Hospitality Management Schools

Looking like a tourist can certainly have its ups and downs. In some countries, tourists are treated like royalty because they go to the best restaurants, they receive better service than locals and people go out of their way to help those who are lost. While, other places truly frown upon tourists, won’t help them with directions and try to scam them out of money whenever possible. It all depends on the culture of the area and how their locals treat tourists to determine whether you should dress the part or leave the fanny pack at home. To see if you are an obvious tourist, check out these 10 tell-tale signs:

• Obvious Map
  Maps aren’t always a dead giveaway that you’re a tourist — even locals look at street maps, subway maps or GPS devices when they’re lost. However, unfolding a large map on a busy street corner and arguing with your spouse about which way to go, makes you an obvious tourist.
• American or U.S. Brand T-shirts
  Clothing is a big statement in foreign countries, but you won’t find them wearing U.S. brand names or any American clothing for that matter. If you just can’t resist from wearing your favorite American flag t-shirt or your ‘I Love New York’ hoodie, you’re going to stand out like a tourist.
• Camera Around Your Neck
  Having a camera won’t immediately pin you as a tourist, but wearing one around your neck because you don’t want to miss any potential photo ops, like Changing the Guard, holding the Tower of Pisa or standing in a red telephone box, will make you look like a tourist.
• White Athletic Shoes
  There’s something completely American and touristy about wearing white athletic shoes with a brand name plastered across the sides. Pair them with knee-high socks and you’ve got the quintessential tourist look.
• Fanny Packs
  Sure, fanny packs are practical and handy for storing your money, passport, hotel key and other valuables on a trip, but let’s be honest, they are 100 percent tourist. Whether your fanny pack is black, brown or every color of the rainbow, fanny packs are the first and most obvious indicator that you’re a tourist.
• Matching Shirts
  If your family of eight all wears neon green t-shirts with “The Smiths” written on the front, you might as well put “we are tourists” underneath. Wearing bright colors on an international trip is a quick indicator that you’re not a native, and it only makes you stand out that much more.
• Using the Wrong Currency
  If you go to another country and try to use American dollars to pay for meals, clothes or your hotel room and they don’t accept it, you’re obviously a tourist. Also, if you ask your waiter to convert the amount in U.S. dollars because you can’t count the currency, they’ll know you’re a tourist right off the bat.
• Eating at Chains
  Traveling is a time to explore the various cuisines of different states and countries, so if you opt for McDonald’s over authentic Chinese food or Pizza Hut over real Italian pizza, you’re clearly a tourist.
• Speaking English to Everyone
  If you find yourself speaking English to everyone and complaining about the lack of English speakers in Russia, they’ll know you’re a tourist. Of course, pulling out your pocket dictionary or digital translator and stumbling over words doesn’t help you blend in either.
• Louder than Others
  Americans have been known to be a bit louder than people in other countries, which explains some of the stares and dirty looks you might get when you travel internationally and forget your manners. So, if you’re hollering at your kids, talking loudly at dinner or being your normal boisterous self in public, you may get pegged as a tourist.