Before leaving for Europe, everyone I spoke to said the same 3 things: don’t wear bright colors or big brand logos, no baseball caps, and no sneakers. AKA: do not wear anything you would normally wear in America while in Europe. But I have news for you: things have changed. People in other parts of the world wear bright colored clothing with logos, and baseball caps, and sneakers! Maybe not the proportion of those in America, but we did see them– and frequently. This style of clothing is “in” and the world isn’t behind.

That being said, if you wear darker and non-attention-grabbing clothing, you’ll better blend in no matter where you are. So wearing “European ensembles” wasn’t terrible advice, but you will not be an instant target if you wear any of the items previously mentioned. Keep in mind, however, that the average person walking around in Europe is more put together than the average person in the US. Wearing nicer outfits (think pants with sweaters or button-downs, and real shoes– not sneakers) definitely helps you look like a local, rather than someone that’s prepped to sightsee all day. Contrarily, in Australia, we found that it was pretty common to dress in active wear, bright colors/patterns, and sneakers or flip flops.

Ryan and I tried to play it safe (by blending in) as much as possible, and maybe overly so. We had an unnecessary fear of “looking like a tourist.” We didn’t want to be targets for scams or thieves or the like.  We wanted to experience the places we visited like we were a part of them, and not just viewing them through a lens. Which meant looking like maybe we didn’t live there, but we also didn’t stick out like  a sore thumb. With the number of people who came up to us throughout Europe asking for directions, I’d like to think we achieved that goal.

However, part of me thinks we were overly conscious about this. Just like we had to get over ourselves feeling lost, we had to do the same about “blending in.” The truth is: it is less about what you wear and more about how you act. Are you queuing in London? If you are lost, are you moving over/out of the way so others can get around you on the sidewalk? Are you paying attention to your surroundings with your eyes and ears and not just through your phone or map? Are you trying to speak the native language if it is different from your own?

If the answer is yes to all of these- you’re doing just fine. These may seem like common sense things, but you’d be surprised how obvious it is to spot a tourist looking like a “tourist” when they’re committing one of these travel sins.

Also, no matter how tourist centric the city you’re in is, the people who call it home are still real people. They are not wasting their existence away rolling their eyes at every selfie-stick wielding tourist that crosses their path. They do not have time nor energy for that. As long as you are not in the way of someone trying to get to work, home, or to enjoy their meal with friends/family, you’ll honestly be lucky to get noticed at all.

So wear your trendy Adidas shoes and flourescent crop top, as long as you promise not to clog the line to the tube during rush hour or ask for ketchup in Paris.