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How to travel in France without looking like a tourist
How to travel in France without looking like a tourist
The French are often believed to be stereotypically snooty, especially around outsiders who don’t understand or respect their closely held cultural traditions. If you are looking forward to trip to France, you should be prepared to experience the possibility of negative attention for being a tourist. However, you can mitigate much of the locals’ lofty attitudes by adopting the refined French style. France is a beautiful country — and the people can be beautiful, too, if you earn their praise by not standing out.
Wear the Right Fashions
Even if you are the clothing trendsetter back home, continental Europe has a vastly different sense of style than America, which means locals will probably immediately notice you as “not from around here.” Unless you expect to participate in highly athletic activities (including sporting or beach events), you can certainly leave these articles of clothing at home:
- Athletic shoes
- Flip flops
- Sweat pants
- Shorts of all kinds
- Baseball caps
Of course, it is still important that you choose comfortable clothes while you are on vacation, but if you are looking to blend in with natives, you absolutely cannot rely on your normal sense of style. Instead, your travel wardrobe should err on the upscale side; shirts and pants should fit well — both baggy and tight clothing is unfashionable — and follow simple, stylish cuts. Additionally, you should stay away from bright, bold colors and patterns. The French palette is usually composed of muted hues like blacks and browns with a single splash of color in a scarf or necklace.
Know When and How to Eat
Another popular French stereotype is that of the svelte French woman who eats multi-course meals every day. Indeed, looking around in French cities, you’ll likely notice the people appear slimmer and healthier than their American counterparts, yet eating food is one of the most important French cultural events. French people — and Europeans in general — tend to maintain trimmer figures than Americans despite apparently voracious appetites because they tend to enjoy food differently than we are used to.
First, healthy, natural ingredients are much more valued in France than they are in the U.S. Fresh, local produce is available in every city and on nearly every street, which makes cooking healthfully much easier.
Secondly, the French may eat more courses, but for the most part, their meals are much smaller than the typical American’s. For example, while an American may cook a regular breakfast of eggs, pancakes, bacon, hash, and toast, a French person is fully satisfied with a single croissant or piece of fruit. Thus, if you want to blend in during your vacation, you should try to keep your plate less full than you’re used to.
Finally, snacking is not a common habit in France. From a young age, French children learn that there are three meals a day, and that’s it. While breakfast may be small, lunch is typically large and long, which allows the French to remain sated until their very late dinner. Likely, your days will be so filled with activity and sight-seeing that you’ll naturally start craving a nibble, but to look truly French, you should definitely stop yourself from bringing snacks on your travels.
Feel free to Smoke and Drink
It is obvious that wine is a major part of the French lifestyle; French people pop corks of red and white every day for dinner and often for lunch, as well. The excellent wine country is likely already one of the major reasons that you are visiting France, so I scarcely need to warn you that drinking wine with food is mandatory for looking like a native in France.
However, you might not know how common cigarettes still are throughout Europe in general and France in particular. Nearly 16 million French people identify as smokers, and you’ll see many of these around the big cities you plan on visiting. You should feel free to light up anywhere outdoors while you are in France — but you should be aware that Europe’s strident attempts to curb the dangerous habit are driving up cigarette prices around the continent. You would be wise to bring along a few disposable e-cigarettes, which last longer than traditional cigarettes, taste better, and are potentially better for your health.
Don’t Speak
Unless you speak impeccable French with a flawless accent, the French will be able to peg you as foreign as soon as you open your mouth. Still, it is ridiculous to assume that you can spend an entire vacation in utter silence. Instead, when you do need to converse, you should be aware of your speaking habits. Most Americans speak louder and more confrontationally than Europeans, so you should pay attention to the volume and tone of your voice at all times.
With a bit of planning and practice and avoiding the initial stress of getting from the airport to your hotel with the correct airport transfer, you should look and sound like a French local in no time. Yet, if you find it too much work to keep up appearances, you should do your best to have a fantastically fun vacation in France.
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Top 5 Outdoor Adventure Activities in Qatar
Find out why Sand boarding, Diving and Safaris through the desert are included in the Top 5 Outdoor Adventure Activities in Qatar.
Qatar is a country of reinvention. Shimmering towerblocks rise against a desert horizon, and maze-like souks thrive next to 21st-century shopping palaces. It’s also one of the more accessible countries of the Arab Gulf, with a welcoming reputation towards visitors and plenty of attractions to keep them coming. Some of the best holiday activities you’ll find in Qatar are the adventurous kind. And these are the top 5 outdoor adventure activities in Qatar.
Sunset in Qatar – Photo by wj2012
Top 5 Outdoor Adventure Activities in Qatar
Diving expeditions
The Gulf Sea is famed for its crystal waters and the exuberant marine life which lurks just beneath the surface. Messaid is a good jumping-off point where you’ll find angelfish and barracuda, while those intrigued by underwater wrecks will love the Hall Island dive site at Al-Sharqi, where bright clownfish circle the abandoned boat.
Sand Adventures
Many of the sports here have been adapted from colder climates, so instead of skiing down a mountain piste, try Khor Al Adaid beach to glide down the impressive dunes on a sand-board. Alternatively, race your blo-kart along the sands of Al Wakrah, south of capital Doha, to experience the thrill of wind-sailing on dry land.
Sand Boarding – Top 5 Outdoor Adventure Activities in Qatar – Photo by ground zero
Al Jassasiya
The ancient carvings of Al Jassasiya lie to the north near Al Shamal, amid a truly remote landscape of village ruins and limestone. Hire a 4×4 of your own and make the journey to see the 900 petroglyphs which riddle the rocks here. The carvings denote flowers, animals, fleets of shows, or traditional Arab boats, and to this day, their origins remain a mystery.
Sunset Cruise
When the time comes for a more relaxed excursion, you can do no better than a sunset cruise onboard a wooden dhow as you drift past the super-modern Doha seafront of Al-Corniche and the old harbor at Al Khor. If you’re still hankering after some adventure, rent a smaller vessel and go for a fishing trip the following day.
Desert Safaris
Much of the inland desert in Qatar remains inaccessible on foot, but fortunately, that’s where a 4×4 comes in very handy for a safari trip you won’t easily forget. There are numerous options available from Doha, including day-long excursions, bumping, and rolling to the inland sea at Khor Al Adaid. Or make the trip at dusk for a spot of star-gazing before you settle in Bedouin-style tents for the night.
Desert Safari – Top 5 Outdoor Adventure Activities in Qatar – Photo by robertpaulyoung
Most activities can be arranged via a tour company. Although cash has been the predominant payment method in Qatar, this is beginning to change, which is good news for tourists since HSBC offers protection against loss or theft. If you’re planning on taking part in several activities, it can be handy to have some plastic on you to avoid expensive traveler’s cheques, plus credit cards from HSBC and other familiar providers also enable easy access to money at the ATMs. However, it’s wise to exercise caution, using only official bank machines here and sticking with local currency at the market and in smaller shops.
There’s no doubt that Qatar offers some world-class cultural attractions beyond the more energetic highlights, and while you’re in the country, set aside some time for the historic Al Zubarah fort or browse the recreated 19th-century Souk-Waqif, in Doha.
This country has been undervalued in the past but is now coming to the world’s attention. With its desert adventures, ancient sites, and thriving culture, this attention is thoroughly deserved.
This is a travel feature by world traveler, Jose Capelo. He loves exploring the top 5 outdoor adventure activities in Qatar and has spent many trips exploring the wild deserts of Qatar.
Barcelona has a lot to offer to the quintessential all-boys travel group for a stag weekend in Barcelona. This sunny Spanish city is known for its gorgeous Mediterranean beaches complemented by turquoise waters. In addition to this, this city offers the ideal environment for an all-male party hotspot, considering its vibrant nightlife, football culture, flamenco dance clubs, tattoo parlors, and its delicious sangrias and tapas.
Barcelona is a widespread consideration for a quick all-boys getaway during the summer. With a variety of heart-thumping activities that can make your trip a memorable one, make sure you take out time to pursue the following –
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LTW Tattoo:
If you are looking for a real adventure that will stick with you all your life, there is no better way to commemorate this epic trip than heading to Barcelona’s best tattoo parlor.
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Barna Paintball:
Take on your best buddies in a battle of agility by visiting the Barna Paintball. With four thematic areas to choose from, your experience here can be genuinely adventurous.
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Bar Crawl Barcelona:
Considered one of the most famous pub crawls globally and the biggest in Europe, the original Bar Crawl Barcelona is a great way to explore the city in its nocturnal state. You and your buddies can visit four bars and then finish at one of the best clubs in Barcelona. Complete with some of the craziest drinking games, this memorable experience costs all but 15 Euros.
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FC’s Camp Nou:
If you are a group of football fans visiting the city, you cannot leave without making a trip to Camp Nou, the city’s football ground. With a ticket for the stadium tour, you will have access to the changing rooms, benches, press rooms, and stands. If you are fortunate enough to have a match coinciding with your travel dates, make sure you book your tickets for the game well in advance.
- Circuit de Catalunya Racing Track:
If you and your crew are into racing, consider heading to the Circuit de Catalunya, host to various Formula 1 and Moto GP races. Here, you can get a detailed tour of the briefing room, pits, and podium. -
Comedy Nights:
Comedy nights are often an option that everybody loves. Especially as a group of single boys, you may love to attend an event organized by the Giggling Guiri program that consists of English-speaking shows.
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Al Fresco Drinking on Las Ramblas:
The heart of tourist activity in Barcelona, Las Ramblas, offers unique casual outdoor ambiances for groups of boys to spend hours finishing pitchers of sangria or chugging down buckets of beer bottles. Vibrant as ever, this street located off the Gothic Quarters is a great place to unwind after a long day of sightseeing.
As a group of boys, you can also research options for day trips to beaches outside of Barcelona that offers relaxing and laid-back environments for your holiday. Many options are available in Barcelona for hiring a car to explore this scenic and exciting city with your friends, such as Thrifty Car Rentals. So when you are in Barcelona with your amigos, nothing stops you from having a great time!
We have been wearing out our jandals (Kiwi for flip-flops) on our travel adventures around the world since 2009. We think our blog is thought provoking and a little witty. But we have been proven wrong before. Find out more about us here...
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