How Not To Look Like A Tourist During Your Trip Abroad

If you're an American traveling to a foreign country, one thing that you should not do is to look like a tourist. That is unless you want to be targeted by criminals out to take advantage of tourists or to get sucked into tourist traps. If you want to keep it safe, blend with the crowd and don't act like you're not from here. Here are some tips on how to do just that.

Don't wear athletic shoes

Tennis shoes and sneakers scream American. You don't have to wear footwear that are extremely uncomfortable just to avoid the athletic shoes. Just don't wear anything that's designed for exercise or else, people would know right away that you're a tourist. In most-countries, open-toed sandals are the safest bet even in areas that are urbanized. You can also go for sneakers that are dark in color and doesn't have loud logos or designs.

Wear accessories like the locals

Go to a local store and buy accessories that you see the locals are wearing. For example, if in your vacation destination, everyone's wearing a hat then you should also wear one. It would be smart to research regarding this matter so you know what you should wear during your vacation.

Don't wear American brands

There's nothing wrong with wearing Nike, Gap, or any other American brand while you're abroad. But as much as possible, stay away from shirts that have a massive logo or name of the brand. Also, don't wear clothes that have slogans that are very American such as What Happens in Vegas, I Left My Heart in San Francisco, and so on. You get the drift. Even tourist shirts are not ideal either. For example, if you're visiting Paris, if you're going to wear an Eiffel Tower souvenir shirt, this would be a sign signal that you're a tourist since tourists don't really wear their own souvenir shirts.

Avoid hanging your camera around your neck

This is annoying even in your local country. Hanging your camera around your neck and shooting while you're walking in the streets is a big no-no. Unless you want to get mugged or kidnapped, it's best that you confine your photo taking in tourist spots areas where there are also other tourists taking a lot of photos. Keep your camera inside a normal looking bag. Don't carry around a camera bag. Put the camera bag inside a backpack.

Never look at your map in public

This is a common mistake that many tourists make. You should never do this. Before you leave the hotel, study your map in advance. If you do need to consult the map while you're outside, look for a store or any other place that's more private. You can also choose maps that are pre-folded so they can easily be read.

Now that you know the tips on how not to look like a tourist during your vacation, the next thing you need to do is to prepare for the trip. One of the things that you need to organize for the vacation is the international travel insurance such as the international health insurance.