World Travel Zone: 10 Ways to Blend in on Vacation

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new york1 10 Ways to Blend in on Vacation

Chinatown in New York.

If you want to eat like Italians, dress like Parisians and navigate like New Yorkers, you’ve got to ditch the chain restaurants, the fanny packs and the obtrusive maps when you’re on vacation. If you follow these 10 ways to blend in on vacation, you’ll be the only one who knows you’re really a tourist.

Hide the Map

If you’re going to carry a map or dictionary for translations around, try to be discreet while reading it in public. Instead of standing in the middle of the street to study your map, go inside a restaurant or store, sit down and open up your map. There, you can more calmly ask workers or customers about directions.

Avoid U.S. Brand Names and American Clothing

The best way to blend in when you’re in a foreign country is to avoid wearing American brands and clothes with slogans or symbols that will identify you as an American. For domestic travel, leave behind your home state t-shirts, and don’t wear a souvenir Chicago t-shirt when you’re visiting Chicago.

Take the Camera Off Your Neck

Wearing a camera around your neck is a tell-tale sign that you’re not a native to the area. Taking pictures is perfectly acceptable on trips, but leave the camera in the bag when you aren’t using it. Blend in even better with a small pocket-sized camera that’s discrete and easy to tote around.

Leave the Athletic Shoes at Home

Traveling usually involves quite a bit of walking, which is why so many people pack their sneakers on trips. Athletic shoes, particularly chalk white kinds, are ubiquitous to the U.S. and should be avoided if you’re trying to blend in. Instead of wearing clunky, white sneakers, opt for some dark colored ones with subtle or no visible logos. When wearing shorts or skirts with athletic shoes, forgo the knee-high socks for ankle socks. Less is always more.

Forgo the Fanny Pack

The fanny pack screams tourist. If you want to blend in and have hands-free wear, try using a travel wallet with a shoulder strap that can be secured across your body or underneath your outerwear. To blend in with the locals even more, carry a purse, man bag or tote with you, but still keep the maps and translators out of sight.

Don’t be Matchy-Matchy

As if traveling in a large group wasn’t touristy enough, having everyone wear the same bright colored t-shirt so you can spot them from miles away is not the way to blend in. At all costs, avoid the matchy-matchy look by not wearing hot pink t-shirts with “fifty and fabulous” printed on them or any other look-at-us getups.

Know and Use the Correct Currency

Don’t try paying for meals in Spain with your American dollar bills. Always use the correct currency for your specific location, and familiarize yourself with the exchange rate beforehand. This way, you can count the money on your own and not get ripped off like many tourists.

Eat Like Locals

Whether you’re in New York City or Hong Kong, trying the local food is a major part of traveling. Instead of opting for McDonald’s or another chain restaurant, eat the local cuisine to fit in with the locals and get a true cultural experience.

Learn Some of the Language

Learning some basic words and phrases of the local language will help you blend in better than simply speaking English to every local you meet. Ideally, you’d want to memorize some common words before asking a question or ordering food, but referring to your pocket dictionary is completely acceptable while traveling in a foreign country.

Act the Part

One of the best ways to blend in with the locals is to act like them. If you notice that most locals are reserved or soft spoken, try to tone down your volume and watch your mannerisms. Being mindful of your behavior will help you keep a low profile and blend in with the locals.

This article was originally published at Hospitality Management Schools.

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