The Aussie traveller abroad: are we as loveable as we think we are?

Our travel self-image is adventurous, friendly and chill. Is that how the world sees us?

Perpetually peripatetic, Aussies are the world's most prolific tourists, staying long and spending big wherever our planes, trains, automobiles and cruise ships carry us. We tackle tours, tucker, transport and time zones with relish, wasabi and tkemali. From world trip to weekender, from penthouse to poop deck, from fine dining to fish tacos, Aussies do it all.

Offered the chance to spend 22 hours on a single flight, what other nationality would say, "Bewdy! Where do I sign?"

At least, that's how we think we travel. It certainly used to be. Back in the day, it was a rite of passage for picaresque young Aussies to head off to London for a few months. This trip was considered a grand adventure by Aussies, and so many set up in Earl's Court in West London, it became known as "Kangaroo Valley". By all accounts, the Poms loved us.

A few years later, thanks to Crocodile Dundee, Americans were inviting us to share barbecued shrimp and begging us to say, "That's not a knife."

Our accent is an enigmatic curiosity everywhere. For some reason, we can do theirs, but they can't do ours, as Meryl Streep demonstrated when "that dingo stole my babay". On the other hand, this also makes us harder to understand, prompting various replies, such as "Pardon, monsieur?", "Wie bitte, mein Herr?" and, if being served by Manuel in Barcelona, "Que?"

To many, especially Americans, the land down under is mystifying, and any Aussies who have avoided being killed by snakes, spiders, jellyfish, sharks and drop bears long enough to travel are equally intriguing. They cannot believe that we don't know how to tip and that no one other than Steve Irwin has said "Crikey!" since the 1950s. And while there is a lot of fun in telling the Yanks that koalas are delicious and that we fix our potholes with Vegemite, many of them don't get irony, despite the solid examples set by their politicians.

The English make convict jokes (guaranteed on tours of the Tower of London), Europeans can't get on board with our desire for flat whites and Kiwis still bang on about an underarm delivery in a cricket match from 45 years ago. (Greg Chappell is 78 years old, cuzzie bros - get over it.)

So, in the eyes of the world, are we really adventurous, friendly and chill? Avec, perhaps, a soupcon of endearing boganity?

Adventurous?

Mostly, this is a big yes. Aussies are known for having a go, and will happily don the snorkelling gear in shark-infested waters, climb whatever rock or hill is in front of them and do shooters off the navels of strangers. We'll queue for obscure street food, and sample local eateries as long as they get AFL on a big screen.

Mind you, we should probably recognise we're not the only ones asking about out-of-the-way, non-touristy, undiscovered gems, where we, as bold Aussie trailblazers, can experience local culture. And get a flat white. Whoever you ask is going to direct you to his cousin's shop anyway, where you will run into the same people you saw earlier at the hotel breakfast buffet.

Friendly?