mj,
well, I do consider student and lecturers as people who work, but I know what you mean. Still, when I see a middle-aged couple in very clean, pressed walking shorts or khakis and golf shirts, in the middle of the day in downtown Toronto, it's a pretty good guess they're tourists. They just have a sort of fresh-out-of-the-suitcase look.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

When I first visited London in 1991 (I'm American), I was positively surrounded by Germans every step of the way. I was the only non-German in my cheap hotel, the only non-German at St. Paul's, the only non-German in the queue at Westminster, etc., etc. On Carnaby Street we were all American, but everywhere it was Germans. So the answer is "speak German, look like you're living out of a backpack because you are, smell a bit". <br>
On one of our trips to Hawai'i, we went to hear Genoa Keawe, and the hotel where she was singing was completely filled to the gills with busloads of Koreans. So I guess I could answer this question by saying "look Korean, dress identically, and move around single-file in groups of a hundred or more".
Here in Seattle the majority of tourists, downtown at least, are Middle American and seem to come off the cruise ships. So the answer is "wear upscale resort wear, with fanny packs and the white sneakers, be morbidly obese, tilt your head back, stand around a lot waiting for others in your group to reappear".

I guess it depends.

Walking slowly and blocking the middle of the sidewalks during rush hour (esp in NYC).

<<< What "screams tourist?" >>>

Americans, you can hear them miles away

alan, come to think of it, even here in the US, American tourists do seem to stand out more than foreign ones.

Speaking Spanish in Portugal.
M

tourist:
wears a hat, t-shirt, sweatshirt with the name of the city, local footbal team, big state college, etc, fanny pack, jeans, and white sneakes.

while in a cafe near the Bastille, overhearing, "Becky let's go to McDonalds"

giants bags from their purchases at the Hard Rock cafe (guilty of this one...)

I think the best way NOT to look like a tourist is to act confident. Even native countrymen may need a map to get around, but yes, to stand in the middle of the street and to do so definately marks you.

Many economies thrive off tourism and depend greatly on the outside income.

To me, the lesson I've really learned from travelling was how to treat tourists at home better.

Americans constantly rant about how if you come to this country, you should speak English. If you've ever been a tourist in a foreign country and don't speak the language, you appreciate a little kindness.

So while I do try to "blend" somewhat, and not be they typical American Tourist, I think some tolerance from the locals should be in the mix.

Celebrate the differences!

Who changed the topic to "What 'screams American'?"

This is kind of sad. I have to admit I'm getting paranoid about "seeming American" when I go to Europe next month. I'm thinking I should start speaking Chinese wherever I go instead of English!

As for wearing a large camera around one's neck - I live in San Diego and love to take pictures of anything. I've visited our Balboa Park countless of times and taken a few friends there. People probably think I'm a tourist, but I just enjoy taking pictures. I'll also go out on a nice day and take pictures of our beaches. Heck, I even take it into restaurants and take pictures of my food!

I don't think it's a good indication of whether or not someone is a tourist.

I would think that most travelling to another country would be more sensitive to the other country's culture.

I wasn't trying to make this an American thing, its just that it's who I am and I can only speak from my point of view.

If someone from Italy gave me their point of view, I'd like to know they were from Italy.

It's just insight.

It all depends on where you are and where you're from, I guess. I'm from NYC. One time I was in a Denny's in Euless, TX (don't ask). I remember being outside and on my cellphone, and people kept giving me odd looks. Then when I walked in, the looks continued. Then I realized I probably stuck out like a sore thumb, with black pants, a black leather jacket and the big sunglasses I was wearing when I walked in. I guess Euless isn't a tourist mecca.

I blend in when in major cities, whether it's San Francisco or Paris.

Another time, I was somewhere in Illinois, and was rushing off somewhere. A stranger actually yelled to me (in a friendly way) "you can slow down, you're not in New York anymore!"

So, it's all relative.

Anyway, if you're in a major city, nobody really cares if you're a tourist or not. Oh, sure, we complain when you stop dead in the middle of the sidewalk, but nobody is looking at you thinking "HEY--those people over there--are they tourists???". Except for a pickpocket, maybe :-) As far as pickpockets go, I say, just be aware of your surroundings. At any rate, I can always spot tourists. It's usually something to do with the fact that most people travel in groups (another reason why I tend to blend in better, I'm usually alone. I love when I get stopped by Americans asking me directions, speaking to me in a broken version of the language of whatever country we're in--and then the surprise when I say "hey, I'm from Brooklyn!"

Right On Miss Ziegfeld except for the cell phone :)

Even The French, I have seen wearing very discreet leather money belts.
No matter where we are from, We city folks stand out.

PS: I didn't mean to imply that people in smaller cities don't use cellphones :-) What I meant was I happened to be standing outside for about 15 minutes while people were going in and out, and got some looks from people (and, no, I was not talking loudly! LOL)

I didn't express myself correctly. I identified with you except I DON"T HAVE a cell phone :)

MissZiegfeld, being from Brooklyn your accent is probably what attracted attention in Texas, not your outfit. I'm pretty sure the black pants/black leather jacket look is not alien in the Dallas suburbs.

For Japanese, white gloves & someone holding an umbrella up - plus the fact there's about a hundred of them.

Chinese similar but without the white gloves

The best way NOT to look like a tourist is to walk around with earbuds plugged into your ears. Only a local would feel comfortable enough to shut out the sounds around him while walking through crowds. Next time you read the Tube check it out: Almost half the folks heading into work are isolating themselves from the outside world by donning those silly things.

Sounds like you've made up your mind whether ambient noise or soothing music is more important, so I won't try to sway you.