When you're traveling overseas, do people clock you as a tourist?

Depends on the country. For me, I blend in with Germans, Austrians, and English. In Colombia, not so much.

I’m a blue eyed, relatively light skinned guy, but if I’m walking around in a major city in most European countries, everyone pretty much seems to peg me as American.

Oddly though, in Turkey, of all places — especially Istanbul — surprising number of native Turks would mistake me as a fellow Turk, which always blew me away. Happened at least four or five times over the couple of weeks I was there. But perhaps not so surprising because everyone in Turkey looks so different from each other— it’s really more like the USA in that respect, in that it is a true ethnic and cultural crossroads. Albeit, on a much longer timescale than the USA

Dyatlov "pass"? What is that?

My traveling days may be behind me, but used to travel a lot, and I'm sure I was pegged every time. Never much cared or worried about it, but that would be my guess.

It's very hard for Americans in Italy to pass for Italian.

Asia, South America, can pass. Vienna + Amsterdam, yes. Paris, sometimes. Spain, no.

Most places I get asked for directions often, from locals more than tourists. I attribute that to a general appearance of purposefulness, or some such thing.

I do walk brusquely but also I'm always looking at buildings and details along the way, so it's not that I have that signature New York look straight ahead and don't dare fuck with me fast clip. I don't dress oddly but I don't wear typical tourist clothes nor clothes that come all from one country.

But more than anything I think most people fall at various points between "Seems To Know Where He's Going" and "Look at That Fish Out of Water."

I'm a rube, and always Identified as such.

Are you well scrubbed and/or hustling, R8?

R9, lol! I can't hide my accent or my cheap clothes.

Unfortunately due to my accent I am always astonished be American. I generally kindly object and suggest that nobody is offended by being assumed to be Canadian.

I went to Iran and some people actually thought I was from the Caucasus. Perhaps because I am slightly ginger at my temples as well as being very white. It got me into the muslim-only parts of the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad.

In Prague, I was mistaken for a Russian. I'm an American mutt.

In London tourists often ask me for directions. Not sure Londoners wouldn't see me as a tourist but the tourists think I'm a local.

I think if you're travelling alone people peg you for a local because tourists usually run in packs.

Thankfully no. In the German speaking part of Switzerland, I’ve been mistaken for French several times.. To which I replied in French; Je suis américain, je ne parle pas très bien français. Then they started speaking English, which was a good thing as I speak hoch deutsch, not Schweitzer Deutsch. I’ve also been mistaken for a local haole in Hawaii.

Probably. Certainly in SE Asia. Probably in Australia and New Zealand. I'm 6'2" and look Italian. But in Italy, I'm taller than most, even in the north. I probably get clocked a tourist in most of the US.

I don't actually care. I just try to be pleasant to locals when I travel. I rarely have bad interactions with locals.

I tend to be clocked as a tourist -mostly because of my size. Americans do tend to be taller that most other nationalities. The one exception is London, where I'm often mistaken for a local. I do dress like a local, and that makes a big difference there.

Americans are easily picked out of the crowd for our size, the clothes we wear, and how loud we are in groups.

OP, what a bizarre question.

Of course it depends on which country I'm in. You should know that is true of everyone.

I was in Florence, Italy, once and a woman came up to me and started speaking German to me so I guess I have a generic European look. Luckily I knew enough German to understand her and gave her the directions she was asking for

r2, I know a fair number of blue eyed gingery/red haired Turkish people.

In German Switzerland, I've been spoken to in German. Just don't think I'm passing for French there or in France. I'm tall and more UK. I'm more worried about being clocked as an American than being clocked as a visitor.

I'm very low keyed, don't talk loud or draw attention to myself, but I scream American tourist when traveling in Europe. I'm not heavy, but it's my height and clothes that give me away.

Has good nutrition given you some length of bone, R23?

When I’ve spent some extended lengths of time in Spain, I was always amused that people in Spain - or other foreign nationals would outwardly assume I’m Spanish and try asking me for directions.

My appearance and features make me blend in easily there and I purposefully avoid wearing the kind of clothing that screams American or “tourist on holiday.”

When I’ve been asked for directions from another Spanish person themselves (visiting from another city, as an example) it becomes obvious quickly I’m not actually from there when I speak in my intermediate-on-a-good-day, accent twinged version of Castilian Spanish.

An American friend of mine who moved to Amsterdam to live with his Dutch partner 25 years ago told me that if, as an American, you always wear a nice conservative dark suit while traveling and good-quality dark shoes, you'll never be harassed in the streets to buy drugs and so on. It seems to work for him; he's never mistaken for a tourist. When he opens his mouth, people know he's a foreigner, but they guess correctly that he's a long-time resident and lives locally.

In Europe at least, the giveaways for Americans include the style/cut of jeans (mom-adjacent) and the ubiquitous bright white sneakers (especially on newly retired couples who intend to do a lot of walking).

I went to university in Spain (I'm American). Because I grew up in South America I spoke fluent Spanish, but with a very different accent. Everyone knew I wasn't Spanish, but once I spoke they were convinced I was Italian.

I suspect that most overseas tourists are recognized as exactly that, including posters in this thread who think otherwise. Just because you're ignored doesn't mean that you've "passed."

When locals stop you and ask for directions or ask you to do surveys, you've passed...

No! Not at all.

R26 thanks for the explanation. I've often wondered what type of clothing gives Americans away.

R31: Other tips for spotting Americans (depending on where you are) include loose, baggy fitting clothing "for comfort"; big floppy hats on women; trucker hats and baseball caps; collapsible umbrellas; and a noticeably more informal look. Women on morning news programs in Europe (excepting the UK for this one) often dress like they are going to a charity ball at 6.00 in the morning; men wear form fitting suits. The least occasion sees people making some effort where Americans and Brits will wear any old thing.

In France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK, native people speak to me like I from there, until they hear me speak. I don’t have that happen in Southern Europe.

When I was young and sexy they clocked me then cocked me. Dicked me down with their exciting foreign sizemeat.

I was traveling in Thailand so of course I stood out, first of all being much taller. Then I went to NZ thinking at last I can blend in for a change. First day, sitting waiting for a bus, two teenage girls asked what country I was from. It was my tan.

Sometimes as Americans we stick out by overdoing it. European tourists dress practically and aren't generally in showy Instagram outfits. You're going to be walking 1/2 the day and you're not Emily in Paris. Maybe move some of that energy to dinner? I get the impulse but it's ok to be a visitor doing visitor things. And I know I've underdressed but still..

We could compare Sydney Sweeney's Venice attire to her male companions. In the photo, a couple of the women in the background are wearing dresses. It's possible I don't get the expectations for women's appearance. At all.

Ages ago I boarded a flight LAX-HNL wearing a tropical weight suit and carrying a briefcase. First class. Even back then (mid 90s) nobody wears a suit to HNL. IOr carried a briefcase. Let’s just say the FAs were very attentive.