Importance of Blending In as a Tourist

TTT - Blending In
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Meggan: Hey everyone, and welcome back to Travel Tip Tuesday here on the Travel Mug Podcast. We hope everything is going well in your life today. As always, I am joined by Jenn. How are you this week, Jenn?

Jenn: I am good. It's sunny out and that is amazing.

Meggan: amazing. I know, I remember talking in like the depths of winter and we're just like, let's get through this, you know? It's brighter days and that's a good thing. So, today I wanted to take a couple of moments to talk about blending in as a tourist when you head out from your hotel. especially in a city setting. So there's nothing wrong, first and foremost, with being a tourist. I mean, when you aren't from that place, that is what you are and that's okay. what isn't okay is standing out like a sore thumb, as some would say, and there really are a few reasons for that. And first and foremost, it's for safety.

So what we mean by that is when you have your obvious vacation clothes on, and yes, I'm looking at you with your floral print shorts, and shirt with your camera around your neck. Now, while the look is fun and funny, you might be asking for trouble and I am being serious about that part. And vacation can be about fashion and feeling great.

That's not what we're saying either. When your clothes are truly obvious that you aren't from around those parts You set yourself up as a potential target for scams and pickpockets. Unfortunately, it's the sad reality So something to consider is doing some advanced research on the average person from that city or country that you're visiting and how they look or just wear what you actually might wear at home, unless of course that is completely against the customs of the country you're visiting, you really should keep that in mind.

But really just try not to stand out too much while also having fun and enjoying yourself. Safety first, always though. Now, second on the subject of becoming a target, it is important to think about what you take with you when you actually head out for a day of exploring, especially in a city setting.

Our advice is to take only the basics. So leave most of your cash in a safe place, preferably obviously a safe in your room. Leave your passport behind, hopefully in that safe as well. Take a purse or a backpack or a fanny pack, I suppose, with maybe some water, a map of your city that you're in, or your phone, a little bit of cash, a credit or debit card, your hotel key, maybe a rain jacket in case of inclement weather, if that's a possibility. and potentially a small snack. You don't want to get hangry out in those streets. But besides that, you honestly don't need much more. A great way to protect yourself if you do need to take more cash with you than normal is a money belt or a bra wallet for ladies. Um, it usually holds cash and cards.

And when you're out, always be aware of your backpack or your purse, keep it tightly zipped or buttoned at all times and turn it around in front of you when you're in large crowds. Now, travelling is so much fun, you want to be able to enjoy it without any mishaps and understanding the environment around you and trying not to stand out for scammers is key to an enjoyable trip.

And again, being a tourist is fine. But being a target for a scam or a pickpocket isn't fine. Jenn, any tips you want to add to that or any thoughts you have on the topic? Yeah,

Jenn: all good tips that you've already shared, but I will add that people, um, I've seen people who have their phone on like a string. So it's like a case that has a string and it, uh, like you can put it on your neck or like cross body and it makes your phone easy to access for you. But then harder for someone to like grab out of your hand and like run away with it. So it's much safer than your back pocket.

Meggan: Yeah, no, that's a really great tip too. Um, and what my husband does is he put, he actually puts his phone right in his front pocket.

So it's one of those things too, that you know, wherever is the least obvious place is probably where you should be putting it, but that's a great piece of advice as well. And that's it for this week's travel tip Tuesday. I mean, we just wanted to sort of Talk about not standing out, even, even though you may want to, it's not always the best choice, but thanks as always for joining us.

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Travelmugpodcast. com. Until next time, safe travels and bye!