What to wear when you're a tourist

[milkbar]

then dress like a native!

 

[masquerade]

IMO, who cares if you look like a tourist?

iawtc. im not gonna buy an entire new wardrobe when i go abroad because mine is "american". im spending enough on the trip as it is.

besides, if you are a tourist, you will look like one no matter what. if you are visiting a place, you are probably gonna be in touristy places, surrounded by a bunch of other tourists

 

[MulletProof]

^yeah. i understand the whole uniform of safari hat, bermudas, rubber sandals, tshirt and camera on hand is one thing to smile about. but the lost look and accent..who cares... not that one travels hoping to look like a londoner or whatever the look is in your destination...

 

[MulletProof]

offtopic: what does iawtc mean, by the way?

 

[pinglet]

the matching parachute sports gear...u noes the sports jacket and matching pants ensemble...the ones that usually cum in the same fleuro-ish colours...those are baddddddd

 

[shadow]

Great Topic!! What about Spain or France?

As a Spaniard one can spot a tourist (be it German, American or any other nationality) simply this way:

In the city, dress like in the city. Madrid can be 45 degrees, but madrileños do not wear beach gear. Neither mountain gear (huge rucksacks, what do people carry in there???) and hiking boots. It is a CITY.

The tourists that pass quite unnoticed are (you guessed it) the French and the Italian.

Beach gear on the beach.
Mountain gear in the mountains.
City style in the city.

 

[kissablekae]

its funny that even when people from California..travel around California..you can tell they are tourists! the weather is different in different parts. so say if you were going from norcal to socal, dress beachier! it was still chilly in norcal so id wear boots tucked into jeans but when i went to socal, i wore flip flops

 

[PEOPLELIKEUS]

don't dress like me!!!

 

[skinny_boho]

how si the weather in this period in London? I'm going to be in the city in 3 weeks and I was wondering...

 

[TheKiwi]

Always carry a handbag, not a backpack or any other sort of tourist-type bag.

Also, just dress casually, but not cargo shorts, t-shirt, and Teeva casual.

Put some effort into your outfits... The big key is to accessorize. To me, tourists look like they just dress in only things they need, and no accessories. So accessories are a big key part in not looking like a tourist!

 

[mademoiselle_]

you can't look like if you weren't a tourist ever in your life

nobody can ..unless you're been way to much times there

 

[J67X4]

no sandals and socks...thats typical tourist

 

[chanelnumber5]

dont wear the T-shirts saying I Love London, or what ever. Thats a bit of a give away
Dress like you normally do, if you try to hard to fit in youll stand out

 

[CocktailChic]

how si the weather in this period in London? I'm going to be in the city in 3 weeks and I was wondering...

Weather in London is rather unpredictable so I suggest you check the weather a couple of days before coming to London.
As for the weather in London now, its hot and humid.

 

[papa_levante]

Cultural Sensitivity

(Someone think up a better thread title!)

My brother was on MySpace and showed me a picture of his friend in front of the Taj Mahal. The picture was funny because she had pretended she was picking up the building by its top steeple, but all I could think of was her shirt. She wore her sorority's shirt, Tri Delta. And short shorts.

I remember reading in a travel guide that you should try to conform to the culture's dress code just a little:

Paris: heels, dark colors.
Middle East: flowy clothing (to keep cool), sandals.
Once, my father couldn't enter a church in the Vatican because he wore shorts and a short sleeve shirt.

Do you try to conform? Do you ever see foreigners in your country, assume they are tourists, and treat them differently because of how they dress?


When you travel, do you try to look like you fit in?

(I read that you can spot an American tourist by their fanny pacs, visors, white tennis shoes, and beer bellies.) And I'm American so I can say that.

 

[Ronchamp]

I don't think you should conform as much as you should show respect and consideration for other places' culture and traditions. I mean, I wouldn't necessarily wear heels just because I'm in Paris, but let's just say I wouldn't pack the same things to go to L.A. and to the Middle East (even if in some parts, they do look/dress quite alike )

 

[seanutbutter]

When visiting a new city, I do my best to "blend in" with the locals and not make my tourist status obvious. In popular tourist destinations, thieves are constantly on the lookout for people who look and act like they're from out of town, so it's best to be aware and cautious of your surroundings.

I've also heard of imitating accents to mask your own (since that too can be a dead giveaway), but I've yet to try that method myself.

 

[xjessiex]

Faust is sooo right. Learn some french - if anything annoys the french its expecting them to talk to you in english. Try to get a good accent too - don't just pronounce the words like you would in english. Be very polite - when you enter a shop/restaurant/bar - say 'bonjour madame/monsieur' - that is important.

Even though it's an old reply, I felt the need to react to this. I've been to France a couple of times, and I don't get why many French people seem to be offended when you speak to them in English. It happened several times to me that they refused to speak english, and just kept talking in french. I know my basic french, but it's usually not enough. I don't expect tourists to speak dutch in Amsterdam, that would be crazy.

I'm not trying to offend anyone. I'm just trying to understand why this is such a big deal in France.

 

[Les_Sucettes]

I agree with you totally.Foreigners should not demand that natives speak English but they shouldn't expect that a tourist be fluent in the language of the country they are visiting. Although I have to say that I never had many problems in France, I try to explain myself in French, but when they see how troubled I am, if the persons knows English, we settle for English. Although a lot of French people do not know English, so no wonder they avoid the language.

Unless I'm going to a country that has particular rules of dressing, It never crossed my mind traveling in the western world, to dress in a particular style of a certain place. My clothes as a tourist are exactly the same as the ones I wear back home. Maybe more comfortable shoes and but that's it. If i'm going to a city I take my city clothes, if i'm going to a beach my beach clothes, regardless of the city i'm going.

 

[fashionista-ta]

Even though it's an old reply, I felt the need to react to this. I've been to France a couple of times, and I don't get why many French people seem to be offended when you speak to them in English. It happened several times to me that they refused to speak english, and just kept talking in french. I know my basic french, but it's usually not enough. I don't expect tourists to speak dutch in Amsterdam, that would be crazy.

I'm not trying to offend anyone. I'm just trying to understand why this is such a big deal in France.

Supposedly France is ruled by Leo, which I think explains a lot

They are just totally weird about their language, even with each other. You know they have that official board or whatever that rules on whether to add a new word to the language or not ... whereas with English & I assume all other languages on the planet, they just evolve. There's a consensus as to whether words are polite or not, but ...

I think the French may be crazy ... shhhh, don't tell them I said that