Tipsheet

Freddy, Everyone's Favorite German Tourist, Bids America Farewell

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  July 24, 2026 2:30 PM

Freddy, the German tourist who won the hearts of Americans as he shared his World Cup travels, bid farewell to the U.S. yesterday, after 49 amazing days of seeing the best of this country. He came to follow Germany through the World Cup, and even though Germany didn't make it too far, Freddy got to see all the amazing things and people who make up this great nation.

"Thank you to everyone who followed along, and to all the people we met who made this journey even more special. We honestly don’t have the words to express how grateful we are for everything you did for us," he wrote on X.

The entire post reads:

This trip exceeded every expectation we had. We came here with an open mind, wanting to experience as much of the country as possible. I still remember telling my friends on the flight to Atlanta that I hoped we’d get to meet a few locals on this trip. Now we’re flying home with friends all across the USA.

Before we came, we heard so many stereotypes and warnings about America. People told us about safety concerns, that they might check our social media at the border, and all kinds of other things. None of it matched our experience. This was probably the most welcoming country we’ve ever visited.

So if you have the chance to travel, do it. The world isn’t nearly as bad as the media often makes it seem. 99% of people are awesome!I heard this quote somewhere during the World Cup, and I think it sums up our experience perfectly:

“If you want to hate the world, watch the news. If you want to love it, travel it.”

Thank you, America

Oh, we will miss you, Freddy.

The trip was not without hiccups, and Freddy left X for a short period of time after trolls, clearly unhappy that Freddy was making America look good, dug up old posts in an effort to spark an online outrage mob. But the haters didn't win, and Freddy returned.

He was able to visit the White House and even got a dinner invite from Gordon Ramsay.

They did make it safely back to Germany.

Freddy even offered to show any tourists around if they ever visit Hamburg.

That's a deal.

Please do come back.

Which is why some jerks tried to ruin the fun.

We'd be fine with that. It was fun.

That's exactly how we feel.

While it's true there's no place like home, Freddy showed the world that America is a great nation, with great people, and for that we thank him.