It also be that everyone's definition of casual may vary from culture to culture. Americans might view the European's way of dressing as being neat and well but to the Europeans themselves, it is a typical casual dressing. Just my 2 cents.

Nothing personal or anything, but isn't it still better to be a good example yourself, even though others (in this case Germans visiting the US) dress awfully?

I always travel properly dressed (irrespective of destination and purpose of the trip) and wouldn't even consider doing otherwise
It is never a bad thing to be a bit too over-dressed, but you could get reactions doing the opposite.
If others don't, so what? I try to be a good example and show respect to the locals/the country as a visitor.
Once at the destination I try to adjust to the environment, trying not to stick out.

I am also one of those few people who don't say "English is spoken everywhere". I have so far never visited a country without knowing the basic greetings, thanks, bye-bye etc in the local language.
The number of countries visited is up to 37 now and still counting...
I often notice how differently people treat me when speaking those few words in the language, people are prepared to go out of their way to help me, taxi drivers rarely overcharge etc.
Everything just because I made the little effort to learn those few words...

I trust you haven't been to the Western Suburbs then. Sydney is like everywhere else. The rich can afford to exercise in their leisure time and to dress well, so they do. The rest of us do what we can.

Incidentally, Australians often look very sloppy when we travel. Out come the shorts, thongs (flip flops) and daggy hats.

(I know I am going to get absolutely hammered for this, but....) Has anyone else noticed how provocatively many American women dress nowadays? Form-fitting shirts, extremely short shorts, bare midriffs, etc. When I visit America (where I am from, though I currently live in Japan), I have to say that sometimes I feel like I am surrounded by prostitutes. I don't know if it's Britney Spears' influence or what, but as much as I admire the female form, I would prefer to have a little more propriety in public places.

Come to Japan, and you will see that people here dress very tastefully. Of course there are young people with their weird fashions, but at least they don't walk around in public half-naked.

(And believe it or not, I am generally a liberal person in my early 30s...)

Interesting thread. Come to London on one of the few days it's warm and the sun is out. You will be aghast at what you see: People of all ages, shapes and sizes wearing all kinds of ill-advised clothing - bared legs, midriffs, etc. that shouldn't even be exposed on the darkest of nights.

It's probably true that, in general, Americans don't dress as formally or as well as Europeans. French women in particular have an amazing flair for style that may be genetic.

....and all ~280 million Americans dress exactly alike these days? I'm not sure how you view Americans but some of us dress for the occasion whether that is at home or in our travels. Not all of us wear blue jeans and white sneakers everywhere we go.... :p

Don't judge all sloppiness you see as being a universal American trait.

Lol.

To get to work every day, I have to walk through the periphery of Times Square. In August, it has been *crawling* with non-American tourists. My scientific observations reveal that there are definitely a lot of Europeans (like the Germans above) who don't quite live up to the higher standard that some are suggesting they have. They're in shorts, t-shirts and hats (and those uniquely European light blue socks). Asian-looking tourists *do* seem to more likely to be wearing long pants and buttoned shirts, for what that's worth.

Although, I will grant that larger Europeans seem to do a better job of finding clothes that fit, rather than the American custom of hanging out of the pants and shirts we bought 50 pounds ago.

That is an excellent point.

To me, there is a difference between comfy and sloppy. I choose comfy at home and abroad. Comfy doesn't have to be sloppy.

When I went to Vegas and went to see some shows, I asked about the dress code. They told me there really wasn't one. These were for the shows that cost about $150+ a ticket. I saw people in a cap, t-shirt, shorts and sandals sitting next to a couple in a tuxedo and cocktail dress. The majority of the people including me were wearing a shirt and slacks.

I like to wear sandals on a plane because my feet swell up. I don't wear sandals if I know I have to walk around alot. For some reason, they are actually uncomfortable for long walks.

I guess folks in the US are more liberal about they let their children wear and what the schools let the children wear to school.

Of course, those people are better than the rest of us Americans. :)

I can remember times, while traveling abroad, when I was embarrassed by the obesity and sloppiness of my fellow-American travelers, especially in Asia. But, you know, after reading this thread is occurs to me that I may have been wrong--they might have been German. ;)

The "I want to be comfotable" excuse that people sometimes offer for their sloppy appearnace is just that--an excuse. There are no clothes more comfortable for travel than Chicos Travelers, which always look sharp even after a long international flight. There have been numerous occassions when I have noticed a woman in an airport who looked particularly sharp, and then realized that she was wearing something from the Travelers Collection.

I do see that you are making a witticism, but just to clarify:

I think everyone should be treated compassionately and fairly regardless of dress, and my post was not a suggestion about a value judgment about "better." My comment was intended to point out that there is great variation in dress -- casual and traditional -- in the US based on many variables (region, etc.)

Many people do however make judgments on how people present themselves--this is one reason why people dress more nicely for the office than they would at home.

That is quite true. There is a big difference in treatment if I dress is a suit on a plane or in jeans. Should there be a difference? No. But it is just human nature at work.

In the summer, I routinely wear shorts in FC. I have wore a suit a few times and many times more than that a shirt and a tie and notice absolutely no difference.

And I have to navigate past the non-American tourists that have taken over Downtown. I find it easy to spot the English/Northern European tourists as they tend to wear soccer jerseys no matter what the occassion is (though I'm sure they wear the home whites to occassions more formal than vacationing in NYC). Then there are the Germans with their beer-bellies, shorts and dark socks.

And is there some type of law in Germany that dictates all males over 50 and at least 25lbs overweight MUST wear speedos to the beach? Was that part of the Versailles Treaty?