# Not looking like an American tourist. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 6, 2004, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-looking-like-an-american-tourist/238502 "2004-04-06T04:35:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Rashak\_Mani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rashak\_Mani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rashak_Mani)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2004, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-looking-like-an-american-tourist/238502/41 "2004-04-11T14:46:15Z")
> [@Granuaile](#): > > I’ve been fortunate enough to have traveled extensively and can say that some really good advice has been given. My only advice would be to listen to it. 🙂 > [hijack] > However, I do have a question. I am going to Morocco in the fall and will be in the cities as well as some rural areas. I know to dress conservatively and I could “pass” as I am dark haired, dark eyed and have light olive skin. Would a head covering be necessary? Or disrespectful? A hijab, scarf or don’t even bother? > [/hijack] ``` I suppose your a chick by your question... there are some sites in the Internet that can give you specific answers. Different muslim countries have different "rules" as regards women's wear. Some might demand head scarves but forbid driving.... others allow driving but require specific clothing. ``` Any time you travel follow the old dictum “When in Rome… do as the Romans”. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2004, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-looking-like-an-american-tourist/238502/42 "2004-04-11T15:02:56Z")
> [@Granuaile](#): > > I am going to Morocco in the fall and will be in the cities as well as some rural areas. I know to dress conservatively and I could “pass” as I am dark haired, dark eyed and have light olive skin. Would a head covering be necessary? Or disrespectful? A hijab, scarf or don’t even bother? It wouldn’t be necessary (nor disrepectful). Don’t bother. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2004, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-looking-like-an-american-tourist/238502/43 "2004-04-11T18:13:20Z")
Heh. When I went to Spain, I thought, “Should I sew a Canadian flag on my purse?” Then I had **GorillaMan** ’s train of thought, so I decided to make it look more authentic by putting a Quebec flag on next to it 😉 (OK, not really. I wanted both flags on there anyway, even if I hadn’t been travelling.) Yeah. I brought shorts, but mostly I wore long pants - really, I didn’t find they made me feel that much hotter, even in Spain in July, though I did wear my shorts a few times when it was bloody hot and I would be visiting outdoor areas where I figured pretty much everyone else would be tourists too. Speaking close-to-fluent Spanish probably brought me down a few notches on the touristometer, as well. (Hopefully it was somewhat closer to fluent when I left, considering that I was there for a language course.) Never complain about anything. (Okay, that’s not quite right. Obviously, complain if service in commercial establishments is rude or incorrect; but don’t complain just because you end up with something or in some situation you’re not used to. Theoretically, that’s why you’ve spent all that money to go to a foreign country.) Other than that, I didn’t feel too bad about being identified as a tourist. After all, that’s what I was. Of course, I wonder how much of this is just wasted typing. It seems to me that the set of people who would take the time to ask for opinions about how to be polite and sensible in a foreign country is pretty similar tothe set of people who would be polite and sensible in a foreign country anyway. ---
**Author:** ![St\_Ides](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@St\_Ides](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St_Ides)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2004, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-looking-like-an-american-tourist/238502/44 "2004-04-11T19:29:03Z")
Just a word of warning about the Canadian flags. Many of the younger Canadians really, really don’t like it when Americans put a maple leaf on their stuff. It’s been known to cause quite a disagreement to the point of violence. 'Course, the violence only happens if the tourist is making a complete ass of themselves, and it’s getting attributed to being Canadian. Most of them will politely ask you to remove it. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2004, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-looking-like-an-american-tourist/238502/45 "2004-04-11T19:49:52Z")
I can’t believe anyone would recommend sewing a maple leaf to your bag. For heaven’s sake, don’t hide behind a lie - be polite and respectful while visiting another country, and maybe you can help destroy the stereotype that all Americans are rude tourists. I’m embarrassed for any American who has done this. I actually even find it kind of goofy when Canadians sew maple leafs to their bags. “I’m not an American, and I can prove it! I have a maple leaf sewn to my bag! SEE?” When I was at school in Israel, the Canadians all had maple leafs sewn to their _school_ backpacks, which was absurd because the school was so small we all knew where everyone was from anyway. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-looking-like-an-american-tourist/238502.md?page=2)