Not looking like a tourist

This gets beat up all the time. My favorite expression is ---

You cannot avoid looking like a tourist. Just don't look like a stupid, American tourist.

Now some are offended by that comment. You really cannot blend in BUT your can avoid standing out. There is a difference. Dress conservatively, modest ?, and look confident - if you can. The idea of not standing out is that you do not want to draw extra attention to yourself. Pickpockets, etc., are always looks for easy marks. Don't look easy.

I agree and I disagree :) No, you are not going to look like a local to locals. I am always mistaken for a tourist from a nearby country, except in Spain where I am mistaken for a tourist from another part of Spain. Getting on an Iberia flight from Spain to the US is entertaining because I can see the flight attendant mentally debating which language to use ;) Physically I must look Spanish, but as soon as I start speaking the game is up!

You will not look local, that's true, but you CAN make yourself not stand out too much. That's the sort of blending in - so that if someone is glancing over a crowd you will look "typical". Which helps you. Wearing...denim cutoffs, a hard rock cafe t-shirt, bright yellow crocs with socks, and a Dallas Cowboys baseball cap is just calling way too much attention to yourself. Wear jeans or decent pants, a neat shirt or blouse in a solid color or normal print, and walking shoes. Or whatever you like, just neat and not ridiculously far outside the style range of your destination. If someone is specifically looking at you they will know you're a tourist, but so what. You're a pleasant looking tourist who can enter a decent restaurant and get treated better than the baseball hat-crocs guy!

So you're a tourist, not a big deal. Most people in hotels in the old town city center are "tourists", too. I'm glad to be a tourist, but I'm never a hateful, loud-mouthed, obnoxious tourist. Be a nice tourist and have a good time!

Is there a question here?

There is no question.

I'm a bit confused. Looking for comments or opinions? Or just making a statement?

Looking for comments.

I'd rather look like a traveler...

;-)

Douglas. Does a traveler look like a tourist but with a superior expression on their face?

Nobody cares what you look like,

Unless you're particularly attractive. Judging from the audiences at Mr. Steves' talks... that probably excludes most of the people on this website.

Joan, I have seen you and I can tell you why they know you are an American.

This might be a generational thing. You might see a tall skinny blonde texting whilst chain smoking at a cafe by herself wearing French and Italian clothes. This describes me and a bunch of my work mates. I honestly don't see much of a difference between western cultures anymore. If I bring my dad, be prepared for zip off pants and sink washed shirts. You have been warned!

I travel in nylon fishing pants and matching shirts that I wash in the sink. they dry in 20 minutes. I guess I must be your dad?

Hi,

Totally agree with your observation and assessment, especially on different accents. Absolutely no use trying to blend in. I don't bother trying either. The locals in Munich will spot me out as foreigner, tourist, traveler, outsider, what have you, just as I can spot out the Germans pretty accurately by their body language, gestures, clothing styles, etc.

Whether I am addressed in English first, depends a good deal on where I am. In France the overwhelming odds are it's going to be in French, which has been my experience throughout the years. Les Français will automatically assume you know their language and use it first. In Munich I've been addressed in English first, sometimes, same as in Frankfurt but not so in eastern Germany, much more refreshing where it is assumed you know German.

James E, I thought maybe you'd found your long-lost daughter...until I realized that perhaps I'm her father!!!

But I think my nylon pants only roll up into 'capri-length' pants ;-)

[I've long, ahem, 'outgrown' my zip-off leg pants :-( ]

I find it difficult to understand why this is such a concern? The locals and even some of the other visitors can readily spot tourists, so trying to "disguise" oneself is quite pointless. I wear my normal travel wardrobe and don't care whether I look like a tourist or not.

(Sorry; my iPad is having trouble editing my posts today.)

I remember that on my first European survey trip, I would sit and watch people walk by or hang out around a fountain, etc. I thought most of the Americans would simply blend in, since many Americans are a 'melting pot' of European stock. Nope. Now there were some I couldn't definitively identify, but for the most part it was quite easy to pick out the various nationalities - German, Italian, French, British, and especially American! And I wasn't looking at their clothing - just the results of DNA. I'd confirm their nationality by their language as they walked past me...

The Americans were the best looking ;-)

As for 'natives vs tourists', it's often easy to differentiate between locals and tourists of my hometown - you either look like you know exactly where you're going to lunch (or to the post office, or to the printers, or to the dry cleaners) on your lunch break in your work clothes (whatever they may be - for me it may be sweats for working at home), or you're waaay more relaxed in pace, clothing, and speech, you spend a lot of time looking around at the architecture, etc., and you take your time seating yourselves in a restaurant. No 'I've only got 20 mins for lunch' for you!

When I was first interested in traveling to Europe in the 1980's, basically all but one guidebook (guess which one) spent a crazy amount of ink on the Do's and Don'ts of Dressing for Europe! (Dun-dun-duhhhhn!) It had to be dark clothing, preferably black, and black sensible shoes. Leave your expensive-looking jewelry at home; otherwise, you could invite danger. For Heaven's sake, Keep Your Voice Down!!! Do this, don't do that...Everyone's been freaked out for years because of this. Only in the last few years have I stopped reading so much of this 'wear black; it's all that Europeans wear' stuff. (Of course, Europeans can only afford a few well-made pieces of clothing - everything is sooo much more expensive in Europe - all black so that it goes with all of their other pieces, and since living quarters are so much smaller there they only have room for a few well-chosen items. Yeah, I think IKEA has taken care of that storage problem. And all of this is why the French women are so good at tying scarves - that all-important accessory no woman would dare leave home without! Don't believe any of this? Just find a travel book from 1980-2000...) The explanation for that italicized bit usually boiled down to anecdotal 'information' about how tight things were in Europe after The War...Well, by the time I got there in 1998, it was evident that The War was loooong over. The black-and-white film reel had been colorized...

All of that to say we can wear whatever the heck we're comfortable in. Nobody really cares, even if it's a really loud print or your faded alma mater college baseball cap. Be polite, know that everyone else knows you're a tourist, and have a good time.

Of course, none of this applies to me - I'm not a tourist.

I'm a traveler.

(I almost typed that with a straight face LOL!)

I plan on dressing like a Gypsy so I will blend in with the added bonus of not being targeted by pickpockets. It will also aleveate the need of doing laundry. I dont know why this hasn't been suggested before!

In many trips to Paris, I've been approached by French people on the street, in department stores and in restaurants and spoken to in French. I am of French heritage and make an effort to dress like the locals, though my clothes are from the US. It's not my main goal, but It is possible to blend in.

ROF!!!! My sides hurt from laughing at so many of your posts!

I'm a generic-looking woman in my late 30's who always travels solo. Wherever I go in Europe, tourists approach me to ask for directions at least once a day. The native English speakers are often visibly surprised when I reply in my American accent. Of course I also get stopped for directions in the States all the time because there are a lot of tourists where I live. I've always chalked up my approachability to my non-threatening blandness and the fact that I'm by myself and not that I look like a local.

James E.
Since you have seen me, please tell me how you know that I am an American. Is it because I don't wear socks with sandals?
Is it because I shave my legs and underarms?
Is it because I am the only one not wearing jeans?
Enlighten me so that I can do better.

I travel solo and in several countries people have assumed I was a local and started talking to me in their language. This never happens, however, when I have my map out. Otherwise I am most often taken for Italian though I am Hungarian and Estonian. I think it depends on what you're wearing combined with attitude--once I get comfy in a city I go charging all over the place instead of looking lost and confused. I wear what I wear at home--jeans, T shirt or sweater and funky boots with a messenger bag.

I just got back from two weeks in Spain and not once did somebody attempt to speak English to me unless I stumbled over the phrasing in Spanish, which only happened once or twice. I think it's a single woman thing-people assume we are just going about our day since we aren't with others.

I feel like some people blend in better than others, at times. I've been approached in a few countries by natives, speaking their native tongue to me that seem surprised when I say I'm American(and didn't understand a word you just said). Its happened in France, Italy, Ukraine, Greece and Cyrpus, of the ones I remember. I am half Greek/GreekCypriot and the other half is a mix of Polish/Ukrainian/Russian. I almost always have a dslr in tow, which I would imagine doesn't always give you away as a tourist since I take it plenty of places here at home where I am not a tourist. I tend to dress conservatively, have lt brown/dirty blond hair, green eyes, average height/weight and tend not to be a nervous traveler so maybe I just don't stand out or look out of place in most locales. :)
I've been asked for directions by tourists also- so maybe I look like I know what I'm doing:D

Dear JG, Did I say I was in China or Turkey? I only described my experience in Paris. While you are waiting, please re-read my post.
Thank you.

Sorry, I am confused. Why is it necessary? What are the benefits? Do you guys travel to places that are hostile to visitors? I mean places other than Paris….. Any chance being a visitor might improve your chances of meeting and learning? Write me and I will suggest a few places where being a tourist is a good thing.

"Sorry, I am confused. Why is it necessary? What are the benefits?"

I agree James, I'm not sure what the benefits are and why it's important to people. Maybe there was a time when being an American tourist in some areas may have targeted you for some less than pleasant experiences so 'fitting in' might have been important. But I don't think that's the case anymore - except maybe in some parts of the middle east. I also think some people here think that not blending in with the locals will make it more likely that you will be pick-pocketed, as if locals never get pick-pocketed or approached by scammers.

You are a tourist and you'll most likely be tagged as one by the locals, it's more important to comport yourself properly than to try to dress as the locals do. Be polite, don't shout all the time (people who don't understand English aren't deaf), don't be pushy.

During my travels I have been mistaken for a local, or at least someone who knows what they're doing and where they are, and asked questions in the local language (happened in France and Budapest - of all places). My heritage is German with a tiny bit of French but the French came out in my looks (dark hair, very dark brown eyes) so maybe that's why they thought I was French. I think this probably happens to frequent travelers to Europe since they do often know what they're about and look it.

I'm fine being a tourist, even in my hometown. However, I like to be fairly invisible, at home and abroad. That's just me. Internationally, in Europe, people know I'm a tourist, but can't necessarily figure out from where I hail. I've watched many a jaw drop when I said I was from the US. So that's fun. I think they are surprised because I make every attempt to speak the language where I am visiting, but that is conjecture on my part. Regardless, I am nice to them and they are nice to me and that is what I like. However, I'm going to Sweden soon and I'm really hoping I look like a Swede. I've always been told I look like my Swedish grandmother so I would like to feel like I fit in, but I'll see. I can be a Swedish tourist, that would be OK… :)

As I mentioned above, you can't help looking like a tourist if someone is looking closely at you. But not standing out too much is beneficial. Now, that's not always possible - an American with European ancestry is highly unlikely to be able to look - even at a glance - like both a Greek and a Norwegian ;) One, maybe, but not both! Let alone when traveling to China or India.

As a rule-breaking teenager, I got into churches in Italy wearing dresses on the line of Ok or not. My less-Italian looking friends were turned away in similar clothes. NOT an approach I'd suggest now though! Also I've gotten better prices from shady merchants in Greece. Looking nice and in line with local standards will also help in getting good tables or good service in nicer restaurants. Will they know you're a tourist? Yes, at least if you're not fluent in the language. But you will still get the benefit of a good impression (assuming you are polite! That's even more important). That good impression can help you anywhere - restaurants, museums (getting quick looks at closing rooms for example), transit, anywhere someone has the option of helping you but isn't required to do so. Getting that help requires being polite AND looking pleasant.

Finally, pickpockets do target tourists. Specifically the exhausted and obviously distracted tourist. Don't call attention to yourself and you're a less attractive target. Anyone can be pickpocketed, but looking unobtrusive helps minimize the risk.

My first trips to Europe were in the early 1970s. Definitely, if you remember the history of the times, anti-Americanism was around, in certainly places more prevalent, other places more subdued. Western Europe was generally against Nixon and America's war in Vietnam, esp among the European left-liberals, most likely the strongest of such feeling was in France. On my second trip in 1973 I was determined to see Paris for the first time, regardless of being liked, appreciated as an American or not, immaterial,...just get to the hostel, settle in, and get to the museums and see the sights and the city. With the exception of the last couple of trips, I've been going back to Paris and France ever since, when the $ was advantageous or the contrary, when the summer heat was oppressive or tolerable, the flights was were relatively cheap to higher, In Paris and France I stand out as an outsider, let alone tourist or traveler, more than I do in Germany....no matter. What matters is that you're over there...in France or Germany, etc.

Fred's post reminded me that when I went to Europe for the first time it was as a student in the 70's. All students everywhere wore the same thing--jeans. We all bought Heineken Bier T-Shirts, but so did the Australians and the New Zealanders. I think to the locals we were students and didn't matter where we were from! I think that the scammers knew we were broke as I don't think I saw any the entire 6 months--but then I was 19 and clueless and so maybe just lucky.

But, I'm not a student any more. LOL. And, I do think that it is to your advantage to think about what you're going to wear. Not because you are sooooo cool that everyone will guess you're European and that is so much better than being American (sarcasm folks), but because of Frank's original point--you don't want to be a target for scammers and pick pockets if you can avoid it. To me, that is common sense. American's love to be comfortable and generally view anything touching on formality as uncomfortable. This leads to flip flops in the White House and other assorted behaviors which need a different thread! But those who come back to the US complaining bitterly about being targeted relentlessly by scammers etc might have cut down some of the traffic if they had left the Georgia Peach or even the Boston Strong T-Shirt at home. :)

Pam

Don't forget also that we North Americans had something which made us stand out even more conspicuously than our looking at "Europe on $5 a Day" or " Let's Go" in the 1970s, something which neither European youth nor Australians had....backpacks with metal frames. Whenever I saw a guy/girl lugging a big backpack with the metal frames, I knew they were American or Canadian.

I think it is more important to shower often and dress smartly if you want good service and kind remarks.

I don't think anyone suggested avoiding the bath! But we don't dress "smartly" have haven't had any problems with service or being kindly accepted at the places we go. It's probably more about manners than one's wardrobe.

I will forever remember a restaurant owner/chef whom introduced us to Oude Genever in Amsterdam one night. We ended up sitting around and chewing the fat with he and the missus (who ran the dining room) after the doors were locked; lovely people. He said we couldn't possibly be Americans because we weren't (here he made large, rounded gestures with hands) enough. Ha. Had we eaten there one more night than we did, we probably WOULD have had to ease the waistbands out a little!

No matter how smartly/euro I dress, with my height and my body type, I don't blend. And I have accepted it. But what is interesting, I always get asked for directions- every trip, multiple times. And people will usually initiate the conversation in English or a very simple version of their native language- and maybe I am over analyzing but I feel like that means they know I am probably not fluent in their language. Family and friends that travel with me crack up about it.

I wear jeans 80% of the time along with a comfortable, usually colorful sneaker. I love my cross body bags. I don't try to hide maps because I actually enjoy reading and looking at maps. And when I am solo, I frequently listen to music if I am on a long walk. And I think the music thing is a very American thing to do.

So just another vote that looking like an American tourist does not have a negative connotation .

Even if you speak the language well, your style of dress, hairstyle, height, weight, accent, etc. will give you away as an American. My height, weight, features could easily be German but the accent still gave me away. I did an exchange with the German Air Force. I had studied German enough to be conversant (fluent is another thing). The first couple of weeks, I was disappointed. I'd go into a shop/restaurant, speak German, and get a reply in English.

I insisted on speaking only German with my Luftwaffe friends and learned both the accent as well as the local colloquialisms. After two weeks, when I went somewhere and spoke to them in German they replied in German - I considered that success.

I visited a relative in Koln. When I caught the train back to my base, I overheard an older couple with a thick Houston accent asking for directions from a German man. The German didn't seem to be able to understand their English (like me trying to make out a rural Bavarian accent) so I asked him in German. He gave me directions in German; I told the couple in English. The man said, "Look ma, he speaks English just as good as an American." :-)

In the Prati area of Rome, I saw a middle-aged distinquished-looking Italian man wearing pastel orange Asics Gel-Cumulus running shoes downing his morning caffe before hitting the bus to work. And he probably works in the Vatican. I think the Europeans lately have been trying to out-Americanize us fashion-wise. Are we going to sit back and allow this to happen?

I'll answer this from the other perspective. during grad school I lived in Boston, a very tourist dense city, esp. in the summer. tourists would get on the T (mass transit) scan the length of the car, walk past 25 native Bostonians and ask ME for directions. usually these were folks with some (or a lot) of English. My friends told me it was my approachable Midwestern vibe. On two memorable occasions, tourists asked me their questions in RAPID Spanish (I have dark hair & a tiny bit of middle school Spanish, if sentences are just noun, verb, noun, I can maybe muddle thru) what amazed me was that even Spanish speaking tourists chose me.

Since I take lots of photos and have a poor sense of direction, my map and my camera are usually very apparent, so I don't even try to blend in most of the time. But I just came back from 17 days in Paris where I never went out without a scarf on and wore slightly less casual clothes. As others have said, it undoubtedly made no difference to the people who saw me, but I felt a lot better about myself. The Parisians take time to look good and I just felt like I should try a little harder too.

Other things I noticed. . . I saw fewer women wearing make-up than 5 years ago. Little girls wear dresses. People wear their Sunday best to church on Sunday. French people have the ability to sit perfectly still at a very rousing emotional gospel concert (though they clap enthusiastically when encouraged enough). I saw very little wine drinking at lunchtime.

I don't really care whether I look like a tourist, so long as it's not due to offensive behavior (loud voice, change jingling, and all the other often-false stereotypes about rude Americans). That said, when I was in France in my 20s, people would strike up conversations with me in French, so I assume I blended in. I had the typical French outfit, including shoes, down to a tee and proudly carried a beautiful purse I'd bought in Paris. I'm also a reserved person by nature, and I spent a lot of time walking the neighborhoods rather than hanging out at tourist areas.

This time I'll be with a tour group, and my aging feet will have comfortable shoes, so I have no expectations to be taken as a local. Again, that's OK with me, so long as it's based on appearance and not disrespect for the local culture.