Getting ready to take a vacation? Don’t be one of those touristy folks – you know the ones. They wear sandals with socks and have camcorders around their necks while wearing souvenir t-shirts. Is this really the way to enjoy the finer points of traveling? We think perhaps, not.
How to Not Look Like a Tourist
- Do your homework. No, not that old moldy geometry homework you told the teacher the dog ate in 10th grade. Learn a bit about the place you are going so you don’t feel like you are thrown in the middle of the pool when you start your vacation. Don’t have time to research a place? Look, the internet has TONS of sites with info. Try a simple search “vacation in Miami” or “popular attractions in Miami” and see what comes up. You’ll be glad you did.
- Get a map or use your app to find your way around. Ever notice how lots of tourists seem to not quite know where they are going? That’s because everything is brand new to them. Buy a map or find an app with the online map of your fun vacation spot – and use it!
- Get savvy about your souvenirs. Every vacation hot spot is known for popular souvenirs. You don’t have to buy just souvenir t-shirts and collectible spoons in every place you go. This goes back to our first tip – researching the place – and get to know what the best souvenirs are. In Italy you’ll find scrumptious leather shoes. France is known for beautiful clothing. Belgium is known for delicious, divine chocolate. Buy the best of the best from your vacations.
- Ask your hotel concierge where the locals eat and go. This is one of the best tips to finding great restaurants and getting a sense of what any vacation spot is like. If you go where tourists go, you’ll likely have a nice, very touristy experience. But if you go where the locals enjoy a great meal, you’ll experience local culture at its very best.
- Going abroad? One of the best ways to not look like a tourist is to learn a bit of the native tongue. Don’t worry; you likely don’t have to become fluent. Focus on learning a few practical phrases that a tourist would need like “where is the museum?” or “what is the price?” Don’t forget to learn a few basic polite words like “please” and “thank you,” and you’ll look a lot less like a tourist.
- Get to know the currency. If you are traveling to a place where you will use a different type of currency, get a sense of what the exchange rate is and how much things cost. Try to know how much you are comfortable paying for certain things and you’ll look less like a tourist and best of all, you’ll feel less like a tourist while shopping, eating in restaurants and traveling about on your vacation.
- Be friendly but also alert. Many people when they travel find they look less like tourists when they socialize with locals. Be friendly but also be alert as you are in a different environment and this can make you vulnerable. Remember learning a few phrases can help you to fit in and being friendly can make the difference between learning about the vacation spot you visit and simply visiting all the touristy spots.
- Don’t focus only on getting that perfect picture. We’ve all seen them. Those tourists so focused on getting the perfect picture that nothing else will do. The kids are fussy; Mom is tired of posing and smiling. But still the tourist is determined to get that perfect photo. One of the best ways to not look like a tourist is to let more of your photos be natural. To not make your family stand there like your own set of personal mannequins for an hour to pose as you wish.
Our biggest secret to how to not look like a tourist very well may blow your mind, but it truly works. We’ve seen it time and time again. Its this: simply enjoy your vacation. Don’t try to have the perfect vacation. Don’t rush around trying to visit every monument, attraction and landmark. Don’t send postcards to everyone or fret if you didn’t. Don’t wish you were somewhere else when you are somewhere great – you’re on vacation. That’s the beauty of not looking like a tourist – just relax and enjoy yourself and suddenly, you look like someone whose been there all the time.