If you’ve ever been abroad, you might know why this is an important topic for American travelers. What comes to mind when you think of the word “annoying tourist?” Generally, for me the worst version of the term evokes an image of a person wearing shorts and an American flag tshirt, baseball cap, tube socks and white sneakers.
Their camera is slung around their neck ready to capture the perfect photo op, and they are speaking English very loudly to startled locals who either speak English just fine (and at normal decibels). Or, they do not speak English no matter how loudly they are shouted at by said tourist… Or the third option, in which the local pretends not to understand a word of English in the hopes that they will move along and annoy someone else.
Have you ever felt like this annoying tourist? Be honest now: have you ever been this annoying tourist? If your answer is yes to either of these questions, or even if it’s not, I’ve got tips for you on how to avoid this stereotype like the plague.
Why should you learn how to not be an annoying tourist?
There is nothing worse than being aware that you do not blend in to a foreign place. Now, some things can not be helped, such as your physical appearance that may or may not make you unique in certain foreign countries. But regardless, you don’t have to walk around with a big sign around your neck screaming “annoying, ignorant tourist: please rob me.” In my travels abroad I have noticed some truly cringe worthy examples of tourist faux pas. I have thus made it a mission of mine to educate my fellow Americans (and indeed any tourist from anywhere) on how to not be too much of, well, a tourist when traveling.
Why is respectful tourism important?
Why might this be important? Aside from the aforementioned target you are putting on yourself to be scammed or stolen from, by blending in to the local crowd you are sure to have a much more authentic experience in your travels.
Think of it this way: would you rather visit restaurants and areas known to be tourist traps, selling cheap wares that were made in another country? Do you want to order knock off versions of local delicacies ordered from plastic menus written in seventeen different languages? Or would you prefer to visit a Parisian’s favorite local restaurant for the best steak frites in the city? Would you rather mingle with other tourists, whom you can meet in any city in your own country, or converse with residents of the city you are visiting? Would you rather get to know not only the locals’ customs and traditions, but also their favorite local sights and flavors of their home?
I know which I’d prefer. I bet you can guess.
How to Not Be an Annoying Tourist
I could write an encyclopedia on this topic thanks to my obsessive desire to fool the French into thinking I am one of them. And I want to help you too, because I care about cultural experiences, sensitivity, and understanding. Allow my personal experiences on the matter to inform you on the some of the finer points of traveling abroad. Here are my top five tips on how to not look like a tourist in France:
Do your research
In other words, read about cultural etiquette from places like this blog (good job!) so that you have a baseline of how to compose yourself. Are you expected to tip the wait staff? How does one greet others? Should I just assume they speak English (definitely no)? How do I navigate the metro (blog post on that coming to you soon)? How do I grab a table at Café de Flore (I’ve got that covered for you here)? These are all things that will give you a smoother and more pleasant experience with locals once you arrive. It is so important to do at least a little research before embarking upon another culture.
Learn some local words and phrases
This is me beating a dead horse at this point but I must emphasize it: LEARN SOME WORDS AND PHRASES that will help you get around. Where is the toilet? A table for 2, please! Where is…? I don’t care if you feel like you are butchering the language. Of course you will have an accent when you attempt to speak, but you must still try, and allow yourself to be vulnerable to scrutinizing locals. I promise it will pay off and you will be rewarded with either a polite response in English, or a patient response in the language you are attempting. To assume a local speaks your language is to earn yourself no response at all, or a very rude one if you’re lucky.
Go where the locals go
As I mentioned above, if you enter a busy restaurant and receive a plastic menu written in seventeen different languages, put the menu down and walk away. You will not have an authentic dining experience there, instead you will have a knock off version made by a short order cook who slaps the food on a plate for all the ignorant tourists who enter. And you will probably pay too much. YOU are not an ignorant tourist (you’re welcome).
Search for restaurants off the beaten path, away from the major tourist attractions, down side streets or in residential neighborhoods where you hear a lot of the local language spoken. This will tell you that you are in a restaurant frequented by locals, and you will have a more authentic experience. While the tourist traps are tempting because you know they will speak English and you will be amongst your people (tourists), you will not be dining as they do in the country you are visiting, and that is why we travel, n’est-ce que pas?
Stop smiling
This is my favorite tip, because we cheerful Americans always try our best to be friendly and smile with a polite “hello!” while walking down the street. And while I do this like everyone else in America, when I am abroad and I want to blend in, I keep to myself with a neutral face as I walk through the town.
For example, in France in particular, it is not normal to give strangers on the street a toothy smile and a “bonjour!” as you walk past them. Doing so will result in strange glances, possibly an eye roll, and a total lack of reciprocation.
This leads to a common cultural misconception by Americans who then label French people as rude or unfriendly. But this is not so: they simply don’t practice the same pleasantries as we do in the States.
That being said, in France, definitely do greet employees with a polite “bonjour, madame/monsieur” when entering any kind of shop or place of business. To not do this is considered extremely rude.
So please, please do not be discouraged by a lack of smiles from strangers. Some cultures are simply more introverted and often take a little time and conversation to get them to open up to you, and that’s just their way. It is not because they are simply rude and don’t want to talk to you.
Dress the part
Don’t be like the stereotypical tourist I described above. Try your best to dress like the people in the country you are visiting. This way you won’t stand out and make a spectacle of yourself, and most importantly you won’t become a target of pickpocketing and theft. If you are obviously a lost looking tourist, you will soon be a tourist without their wallet because these are the types of people thieves look for in crowds.
In France, as I’ve described here and here, wear neutrals in more conservative cuts, fashionable (yet comfortable) footwear, and have a neutral or at least benign looking pack to carry your things around. By dressing the part, on top of a researched understanding on basic customs, you will not be an easy target to be taken advantage of, and you might even be mistaken for a local- quelle surprise!
Suffice it to say these are definitely my top five tips for not looking like a tourist in France… but I could also say that they are my top five tips for ensuring a pleasant experience on your trip to France. If you follow these guidelines, you will not return from your trip feeling like the French people are rude and arrogant in general (which many Americans unfortunately assume at some point). You will have attempted to see the world from their perspective and with their cultural customs in mind, and you will charm them with your show of respect of their country and way of life. Je vous promets!
À la prochaine-
geneviève
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