https://youtube.com/watch?v=9aYzvzvjkYQ
(mellow music) – Hi, everybody, welcome
back to my channel. My name is Audrey, and
today's video is all about how not to look like a
tourist while on vacation. I've been very lucky in my life, and I've gotten to travel a lot within the United States
and then also abroad, and each time that I've traveled, I've not only had a great experience but I've also learned a lot. So today, I wanna share some
of the things that I've learned in the form of 10 things you should try to avoid
wearing while on vacation.
I think that by doing so, you'll leave yourself less susceptible to being targeted as a tourist, which I think ultimately helps you have a more immersive experience. It also prevents you from being targeted for pick-pocketing and
other forms of crime. And then, also, I think some of these tips will be valuable for ensuring
that you are able to visit every landmark that you want to, so you won't be turned away
from churches, for example. And then, before we hop into
it though, I do wanna say, as with everything that I
recommend on this channel, always take it with a grain of salt.
Definitely adjust things accordingly to suit you and your personal taste and your personal preferences, and don't ever feel like I'm telling you what you cannot wear because by all means, wear what you want. These are just some of the things that I think are helpful to keep in mind to make your trip overall more enjoyable. So, before we hop into it, I post two new videos
every week, if you're new, and if you hit that red subscribe button and the notification bell, you'll be notified each
time I upload a new video.
So, with all of that said,
let's hop right into it. First up is athletic
wear from head to toe, so gym clothes, athletic
sneakers, Nikes with laces, sweatshirts, sweatpants,
anything that screams gym I think is a nice thing
to avoid from head to toe, especially while on vacation. In the United States, we
tend to be very casual, and I think there's definitely
a time and a place for that.
And even with the rise
in the athleisure trend, you'll still be hard
pressed to find people wearing that look from head
to toe while traveling. I think one of the main reasons being that it's hard to
transition a look like that from sightseeing into dinner. And I think that while you
are out and about on vacation, you want to be able to go to
as many places as possible, so I think by dressing up slightly at the beginning of the day, you can then more easily
transition that look through to night. So, swap your sweatshirts
for a fitted, classic sweater in maybe cotton-wool or cashmere,
depending on the season. Instead of yoga pants, maybe
wear a nice pair of slim pants, with belt loops is always a nice addition.
You know I love belts, so I think that really,
instantly dresses things up. And then in place of your
traditional tennis sneakers, swap those for a slip-on sneaker
or more of a city sneaker. So, I've got a pair of
Lacostes that you know I love, but something in that vein will be very comfortable,
very easy to wear, but also won't look like
you're headed to the gym. So, along those same lines, baseball caps, especially those with
American teams on them are usually a dead giveaway
that you are a tourist, even though I've definitely
seen more of those in recent years than in past
years while traveling abroad.
I think that as a general rule, try to swap that, leave it at home. If you do wanna cover your
eyes and protect your head then maybe opt for a
more classic hat style. I'll link some of my
favorite ones down below and here on the screen for you, but I think that it's just a
nice, very easy swap to make that will help you fit
in a little bit better. Next up is backpacks. Now, backpacks are very
easy to travel with. They're very comfortable
'cause they're hands-free, and carrying something on
your back is a lot easier than carrying something
on your arm, for example. But I think that when traveling, especially when visiting
a very populated city, you should avoid a backpack because it's very easy
to slip in and out of, so you can get pick-pocketed very easily. And I think that instead, you
should opt for a cross-body seems to be my personal preference because I can wear it hands-free, as well, but I can swing it
around to the front of me so that I can keep my
hands on it and guard it.
It's something that I learned
from living in New York, and I think that it's definitely something that's worthwhile to apply across all major cities and
then just travel in general. It's a lot easier. You can also reach in quicker
and get whatever you need, passport, money, whatever it is. And I think that it's
just a much better way to approach carrying your
very important belongings that you can't afford to
lose, especially on vacation. Now, my next two tips
are probably my favorite from this entire list, and
they both apply to footwear. So, the first is to
avoid uncomfortable shoes and high heels in that general vein. So, you'll definitely see
people out and about in heels, and you'll definitely see natives from wherever you're
visiting wearing high heels, but I think as a general
rule when traveling and you are going to be walking a lot, try to pack comfortable footwear
that is still nice looking.
So, you don't wanna go too casual, but you also don't wanna kill your feet, and especially if you're not familiar with walking long distances and you don't tend to walk a
lot in your day-to-day life and then you go on vacation
and you do walk a lot. Your feet are probably gonna hurt anyway, so give yourself a fighting chance by starting with comfortable footwear. So, a few of my favorites when
traveling are sleek sneakers. I try to avoid running or gym shoes like I mentioned earlier, and instead I'll opt for a
very sleek lace-up sneaker. I have my eye on a pair
of slip-ons, as well, because I think it's great for travel, and those also look slightly more dressy.
And then, also, I really love
ankle boots for this reason. I think that it really
helps secure your foot and makes sure that you
don't wobble around, but it also gives you
a little bit of height if you pick one with a small stacked heel. And then I also love wedges, so if you do wanna dress up slightly and you wanna wear a heeled
option, try to opt for a wedge. I think that it's really
important to keep in mind that most of the places you will visit outside of the United States
are older than the places here, so the cobblestone streets
tend to be a problem.
Things tend to be uneven, and you don't wanna be
wobbling around in stilettos and potentially hurt yourself, so I always opt for a wedge. I find that it's a lot easier to walk in and a lot safer overall. So, the next one in this category is to try to avoid flip flops. Now, outside of some beach resorts and especially outside the United States, you won't really find people wearing flip flops out and about, so you run the risk of being
turned away from places. Oftentimes flip flops are far too casual for most places that you may want to go, so you don't wanna be turned away from a lunch restaurant, for example, because you are wearing
inappropriate footwear. So, instead, I recommend
opting for a classic sandal, something that looks slightly
dressier, a little sleeker. I think that it's easier to dress up and then ultimately make you look more presentable in the long run so you do avoid being turned away.
Because no one wants that to happen. You want to be able to go to as many places as you
want while on vacation, and I find that choosing
appropriate footwear really plays a big part in all of that. While on vacation, you're
bound to run into weather, so whether that's rain or sleet or just gross conditions in general, and the inclination is often to pick up a windbreaker
on the side of the street from whatever seems to be available, and I find that that tends
to be a dead giveaway that you are not local. So, instead, I recommend bringing along something appropriate
for weather conditions. So whether that be a nice trench coat or something that is a wax based cotton, I think that anything
that's more waterproof is a great option so you
have something on hand to protect you from the elements so you don't have to
resort to a very cheap, plasticky looking overcoat.
I think that it's something
that's often overlooked and something that will
make a world of difference in the comfort of your overall trip if you are equipped for
varying weather conditions. I touched on this next one
briefly a little bit ago, but I think it's important to be mindful of the dress code in
general when traveling and specifically when
it comes to churches. So, oftentimes, if you are
visiting places in Europe with older, iconic churches, you wanna visit them, but
you have to be mindful that they do have a dress code. So, oftentimes, you aren't
allowed to show your shoulders or have a hemline that
goes above your knee, so be mindful of that when
packing, then also when dressing. So, if you are planning
on stopping into a church every time you pass one and you wanna be prepared every day, then it might be a good
idea to pack longer hemlines and trousers and jeans and
then always bring a cover-up.
So, you can absolutely
bring your sleeveless and strapless items, just make sure you have
a cardigan or a shawl so that you're prepared. And that's everything. I hope that you've liked this
and you found it helpful, and I'd love to know in
the comments down below if you have anything to add and then like always, thanks for watching, and I'll see you in my next one. Have a great day! (mellow music).