Just before leaving for my latest business trip to South America, I visited a website that provides feedback and ratings on hotels and restaurants. As I was researching my hotel, I learned that a popular tourist scam was happening in the neighborhood. Apparently, local thugs tell unsuspecting visitors that they have bird droppings on their clothes. While offering to wipe their garments clean, the thugs would also swipe watches, smart phones, wallets, and whatever else they could get.

This story reminded me of how important it is—for safety—to not look like a tourist when traveling in foreign lands. While that may not always be so easy because of our obvious differences in outward appearance, there are things you can do to minimize signals to the hungry hooligans that you are a clueless outsider. Here are a few basic rules that I stick to when sightseeing in foreign countries.

1. Just say no to hometown sweatshirts and white sneakers:
Nothing says “Hi I’m a tourist” more than sporting your favorite college sweatshirt while wearing your shiny new white sneakers. I make it a specific point never to bring any clothing with school names, country flags, or patriotic colors on them. This makes you an easy target for locals to spot.

I can usually pick out American tourists easily just by looking at everyone’s footwear. White sneakers are almost always synonymous with U.S. sightseers. The majority of people around the world only wear white sneakers for exercise and not out in their daily lives. Stick to nondescript clothing and dark colored footwear to blend in easier.

2. Break into smaller groups:
Walking in one big group makes you more noticeable when trying to get past aggressive street vendors, or getting through popular sight-seeing spots where pick pockets often lurk. Breaking off into pairs or groups of no more than three can make you less of a target.

If I am going out for a day of sightseeing with several colleagues, we agree on a general plan but set a specific final destination and time to meet back up with each other. This allows us to travel in smaller packs and accomplish our agenda, while reaching our final destination intact.

3. Keep your camera to yourself:
The easiest way to identify a tourist is to look for people with cameras hanging around their necks. Keep all electronics hidden out of plain sight under your jacket or safely tucked into a bag.

4. Adapt your demeanor to the local flavor:
Many cultures are very soft spoken, while others may be more boisterous. If your tone or behavior is visibly out of sync with the local customs, you will bring unwanted attention to yourself. Notice how individuals are interacting around you and do your best to match it.

I remember talking loudly and laughing uncontrollably on a Japanese subway years ago when everyone else around us was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Not only did we advertise we were not familiar with our surroundings, but we must have offended everyone on that train too.

While on your next trip, remember that being an undercover tourist is an important element to traveling safely. Happy travels everyone!

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