Paris and Rome, 4 days each.

Where do I start?? Where did you get the idea that women only wear dark, tight-fitting clothing, ankle length dresses and nothing revealing? Or only tight designer jeans? Women there wear a variety of colors and shapes of clothing, pretty much like they do here, except for perhaps looking a bit more dressy in the cities. And all kinds of people wear athletic shoes.

Packing light will ultimately make you a happier traveler, but there is absolutely no need to carry everything with you all the time. You'd leave your suitcase in a hotel here, wouldn't you? You can do the same there.

And your stuff won't be secure if you are wearing it on your back all the time. Carry a day bag or whatever for your daily stuff, but don't haul everything everywhere. Looking like a tourist will make you more of a target, but there's nothing more to worry about than walking around any other city anywhere as far as thieves and con artists.

You aren't going to blend in with the locals no matter what you do. You don't say when you are traveling, but I can tell you absolutely that bright colors are in for summer in Spain, for one, and will likely be just as popular in Italy and France.

Since this is our first time out of country, I think we are letting all of our research get to us. We have found all of our “clothing advice” on many different forums but we were not sure if they were entirely accurate. We are planning on packing light and we will have a day bag. I am glad that we can leave the unimportant stuff in our hotel. I was dreading the thought of lugging all stuff around Paris and Rome.
Are you saying that we should view this trip as going to another state in the USA and not another world?

It's not another world, it's part of this one. Yes, things will be different, but won't be completely unfamiliar. A hotel is a hotel. I understand your concerns about security and all, but you don't need to be unduly worried. Be aware of your surroundings, particularly in crowds, just as you would in any large city anywhere. You'll be surprised how much people there are like people here. Just leave your baseball cap or cowboy hat at home (and maybe your white athletic shoes). Relax -- you'll have a great time!

Nancy's correct! Europe is just like the US as they wear all sorts of things. The main thing they don't wear are sweats & t-shirts with phrases and logos on them. They just aren't as casual as Americans are but you do see them wearing jeans more often.

Daybacks are great! And as Nancy said just make sure you are aware of your surroundings. Americans get in trouble when they aren't paying attention to what's going on around them. In the more touristy areas of Rome you might want to wear your dayback on your front rather than back.

Have FUN!!!

We are typical Americans because our causal is the t-shirt with jeans. So we should dressed comfortable as business casual?

http://troi.cc.rochester.edu/~tdip/tomsguidetoparis.htm

Mike, the above web site may help... bon voyage! P

Business casual is fine. But I have worn jeans all over, too.

Mike: Regarding pick-pockets, the standard advice given by Rick and 90% of the advisors on this board is: Do not carry your ATM card, credit card, and large amounts of cash in a backpackFor anything that you absolutely can't afford to lose, the only foolproof system is:Carry those in a moneybelt or similar device worn under your clothing. Then you have no worries about pick-pockets and can put it out of your mind and get onto more important things. We've never had a report here of anything being pick pocketed from a moneybelt worn under clothing. Here's more on that: Rick's Moneybelt 101

I haven't been to Rome, but in Paris women seemed to be dressed in the same styles as American women. Rick Steves says something to the effect of You will look like an American (or at least a tourist) so you may as well wear what's comfortable for you. When I travel I just wear what I wear at home (but what I wear at home never includes bright-white sneakers, shorts, acid wash jeans, baseball caps, or Welcome to Miami tshirts) I just make an effort to make myself look nice if I'm going to be out and about and do the same when I'm traveling. It seems to have worked; people in Paris kept speaking to me in French but addressing my friend in English (I don't speak French, she does =). I think as long as you're not wearing something that screams "I'm American" from a mile away and are aware of your surroundings you should be fine.

As for pickpockets and such, there's a Tourist Scam Alert section under Health and Safty on the Graffiti Wall that tells all about common scams, especially in Paris and Italy, and how to deal with them.

Mike.. I agree with Kent. The most important thing you can do is for both of you to get a moneybelt and put all you valuables in it and wear it properly and then have a good time.We never use anything but a money belt for our passport,money, credit cards,etc.My husband and I photograph all over Europe and we never have had any problems.

We just got back from Paris and Rome and first of all let me say that I did not have one experience where I felt as if I was in danger of being pickpocketed. My wife bought me a security belt and I NEVER used it. I keep my wallet in my front pocket and I never felt threatened. My experience was one of feeling completely safe no matter where we went in both Paris and Rome. And that includes getting off the train at Termini where supposedly there are hordes of children with signs in there hands just waiting to pounce on you. I never saw them(I was actually a little disappointed). As far as dress, I was always glad that I was dressed a little more stylish(khaki pants, a nice shirt, nice walking shoes) for one reason just so I didn't look like those typical American tourists with the t-shirts, shorts and tennis shoes walking around. You're going to have a great time and realize that many of the precautions that you read about are practically unnecessary.

We tried to dress to fit in with the locals. Several times we were asked, "Where in America are you from?" I give up..I think it's almost imposible..we "look American" no matter how we dress. Or, at least we look like tourists. Don't worry about it and just enjoy yourself, be comfortable.

From my POV after traveling to both cities a number of times wearing shorts, flip flops, tee shits and baseball caps will easily identify you as American as apple pie. That would be your choice. On the whole Europeans dress better than we do so some nice slacks, capris, shirts, blouses and skirts we help you "blend" in. Expecting to have Starbucks, ATM's on every corner, french fries with ketchup,
hamburgers like home will also make you stand out. Paris and Rome are fabulous cities. Full of beauty, history and a different way of life. Go with an open mind.
Wear comfortable shoes. Pack light. Wear a money belt. Learn some basics of each language, especially hello, goodbye and thank you. Enjoy your trip!

I was in Paris by myself (female) in the middle of a transit strike and had absolutely no problems. Just be sure to wear a money belt that will also hold your passport and credit cards under your clothes. You can find them at Duane Reade or any store that has a travel section or order from Land Ends or Rick Steves. I left everything else in the hotel. Carry just enough cash that you think you will need for the day in your purse or wallet. Also, if you don't speak French or Italian, learn a few greeting phrases and carry your phrase book. Smile, be polite and greet people in their language and ask if they speak English in their language BEFORE you ask for any service. When visiting any church, especially vatican city, cover your shoulders. Also european don't wear shorts, only at the beach. Capris are fine.
Hope you find this helpful.
Good Luck.

Thank you all for the great advice! We are going to wear a money belt. I will dress business casual because my comfort is too American. My wife still does not know what to wear and we both can not find any comfortable walking shoes. I will check the other discussions for recommended shoes. Now we know how to dress, we just have to figure out what to pack. We are trying to pack carryon only.

Mike: Re your last post: Tell your wife good news for her, use the search box upper right corner, search on "shoes" and you will find 937 opinions about the perfect woman's shoe for Europe. And 936 of those are on womens shoes. The bad news: only one of those discussions concerned mens shoes, and it can now be revealed it was a spoof, as Doug and Frank had suspected all along.In fact, this site undoubtedly contains the most extensive discussions--of the perfect woman's shoe for Europe--in the known universe. Everything that can possibly be said about this subject has been said, here, already (please ladies, don't add any more, oh please).

Mike, unfortunately no matter how much we try to blen, we'll always look "foreign" to the locals. I mean, don't you spot the non locals when you see them in Ft. Worth?

Do your best to wear conservative clothes, and make sure its comfortable to you. If you're not used to the tight clothes, you'll suffer and the trip will be a bust.

Keep aware of where you are. Try not to flash any money and if you don't use a money belt, keep the money inside like a zipped pocket inside your jacket. Some people prefer a money belt, but some find it cumbersome.

For the backpack, be cautious. Assume that the pack can be opened, so do not put anything of value. In my day pack I put a journal, ripped pages from Rick's book, a pen, and sunglasses. If you want more piece of mind, use a small combo lock on your pack. When you board the Metro, take off the pack and carry it in front of you. Some thieves will try to snatch the pack as you are boarding the metro, or as the doors are closing

Hello, mIke, In Rome, wife and you must have covered knees and shoulders to get into some sites( churches actually) .
That means no shorts, ( capris are fine) and no sleeveless t shirts. Some women just carry a lightweight scarf in their daybag to wrap around shoulders to get into the churches since it can be so hot in Rome tank tops are comfy.

Men someitmes thing they are dressed Europeon, but the truth is you can tell from the shoes. Look at what men are wearing on their feet, locals do not where big chunky runners with pants. Italian men wear the nicest shoes ever.

Leave most stuff in your room, I always get a room with a safe and leave everything in it but my cash for the day, I don't cart my important stuff around, but apparently some people do.

Mike-

We are departing for Italy soon, so I thought I would give suggestions on women's clothing items for your wife since I'm about to pack them!

Most importantly, everything I am taking goes together. We are traveling for 14 days and I am taking about 5-6 days worth of clothes.

Two pair of capri pants (below the knee), dark colored so dirt won't show.

A wrinkle free khaki skirt (below the knee)

A wrinkle free black dress (below the knee)

A pair of khaki pants

A pair of shorts (we have a beach day in our trip)

Tops- styles more like blouses than t-shirts, and a black cardigan to throw on for warmth or cover up where appropo.

Thank you so much for your packing itinerary. My wife still does not know what to wear and she is convinced that we must go out and spend money on new clothes for our trip. We are aware that no matter what we do, we will look American. After reading and talking with many people our fears of thieves have been alleviated. Now we just want to dress appropriately to show our respect to the countries we are visiting. If everyone does not mind, please post your clothes packing itinerary (men and women). I think this will help the most. Also my wife said she would like to see what the people in Paris and Rome wear daily. Does anyone know of any websites that show pictures like this? Thanks

Oh ho ho Mike, now whoa there, OF COURSE wife must go shopping to bring something new to wear to Europe, that is half the fun for 90% of us female travellers..

Just wanted to say thank you for all the wonderful advice. We just booked our trip so now we are in it for sure! Thanks again.

I am truly jealous. I was in Rome and Paris last September and am already itching to return.

As far as clothes for the wife...

I spent a lot of money on travel friendly clothes before I left and I wish I had just saved that money to spend in Paris. There is no shortage of beautiful clothes to purchase. You will never blend in, as others have mentioned, we just smell of Americans, for some reason :) Which, actually, played to my favor many times while I was in Paris (I was traveling by myself, single female, and apparently the novelty of this young American gal traveling by herself lent itself to many kind Parisian conversations).

I would bring something nice to wear and other lighter clothes. Do you plan on doing laundry in your room? Do not worry about bringing everything. You'll only weigh yourself down. It's France... they have toiletries, clothes, medicine, etc.

Thieves... I never felt unsafe in Paris and only once in Rome when I arrived late into Termini (around 1030,11ish pm) and had to find my hotel without my Aunt. The only thing I will say is just to use your common sense. Traveling abroad isn't more different than traveling in a seedy part of the US. Just don't go swinging your wallet around and you should be fine. Make sure you have copies of important papers in your luggage hidden away and left at home with someone you trust.

As far as not appearing to be an "American", I honestly think it's 90% in how you carry yourself. Be polite. Watch others and imitate. Don't raise your voice (screaming doesn't help them understand you better). If you are lost, step into a shop and peek at your map or guide book.

Also, plan for the unexpected. I know you want things to go smoothly, but prepare for the inevitable delays of trains, etc. Having plans for these "unplanned" emergencies will make it a lot less stressful when you travel.

And last, but not least... Enjoy yourself! :)

Yes, we plan on washing our clothes in our hotel. I am still trying to decide on what exactly to wear. I am bringing 2 pairs of shoes, 2 pants, and 5 shirts. I just have to decide if I want to go with predominately black or brown.

Yes, we plan on washing our clothes in our hotel. I am still trying to decide on what exactly to wear. I am bringing 2 pairs of shoes, 2 pants, and 5 shirts. I just have to decide if I want to go with predominately black or brown.

I have been on 2 RS trips. When I went to Paris in February, I took carryons only and packed a light RS Civita bag in my carryon; when I returned, I checked one of the larger carry on's and carried on 2 smaller backpack like bags. I wore only took 2 pairs of pants; I wore the most comfy for the plane ride. I test sink washed all the clothes before leaving. I also took 2 stretchy travellers clotheslines, it helped. I took about 4-5 shirts, some I could layer a lighter plain colored tshirt with a button down shirt or wear the button down shirt as a light sweater. I had a warm fleece sweater and a rain jacket that was effective in the wind also. I love scarves and they were helpful when it was cold; some days I had a small silk scarf and then a more bulky pashmina type for warmth. THe same pashmina worked well in September to keep the chill off and rolls up well in my carry on. I did wash clothes every 2nd night. In February, I only had 1 pair of shoes, a Rockport walking shoe. When I travelled in September, I also took birkenstock sandals that were my slippers too. Travelling light is a possibility; if I can do it, so can you. I travelled by myself to Paris this year and felt safe, even when walking to the Eiffel Tower after dark. My moneybelt was always on or sitting on the bedside table beside me at night. I encourage you to visit the street food markets; they were highlights in my last 2 trips and help to cut costs for meals. It helps to buy fruit and veggies for some nutritious snacks. Enjoy your travels.

Mike, as a previous poster has indicated, no matter what we wear or do, we act and look like Americans--and we are Americans. On my previous six trips, we wear what we wear here; i.e., shorts, t-shirts, Nike sport shoes, baseball-type hats, etc. I feel safer walking the streets and subways around Europe than Los Angeles. All of our valuables (passports, train tickets, credit cards, money) are in our money belts (we each have one). I have a side satchel that I wear across my body. It contains tour books & info for the day, water, gum & snacks,etc. --nothing of great value. My husband has the backpack that contains the video camera, digital or still camera, more water (anything we don't want someone to know we have). In crowded subways or walkways, we do put our backpacks on the front. My daughter and I would sometimes put a small lock or a twistie on the zipper pulls. The only incident we have had is when my husband put his wallet in a low, zippered pocket in his shorts. At the subway station by the Eiffel Tower, a young girl took it out of that pocket just as he sat down on the train and as the doors closed. When we returned to that station later that evening (on a whim), someone had turned it in. The only thing missing was the cash. Since then, he has ALWAYS worn his money belt. Have a great trip!

Hi Mike--As has been said, you'll look like a tourist regardless of how you dress--most adult locals are at work during the day not walking through Notre Dame or the Colosseum taking pictures--but it's not necessarily a bad thing, and you'll be surprised how friendly locals can be considering their cities are over-run with tourists 99% of the time. Age plays a big factor in how we should dress if we want to blend in--young people in Paris and Rome don't look a whole lot different from young people here, but older people look less sloppy than we often do here (no t-shirts with pictures on them and baggy stretch shorts).

But the purpose of blending in is not to pass "fashion" muster. Locals really don't care what you wear. The reason most of us want to blend in is that none of us wants to be disrespectful of local culture or targets of pickpockets. As has been mentioned, pickpockets target areas where tourist go, and since pickpocketing is a crime of opportunity, target people not paying attention. Keep the things you can't live without next to your body or back in your hotel safe, and be alert to people approaching you or jostling you in crowds. As has also been mentioned, you'll probably find you feel safer in Paris or Rome than you do in Fort Worth. Just be aware of your surroundings.

As for being respectful, the one thing that marks ugly Americans is how very loud they talk. You'll see them when you are there, the people talking like they have wide-open spaces between them or complaining in a big voice about how they can't get a decent iced tea. Europeans talk softly. Americans have a bad rep for being obnoxiously loud and for acting like Europe is an amusement park where people should cater to their whims. If you remember you're the guest, locals will be surprisingly polite.

I do not know if you have travelled yet but let me give some insight. I just got back from 4 days in Paris and 3 days in Rome as a female travelling by herself. I felt safe most of the time.

I used the walking tours in the books in both cities and they were phenomenal. It helped a great deal and really got me into parts of the cites I would not have been.

I used a Pacsafe metro 200 bag and I can not rave enough about it. I felt safe with it. it was the perfect size. I used the money belt in Paris but not Rome. It became to hot and chaffing with the high temps. But, with the Pac-safe bag I had no worries.

I wore my normal clothes. It is summer so I stuck with light weight capris and light weight shirts. I bought a cheap pashmina scarf in Rome to wear over my sleeveless top in the churches. There are many nice little stands in Campo di Fiori.It was great and I did not get over heated.

Wear your regular clothes. There are tourists and you are a tourist. When you try to look like a local you stick out more. There were locals in tshirts and shorts with logos in both cities. For a guy I would recommend the convertible pants. Just add the lower leg parts when going in to churches. It is hot so dress for the weather. Trust me the locals do.

In Paris. Eat at the areas listed on the walk. It works out great. At cafes you just sit at an open table you do not have to wait to be seated. The Metro is great and your best bet. Read up on the gypsy scams and have fun with it when you get approached. Just be aware.

In Rome. You MUST eat at Trattoria der Pallaro near campodifiori listed in Ricks books. 5 courses for 23 euros and the food is WONDERFUL. Get there right at 1900 or close to it for a table. Leave your book out Paola loves showing you where she is in the book. Do not go to la carbonara on they were beyond rude and would not seat me because I was alone. I used the metro but you have to use taxis in Rome. They are cheap and worth it.

Mike,

Here's what I wear:

http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=1440268

It's not built around blending in as much as just having comfortable, appropriate and travel easy clothing in one carry-on. I regularly travel a month at a time with this basic set of clothes.

The most important thing is to bring light layers, you don't say when you will be there. I might adjust a little warmer or cooler based on time of year, but I always take a rain shell with a hood because it can rain any time of year.

If you are staying overnight, leave your stuff in your room. Your important docs will be in your moneybelt. Carry a day pack for drinks, sunscreen, chapstick and picnic stuff (plus a sweater and/or rain shell).

If you are touring after checking out of your room, you can ask to leave your stuff at the desk or find a locker at an airport, bus or train station. I have never carried my full bag around while visiting a site.

Thieves - they will know you are a tourist but they look for the easiest mark with the most potential reward. Wear and use a money belt. I like to wear it over my tucked in shirt, just below my beltline. I don't access it publicly. If you need to get into it, find a rest room and take your time. Don't lose something valuable because you are trying to get in and out of your moneybelt quickly.

Don't dress rich or wear expensive watches/jewelry. Dress comfortably but neatly, and don't drag a lot of bags and personal items with you. Reduce whatever you have to one bag so it's easy to keep track of. Don't leave anything laying around or out of your site and you should have no problems.

We carry two ATM cards (one each) for different accounts at the same bank. We are both signers on both accounts. If we lose a card, we transfer the $ to the other account and use the backup card. We also carry one credit card each for different accounts to have a backup in case one is lost. We haven't ever lost a card although we have had some ATMs not work.

Mike,
Just wanted to reconfirm jacyln's comment about the pacsafe metro bag-just returned from Greece/Italy trip and can't imagine the trip without it.

I disagree with all those above who say "you will look like an American tourist no matter how you dress". I've been to Paris 7 times and I have pretty much been mistaken for a local each time - by having people walk up to me asking directions in French -- so it can be done! I consider myself pretty much an expert, for Paris -- still working on my Rome look....

Im glad to hear good things about the PacSafe 200. We were thinking about buying because a backpack is a sure sign of a tourist.