who are we kidding?

Old Jun 28th, 2006, 03:34 AM
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travelway.....AMEN
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Old Jun 28th, 2006, 03:39 AM
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LOL Scarlett! Perhaps there should be travellers' tatoo parlors where one could get a new tatoo in each country--sort of like the old travel stickers that used to be put on luggage!

Not sure why this debate is still raging, except that every now and then someone asks what to wear and states a desire to "not stand out" or "blend" with the locals.

As has already been pointed out, dressing appropriately for the occasion is more important than dressing for a role. If you wear cargo shorts to the opera, as celticdreams so aptly states, you'll look like an idiot. That goes for home, too. If you wear pajamas to the swimming pool, hot pants to church, or a wetsuit skiing, you're going to look like you don't know where you are or what you're doing.

But if you wear sensible shoes,comfortable clothing and carry some bag that contains what you deem necessary (whether it's a water bottle, camera, map or ibuprofen) while you are sightseeing on vacation, you will be dressed and acting appropriately for the occasion---your vacation as a tourist.
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Old Jun 28th, 2006, 04:03 AM
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I guess it's all a matter of what one means by "blending in." Most - but not all of us - want to fit in/blend in in our daily lives. Many of us have literal or figurative nightmares about showing up for an event in the wrong clothes - e.g. wearing a tuxedo when everyone else is "resort casual" or the opposite. I think lots of us speak of dressing to blend or fit in in terms of looking not obviously out of place.

My last three vacations were:

1. Disneyworld

2. Costa Rica

3. Italy

The clothes I wore on any one of those vacations would not have been appropriate on any of the other vacations.
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Old Jun 28th, 2006, 04:21 AM
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I got over the whole "blending in" thing on my trip to India last fall.It just wasn't going to happen!
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Old Jun 28th, 2006, 05:27 AM
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I too am over the whole "blending in" thing. I attempted it on our first few trips and found it rather useless. Our clothing options are just different here in the US. Add the camera/guidebooks/maps, etc to the mix and its rather obvious. I just try to look nice while still being comfortable, and I don't let it bother me. I'm certainly not going to walk around the streets of Rome in a pair of 5" heels, like many Italians do, just to fit in!

Tracy
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Old Jun 28th, 2006, 05:47 AM
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I do have to share something funny about dressing "appropriately" in Costa Rica. About 8 Americans out of 10 walk around in those zip-off khaki colored pants (that convert from long pants to shorts), because everyone says to buy them...it's "mandatory" tourist attire. Of course, once the hike in the rain forest is over and you go into town for lunch wearing your zip-off pants, you see the Costa Rican women wearing very stylish jeans and camisoles - they'd "fit in" in any shopping mall in the US.
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Old Jun 28th, 2006, 06:01 AM
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If I am a tourist, why shouldn't I look like one. I'm not trying to be an Italian or a European, I'm an American. I show great respect for their culture, beliefs, religion, etc, and dress according to what is expected for visiting those areas. I'm not going to try to dress like an Italian every day though. I think that whole discussion, worry, and judgement is idiotic.
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Old Jun 28th, 2006, 06:13 AM
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I don't really think dressing like a tourist is the problem. I think we have a problem with tourists dressing like dorks! I would laugh at any middleaged guy or women dressed in a T shirt (with a message) ball cap and shorts riding up the crotch, topped off with shiny white tennies, here or abroad. Add numerous junk slung around the neck and they don't liook like a tourist, they just look bad!
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Old Jun 28th, 2006, 06:16 AM
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I actually dress much better at home than I do on trips. The fact that I'm walking around all day when i'm on vacation puts a damper on what I can wear so no nice heels, facy boots with a heel etc. The truth is, when you're visiting a place, the people who live there are not doing all the walking that you are doing as a tourist, they're just going on about their daily lives. I would like to find an alternative to the backpack though!!!
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Old Jun 28th, 2006, 06:17 AM
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Are there any thoughts on "shorts" in Europe, particularly Scandinavia, I will be traveling there next week with my 2 sons (9 and 13) and husband? I am trying to pack light...suggestions have been 3 pairs of shorts and 2 pairs of pants.
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Old Jun 28th, 2006, 06:21 AM
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I just love the socks with sandals trend that seems especially to show up in eastern Europe!
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Old Jun 28th, 2006, 06:33 AM
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My DH and I will be walking around European cities with two teenagers in tow - I think that fact alone proves that one is a tourist.

Also, something that convinced me that I didn't even want to try and fit in in Europe - I read on another thread that Boden is popular in Britain. I have ordered some things from their Boden USA catalog and sent most of it back - didn't fit right, and just wasn't me! I like my good ole American clothes!
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Old Jun 28th, 2006, 07:04 AM
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Some of us naturally look less like tourists than others. As several people mentioned, I never carry cameras, maps, travel books, or a backpack around with me.

Maybe because my fashion sense is questionable at best, often times I am mistaken for a local until I speak. Or possibly because I am alone and/or carrying a shopping bag from the grocery store?
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Old Jun 28th, 2006, 07:19 AM
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suze, I don't think it always has to do with what we are wearing or carrying. I usually keep my small maps and guidebook pages in a purse so I don't look too obvious. I've had a woman talk to my husband and I in a train in Germany for about five minutes before she figured out that we weren't German (I guess she could tell after awhile that she completely lost us!) and we were stopped and asked for directions in Paris by a French family. I certainly didn't feel that I looked Parisian, so who knows.

On the flip side, I usually look very obviously like a tourist in southern Italy. With my light blonde hair and fair skin, I could never be confused as an Italian local!

Tracy
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Old Jun 28th, 2006, 08:23 AM
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Tracy, Venice seemed to be filled with Germans when we were there. A German guy asked my son some questions in German when we were there. (Since he is taking Fernch in high school, he responded to him in French.)
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