Wearing This Style Of Clothing While Traveling Abroad Instantly Outs You As An American Tourist

When traveling to a different country, many Americans try to dress to blend in with local residents. Maybe they want to be seen as travelers and not tourists, or maybe they're simply trying to be polite and avoid driving locals up a wall. If you don't want to be identified as American on sight, there's one style of clothing you should avoid: athletic wear.

"Clothes have their purpose and athletic wear is for athletics," stylist Brooke Crum, an American based in Japan, told the Huffington Post. However, she added that individual athletic pieces can be incorporated into an outfit without immediately identifying you as an American tourist, such as by pairing a track jacket with jeans. 

Other experts agree. "Wearing head-to-toe athletic clothing is the biggest 'tell' that you're a tourist... notably an American tourist," writes blogger the Savvy Backpacker. "In many regions, including Europe, Eastern Asia, and the Middle East, athleisure is often not worn except for people who are actually exercising," adds a writer for the Gentleman's Gazette.

On Reddit, people are even more blunt about warning American tourists to avoid athletic clothing, particularly in Europe, and especially in France and Italy. "Americans are famous for wearing pyjamas, loungewear, and sleepwear to go out anywhere," writes one Redditor. "Some Americans look like they're still in their PJs, that's pretty much unacceptable here to go out like this," writes another. "You would almost certainly stand out. Whether people would consider you a slob is less certain, but not impossible," writes a third.

So what should you wear instead? Redditors suggest packing items such as jeans, pants, sweaters, skirts, dresses, as well as shorts in warmer weather. More casual items, such as a hoodie and a t-shirt, are generally fine for many environments. 

Keep the setting, occasion, and time of day in mind. Are you going out to a nightclub or a fancy restaurant for dinner? It's probably a good idea to dress up a little. But if you're just walking during the day, jeans and sneakers should be fine. Trying to avoid looking like a tourist? Make sure you avoid these unexpected traits that Europeans always notice about American tourists.