The next time you are traveling in a different country see how good you are at spotting the tourists. In fact if you are traveling with someone, you could make a game of it.
I am warning you it is not always the easiest thing to do. I have made more than one mistake in identifying tourists from locals. So in the spirit of Jeff Foxworthy Here are a few clues to look for.
1. If you see someone wearing a T-shirt stating “I heart insert city, country or anything local here“, they might be a tourist.
2. If you are at a beach other than a nudist beach and you are seeing more skin than Borat in a Mankini, they might be tourists.
3. If you see a group of people standing in the street taking pictures of an obscure building, they might be tourists.
4. If you see someone carrying a backpack and they are not 10 years old headed to school, they might be a tourist.
5. If you see someone carrying more electronic gear than a geek at comic-con in a country that runs primarily on generators, they might be a tourist.
6. If you see someone wearing shorts, knee high white socks and white tennis shoes they might be a tourist.
7. If you see a group of men wearing muscle shirts, talking loudly and walking in the street, they might be tourists.
8. If you see someone carrying a tripod and a camera and they are not doing a photo shoot for sports illustrated swimsuit issue, they might be a tourist.
9. If you see someone wearing a travel vest and they are not on safari in Kenya, they might be a tourist.
And Finally…
10. If you see someone asking where the nearest McDonald’s is, they might be a tourist.
I have been guilty of a few of these myself. I have pictures of buildings that I have no idea what they are.
Do you have any other ways to spot tourists?
tourists
I would add:
-If they walk at 20% the speed of the crowds around them during rush hour, they might be a tourist.
-If they wear an umbrella in London, they might be a tourist.
-If they wear 3 layers of clothing more than the average person, they might be a tourist.
-If they read the ads inside public transport, they might be a tourist.
-If they inspect the coins before paying for a Mars bar, they might be a tourist.
-If they eat outside from a supermarket bag, they might be a tourist.
Good ones. I am guilty of 2 out of those, I like reading the ads and since I usually have more than one currency on me and can never keep track, I do inspect the coins.
Clothing is a dead giveaway most of the time… Fanny Packs = Tourist!
That’s true either a tourist or a grandma at a casino.
As an expat living in a tourist resort spotting the tourists is simple. We have it down to spotting the nationality. The most common indicators are;
Brits – football shirts and/or obesity
Germans – shorts sporting perfect creases
Spanish – ‘slacks’ with a pastel coloured v-neck draped over shoulders
etc…..
Well I tend to stand out also. I love traveling in Asia and I am a big white guy so I get stares no matter what I am wearing.
I take pictures of obscure buildings. In addition, I take picures of famous buildings. Why would I travel to places and not record interesting landmarks? I’m a proud tourist.
I have a few of those photos too. But please don’t wear the T-shirt. 🙂
I add… small group, reading a map (fully opened) at an intersection
Dead giveaway.
You certainly have covered most of the tourist spotting pointers. It’s actually easy to spot them out anywhere. Some people have further added some more points but even I have to check the coins before buying something. Also, being a blogger, I like to carry my camera but I am not a tourist where I live.