# Germany Travel Tips Needed **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 9, 2016, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germany-travel-tips-needed/771126 "2016-11-09T02:40:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germany-travel-tips-needed/771126/1 "2016-11-09T02:40:09Z")
We’re traveling to Germany at the end of the month. We’d like to “blend in” and not look so much like Americans. Hub is 64 and is wondering what German men of a certain age wear on their heads this time of year? Any other words of wisdom for international travel would be greatly appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germany-travel-tips-needed/771126/2 "2016-11-09T04:49:34Z")
I can’t really think of a particular hat style that seems very widespread. Not a baseball cap, though. And not white gym shoes, nor a shirt or jacket with words on it. And German men of that age usually don’t walk or stand with their hands in their pockets. They walk with them behind their backs. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germany-travel-tips-needed/771126/3 "2016-11-09T06:12:43Z")
Black jackets, or at least very dark or subdued colors. ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germany-travel-tips-needed/771126/4 "2016-11-09T19:46:26Z")
Tourists usually stand out not by their clothing but by typical behaviour - not moving purposefully, walking five abreast, taking at American/Chinese volume, that sort of thing. People don’t mind tourists, of course, so it doesn’t matter if you look like one. German urban men at this time of year usually wear a dark overcoat (mostly dark blue/black), blue or black jeans, (as if the time of year were not gloomy enough); usually no hat or cap even in the current _nasskalt_ weather. The few who wear something on their head usually wear some kind of dark flat or knitted cap. (I usually wear a Kangol cap myself, if only to cover the bald spot on my crown 😃 ) - Women are a bit colorful but not much; you’ll see no candy colours on the street at present. The above goes for men from the age when they have outgrown hoodies to old age. When you are out of hoodies you also don’t wear anything with words or slogans anymore. You’ll have researched what the temperatures in late November are in Germany. Plan for mostly barely about freezing (with the very occasional warm and sunny spell - so use layers), possibly down to freezing at times, with some rainy or drizzly days. You might be as well not wear Trump/Pence campaign gear in Germany 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2016, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germany-travel-tips-needed/771126/5 "2016-11-10T05:54:18Z")
I think it was George Mikes who said that in Germany, even the beggars dress well. Older German men dress slightly formally, with long pants more than shorts, very clean and ironed clothes, darker coloured shoes and jackets. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2016, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germany-travel-tips-needed/771126/6 "2016-11-10T10:13:34Z")
> [@Mops](#): > > Tourists usually stand out not by their clothing but by typical behaviour - not moving purposefully… This is true all over the world. You’re going to stand out anyway. Why try to hide it? The local people are going to work, etc. Not looking around at the sights, not stumbling over how to insert the bus ticket into the reader. Smile nicely, and you’ll discover that foreign people are pretty nice most of the time, too. But do keep a lot of 50p coins in your pockets. In Germany, you have to pay to pee. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2016, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germany-travel-tips-needed/771126/7 "2016-11-10T13:45:42Z")
The most common suggestion I’ve heard for mature men traveling in Europe is to not be quite so casual. Athletic shoes are for the gym, shorts are for children, jeans are for farming, plain or logo T-shirts are also for children. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2016, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germany-travel-tips-needed/771126/8 "2016-11-10T13:50:29Z")
Here’s an English language news site for Germany. It sometimes has tips for foreigners traveling there. > **[The Local - Germany's news in English](https://www.thelocal.de/)** > > Daily news from Germany written in English by native English-speaking journalists. An entertaining blend of Germany's latest news headlines, politics, sport, business, and features. ---
**Author:** ![Vicsage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e68b1a/32.png) [@Vicsage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vicsage)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2016, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germany-travel-tips-needed/771126/9 "2016-11-10T14:00:35Z")
As Basil Fawly would say, “Don’t mention the NAZIS.” ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2016, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germany-travel-tips-needed/771126/10 "2016-11-12T03:31:06Z")
Thanks, all. Hub has no hair left on his beautiful head so going hatless is not an option. I think we’ll stick to a dark knitted hat. For some reason he’s anti-Kangol even though he looks quite handsome in them. I’m afraid we may be relegated to tennis shoes, though. He’s a size 15 and diabetic with orthotics. Tennis shoes are one of his few, comfortable options. ---
**Author:** ![King\_of\_the\_Americas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3da27b/32.png) [@King\_of\_the\_Americas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_of_the_Americas)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germany-travel-tips-needed/771126/11 "2017-11-07T14:33:36Z")
…try the beer. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germany-travel-tips-needed/771126/12 "2017-11-07T15:07:30Z")
It’s pretty warm and flat by now.