I Have A Little Bit Of A Problemo

[Old_Joe]

You can also get one of those fanny packs that you wear under your clothes to hide your passport, money, etc.

[Dudette]

Another thing, is that I'm not just going to be in big cities like London and Paris, I'm going to be in a other country towns too.

Ice Princess...much bigger than that. I'm thinking more of this size:

[img]http://www.zappos.com/images/733/7338992/6627-461817-p.jpg[/img]

I love lots of room in my purse, not to mention I always carry a lot of stuff, so this has to be big enough to fit umbrella (the smallest kind I can find), wallet, glasses case, camera, keys.....etc.

[Ora et Labora]

[quote name='aalpha1989' post='1348155' date='Aug 2 2007, 10:18 PM']well in europe there is some hostility to americans. I'm not speaking form experience, just from hear say. That's my impression anyway, and I'd rather not be obviously american. 'till i open my mouth anyway. my german accent is horrific. [/quote]

you have a German accent?! I was born there.

Hey duddette! Long time no talk!! I like the first trench better...and have fun in London!

[jiyoung]

You know, I think I'd personally get a more colorful bag...just cuz you've got so much more black going on. But, then again, I carried around a big ol' bag with big blue patterning on it--if you're worried about pickpocketing, though, the most important feature is the zipper and where you wear it--make sure it goes over your shoulder and the bag rests under your arm. And the money belts are good too for your passport and extra big bills and stuff, just in case your bag DOES get stolen. Just don't be whipping it out in a store is all--nobody needs to see you digging around in your pants. lol. I usually would take out as much as I needed for the day or until the next time I could get to the bathroom and put it in my wallet, and if I needed more I would either have my friends cover me while I got it out or do it in the bathroom.

The others are right, it honestly doesn't necessarily matter what you're wearing, but if you really want to blend in then black=win. And keep in mind that I spent a total of like 4 days in England in pretty touristy areas--it was in mainland Europe that I spent most of my time, and my advice is mostly from there. But I still contend that for blending in, I'd rather be dressier than more casual--especially if you're trying to avoid being mistaken for an American.

As far as demeanor stuff--just being quieter, more reserved, is what I noticed. But this is Austria--each country has different customs, but I think again to not stand out being quieter and unobtrusive is your best bet. I'm assuming that your objective is not to be trendy or flashy but to ultimately just not draw attention to yourself as a tourist. Honestly, my clothing advice will do you no good if you run around with a camera, visor, and fanny pack, not that I expect you to--but yeah, you can still blend in even if you're dressed rather casually. But know that Europeans tend to dress up, and even their jeans & t-shirt combo is trendier than ours.

Funny story--there was a girl from Canada with us during the semester (my school is in Ohio and pretty much all 120+ of us were American), and just to avoid being lumped together with us she would wear this huge sweater with a Canadian flag design on it

[IcePrincessKRS]

[quote name='Dudette' post='1348667' date='Aug 3 2007, 04:28 PM']Ice Princess...much bigger than that. I'm thinking more of this size:

[img]http://www.zappos.com/images/733/7338992/6627-461817-p.jpg[/img]

I love lots of room in my purse, not to mention I always carry a lot of stuff, so this has to be big enough to fit umbrella (the smallest kind I can find), wallet, glasses case, camera, keys.....etc.[/quote]

Oh. Yeah, I can't say I'm a fan of bags that big. I'm no help.

[Sojourner]

For the future health of your back and shoulders, I would suggest getting a backpack. There are cute stylish backpacks you can get that would help keep all your stuff organized and would help distribute the weight more evenly across your back thereby reducing strain on your back and shoulders.

[VeniteAdoremus]

Beware of pickpockets if you choose a backpack - never put anything of value in shallow pockets!

Anyway

The bad news: I don't think there's a way you can avoid looking like a foreigner. Most people just have a radar for it. They wouldn't be able to tell whether you're Canadian or American, but non-British, sure. If your sister has a British accent, you can delay it for a while by letting her talk to you and speaking back in sign language , but people will know that you're not British.

The good news: it's not a bad thing! Especially in big cities like London (or any capital or major trade port) people don't mind at all as long as you don't yell that we're backwards Old Worlders, or imply that we only exist for your picturesque needs - but I don't get the feeling you were planning to do that

There are lots of people in the UK and (in my view to a lesser extent) in Europe that just walk around in trainers, sweats, overly tight spaghetti tops, or, well, you can probably imagine. In that aspect it's very easy to blend in with the "locals". The only thing is that clothing is to an extent an indicator of social status, and you probably don't want to fit in right *there*.

So, after this read you deserve some practical advice from a *gasp* real European There are lots of shoes in the segment between white trainers and something the Queen would wear when out on High Street (although I've seen pictures of her in green rubber boots ), say dressier sneakers. Here's just one example:
[img]http://www.geox.it/newimages/preCMScollection2007/woman/w_snake.jpg[/img]
Get something like this and you'll be fine wherever you go

Especially if you get them in black. I must admit: black is the new black in Europe (isn't it in the US? Now there was a surprise for me )

(These are Geox, by the way, and while I don't want to make an ad of this, I have shoes of the brand and I can walk on them for a week without getting painful feet.)

Oh, and, well, hm, maybe... your sister should be deliriously happy that you cross the pond for her and don't complain about your clothes?

[aalpha1989]

[quote name='Ora et Labora' post='1348670' date='Aug 3 2007, 03:34 PM']you have a German accent?! I was born there.

Hey duddette! Long time no talk!! I like the first trench better...and have fun in London![/quote]


haha no....but I speak a little german. I SHOULD have said my AMERICAN accent IN german is terrible. . I can't figure out how to sound German...

[Ora et Labora]

oh! yeah...it's hard. i have it down only because my dad speaks it fluently.

[Dudette]

[quote name='VeniteAdoremus' post='1350322' date='Aug 5 2007, 12:59 PM']Beware of pickpockets if you choose a backpack - never put anything of value in shallow pockets!

Anyway

The bad news: I don't think there's a way you can avoid looking like a foreigner. Most people just have a radar for it. They wouldn't be able to tell whether you're Canadian or American, but non-British, sure. If your sister has a British accent, you can delay it for a while by letting her talk to you and speaking back in sign language , but people will know that you're not British.

The good news: it's not a bad thing! Especially in big cities like London (or any capital or major trade port) people don't mind at all as long as you don't yell that we're backwards Old Worlders, or imply that we only exist for your picturesque needs - but I don't get the feeling you were planning to do that

There are lots of people in the UK and (in my view to a lesser extent) in Europe that just walk around in trainers, sweats, overly tight spaghetti tops, or, well, you can probably imagine. In that aspect it's very easy to blend in with the "locals". The only thing is that clothing is to an extent an indicator of social status, and you probably don't want to fit in right *there*.

So, after this read you deserve some practical advice from a *gasp* real European There are lots of shoes in the segment between white trainers and something the Queen would wear when out on High Street (although I've seen pictures of her in green rubber boots ), say dressier sneakers. Here's just one example:
[img]http://www.geox.it/newimages/preCMScollection2007/woman/w_snake.jpg[/img]
Get something like this and you'll be fine wherever you go

Especially if you get them in black. I must admit: black is the new black in Europe (isn't it in the US? Now there was a surprise for me )

(These are Geox, by the way, and while I don't want to make an ad of this, I have shoes of the brand and I can walk on them for a week without getting painful feet.)

Oh, and, well, hm, maybe... your sister should be deliriously happy that you cross the pond for her and don't complain about your clothes?[/quote]

About the bag, if I brought a backpack, I'm afraid I would be so scupulous about it getting pick pocketed. I got a bag yesterday, it's awesome! Perfect size and it's also black. Haha. I'm not going to carrying about a ton of stuff, I sure don't hope it'll weigh so much that it will throw my shoulder off!

My sister doesn't have a British accent, and I'm not going to be with her much of the time anyway.

About the shoes...like I said, I would like to be able to wear them with both jeans and a skirt...that's not exactly something I would wear with a skirt. They are nice shoes though. I was thinking of getting a pair like that just for normal day to day wear.

Eh, my sister is my sister. :-/

[Dudette]

double post.

Edited August 6, 2007 by Dudette

[Maddalena]

I wouldn't wear a backpack. A backpack is EXTREMELY tourist-y. If you want to avoid the tourist look avoid the following: a backpack or fanny pack, Birkenstocks with socks, shorts, and a Nike T-shirt (or anything else with a huge logo).

Wear pure fabrics (cottons, fleece, etc). Since it's kind of cool there, a nice coat (a pea coat or trench coat or something) with a scarf would be nice. You can't go wrong with neutrals. If you carry a purse, be sure to keep only a few items in it that could be replaced. You could get a money clip that is hidden.

I hope this helps!

P.S. If you have to wear tennis shoes/sneakers (they call them trainers in England), you can never go wrong with a pair of Converse. Yeah, they're a name brand, yeah, they've got a logo on them, but they're cool everywhere. Just don't put them with the shorts or whatever. Put them with a cute top or something.

Edited August 6, 2007 by Maddalena