"Many Europeans have seen loud, obnoxious Americans (as I have seen with embarassment), and I don't think they necessarily get a good impression of the average American....unfortunate'

This "loud, obnoxious American" bit is so tired, overdone and not really true at all. Sure you see a few, but you also Europeans of the same stripe. Give it a rest and move on.

I don't pack to "blend in" whatever that means. I do pack in a very practical way, so I can look well-dressed and pulled-together even wearing the same clothing pieces over and over during a trip.

And sure I guess there is an element of insuring safety in a city you don't know, possibility of getting better service, etc. if you aren't wearing a fushia polyester pantsuit!

Suze, hear that swoosh? It is the sound of me romoving my fuschia pant suit from my suitcase, lol.

Actually, I feel that people dress nicely on both sides of the Atlantic. How is that for a Libra-ism?

Thats what I do always not only on vacation!

thank you SeaUrchin I really needed a laugh today!

my strategy is to take 4-5 of my best outfits on the high end of 'casual' from home that are appropriate to the season and all pieces that mix & match and pack well. you want to feel presentable and attractive along with comfortable and means to dress it up or down a bit.

Exactly!!

I have been reading this thread and find it interesting in the sense that this is something that has never in 7 years of solo travel crossed my mind. I live in nyc, am very much a city girl and always dress abroad the same way I do at home. I will sy that every trip I've taken people take me for italian or spanish, i am neither and am often approached by fellow americans in their attempt with the local language for directions. It's not until I open my mouth and say can't help ya, that they realize whatever language they are speaking they are doing it better than me. So wear what you do usually- if your
perceived as an american great-you are an american. I proudly say so whenever mistaken for a local, I'm from the US and you know what the next question they ask is oh, where in the us are you from? New york seems to go over pretty well. And there you go looking like or acting like or just being the american you are can get you a couple of new drinking buddies for the night.

Laarista

Glad you liked the question. Mildred

I don't think it is a question of blending unless you are visiting a culture that dresses very differnt from you. I think it is a question of respect. Don't behave (& that includes dress) in a way that the natives find offensive, even if that would be acceptable at home ie don't wear shorts to visit a church or jeans to a fancy restaurant. I don't think your personal style of dressing is going to make any difference at all. Most likely no one will look twice at you unless your behavior calls undue attention to youself. I speak minimal French (mainly present tense but with a reasonable accent) & for some reason I am always asked for directions. On my last trip to France I covered the 2 quide books I carry with dust jackets from 2 french novels. I think it's more fun to try to fit in than stand out while you are learning about your environment, but I wouldn't hesitate to ask for info or directions in English if I couldn't do it in French (or whatever the local language is).

Laarista -- If it's any consolation, I dressed differently (read: better) when I visited NYC too. I don't just dress up for the Parisians.

P_M hit it on the head when they said "As for me, it's not that I want to fool anyone into thinking I'm a local, but if you stand out too much as a tourist, there can be a safety concern. Although crime can happen to anyone, we travelers all know that pickpockets and petty thieves seek out tourists. "

It's not about hiding the fact that I'm American -- I'm proud to be one, and happy to talk with anyone who wants to speak with me. I've been an exchange student and have made it to four continents so far in my lifetime -- I find that it just doesn't do to wear my usual weekend-wear, like a Denver Broncos sweatshirt, because it is a matter of taste (TO ME), and it brings unwanted attention, whether it's from a pickpocket or some lecherous guy who wants to find out if us American women are as easy as we appear to be in the movies we put out (I actually had that said to me in so many words while overseas).

It's also sometimes a matter of cultural respect. I went to Istanbul, I had a scarf that I wore on my head when I went into the Blue Mosque. They didn't make you wear one, but out of respect for the Muslim religion/culture, I felt it was appropriate.

Fashion is, by definition, a sense of personal style mixed with current trends, therefore it is fluid, and we should all be able to dress how we want, where we want. For me, travel is an opportunity to dress up a bit more than I normally would, and I do believe that when in Rome...

Jules

Government agencies that give overseas travel advice for Americans cite many security precautions. "Blending in" is necessary for our safety. Do some research. And, yes, many of those principles apply to travel in our own country as well. But you must remember that in many countries, you may be at risk for harm simply because you are American.

>in many countries, you may be at risk for harm simply because you are American.
That's the kind of nonsense "they" are telling you to scare you. Far from being a realistic view of the world around you imho.

logos999 -- sorry, but I have to disagree with you.

It's not just about getting shoved into a car, kidnapped and getting your head chopped off by some "insurgents" after a few days on the Al Jazeera network for being in a war zone, but if you travel beyond the usual locations and have contact with the locals, being aware of your surroundings and who you're talking to (and being respectful of the local customs/culture) can be a lifesaver, both literally and figuratively.

I was in rural Brazil 20 years ago when I had my first experience with someone in a bar getting REALLY upset with me about purely my being from The States (I happen to be a dual-national with Brazil and the USA, but I look American, and that is my first culture).

This guy figured this was HIS opportunity to tell someone from the states that he hated our government and how the the IMF (International Monetary Fund) was holding the Brazilian economy hostage (that also is a bigger deal than you might be aware of, given the poverty it fosters). I learned real quickly that agreeing that my government had its flaws and that I was on his side, got me out of what could have been a lot of trouble.

To some people, we are the ONLY Americans they will ever meet. That is a bigger deal the further away from the beaten path that you get than perhaps you realize, and sometimes that can be dangerous if you don't handle it correctly.

Jules

No imagine you would have been to tall, fat, black, yellow or however different from him and that would have upset him. Would the situation have been any different? He was looking for a fight and you happend to be there and different in one respect from the others. Does this really has something to do with being American?

Logos, perhaps what he was looking for was a fight with whomever stood out.

That's my whole point. Be agreeable, dress like the locals, and the a$$holes in the bar won't notice you as quickly. LOL

I met a maid at a bus stop once in Brazil when I lived there. She noticed my accent, even though I was fluent, and when I said I was American, she said in the most adoring voice "Ooh, I've never met an American before, you are very beautiful." She talked and asked questions and wanted to know if I lived in Beverly Hills.

We are a phenomenon because we don't travel enough. When I go overseas, I make a point of talking with any local who wants to talk -- and I try to learn as much about them as I try to make clear to them that not all Americans are like we are in the movies, not all like the current administration (no matter who's in the White House), and that we are generally a peaceful people just like everybody else.

I'm just saying that when you do run into a jerk into a bar, under the Eiffel Tower or anywhere else for that matter, advertising your American status is a good way to put yourself in harm's way.

You don't have to agree with me. It's just been my experience.

Jules

Why blend in? Well its because we all don't want to look like "Bob and Ethel from Des Moines" who have never been overseas! Even the airline that I work for does not want us to wear our uniform coats as they don't want us "standing out" overseas for security reasons.

I like to blend so that I can enjoy my vacation without standing out in a crowd. I prefer to look like a local and speak their language (even if the accent isn't correct - they might just think I'm from the north or south or whatever - their accents are different even for locals). I slip my camera in my pants or jacket pocket, not around my neck - but it is a give away when I use it . When in Rome we were approached by a group of Japanese speaking text book Italian - guess we looked like locals - without even thinking I answered in English because I just knew they would understand that! We all had a great laugh about that. Besides dressing like them and speaking their language really makes their faces light up and they respond by giving much better service. It never hurts to learn how to say "good morning" and "thank you VERY much" in their language. They love it and so do we. Enjoy

Good lord - wear what you feel good in and quit fussing.

Responders here clearly have a variety of concerns related to "blending in."

I've always liked travel and have been to a lot of places over my 59 years and I still haven't figured out exactly how it works.

I don't consciously try to blend in, probably because, as a mixed race Anglo-Chinese, it seems a pretty futile exercise to engage in. After all, here in rural East Texas, they think that Presbyterians are from Mars.

Nonetheless, I do manage to blend in very well in some places and seem to stand out like a two headed talking frog in others.

Oddly enough, I routinely blend in seamlessly in Paris while being the subject of endless gawking in my mother's home town in China despite having Chinese coloration, almond eyes, a small flat nose and straight, jet black hair. Go figure.

Of course, as soon as I speak in Paris, despite being fluent in French, I am immediately identified...as a Quebecois...since I learned French during 7 years in Montreal chatting in that language with a series of Francophone girlfriends. I always point out that I'm an American. Why should Canadians get all the credit for being multi-lingual?

And while there may be significant security concerns for an American in Muslim majority countries, I really doubt a tourist in Europe has much to fear unless he or she intends, for example, to do a solo tour of the Paris banlieues.

I dress conservatively in Europe because I dress conservatively everywhere.

Maybe you ought to leave the Hawaian print shirts at home but its your vacation, you're paying for it, tourism is a big (and vital) business in Europe, and you ought to feel free to dress in whatever makes you comfortable.

We are all avoiding the American elephant in the living room, the C word.

Educated middle class professionals dress in a very similar way wherever they live.
They tend to dress appropriately for city, beach, theatre etc. and don't have to ask. They also tend to dress in a way that suits their figure and weight.
Working class and lower-middle class people often dress inappropiately, e.g shorts in the city, scruffy jeans at the theatre. It's not just an American thing.
A fat man in shorts, lurid shirt and baseball hat waddling through Paris could be American, British or German, but whatever nationality he is, he is lower class.