BootsnAll Travel Community

hello all,

i am new to bootsnall and international travel.

would anyone have suggestions for a general wardrobe for traveling to foreign countries?

maybe it is ignorance but i am thinking i should make a effort to look the part if i am not in usual tourist groups and likely to be in higher risk areas.

short of wearing locals clothes and locals shades, how does one assure they blend in when they typically standout?

Where are you going?

You're going to look like a tourist pretty much no matter what...and that's ok. But depending on where you're going, certain things may be more appropriate than others.

Just wear casual cloth: a pair of jeans, a couple of old no-brand shirts and a pair of shorts (where applicable) will do. Just don't buy any fancy traveling gear, i.e. North Face Backpacker trousers, North Face jacket, etc. Keep it simple. As anniebanannie says, you'll most likely stick out anyhow. But the more rugged you look, the less you attract people who think you're worth ripping off. My experience.

i guess my objective was to not look like a tourist anywhere.

if i end up in china, south america, russia, or india, i'm not sure that is possible when you are a tall white male. i can see that maybe the longer you stay in one place you can take on a more local look.

while i don't want to look like an american, i also want to do the best i can to blend in, allowing myself more freedom to explore areas off the beaten path.

sounds like the most important aspect is comfort and not looking or acting like a target.

thanks for the feedback.

Here is my rule of thumb (mind you I am a woman so it might not all be applicable)...
Only dress the part if you got the looks to match it--it just looks silly to wear a shalwar kameez if you're blonde...but if you're looks can jive with it, dress as 'locally' as you feel comfortable with. In Morocco I often wore jelabas. My looks jived enough w/the Moroccans that I could be mistaken for a local with one on. But I also payed much attention to what the woman were wearing. Weird because in America we're taught to downplay our hip size. Not so in Morocco. Everything I bought there was cut to add girth to the area. It made me realize that no self-respecting Arab girl would EVER downplay her hips. It's utter nonsense to do so. Anyway--point being, I started showing off the area, rather then disguising it.

Wear your sunglasses--I dont know why, but I swear wearing trendy sunglasses that the locals are sporting works every time. I've been mistaken for an Itallian doing this, also a Tunisian, Moroccan, French and Spanish. Its like magic.

Dont carry a daypack--unless you REALLY need one. But do you need a daypack walking around your hometown? I'm guessing not. So why wear one when you travel? Unless you like looking like you're from a galaxy far far away. In N. Africa I found that after I bought a purse and started walking around with it like the local girls, I stopped getting hassled. That also took the 'target meter' down. I wasnt prime pickpocket meat anymore.

SHOES--oh for god sakes, you wear Tevas in the market and OF COURSE you look like a tourist! Buy sporty shoes that have no boundries. For girls that's usually a simple pair of sandals, for men a nice pair of running shoes. Nice pair, not Nike stuff. Adidas works though. Converse too.


Avoid Trends--if you stick to classics you really cant go too wrong. Just make sure there's not a lot of 'frump' in it and you're pretty much set.

Avoid cliches--you know them. The fannypack, khaki shorts, carry all cargo pants, clown pants, camera around neck, daypack/fannypack carry all.

Wear sunscreen--nothing shouts tourist like a burn. '

Good luck with the blending.

quote:

Dont carry a daypack--unless you REALLY need one. But do you need a daypack walking around your hometown? I'm guessing not. So why wear one when you travel? Unless you like looking like you're from a galaxy far far away.

My day pack carries a couple of grand worth of camera gear. It is much wiser to have that then walk around with your camera easily accessible for the light footed theives of some of these countries.

Most of the time when I see travelers wearing 'local' they just look hippy chic and don't blend in any better than someone wearing a bathing suit does at a wedding.

Besides, many of these people will NEVER get to travel to our countries. You're lying to yourself if you think that you are not there to put them under the microcope (unless you're working with a NGO). Let them do the same with you. So, dressing normally gives them a glimpse of our cultures. Just be respectful of their cultures while maintaining yours.

Throught mutualunderstanding we learn to get along.

You know, I don't know what the answer is on the daypack thing. I carried my laptop around Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo last fall and often had it with me on the street - and I decided to carry it in a nondescript $6 bag I'd gotten at a local supermarket.

I could keep it right under my arm and I don't think people knew it was a laptop.

This might be an exception because in many places I would not be able to blend in as well. I guess it depends on the place, and you just have to find a balance between protecting your stuff and appearing that you've got a lot.

Well if you're lugging around camera equipment and it makes sense for you, by all means wear a daypack. But it does raise the tourist flag. If you dont care then meh. It's really a non issue. But if the question is how to blend in the best...well...your Eagle Day Pack isn't the way to go.

I also often carried my important stuff around in grocery bags or just my purse. It gives it you an aire of not having a whole lot. I like to have that when I travel. And as I said before, once I started doing that I went from being hassled on every street to ignored and assumed Tunisian.

Not to mention, I'm a big fan of blending. I try to get in deep to any culture I'm travelling through and sink my teeth in it, so to speak. So standing out dosent help that. It dosent make people act naturally towards me. Probably another reason I like to travel in the Med. area so much.

good posts.

i think at this point i will head directly to morocco to research the arab women with exposed hips. that sounds like its worth the cost of airfare. any other countries that women are exposing themselves?

as for my clothing. i think keeping it simple and middle class is best. as prisa said a good pair of versatile shoes is the key. the right pair of shades and hat would help with blending in. i can see the different perspectives and they would all work in different scenarios. i would imagine it is something to change as you go.

thanks.

My recommendation for the areas that you listed that you are not going to blend in (China, much of South America, and India) is that you dress based on how you want to be treated. Outside of touristy areas (where they're less interested in your money) if you dress some what respectable you'll get some respect back. If you go with the rugged look it is less likely people will approach you for good or for evil (so use it accordingly). And, if you dress like a bum, you'll generally get treated like a bum.

Baseball caps scream American. And, shoes! You could line a bunch of people up that are dressed similarly, and the shoes will almost always give away who is the non-local.

Also...locals wear backpacks. I see backpacks all the time from tourists and from locals. Just be cognizant of it, and don't put valuables in it. Those are tempting to thieves (from experience).

Finally, embrace being a tourist. You are one. Sometimes people are much nicer to tourists. As a tall white male, you're not going to blend in much in the places you listed. Perhaps parts of SA. Just have fun.

quote:

Originally posted by catchmeifyoucan:
i think at this point i will head directly to morocco to research the arab women with exposed hips. that sounds like its worth the cost of airfare. any other countries that women are exposing themselves?

Oh, not exposed hips. Just attention drawn to them. Tassles, ruffles, a line of sequins, a draw string right above where they jut out. Most arab fashions you buy over in the ME have these embelishments. But make no mistake, those hips will not be displaying skin. That'd be a big no, no. Well..except in Lebanon. Might I suggest Lebanon?

I have red hair and fair skin and freckles. I pretty much always look like a tourist where ever I go. I don't even bother trying to fit in anymore!

I do the plastic grocery bag thing a lot - you can carry just about anything in those things and nobody suspects a darn thing. They do tend to get holes in them quite easily though, so I double bag generally.

quote:

Dont carry a daypack--unless you REALLY need one. But do you need a daypack walking around your hometown? I'm guessing not.

Interesting advice. While lacking a pack is great if you're trying to blend in...the fact is that my day while I'm travelling is structured a lot differently from at home.

At home, I actually do carry a day pack to and from work, but then I can leave it there. When I'm travelling, all the handy stuff that I need to get through a day (mainly snacks, water, clothing layers and maybe an umbrella if the weather's variable) need to be kept with me all the time, hence the day pack. Sticks out? Yes. Practical? That, too.

On the original questions, I guess I just don't worry too much about sticking out. When I'm in hot countries, I wear a practical hat (tilley), because, while it looks dorky, it serves its purpose well. I think I'd look worse wearing whatever local people use to keep the sun off - since I'd get that hippy chic thing happening - and this way I don't need a new one for each region. Dress respectfuly and comfortably, and accept that you're a foreigner.

Here's another point to consider when 'trying' and only trying to blend in: While traveling in a country like India, with whom do you plan on blending in? In India, the Muslims dress differently than the Hindus, who dress differently than the Sikhs, who dress differently than the Parsis, who dress differently than the Christians. Then you have the added affect of people from one state dressing differently than those in another state. So, you will have to bring a steamer trunk full of appropriate clothing if you plan on traveling to multiple countries in the third world.

However, if you want to blend in, Travel to Europe and ditch the baseball caps and comfort jeans as they mark you as American. Don't ever use a camera in tourist areas - in fact stay clear of tourist areas.

Look around and watch the local body language and adopt it. Then MAYBE you will blend in.

But, if you want to adopt local clothing in a country where the people are different physically than you remember, you'll just look like a silly White guy wearing their clothing on his/her vacation (like the dorks who wear the big sombreros in Mexico)or if you're really good at it, you may be unfortunate enough to be mistaken as a CIA agent on assignment to the anti-American types who want to make an example of one of us.

As I said before, be yourself but dress conservatively (a sign of respect) without parroting their ways. Don't buy the local garb unless you like how it looks on you.

Those are some great points viaggero. I think that was the underlying reason for my original post. Maybe it's not so much trying to blend in as it is making sure you don't stand out. At least in a negative sense. Thanks for the insight

We actually only went with a couple of items of clothes, we were starting our trip in Thailand and just brought cheap clothes when we got there.

Most of the clothes we wont' be talking back home with us, and I think most of it we wouldn't wear at home. Cheap t-shirts, shorts etc, amazing what these things have to endure on the road.

As to that idea of blending in, I read that a lot before coming on our trip. But as soon as we were away the idea that putting on long trousers rather than shorts is going to do nothing to blend in two 6 foot plus white guys.

I think the best way to blend into a country is learn the language. Even just a few words and people think you've been there a while.

It's amazing in Thailand how a few words can serve you really well. Being able to say 'do you have...' 'thank-you' 'I don't want to' 'I don't want to go' 'where is the...'

Seems to be enough, or at least a good start.

great advice. thanks.

I think, generally speaking, as long as you're not disrespecting any local mores, most people in the countries you visit couldn't care less how you're dressed. Trust me, they'll know you're not from around there. It's mostly other "Travelers" (TM) who get uptight and snobbish about "blending in."