Personal grooming when you travel to Europe - do you up your game?

Well, I shower daily and my hair is combed. . . but, I'd have to say I do not up my game, probably the opposite. Our priority is definitely seeing stuff as opposed to "primping". I long ago realized that extensive time, or even a bit of time with hair and make up, to end up being in and out of whatever elements, doesn't make a lot of sense for me.

My husband shaves daily, but mostly because he can't stand hair on his face.

I find in terms of hotels and restaurants people are always nice to us, even when we come in hot and sweaty or soaking wet. But, we stay at modest to moderately priced, local properties. Not big fancy chains.

Thanks, Jules. I'm not a primper either way, but I guess if I didn't shave every other day, that would earn me at least an hour extra Europe time on a trip!

Getting a haircut and shaving the neck and beard will make it less likely that Europeans will mistake you for a Viking and flee in terror on first sight.

What might be fun is to get your haircut and beard trim when you get here. We have one street in Frankfurt that must have 20 barbers on it, one more elegant looking then the next. Talking gold and chandeliers. All Turkish barbers.
Other cities may have similar areas.

We have one street in Frankfurt that must have 20 barbers on it, one more elegant looking then the next. Talking gold and chandeliers. All Turkish barbers.

I think I've been on that street but didn't get a haircut.

We have one street in Frankfurt that must have 20 barbers on it

So it's not just the UK that has streets full of empty 'Turkish' barbers. Anyone would think that they're used for laundering money or something.

Doesn't Frankfurt have a large Turkish community, like many other German cities?

The Turkish barbers round my way all seem pretty legit. Male grooming is craft handed down through generations of Turks. Lots of businesses of various descriptions around my part of the world are Turkish owned. There's been a big Turkish community here since the 70's. If you're in London and fancy a hot towel and wet razor shave with your haircut, Hackney is the place to go.

It's not like money laundering through cash businesses is a purely Turkish enterprise. It's just it's become a right wing anti-immigration talking point more recently, but has been going on for a long, long time.

Ms. Jo is correct. It's an opportunity to interact. Always good.

One of my better travel experiences was a Turkish barber on an Istanbul back street ... complete with flaming kabob sticks in the ears.

Otherwise, look as you do and with camouflage cargo shorts and a stained Mickey Mouse t-shirt, and you will send a certain message. Show up as you are in Brooks Brother's, and you will be seen as making an avant-garde personal statement.

Well you're talking the POV of a guy, so different kind of grooming standards (whether hair is kept quite short or allowed to spout, whether you shave or not.)

For me it's the woman's POV - along with my personal level of grooming comfort. I have friends who wouldn't DREAM of going to Europe without hair tools, such as a straightener or special kind of hair dryer. I don't use any precious real estate in my baggage for any of that. And I don't go on vacation to spend half an hour styling my hair every morning, either. I just let it air dry - or use the hotel dryer - then I put it in a pony tail (if a casual excursion is on the agenda) and go.

As for makeup and nails, I notice that most European woman go subtle on both counts and I follow suit (okay I go subtle at home, too, so nothing changes much.). But let's just say I go with "less is more" when it comes to makeup while traveling. Again, I don't want to spend a lot of time doing it, and when you're out for a long, hot day of sightseeing, it's more comfortable to be wearing less.

Naturally, I avoid the slovenly, unkempt look, but I also avoid the meticulously coiffed and made up look which is particularly American. I'm content to just "be" and not really noticed one way or the other.

I've evolved from my working style - full on blow dryer and curling iron - to my travel hairstyle, which my stylist understands cannot require either. The only "implement" is fingers run through it. And it must be long enough to go in a ponytail under a cap or to stay tucked in under a sun hat.

With those parameters, I can get out pretty quickly in the mornings!

I think your wife is the one to whom you should be asking this question. If she's ok with your look on vacation, that's all that really matters. You will most likely never see any of the other people again.

Getting a haircut and shaving the neck and beard will make it less
likely that Europeans will mistake you for a Viking and flee in terror
on first sight.

Actually, it would make you look more like a viking. Personal grooming and hygiene were important to the vikings.

Get treated better at the desk at hotels and in airplanes?

A long time ago, before algorithims ruled the world, airline counter agents made the decision as to who would get an upgrade into first class. You had to look like you belonged upfront in order to ride upfront.

Per your question, I look no different traveling than at home. My daily grooming habits are generally the same.

About a week before my trip I get a fresh hair cut. I usually only air dry my hair anyway as I have fine, thin straight hair that looks the same after an hour even if I spend time "styling" so I don't bother most of the time. If I will be wearing sandals at all I also do a pedicure a day or two before. I don't wear much makeup at home and travel with just the basics so I look presentable. I am very low maintenance.

A long time ago, before algorithims ruled the world, airline counter agents made the decision as to who would get an upgrade into first class. You had to look like you belonged upfront in order to ride upfront.

Ha ha, I remember those days, jkh. 30+ years ago, I used to fly using buddy passes from Delta that my brother gave me, and if you were dressed appropriately (nice business casual) you were almost always guaranteed a seat in business class on overseas flights. For that, I did dress up a bit. Those days are long gone, though.

It helps that I pack very light, so I don't need to spend too much time on choosing a garment to wear. And I keep my hair in a style that doesn't need much (if any) attention. Plus I don't wear makeup. But I've never gone for the "feral wilder" look that Hank is talking about. Maybe some tattoos would help?

The barber shops here are not empty, cause lots of people go here. All nationalities, as well as Germans, cause it is cheaper and the service is great. Heck, I even used to go cause all I wanted was a trim on my long hair. So, 10DM sure beat 50DM. My husband has a favorite barber and though the price has risen to 15€, it is the only place he will go.

Ms Jo I actually do get haircuts and beard trims in Europe, make a point of it on longer trips. Those Turkish barbers do an amazingly good job, on average far better than I get on Seattle. And fast, and 1/3 or less the price. I agree that it's an opportunity to interact.

They are particularly good at mens short haircuts, which is a little bit of a lost art in Seattle. In Seattle if I want a snappy short haircut, I generally need to drive to the city's gay neighborhood, and it will cost $50 or $60. But walking around Frankfurt in particular, you see an endless parade of men with scrupulously cut short hair, some with professionally trimmed beards. My wife jokes that it is the MTV Jersey Shore of Germany. I wish we had your barbers!

Short hair for low maintenance while traveling, not so much for appearance. Facial hair to match my passport photo. And I do believe that the better dressed and groomed you are, the better service you get in shops and restaurants. Some people can carry off that carefully disheveled look and others can't.

Stan thanks. Did not think about matching the passport photo. In that I am clean cut and completely forgettable.

Getting a local haircut is one of my husband’s favorite cultural activities; Krakow is on tomorrow’s docket. Should be fun with Google translate. He once spent nearly 2 hours in Avignon for a haircut with a student whose supervisor guided every snip. Watching the lesson was as much as the haircut, which was perfect.

There is pleasure & joy in the rituals of grooming.

In real life working a forge I just end up covered in coal ash, dust, particles of iron oxidation-scale and sweat... and then I use to bike to work & home. Get home, get in the shower, scrub off, and then shower in the morning. I like a nice 3-n-1 body wash and a body spray. I go through a lot of synthetic luffas and nail brushes. I also take care of my hands.

I keep the beard trim and hair short, I see my barber monthly. She's great and its like a spa day. Great trim, no wayward hair trimmings, she trims the eyebrows and fine down like hairs, finishes off with hot foam and straight razor, and then a hot towel massage of the head, face, neck and shoulders. Aaahhhh

When traveling, I'll get my hair cut right before I leave. Grooming is pretty much the same, I just don't need to take as many showers. I do love the big walk in showers and the rain fall shower heads in the hotels I've stayed in in Europe. Although I'd never cheat on my barber.

I've always been big on hygiene as I view it as simply being considerate of others, so if you sit beside me on a plane my breath or body odor isn't going to knock you out. I brush my teeth after meals because I can't stand that fuzzy feeling on my teeth and it just feels good. I may not shave every day but otherwise I don't want to be hygienically disgusting.

I'm reminded of being on a flight to Frankfurt when two German men were laughing at each other, saying "Du stingst!" as if it were something to be proud of. Fortunately, I was not sitting near them. You can shower and brush your teeth literally in minutes. C'mon, man.

This is such an odd topic and discussion. Unless I am backpacking or hunting, what I do day to day is pretty much always the same, whether I am travelling or not. In preparation for a longer trip (weeks) I might get a haircut before I go, depending upon when I last had one. I never go anywhere planning to get one "on the road". Hair styles, cutting techniques, they vary. I have zero interest in having a Turkish barber in Germany decide how to cut my hair, trim my sideburns, whatever. I do not want to be anointed with some weird cologne or mystery potion. No thank you! That interests me about as much as having the skin on my feet munched on by a bunch of guppies (or whatever those fish are) in a Chinese "barbershop". No to the tub of water filled with rose petals and accompanying massage, no!
A trip to the barber shop is never on my list. My personal hygiene is never part of my entertainment. What am I missing? Give me hot water and a change of clothes. I'll take it from there.

What might be fun is to get your haircut and beard trim when you get here. We have one street in Frankfurt that must have 20 barbers on it, one more elegant looking then the next. Talking gold and chandeliers. All Turkish barbers.

When we travel I get a hot towel shave. Last years trip it was 2 hot towel shaves. Plus one prior to traveling at home. The one in Lucca was by a "kid" that had only been barbering for about 8-9 months. But watching close by was his mentor. That was a really nice shave. In Edinburgh our wedding party got the Turkish barber shaves....complete with the flaming kabob. that was wild. We were not prepared for flames close to our face!

I've had good ones & average ones on our trips. It's a nice way to get a slice of life. In Chaville, France (outside Paris) the guy did not speak English & my French did not include barbering. I went in for a haircut then decided to do the shave. He did not have the hot towel but shaved with soap. It wasn't the best shave but we both had an experience to remember

I believe it’s just good manners to be reasonably well groomed in public!
At least be freshly clean and wear freshly cleaned clothes for long plane and train trips when in close proximity to others.
I’ve had “highly and very badly fragrant”ones right next to me on planes….just revolting.
Soap and water costs little….please use it…I’m begging you….

I think we might be convoluting personal grooming with personal hygiene. Obviously, reasonable personal hygiene is courteous. But it's a different thing than grooming. Regardless of whether or not my grooming is fastidious I'm clean.

Hey Mack! Many Turkish barbers, but they're giving German haircuts, at least those popular in the area. If you don't do short hair cut mostly with an electric trimmer then maybe not for you. But I like the way they cut hair. Every barber I've visited in the Teutonic world has been a master of the skin or nearly skin fade.. Or like this.

I actually have a hard time in the US getting barbers to cut a fade high enough to de-emphasize the thicker "monk's ring" part of my hair and mask my slide toward mLe pattern baldness. I will often walk out with my head looking more out of balance when I came in. In the German world I almost don't even have to tell them what to do. They look at me and just know.

So anyway if you do short tight fades you can get a great haircut for like 10 euro.

Roger that Hank. I do not do "high and tight". I lean towards if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Mine grows just fine and I like to keep it long enough to allow me to feel like I'm sporting more hair than a retired drill sergeant and balding marine.
You will not find me sporting a manbun and it no longer gets down to my shoulders, I am clean shaven....I loathe hair on my face and if someone tried to start a fire in my ears, it be very uneventful.
European or Asian hair styles are not in my wheelhouse. A row of 50 immaculate barber chairs would not tempt me. You guys go for a trim, I'll go for a nice pils.

The man bun makes me nostalgic as it reminds me of Grandma, or granny from The Beverly Hillbillies. The mullet is making a bit of a resurgence. Regrettably, perhaps, the Fu Manchu mustache/beard look has faded since Michael Scott and Dwight Schrute sported one during an episode of The Office. Sort of like the "Live, Laugh, Love" signs that used to be everywhere, now gone.

My tip would be to ditch the number one guard and go right down to the wood. I've been buzzing my own hair off since I started balding in my mid 20's and that's what works for me. I don't particularly enjoy cutting my hair, so the bare clippers gives you another week of growth before you need to do it again.

Roger that Hank. I do not do "high and tight".

Not high and tight military style, but I suppose if you started there you could grow the top for a couple months and get to the goal. Long long way from a man bun, which is about how far I like to stay away from man buns.

As for BIC'ed bald, it's a fun look, feels so breezy, and I've got the right head for it. Getting sunburned on top your head is no good though - darn thing points right at the noon day sun - so I keep some hair up top. May as well use it while it's around ;)

I'm very fortunate to be able to walk a very short distance from my home to my barber. He's a former Albanian soccer player who immigrated to the US. We share our travel stories and he knows exactly what will work for my month long trips. He knows how short (very!) to cut it before I leave so that I will not have to spend any time bothering with combs or mirrors during my trips. My short straight hair is very fine and looks the same all day long after I wash it in the morning. I prefer to keep it very short so that very little time needs to be spent moving hair around in front of a mirror. Travel is much too expensive to spend it that way.

My barber always asks me my travel dates so that he can inform me of any deviations in his schedule. Normally he can get me prepared to travel a day or two before I go. And....get this....we use WhatsApp to communicate!

Hank, if you were to stick with the Biker look, you could complete it with head-to-toe leathers, including a heavy leather jacket. Better yet, go full Viking, including fur coat and breeches.

But once June hits, and the weather warms up, maybe either one would get uncomfortable. Maybe getting trimmed and tidy is the better choice.

The Brawny paper towel guy looks less rustic now than 20 years ago, so it’s a trend.

Hank, just make sure you're hitting the weight room to make the Viking look convincing. No beer gut or double chin. Get ripped.

Also agree a shaved head is not for every man. It's like a cowboy hat. Some guys look good in one while others look goofy. You gotta have the right shaped head for it.

Headed to the gym right now actually, always feels good to start a trip in shape :)

Cyn I no longer own any leather except belts. I think I would need to wear more than those to pull off the look you are suggesting :)

I time my bi-monthly short haircuts to get one before a trip. My most radical change was back in 2023 when I had my hair stylist remove all of my haircolor in winter, so I didn’t have any root color issues when traveling for a month in June - my hair grows very quickly.

My hair has a lot of natural body & some wave in it, so it chooses each day which way it wants to lay after my morning shower and a 30-second touch with the provided hairdryer - same as at home.

I always wear a little makeup at home, so I just do the same few minutes on vacation.

“ and if someone tried to start a fire in my ears, it be very eventful”

Hilarious!

Jean—Your hair is beautiful!

I do the same traveling as at home. I can’t be bothered with a flat iron etc. I have naturally curly hair and just put a bit of gel in it to keep it from going frizzy. If it’s chilly out I will blow dry my bangs just a touch. Otherwise I let it air dry. Makeup is minimal as well and the same as at home

Well, this has been interesting. I was intrigued by the flaming kabobs, so had to do a little internet searching. I did eventually find "ear flaming."

I have cut my husband's hair for over 50 years - his idea, not mine. His hair used to be thick, auburn, and curly. It's still curly. He lets it grow long in the winter, and wants it short for hot weather. He does shave more often when we're traveling, unless we're camping.

We're going to be in London this fall... I may suggest he visit a Turkish barber, just for the cultural experience. And a good haircut. I doubt he'll agree, especially if he hears about ear flaming.

My own needs are very simple; I wear my long hair in a braid, and I don't wear makeup.

I had never heard of ear flaming either. Glad I don't have hairy ears that might tempt a flamethrower.

Regarding "Turkish Barber," I think it's getting exoticized a bit more than reality. I've never had a haircut in Germany that wasn't a Middle Eastern guy, but it's just a haircut, by a middle eastern guy. Not some sort of Middle Eastern fantasy haircut, not done with a scimitar, no spiced scents floating in the air, doesn't look like a bar from Star Wars, etc. Just a regular barbershop where a dude with heritage from Turkey/ the Arab world cuts your hair. Well, and for a good price.

We're going to be in London this fall... I may suggest he visit a Turkish barber, just for the cultural experience. And a good haircut. I doubt he'll agree, especially if he hears about ear flaming.

It seems my post about Turkish barbers in London further up the thread was axed (holy over-moderation Batman!) but I'll post a couple of links to Google Maps with a selection for you and your other half to ponder over.

Dalston and Stoke Newington - https://maps.app.goo.gl/YerausNEpZnvZktJ6

Green Lanes - https://maps.app.goo.gl/zx3HT1ZG5bMSQKAVA

Both of these neighbourhoods are good places to get the full London-Turkish experience with some food, or even just a Turkish coffee. You may even be served one at the barbers.

I color my roots before I go and generally make a point to go out and about each day looking groomed and probably wearing a bit less makeup than at home. My hair demands a certain amount of attention--thick, curly, can go several days without washing but must be handled just right in order to go several days, and at some point it might just end up being bundled up into a messy yet somehow charming pile atop my head. I don't feel the need to make any wild departures from my "usual" self when I travel.

We travel Europe for several months each summer with only a rollaboard and a backpack apiece. So no, no "upping of game" for us. Fairly streamlined wardrobes for both my wife and me.

Frankly, if those downwind of me don't scurry away from me on the street, I count it as a win.