey sample size or how they chose the respondents. The 44 per cent figure tells us about these respondents. It is not proof that the same share of all travellers act this way. Nor can one survey show whether this habit has grown over time.

Even so, it raises a fair point. People want to enjoy the world without having to defend every act of their government.

A little tact has always been part of good travel. Today, it may pay to pack some along with your passport.