In which I admit that I don’t own a pair of Crocs, but I probably shouldOctober 6th, 2008 @ 10:32 pm
I have a very specific fear when I travel. This fear is very real and very frightening to me. I go to lengths avoid any confrontation with my fear while on vacation.
No, I’m not afraid of bed bugs in hotel sheets.
I’m not afraid of getting pregnant by using public toilets.
I don’t worry about missing my flight. Or not being able to get a taxi or a bus.
The European subway systems don’t scare me.
My fear is that that I won’t fit in with the locals. That I’ll look like a tourist. You know what I’m talking about. I don’t want to be the stereotypical American wearing huge white tennis shoes, elastic waist slacks, fanny pack, straw hat, and a Bermuda style shirt walking around with a backpack and a Rick Steves guide book. (Rick, I love you!)
It’s not that I hate people that look like tourists. I am a tourist. I accept that. I just feel embarrassed when people can tell that I’m a tourist. I don’t know why I feel this way. I just do. I go to great lengths to fit in. I pack my bags with things that won’t call attention to my vacation status. No “God Bless America” t-shirts or Nike’s. I try to just keep my clothes simple. No bright prints. Mostly just black. Or maybe tan. And I never ever pack white tennis shoes. White tennis shoes are the #1 “I am an American tourist” piece of attire. (I have one pair of black Simple shoes I bought for our first trip to Europe. They are pretty much only worn when on vacation.)
I accept that it is hard to not look like a tourist. There is no way to look like a local when standing in line to see the Mona Lisa or when at the top of the Eiffel Tower or in Times Square. I would die before riding the subway while looking at a guide book or a map. In fact, I try to not even speak while on the subway. The King and I have mastered the “is this our stop?” look. Words are not needed. Because as soon as the other subway riders hear you speak English, it’s a dead give away that you’re a tourist.
I want to fit in with the crowd.
Last year while in the subway at NYC, a local New Yorker stopped and asked me directions. Me! As in, she thought I was a local New Yorker. Me! The silly little girl who grew up in a farming community in Utah. A local!
Is it wrong of me to admit that I loved this so much?
At the start of a meal with our friends in Berlin I busted out my travel sized bottle of anti-bacterial sanitizer. I washed down Babboo and myself with it. We had had a long day of traipsing across the city using the subway and public toilets. We were covered in germs. Eww! Our friends looked at my little bottle and then they looked at each other. And then they laughed. I asked them what was so funny. They said that the sure fire way to recognize an American was the little bottle of anti-bacterial hand sanitizer in their side backpack pocket.
I quickly moved it under the table and continued to clean up in hiding. Dude, lesson learned.
(Also, why doesn’t the rest of the world love Purell like the Americans do? It is like a little gift from God.)
So now I knew to keep my anti-bacterial use to our hotel room and dark corners. I would not be using it on the subway or in a museum.
As you all know, we spent most of our time in Europe on the beach in Spain. Before our trip I contemplated what shoes would be the best for this leg of our trip. I hated to admit it but I just knew that a good pair of Crocs would be perfect for both beach and city travels. I also hated to admit that nothing would scream “AMERICAN TOURIST!” like a Croc-wearing-family. And so, I did not buy us Crocs. Instead I bought some little aqua socks from Target, even though I knew they would not be as fabulous as the Crocs. I just could not do it. I didn’t want to be one of those tourists.
I saw a few people sporting the Croc look in Germany. These people weren’t tourists or American ex-pats, so I wasn’t sure how to explain why they were wearing them.
And then the minute (the minute!!) we got near the beach in Spain it all changed. Every.single.person was wearing Crocs! And not a one of them was an American. They were all these hip Europeans in their cute summer dresses and their beach tans…and their Crocs. It was old men and young women. It was small babies and teenager. It was people wearing bathing suits and people wearing work uniforms or people wearing nothing at all except Crocs. I saw white Crocs and red Crocs and yellow Crocs. I saw Crocs with the little button thingys on them and some that looked like they had been worn everyday for the last three years.
(At a gas station in Formentera, Spain. Every single person there was wearing Crocs.)
And then there was us, the American Tourists, not wearing Crocs. We totally stuck out in the crowd. It was clear that we were tourists.
And I was mortified.
So tell me, do you have any travel fears? And if so, what are they? (Also, am I the only person that doesn’t own Crocs?)
Me · Vacations
madmom
said,
October 6, 2008 at 10:55 pm
i dont own crocs either. i hear they are comfy. not my style tho. and i fully agree that Purell is the best. i carry it with me at all times. also, im from NYC and spent my life on the subway and I bust out my purell even on the train. i wouldnt think someone was a tourist for using it on the train, just shkeeved by the nastiness like me! i started years ago with the anti-bacterial handwipes from bath & body works and i still use it when i need it. the subway is filthy and i go out of my way to avoid holding the rails inside. i have mastered free standing while starting and stopping. took me some time to do, but if i do need to hold the rails…..i always have my trusty anti-bac gel with me
Aimee
said,
October 6, 2008 at 11:32 pm
I must admit that I was a little late to jump on the Crocs bandwagon, but I certainly don’t regret it. Yes, I know they’re hideous, and probably should only be worn by small children, but NOTHING beats a pair of Crocs when you’re traveling… or out running errands. If I’m going “out”, they’re certainly not appropriate, but if I’m just kicking around or need a shoe for comfort - they’re my go-to’s, every time. I don’t have a single pair of shoes more lightweight, washable, or comfortable than my Crocs. And I say these things, in the name of… j/k.
Sadie
said,
October 6, 2008 at 11:42 pm
I’m not well-traveled enough to really have travel fears, I don’t guess. I can’t think of any right now, anyway.
I do own a pair of Crocs, after years of fighting the trend. But I got “cute” crocs. The ones that look like little ballet flats. Cause I have HUGE feet, and I think the regular Crocs just draw attention to their size.
Here’s the ones I have: http://shop.crocs.com/pc-825-4-malindi.aspx?reqid=825&reqProdTypeId=41p&subsectionname=footwear§ion=products
Kristin
said,
October 6, 2008 at 11:57 pm
I hate Crocs! Good thing you didn’t buy them! I know they are comfortable but they are hideous looking. Also, I was watching Good Morning America and they said not to use anti-bacterial, since it can harm the skin on your hands and actually makes you more sick because your body isn’t used to encountering any forms of bacteria.
I also don’t really have a travel fear. I love traveling and don’t mind sticking out like a sore thumb. I was on the subway in Paris with a map the entire trip! haha.
Hillary - The Queen I Am Not
said,
October 7, 2008 at 12:07 am
I don’t own a pair of crocs, either. My older daughter has a fake pair to wear in the water or on a boat ride. They are convenient shoes, though I don’t ever intend to buy a pair for myself.
Janssen
said,
October 7, 2008 at 12:33 am
I dont’ own any crocs. They’re too ugly.
And I have that EXACT same travel fear. When I was in London on Study Abroad, I tried like crazy to fit in. Read on the tube, keep your mouth shut and your white shoes at home. Maps are for hotel rooms.
Dave
said,
October 7, 2008 at 2:45 am
Tip from a crusty old traveller who is just as obsessed with blending in: Aside from keeping one’s mouth shut, the best way to blend in is this: when you reach your destination buy a jacket, a couple pairs of pants, and a shirt or two. Aside from an excuse to go shopping, you’ve gotten rid of the biggest sign that you are a tourist: American clothes.
Oh, and don’t gawk.
paige
said,
October 7, 2008 at 3:32 am
My pet peeve on vacation is people who buy a shirt from where they are and then wear it there. Horrid. I thought that was the worst until I was in Canada at the Stampede with friends this summer and saw the whole damn family in the most absurd getups I have ever seen. It was painful to me
As far as travel fears, I do not really have them anymore, although I used to be scared of public transportation, besides airplanes. Stupid for someone who has travelled as much as I have. I still will avoid a bus if at all possible, and that is EVERYWHERE/
I love me some Crocs, I wear them every day and do not care how ugly they are. This summer, while in Belize scuba diving, my husband wore these top-sider style crocs and by the end of the week, every old man on our dive boat had bought them. he has not heard the end of that yet
elizabeth
said,
October 7, 2008 at 5:29 am
I guess I’d be scared to miss my flight or get lost in a foreign city. I don’t travel much!
But I do own crocs. I wear them for slopping about outside because I can wash them up with soap and water when I’m done. Sometimes I’ll wear them in the house because they’re cushy and the hardwood makes my legs ache. The boys each have a pair too… I like this because I can wash them up when they get dirty and they’re nice for summer and throwing on over socks.
Amanda
said,
October 7, 2008 at 6:35 am
I don’t own crocs - mostly because the first time I ever saw a pair was when I was at uni and a middle-aged guy came in wearing a brown suit and bright orange crocs and it looked so weird I was turned off for life!
I think it’s funny you thought crocs were so American - over here so many people wear them - even in the nursery many of the toddlers came in wearing them. And as for the ati-bacterial spray - well I never went anywhere without mine when I worked with the kids. I even have a bottle in my bag for when we go on picnics. It’s not so usual for us to use it normally but many people with kids do have a bottle (believe me I saw many in nappy bags at the nursery) and my mum even had some when we were little.
As for travel fears - um - losing my passport and being stuck in passport control looking like a criminial terrifies me (most likely due to having been to Russia and how important it was to have your passport at all times whilst there!)
Viviane
said,
October 7, 2008 at 9:12 am
I don’t own crocs either, though I did buy some plastic Sketchers that look kind of like crocs but are ballerina shaped. I also prefer not looking like a tourist, and I think sometimes it works (I remember being asked for directions in SF on my second day there, the best thing is I was actually able to tell them how to get there).
As for Purell - I think we Europeans are simply not as obsessed with bacteria/germs, a little dirt doesn’t hurt, and all that. I do have Purell (bought in the States), but usually leave it at home, and when I don’t I don’t use it anyway, so I have like 3 bottles (those small travel-sized ones) that I bought years ago, and haven’t even opened yet.
And subway systems are nothing to be scared of. I love them, it means I can essentially never get lost, because I am bound to run into a subway stop at some point when I do get lost and then I can just hop on a subway to go where I need to go. But maybe that’s just me, I grew up in a city with a subway system after all.
K
said,
October 7, 2008 at 11:56 am
I’ve managed to avoid the Croc bandwagon thus far.
I have never really thought about fitting in while I travel. I have never been to Europe though. I did get asked directions in NYC once but it didn’t occur to me that I was being asked because I looked local.
Mrs. Higrens
said,
October 7, 2008 at 1:08 pm
I haven’t found a pair of crocs yet (though I admittedly haven’t really looked) that don’t make my size 5 feet look enormous. I am intrigued by their supposed comfort though.
Fraulein N
said,
October 7, 2008 at 1:19 pm
I don’t own Crocs. I’ve been holding out because they’re so hideous, but I’ve noticed they do make ones that don’t look like plastic Dutch shoes. So maybe I will have to give in and get a pair.
Chris Cactus
said,
October 7, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Funny you should mention that because I have a personal belief that you can always tell tourists by their shoes. Seriously. I work in DC. I have lots of empirical evidence.
Liz
said,
October 7, 2008 at 1:46 pm
I don’t own crocs b/c I think they’re hideous, unless I see them on kids. For some reason, on kids, they’re cute. However, I did see that Crocs came out with different styles - and sandals too! And they don’t look quite as hideous as the clogs. They’re actually kind of stylish.
May
said,
October 7, 2008 at 4:27 pm
When I was 11 we were on a plane to Hawaii. I was afraid I was going to get air sick (it’d happened before). So I kept eating mint gum. Piece after piece. But it kept loosing its flavor, so I’d take it out, wrap it in the gum wrapper, stick the chewed gum in my pocked (!!!!!), and eat another piece. So when I got up, my pretty white pants had a HUGE GREEN GUM WAD seeping through the pocket. And I was stuck to the plane’s seat cushion. Yeah, I was a genius… But I didn’t throw up!
And I have an obnoxious pair of orange crocs, given to me 4 years ago, and I have nothing but obnoxious love for them. Ridiculous footwear always has a place in my heart.
Kim
said,
October 7, 2008 at 4:51 pm
I have a pair of fake Crocs I use to take out the trash or garden.
If I’m alone, my biggest travel fear is losing my purse with my ID and credit cards. If I’ve got Maddy, I worry about losing her.
SouthernBelle
said,
October 7, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Crocs are revolting. I don’t even understand how rubber shoes could possibly be comfy. I imagine them automatically giving you tinea as well.
Uggs on the other hand… I used to be snobby about them as they’re pretty much white-trash footwear in their (and my) native land, Australia. Then, when we moved here, I bought a pair of slippers. I never wear them further than the back yard, but they are ridiculously comfy. It’s like your feet are being hugged. By lambs.
Christar
said,
October 7, 2008 at 7:39 pm
The #1 biggest travel fear I have is getting stuck in a psycho little town that looks like they’d be all about “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” stuff. Shaun and I always pass at least two of these towns whenever we’ve gone on a roadtrip and I’m scared to death of getting stuck in one. I’m not scared of little towns… There have been many cute little towns I’ve seen and even stayed in while on vacation. I’m talking about those creepy ones that give you the chills just driving by. Yeah… I don’t ever EVER want to stop or get stuck in one of those.
Ok, don’t think I’m weird for this…. but I think Crocs are absolutely hideous. I’ve never understood the fascination with Crocs because I think they are so ugly. I was mystified when they became so popular. Along with those ugly Ugg boots. I don’t understand that trend either. Two items of footwear you will never catch me dead in are Crocs and Uggs. I’m more of a Converse girl, myself.
Rhi
said,
October 7, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Dead serious: I’m afraid to run out of underwear. Which is why I always pack 3 extra pair. AT LEAST.
heidikins
said,
October 8, 2008 at 2:25 am
I bought a pair of mary-jane crocs for water-land activities…and that is the only time I wear them. Which means, they have been worn twice in public–once to Zion Nat’l Park and once to go canoing (really? canoing?)–and the only other time I wear them is to wash the car. I’m fine with that. I am not fine with my nieces and nephews having tan lines from crocs…seriously, I think kids feet will be ruined without real shoes to run around in.
Nic
said,
October 8, 2008 at 2:53 am
I think you should feel totally fine about not wearing crocs. TOTALLY FINE>
Stacey
said,
October 8, 2008 at 4:14 am
Hooray! We’re kindred spirits! I have the exact same fear, and finally someone understands!! I live in a town that attracts a fair number of tourists each year, and they drive me insane - wandering all over the place not paying attention to oncoming traffic or the fact that they’re parking in the wrong lot. And the white shoes are horrid, I have to agree. My pseudo-tourist town may be part of the reason I never ever want to blow my own cover as a vacationer, but I also have always wanted to appear like I know what I’m doing at all times. Total control freak. It’s bad, but I just can’t help myself. And rock on! Being mistaken for a New Yorker would be the highlight of my week (or month)!
chris
said,
October 8, 2008 at 10:57 am
I own crocs, but have a hard time wearing them because I think they look silly with socks and they make my feet sweat if I wear them barefoot. Maybe I am the only person with this problem, but something about the rubber on my skin is not good for me! I do slide them on when I need to run out to the mailbox or drive my son to school and don’t want to take the time to put real shoes on, but wearing them around all day just doesn’t do it for me!
My son loves his crocs, but I can’t stand it when he wears them all the time. I can already see his posture and his knee alignment changing from wearing shoes without any support in them! So I have taken to making it a reward. I guess it is better than rewarding him with video games, candy, money or toys. “If you go to bed with no problems/clean up your room/ get your homework done without complaining/ practice piano/ put the dishes away/ stop fighting with your brother… you can wear your crocs.”
I never had travel fears until I had kids. Now I am afraid of them being disruptive or having a bad day (you know the kind you have when your 2 year old didn’t get enough sleep because they were in a strange bed). When that happens then I feel like we are wasting money because we are not experiencing our destination fully. Before I had kids I pretty much didn’t believe in Cruises or All-Inclusive resorts. I preferred to stay places where I felt I was immersed in the community and culture. We still haven’t been on a cruise, but with little kids an all-inclusive is a beautiful thing! If we have a bad day we just relax at the resort… there is plenty to do. On good days we can go out and explore. Without the option I don’t think my 2 and 5 year old would have left the U.S. Mainland!
Sugar & Ice
said,
October 8, 2008 at 1:33 pm
No, you are not the only person out there without a pair of Crocs. I find them to be as ugly as homemade sin and wouldn’t be caught dead in them. Crocs belong on nurses; they are the only ones for whom I find them suitable.
It’s funny to me that you’re so adamant about not being noticed as a tourist. I’ve never thought a thing about it myself.
Kerri Anne
said,
October 8, 2008 at 5:53 pm
I don’t own Crocs!
(Irrational) Travel Fear 1 and mostly only: Missing my flight, because of some ridiculous something that would never happen. Airports make me SO NERVOUS, and it’s such an irrational fear. I’m only scared of missing my flight. Once I realize I’m not going to, then I’m totally fine.
Marci
said,
October 8, 2008 at 6:32 pm
I remember you freaked out when we brought an umbrella to Seattle. Now I know you just wanted us to look like the ‘locals!’
motherofbun
said,
October 8, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Hey, me too! (Don’t own crocs and I hate to stick out as a tourist too!)
Oh don’t think I emailed you about this but I nominated you for a ROLF award for the nudist vacation post. Here’s the code:
Congrats!
SJ
said,
October 9, 2008 at 7:54 pm
I’ve never had a fear of looking like a tourist, but I can see your point!
And I have to say, I own several pairs of Crocs, and I’m not talking about the standard clog type croc. I think they have some really cute styles now to choose from. And too, I live in Colorado where they were born, so I have to own a pair or four. RIGHT?
Heather in Washington State, USA
said,
October 10, 2008 at 12:05 am
I don’t own those plastic Crocs either. I prefer good ol’ leather and cork Birkenstocks.
My travel fear? That I’m in a crowded city at the beginning of a long day, can’t find a bathroom and I’m on the rag, and dripping down my leg needing a toilet urgently! Have actually lived that nightmare while backpacking through Europe 11 years ago.
Carrie
said,
October 10, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Since I am over the age of 5, I will not be wearing any Crocs. That is all.
As far as travel fears go? I think I conquered all of them solo flying this past week! I thought the plane into Palm Springs was going to crash it was so bumpy and amazingly . . . it did not! I also dined alone twice, something I’d NEVER done before and now I am wondering what my deal was? It was divine. Simply divine.
hollowSquirrel
said,
October 10, 2008 at 6:22 pm
DUDE! How were you to know? I would never have thought Spaniards would don crocs. I’m not a crocs fan.