Originally Posted by Need A Beach
Moderator, please move to correct forum if necessary.
I'm going to start spending more leisure time in Europe, but I have to consult the fashion police first.
My girlfriend and I were both in Europe a few years ago, so I went to see her in Paris. She noticed I was wearing khakis and a gray fleece, then accused me of dressing like a tourist instead of wearing dark clothing.
For those of you who travel to Europe, do you go out of your way to dress in dark clothing? If so, how do you avoid looking like a tourist who is simply dressed in Euro style?
Frankly, I don't worry about it. We're going to look like tourists, anyway -- I carry a huge camcorder and a digital SLR, I have a backpack, my wife carries a guidebook and dresses in "comfortable and practical" (though she'll dress stylish when we go out for dinner), and, of course, we speak English (or Mandarin) to each other. There's no way anyone would mistake us for anything but tourists. The only thing we're concerned with is that we not look like rude tourists, ignorant tourists, obnoxious tourists, etc.
If you're concerned about being a potential crime victim, just take the normal precautions -- don't carry a lot of cash, use a money belt instead of a wallet in your back pocket, carry only the credit card you're going to use, leave your passport in your hotel safe, etc.
In all of our many, many trips abroad, we've never tried to "dress local" (though my wife will dress modestly and, sometimes, wear a silk scarf when we're in predominantly Muslim countries -- this is out of respect, not fear). We've never been robbed, never been scammed, and never treated anyway other than warmly.