My experiance over seas is that if you make an effort to speak the local language or you ask questions about how to properly say what it is you are trying to say that you get treated very well. Even in France, if you are polite and learn a few key phrases your good to go, they will figure out soon enough what your problem is and usually will start right into speaking better english than most of us use.
People are pretty much the same everywhere, if you are polite and smile you will usually get the local version of the same treatment. I have learned this from personal experiance and from my Bro's stories of his travels. Be patient, friendly, and most importantly loose the "Self Important" "I'm an American" Shtick and you will get treated pretty well...
Failing that, stay the hell out of the big cities and watch how well you get treated. Paris, London, and other large cities are just like big cities in the US, everyone is in a hurry, lots of folks are political...Get out into the countryside and suddenly your a treat, a novelty and get treated really well. In London I am treated like crap, get back to Wales, in Aber-Arth, and I am treated like a VIP everywhere I go...