And what's more, can you travel comfortably and look, dare I say...chic? C'est possible? OUI!
How to go from A tourist... to The Tourist
Now, I'm not entirely advocating that you strive to look like Angelina Jolie in The Tourist while flitting around Europe, but perhaps there this a middle ground between the pictures above? Hmmmm? Yes, let's explore a few ways I've found to maintain a well groomed, sophisticated, and low-profile appearance while traveling.
Tip #1: Don't stand out, for worse or for better.
Anything you can do to "blend" in to your surroundings will help you feel more at ease. If you look more like a local, you don't have to be as tense about getting singled out by pick pockets (although yes, you still need to be careful). In New York we see people that look like that picture on the left. Sneakers and white socks, fanny packs, backpacks, sunglasses on strings, baseball caps and a loud voice that announces to the hoard they're with on a crowded subway, "Y'ALL WE'RE GETTIN' OFF IN THREE MORE STOPS, YOU HEAR? YOU BEST PAY ATTENTION! I jus' cannot wait to get back the hotel, muh dogs are barkin'!"
I'm personally not a big fan of jeans, especially while traveling. They're heavy and take up a lot of valuable suitcase space, and are hard to clean without a laundromat while on the go. The jeans that most people wear are light washed or have holes in them, and are often paired with printed t-shirts. I like to think of traveling, especially to Europe, as an opportunity to be an American Ambassador. I don't want people looking at me and thinking, "Eww." It's the 'Sunday Best' rule--even though you can't know for sure if God approves of your outfit, you try and show respect in His house anyway by wearing your nicer things.
On the other end of the spectrum, I have traveled with people who refused to wear anything but high heels and mini skirts. High heels are only practical if you plan on doing A LOT of people watching in a locale that doesn't include many cobble stone streets. And wearing skimpy clothing will get you banned from entering a lot of places, in addition to becoming the focus of SUPER CREEPY wandering eyes (and disapproving glares from older ladies). Most of this clothing isn't easy to wash, and these people end up packing the world's largest suitcase. Usually these types of tourists require a greater amount of primping in the morning, which takes up valuable time as well as suitcase space with all those products! Some good advice from Rick Steves is that you can't travel heavy, happy, and cheap. You can only have two of those things.
Now, you're obviously a tourist if you're at a tourist site. The hope is that you can look like a local who just decided to go for a stroll next to that tourist site. Unless you're a major photographer, keep your camera hidden when you're not taking pictures. Write down directions on discreet pieces of paper or a journal before you go, or while sitting at a cafe, instead of fumbling with a large fold-out map and squinting around you for a street name. Cover your guide books with a book cover, made from a paper grocery bag, so that its not as obvious. Or better yet, tear out the sections you need and stick those in a playbill, a cardstock cover, or some other shielding device. Reading guidebooks while you're out an about is a dead giveaway that you're not from around these here parts. Utilize the amazing technology we have these days! I have London Tube maps, city maps (the London A-Z) and several audio-walking tours all pre-loaded on my iPod, so that when I'm out I just look like I'm jammin' to some tunes. Just be careful about where you use it and where you stash it!
Tip #2: Neutrals, neutrals, neutrals! (Plus a few fab accessories!)
Neutrals help you to blend in to the crowds, but also provide a great canvas for some fun, easy to pack accessories. I love to bring along a few lovely silk scarves and cheap pins and brooches, which can be combined with any outfit to snazz it up a bit. My favorite neutrals are darker- black, navy blue, and gray. Not the most vibrant of palettes, but when worn correctly those colors are rather elegant together. I bring skirts, shirts and cardigans in combinations of those colors, so it's very easy to mix and match. Here's me, wearing a plain blue cotton/poly scoop neck shirt, made fancy by the addition of a scarf and some fun, cheap shades:
It's important to choose clothing that has some rayon or polyester in it, if you plan on doing laundry while abroad. These fabrics dry much faster than cotton, and and more forgiving about wrinkles. They also tend to drape like silk. Here are some good options from Magellan's:
Tip #3: No more money belts!
Say what? Isn't that Traveling Safe 101? Unless this system really works for you, I say try to not carry a money belt. I do not enjoy adding an inch thick bit of padding to my stomach. Not very elegant! Instead, I look for clothing with hidden pockets, often in the waistband, or add them to skirts and pants myself (See the clothes above). Invisible zippers are easy to install, and can include and small latch as well. If you're not into sewing yourself, a tailor can easily add a pocket for you. This is especially nice if you have an item of clothing you already really like. There are some money belts that attach to your ankles, too, if you're wearing pants. I once saw a skirt slip that had a hidden pocket included in the hem. Cool! I personally like to wear compression shorts under my skirts for a multitude of reasons, and these are very easy to add pockets to, and slightly less awkward to get to (if the pocket is on the leg) instead of stuffing your hands down your pants.
Tip #4: Tell your dogs to quit their barkin' without smothering them in sneakers.
I totally get that you think sneakers are going to keep your feet comfortable. I happen to think you are wrong. I could make an argument here about the reasons sneakers and all that padding are actually making your feet hurt more, but I won't. Instead, I'll show you what I use and then give you sneaker lovers an option that, while not perfect, at least isn't a blasted ugly sneaker.
I generally walk around in ballet flats with little to no padding, and my feet have not hurt in a long time, even after walking several miles! Probably because my feet have gotten stronger by being in closer contact with the earth on which they were meant to trod! But because we must be careful about where we step, it does make sense to have some protection between your tootsies and the cruel, urban ground. Enter in: the athletic flat. A genius combination of a cute ballet flat, with a little more oomph for a sole. They are usually very good about not rubbing or causing blisters, either. Puma makes some good ones, as does RocketDog. Here's my pair by Ann Klein Sport (although mine are all black):
I walk all over New York with these on, and have never gotten a blister or a barking pup. For those weening off sneakers, try a cushy pair of Clarks, a good company that is finally coming out with some non-ugly options:
I just happen to think that ballet flats are the best option for traveling. They're light, easily packable, and they look about a million times better than your adidas. Especially when you're wearing nicer looking clothing than jeans and a t-shirt. Which you are. Cause you're reading my blog.
Tip #5: Practice your up-do's.
What my hair looks like always tends to be an issue when I'm traveling. Unless you have naturally lovely hair that air-dries to perfection (congratulations), how can you keep your hair prim without carting around all your tools? As big of an advocate for packing light as I am, I do give in to two things: a travel hair dryer and a travel straightener. And even though they don't get my hair looking as faboosh as at home, they do enough to tame the mane and allow me to be presentable to the dignified Europeans.
Another tip is to carry dry shampoo, my favorite being Oscar Blandi's Pronto Dry Shampoo. This can help to extend your style, so you don't have to struggle every morning trying to make it look presentable.
My final hair tip is to learn an easy up-do or two you can do on yourself. It might just be a slick pony-tail, or something a little more complex like the chignon I like to wear. Whipping you hair up into a nice 'do can save you from a fried hairdryer, a broken shower, or any other problems that might come in the way of you and looking your best. Just as long as it's not a blob tied up on top of your head, your simple up-do will help you look put together. It can also make an evening out a more elegant affair. Hairspray is my friend on these days. It slicks back the weird hairs that just won't fall in to place, and helps me keep my cool on windy or rainy days. Here's my go-to up-do. I wear this on my "dirty hair days" and with practice, it only takes me about 5-10 minutes to complete, much less time than washing, drying and straightening my hair.
Tip #6: Make sure it fits well and is flattering!
Some women will buy a pair of shoes in every color when they find some they love. I'm like that, but with skirts and shirts. If it's flattering and most importantly versatile, I'll buy it in every color if I can. I have simple jersey skirts from target in black (2) gray, purple, teal and brown. And the shirt I'm wearing in both of the pictures on this blog are the same shirt in navy and pink, which I also have in salmon, black, and white. They are from H&M, and I only got them about a month ago. I feel very comfortable in them, an enjoy the scoop neck, the longer sleeves, and the ability to easily wear them tucked or untucked. The colors happened to be excellent, as well. Now, this might not be practical for your situation, but for me it works really well. I'm able to mix and match these pieces and change the look with scarves, pins, necklaces and cardigans.
I'm 5'8", and love to wear skirts and dresses. That usually translates to me wearing skirts and dresses 3-4 inches too short. Yikes! I've recently been sewing my own clothing, which has helped with the problem. And as such, I've been able to make custom clothes for travel! If again, this isn't a practical option, make sure you get your clothes tailored if they don't fit you as well as you'd like, especially if you buy clothes just for their travel perks (like the items from Magellans). Tailoring is a cheap fix to a lovely garment that can make it look like it was meant to be worn by you. The skirts posted above from Magellans were actually too long on me, so they needed to be hemmed, and one skirt was too wide in the hips on me. Once I addressed these issues with tailoring, these skirts look great, instead of being matronly or baggy. I like stretchy clothing that fits a little closer to the body, because it helps to accentuate the small bits while being forgiving on the large bits.
So here they are, my little nuggets of advice on how to travel in style. I fully understand that style is subjective, and I know that my suggestions might not mesh with your look. My style does tend towards the A-line skirt and dress variety, but slacks and blouses can work just as well with these ideas. These are merely my personal choices on how I manage to travel and look relatively put together, without sacrificing comfort or function.
A follow-up blog on packing light will follow in the next week. Please let me know if you have any other tips or suggestions!
