Guerrera, Younger Offspring and I recently got back from visiting Older Offspring as she studies in Costa Rica. We don't do any "adventure" travel like the Gorillafritz (even though I have his book), but I would say that Guerrera and I are pretty competent international travelers. This trip, however, I had a bunch of minor "breakdowns" that I need to address.
First, in most countries, I stand out like a sore thumb. I'm a tall(-ish) very white, semi-geeky looking dude. There is no way I can hide from being a "gringo," but for some reason I just had brain damage when preparing for this trip
My hat: my favorite hat in the world is a Tilley T3, which has served me well for most things for 25 years, and does a great job of keeping the sun out of my eyes and off my ears, face, and neck (see the "white" descriptor, above). I finally wore it out, and (per their policy) Tilley replaced it with a new T3. A really, really white T3, which might as well have had "TOURISTA" printed on it in neon letters. In the past, ball caps weren't much of a thing that I could see in Latin America and Europe, now I think I'm going to need to get a nondescript one and suck up the fact that I need to sunscreen my ears and neck.
My shirts: I packed lightweight button down, collared, short-sleeved shirts because they're light and in can flex them a little nicer if I want. Yeah... no one was wearing anything like this but me; like not even other tourists. I think I need to get some plain, neutral-colored t-shirts instead (which might be harder to conceal carry in the US, but whatevs).
I need to redo my "device charging bag." I bought one of these after @LittleLebowski suggested it. The problem is, it has a micro-USB charging port and my phone is (now) USB-C, so I have to carry around two cables. I tried using a "squid," but I don't use two out of the five plugs, and they're all two short to be really practical. I'm not sure why I never noticed this before. Need to get a new version of that battery that's USB-C and a quality, longer cable.
I need a new cheap watch. My normal watch is big, bright, clunky, and looks expensive (which is moderately true). Older Offpsring is starting to get good at this, and she told me right away when we got there that it would attract attention, and she was right. I need to get something smaller, less obvious, and cheap enough that I won't cry if I loose it or have to give it up.
My international cell plan kinda sucks. It's ok enough that I get by, and I don't have to pay extra for it, but this trip and a previous couple to Europe let me down a little. I need to find out how to do the "local SIM card" thing.
Shoes: my Merrill MOAB low's again said "tourist." They're earth toned, so I thought they would not be noticed, but when everyone else is wearing colored sneakers...
Things that were neutral:
After resisting for a long, long, time, I finally had to break down an get Uber. It just made getting around the major cities easier.
Things that went well(!)
I read and was told that only tourists wear shorts. This was mostly true. My Duluth Foreman pants seemed to blend well (I think). Otherwise, it was jeans.
The "I see you/fuck off" stare and turning full-front toward someone worked pretty well when I attracted the wrong kind of attention.
Even the few broken phrases of Spanish I could put together seemed to make the locals much more positively disposed towards me.
I'll try to make my next overseas vay-cay go better (without embarrassing Guerrera [too much]).
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Originally Posted by Joe in PNG
