You don t always want people to know you are an American when you are visiting other countries or travelling abroad. You should follow these suggestions when hanging around the local crowds in order to avoid appearing like an American tourist.
1. Shoes! The bottom line is just wear the right shoes. It will be really obvious that you are American if you wear running shoes, Crocs or sneakers. Pretty much any sport shoe not worn for sport makes you look like an American tourist. Just so you know, generally around the world, Crocs are only worn by very young kids and or older gardeners. You will get laughed at if you walk down the street in Crocs. Flip flips too, are more of an American thing. To fit in with the crowd and not have conspicuous feet, try leather sandals, or casual flats.
2. Wear what everyone local wears. Build up your wardrobe when you arrive in the country you re visiting. Shop in local stores and buy the clothes and wear the accessories you see the people that live there wearing. In some countries, locals wear a lot of jewelry making tourists stand out if they re without jewelry. Scarves, like many other garments, are worn for religious reasons as well as cultural reasons in countries throughout the world. Learn about the culture and be ready to wear clothes and accessories familiar to the locale.
3. Keep away from the brand names. If you are wearing American Eagle, Nike or Adidas labels when traveling abroad, you will easily be recognized as being an American. At least try to pack clothes without brand names or logos on them.
4. Become more stylish. Generally, Americans dress casually which does not necessarily fit in when travelling abroad. Ditch your comfy clothes in exchange for some more formal attire. Refrain from wearing typical American clothing, such as sweats, tee shirts, denim, or camo wear. An unwritten fashion statement is that shorts should be avoided by women. Again, check out what type of items the locals are wearing. Slacks, cardigans and blouses are usually well accepted.
5. Don’t bring the baseball hat. Wearing a baseball cap will make it obvious you are an American tourist, so don t bring it with you. A water bottle is also not a normal item in most countries around the world, so if you have to have one, do not carry it where everyone can see it. Smaller handbags are better than large bulky bags. Sunglasses are acceptable anywhere.
6. Eat food that is grown locally. If you want to avoid being stereotyped as an American, you will have to eat the local cuisine. And because of this you may not be asked whether or not you want ketchup with your fries (wow!). You might notice that your Caesar salad is odd tasting too. You may have to use chopsticks because there won t be a fork on the table!
Do not mention how different the food is. Eat at local establishments rather than chain restaurants like McDonalds. By doing this you will appear to be one of the locals and not like a visitor from America.
As they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do . Follow the local habits and you won’t look so obviously like an American tourist.
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