“Blend in.”
“Seem like you know where you’re going.”
“Don’t look like a tourist.”
Such advice is often recommended to travelers with the best intentions. The idea is that if you can fool the locals into thinking that you’re one of them, you are less likely to be robbed or otherwise victimized.
Unfortunately, a tourist will always look like a tourist no matter how hard they try not to. When I’m in New York, I can spot out-of-town visitors in a single glance, and I’m not even a native New Yorker.
Their body language gives them away, the way they stand and look around.
Their movements give them away, they way that they walk and cluster into groups.
Their clothes give them away.
I could go on, but you get the point. It’s almost impossible to blend in. The locals recognize immediately that you’re an outsider, and you’re kidding yourself if you believe that you can fool them into thinking that you’re one of them.
The advice about looking as thought you know where you’re going is valuable, but you won’t be able to maintain that. There will be times when you genuinely don’t know where you’re going, and you’re going to ask for help.
So, what can you do when blending in is a hopeless cause? Here are my suggestions.
Tip 1. Leave your valuables at home.
Expensive jewelry is an invitation for trouble. Unless you’re traveling first class and being chauffeured between posh destinations, leave the jewels in a safe deposit box at your local bank. Travel with the minimum. You’ll be safer and more comfortable.
Tip 2. Know how to find reliable transportation.
I can’t stress the importance of this strongly enough. Most taxi drivers are not out to rob or harm you, but very bad things can happen in taxis in some parts of the world. Much more common is being grossly overcharged for rides. That may be a petty crime, but it’s still a crime.
In most cities, you can call a taxi service that will provide you with the number of the car before it arrives. If you don’t know how to do this, go to an upscale hotel and ask them to do it or you. At airports, there is usually a kiosk where you can request a taxi, either by speaking to someone or using an automated system.
Research your destination. If taxi crime is a problem, don’t flag down rides on the street or even at taxi stands. Too many things can go wrong.
Tip 3. Don’t get drunk.
If your idea of a vacation is hitting the beach and getting plastered (or just getting plastered), that’s fine. Just do it at the hotel or resort or villa where you’re staying. Staggering out of a bar at three in the morning is an invitation for disaster.
It should also be noted that driving drunk in a foreign country can lead to severe legal consequences. (See also Tip 2, finding reliable transportation.)
Tip 4. Recognize bad situations and move away promptly.
Trust your instincts. If you feel unsafe in a particular location, there’s probably a good reason. You would do well to retreat to a safer space.
Don’t keep walking if it looks like you’re entering a rough neighborhood. Don’t walk into a creepy alleyway even if the nearby streets seem safe. If a demonstration starts up at your location, if rough or armed characters show up on the scene, or if the situation seems to turn dangerous for any reason, move to a safer, calmer area.
Recognize the potential for trouble and avoid it dynamically.
Tip 5. Don’t use banking machines at night.
This should be self-explanatory, but a lot of robberies happen at automated banking machines. Avoid withdrawing money at off hours or in deserted locations. Thieves would love to have your card and your PIN, and some of them are brazen enough to harm you physically in order to get access to your accounts.
Tip 6. Be aware of traffic rules and patterns.
This is important even if you don’t drive. In some places, vehicles will stop for pedestrians in crosswalks. In other places, the vehicles have the right of way, and they could hit you if you step out in front of them unexpectedly.
In some cities, even if it seems that an avenue with multiple lanes has all traffic flowing in one direction, there may be one lane where cars, busses, or trolleys will come through in the other direction.
Don’t take chances. Cross only at crosswalks and when the traffic signals are in your favor.
Tip 7. Watch your step.
In the United States, people are sometimes awarded financial damages for slipping or tripping over things. That practice doesn’t exist in most other countries.
You are responsible for your own feet. If the level of the sidewalk changes, or if a brick or a stone is loose, you have to expect and deal with it. A big chunk of concrete may jut upward out of a the pavement unexpected and completely unmarked. You have to watch out for things like that and navigate around them when they occur.
So please, watch your step.
Tip 8. Think before you eat.
Ice cubes can be made from unfiltered local water. Raw vegetables may have been washed in the same water.
Mayonnaise and mousse are made from raw eggs.
Uncooked meats may contain parasites.
Find an alternative.
Tip 9. Be nice.
When we travel, we need help. We need people to help us with directions. We need people to help us use gadgets like parking meters and machines that dispense bus tickets. We need to explain why a business or an attraction that we expected to be open is actually closed today.
If you’re nice, people will help you, people in shops, people in cafes, people on the street.
If you come across as arrogant or lose your temper easily, they may still help you, but you’re not doing yourself any favors.
Always be polite and patient, even when you’re feeling tired or frustrated.
Smile and speak slowly. Learn to say please, thank you, and excuse me in the language of the country where you’ll be traveling. Those few important words can break down many barriers.
Understand that life happens at different paces in different places. Don’t let that frustrate you. You took time off to relax, so relax.
Remember that occasional disappointments and frustrations are part of the travel experience and they always will be. Take them in stride. When your expectations aren’t met, look for opportunities to do things that you never expected to do. Discovering and enjoying the unexpected is the true magic of travel.
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