{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Club Villamar","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog","author_name":"Club Villamar","author_url":"https:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/author\/marketing\/","title":"Most Creative Ways To Blend In While Travelling - Club Villamar","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"EL7dOM0Rxd\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/spain\/creative-ways-blend-travelling\/\">Most Creative Ways To Blend In While Travelling<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/spain\/creative-ways-blend-travelling\/embed\/#?secret=EL7dOM0Rxd\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Most Creative Ways To Blend In While Travelling&#8221; &#8212; Club Villamar\" data-secret=\"EL7dOM0Rxd\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/MOney-Full-size.jpg","thumbnail_width":1024,"thumbnail_height":680,"description":"My wife and I like to play a game when we travel. It\u2019s called \u201cSpot the Tourist\u201d. It\u2019s a pretty easy game, and we both win. And we both laugh too. Some people do NOT know how to blend in while they travel You see these sweating people, laden with huge backpacks, walking around with their cargo shorts and sandals and sunglasses on a cord. You can clearly see those \u201chidden\u201d money belts under their tight polo shirts.  Who do they think they\u2019re fooling? Certainly not the locals. There are serious disadvantages to looking like you don\u2019t belong somewhere when you travel. You can be targeted for crime. You can get swindled or conned (tourists are incredibly easy targets). You can face all sorts of nasty characters and get shockingly high prices if you choose not to blend into the crowds. You should make it your goal to try to blend in when you travel. Make efforts to not stand out, to not look like a tourist. And even if you\u2019re somewhere where you\u2019re OBVIOUSLY the tourist (Japan, India, China\u2026etc.), you can still take some steps to camouflage yourself into the crowds. Buy Clothes Where You Travel  I LOVE this tip, and when I first heard it, I thought I was BRILLIANT. It\u2019s simple. Pack as light as possible, with the goal of just taking two full outfits in your bags. The rest of the clothes you need can be bought locally. This is going to help you blend in, wearing the same types of clothes that locals are already wearing. It\u2019s the first tell-tale sign of a tourist. And it\u2019s the easiest way to start to blend in. You\u2019ll also get the benefit of packing lightly. My friends always ask how I can fit everything I need into my small bag. This is one of my secrets. If you shop smart, you can also find an outfit that will serve as a souvenir when you return home. Every time you pull out that shirt or that dress, you\u2019ll be reminded of that crazy market you visited that one night. Or how colourful the local attire is. Speak Some Foreign Phrases  I\u2019m not one to brag, but I do enjoy learning languages. It\u2019s one of my passions and I always try to pick up a phrase or two when I\u2019m travelling abroad. I find that it\u2019s easy for me to learn just a few well-chosen phrases to help me in my new destination. First, even if I\u2019m somewhere where they speak my language easily, the people LOVE someone who actually puts in the effort to try to learn their language. More often than not, my quick trips to the supermarket turn into 45-minute trips where I\u2019m invited to someone\u2019s house\u2026 \u2026simply because I asked where the tomatoes were in their language. Second, I love how quickly you make friends. I get deals and discounts because of my hasty and shoddy attempts to try a new phrase. I\u2019ve heard it once that the best way to learn a new language is to speak it badly. If that\u2019s true, I\u2019m the master. Stay in Private Rooms  I\u2019m averse to staying in hotels. While some places can be nice, I\u2019m pretty happy finding somewhere that\u2019s cheaper and less well-known to stay. My absolute favourite is staying in private houses. I get the place to myself, and I can enjoy some of the day-to-day experiences of the neighbourhood. I\u2019ve played in village cricket games in India, I\u2019ve lit fireworks with my neighbours in Thailand, and I\u2019ve had tea in strange homes in Bhutan, all because I\u2019ve stayed locally. Plus, you don\u2019t have to feel like you\u2019re stepping it down. There are some incredibly nice locations that you can rent for yourself and your family. Learn your Money BEFORE you Leave  Wow. This is a big one that I\u2019m surprised that I need to mention. But the number of times I\u2019ve seen some poor tourist trying to understand if 20,000 Viet Dong is a good or bad price\u2026 It takes just 15 minutes to learn the local currency. I use a site like XE.com to understand the general exchange rates I should know. I also use a site like BudgetYourTrip.com to get an idea of what prices are like before I travel somewhere. I try to understand what 10 pound of my currency compares to\u00a0theirs, and I use that as a general rule. If I know 10 pound gets me 600 Indian rupees, then I know what to expect for meals, taxis, and anything else I want to buy. Remember this: Prices are more fluid than you expect. I love talking about this to anybody who hasn\u2019t travelled before because most people don\u2019t even bother to negotiate a new price. Just walk in and assume that the stickered price is just your starting point of negotiation, not the amount of money that you\u2019ll actually hand over. You\u2019ll be amazed at what price you can get if you assume that you can negotiate. Join in With a Custom or Tradition  Not many people I know do this, but take the time to research a local custom or tradition before you go. Like If I\u2019m going to spend any time in Andalusia or Costa Del Sol, I can do a quick search online to discover that Flamenco is HUGE there. Then I would know to make it a point to visit Seville and the Feria de Abril. Drinking sherry, eating tapas and then drinking more sherry? All while being serenaded by incredible Flamenco music? Sign me up. It\u2019s these local experiences and distinct cultural traditions that really stick in my memories. I tend to remember nights like that more than an old church or some historical site that I visited. Not only that, I get to blend in with the locals, doing what they do, and enjoying what they enjoy. I also find that the more I try to join in with something that\u2019s very specific to that location, a custom or tradition, the more people will welcome me in. A Canadian would LOVE to take you to a hockey game, a Japanese would love inviting you to a Sumo competition, and an Indian would gladly invite you to take part in Diwali celebrations. People love to share their traditions with somebody who will appreciate them. &nbsp; I find that even a couple of these tips will help people forget that you\u2019re a tourist, that you aren\u2019t from around those parts. I also find that you will get more out of your travel, even the few short days you\u2019re in a location if you make attempts to blend in. While you\u2019ll probably always stand out anywhere you go that\u2019s different to your own country, you can always take steps to mingle more with the locals. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 &nbsp;"}