How to Look Like a Tourist

So, you might be a tourist if…

…you walk around town constantly looking at directions on your phone’s map and then the surroundings. To blend in better, try this sequence: look at the phone, identify where you are, put the phone down, walk a bit, confirm, walk a bit more.

…you are seen taking photos of benign objects (e.g. statues, signs, food, displays). Be excited for where you are and remember you don’t have to capture everything in photos.

…you open your mouth and speak English. It’s a fact. Speaking anything in English is a give-away that “you ain’t from around here, is ya?” and will prompt the question, “Where are you from?” The answer is predicted most often by locals to be UK, America, or Australia.

…going to lunch or dinner at a time different than local culture. For example, Spaniards and Italians take a siesta time in the heat of the day (15:00-17:00-ish) and expecting to eat a non-tourist meal at that time is a give-away that you are a tourist. To avoid disappointment, own the tourist meal at 2:00PM and make special plans for a special local meal.

…you expect special treatment. Expecting others to speak English, stating a command, and asking for upgrades or substitutions are common privileges that can come about when traveling. Instead, do your best to use their language to greet them before asking for help. Then use a tone which asks instead of commands when making a request. And accept meals the way they were intended unless you have an allergy. Substitutions are not as common in other countries, especially those less affluent.

…you pull out your phone to read a menu, a sign or a label in the grocery store. Yes. This is a dead give-away that you are a tourist. Own it and use it to your advantage to learn something new in that local community.

Remember, respectful travelers are welcomed and remembered with smiles not groans.

Long-term travelers try their darndest to blend in with the locals in destinations around the world. To assimilate these travelers will live longer in a location, learn some of the language, use local currency, and practice local customs. However, no matter what Americans do to look like a local, there are several things that give us away.