Help us avoiding looking like tourists
 

We're going over to Austria, Bavaria and Italy for our honeymoon in June and I'd like some suggestions on what to wear so we don't look like the typical tourist please. And no, we won't be wearing fanny packs or white tennis shoes :-)

Pack lightly and pick up your travel wardrobe locally at H&M or Zara or some such?

Don't worry about it, you will look like tourists and there's no harm in that.

No tennis shoes, no jeans, no shorts, shirts/blouses, no tshirts.

We wore light clothes, linen, khakis, my son always wore light pants, my daughter and I wore capri pants or skirts, never shorts. Italians always look put together, never sloppy.
We all look pretty Italian as my Nona, that helped :)

fugeddaboudit.

You will look like tourists.

No one will care.

Happy honeymoon.

((I))

the one thing i always find gives tourist away...standing in the middle of the street with a map :-) but im with Michael, if the map helps who cares :-)

Ha, thanks for the replies!

Now, do Germans wear Birkenstocks or are they out of fashion over there?

Someone had the perfect suggestion in another thread - watch Antiques Roadshow, the US version - observe the people in the background - don't dress like them ;-)

<<do Germans wear Birkenstocks or are they out of fashion over there?>>
Dear God, I hope so!

I'll tell you what: don't wear any sort of athletic shoe or any sort of denim and you'll look like tourists for certain. Don't believe me? wait and see.

Funny - we saw more native Italians wearin denim and sneakers on our recent trip than the 'tourists' who were trying to hard not to look like tourists! Be comfortable, be courteous and enjoy. Learn a few words of German and Italian to help a bit. Expect that traditions will be different (like meal times) and embrace the differences! How you interact will be far more memorable to those you meet than what you are wearing.

There isn't anything you can do to avoid looking like a tourist. The way you walk, talk, style your hair - everything will set you apart at least a little bit. And then the camera and guidebook/map will seal the deal.

"<i>No tennis shoes, no jeans, no shorts, shirts/blouses, no tshirts.</i>" is semi-silly, since Europeans wear all of the above when appropriate.

Don't worry, the minute you stop and gawk at all the monuments, museums and restaurants you'll be outed, not to mention the first time you speak. Don't worry-just pack what you're comfortable in and enjoy. It's your honeymoon afterall.

I've seen Frenchmen were jeans and tennis shoes and French women who dress like the commuter crowd on my way to work. Anyone who tells you all French, Italian, etc people dress exquisitely has never been to Europe.

Focus on Italy. Germans don't care, we just want your money.

Seriously, in almost 44 years of living in Germany, I have never ever encountered a conversation with my compatriots which touched the subject of how one particular or any tourists dressed.
Those of the 82 million who DO care also suffer from other brain damages and can be blissfully ignored.

The only exemption from the rule would be comments on flatlanders trying to hike in the mountains in sneakers or flip-flops or in other potentially unhealthy gear. But Darwin usually takes care of those.

They will be thrilled that a tourist thought their spot was worth visiting. If there are those out there offended at what you where then why would you waste a second worrying about them.

The most important thing is to wear what is comfortable that you already own. Don't "break" in new clothes (and especially) shoes on a trip just to find that you hate them.

Wear what you feel good and comfortable in - as long as it covers what should be covered, no one cares. As soon as you open your mouth everyone will know anyway. Wear practical clothing that is adequate for the weather conditions you encounter - this applies especially to outdoor activities like hiking and mountain excursions. In the Alps, never set out without a rain jacket and a sweater in your daypack no matter how glorious the weather looks. Frozen knees in shorts on a mountain top are a dead giveaway that screams "foolish tourist with no idea of the Alps", just like sandals or flipflops on rocky paths.

Don't wear shorts, baseball caps, Tshirts, or a big ole camera case around your neck. Of course, Europeans wear most of those things, but there are some tourists that really overdo it.

When I first lived in Germany in the 60's, it was pretty easy to tell Americans from Germans, but it's not so easy nowadays. Fashions seem to have become global.

I wear exactly what I wear at home. Usually black pants, a black jacket if it's cool, matching or coordinating printed tops, and my really ugly black SAS walking shoes. I sometimes am taken for a local in Germany because of my northern European ancestors.

This is not the case in Spain or Italy. In fact, when my Spanish teacher in Madrid said that one of the film companies was looking for non-Spanish-looking extras, she pointed out that I and another woman had the type of skin coloring that they wanted.

"Standing in the middle of the street with a map" reminds me that even other Americans recognize tourists. We were in Regensburg doing just that (on a corner, not in the street) when a lovely young American woman came up and asked if she could help. She was living in Regensburg and working as a singer in the Regensburg opera company.

We had a nice chat.

P.S. The reason for the black pants is that they don't show the dirt. They're not a fashion statement.

Pegontheroad -- you're my kind of gal -- black pants and SAS shoes! Like looking in the mirror! LOL
k

How does one travel with "no shirts/blouses"? -- naked on top???