{"id":4289,"date":"2012-09-10T08:00:16","date_gmt":"2012-09-10T08:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.studyabroad101.com\/?p=4289"},"modified":"2022-06-13T09:23:41","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T13:23:41","slug":"going-undercover-while-studying-abroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.studyabroad101.com\/blog\/2012\/09\/going-undercover-while-studying-abroad\/","title":{"rendered":"Going Undercover While Studying Abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brought to you by Abroad101’s fashion aficionado, Will Cox<\/a>.<\/p>\n

They see you. You can\u2019t hide. They know who you are.\u00a0 You are a sophomore in high school traveling Europe with your family and everyone around you knows\u2026 you are a TOURIST.\u00a0 First there is your mother, power walking along in her Goretex pants, swishing more than Michael Jordan in the finals.\u00a0 Then there is your little brother, who insisted on arriving upon European soil stomping in Air Force Ones.\u00a0 Finally there is your father, strapped with his ultra-practical fanny pack synched just loose enough not to separate his legs from his torso.\u00a0 For you, the travel-lover in training who just wanted to pass for a local, it was pure torture.<\/p>\n

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Fanny packs are retro, but not rad.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fear not however. \u00a0Today, five years later, you are returning to Europe alone; a college Junior studying abroad. \u00a0Equipped with the following fashion tips, you can get a head start on your transformation, allowing an entire semester to look the part and play out your fantasy of life as a true European.<\/p>\n

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1. Cut the Clothing Fat.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Baggy does not translate in any of the 23 official European languages.\u00a0 European style is slim, fitted, and tailored to the body you have\u00a0now<\/em>, not the middle-aged saggage you may have 30 years from now.<\/p>\n

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2. The Color Wheel Is Not Your Friend.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Use the Henry Ford rule: \u201cYou can have any color as long as it\u2019s black.\u201d\u00a0 You can get away with greys, brown and even a blue if you\u2019re feeling squirly. \u00a0But leave the greens, reds and yellows for the plants.\u00a0 Europeans are reserved and let their personalities make the statement, not the colors of their clothes.<\/p>\n

*Italy and Spain have a two-color quota.\u00a0 Feel free to brighten up a bit if you\u2019re there\u2026 but don\u2019t go overboard.<\/em><\/p>\n

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3. From the Bottom Up.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The deadest of the dead giveaways for an American tourist is choice in footwear.\u00a0 Ditch the running shoes, the Chucks, the work-boots, and pick up a new pair of loafers, flats, dress shoes, or oxfords.\u00a0 There is nothing worse than getting turned away at a dance club because you decided to wear the same kicks as an NBA referee.<\/p>\n

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4. Belts Are Meant For Pants, Not For Wallets.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Arguably the sexiest thing you will see during your semester in Europe is a wayward traveler exposing his hairy belly to access the infamous money belt\u2026 oh wait.\u00a0 The flesh<\/em>-colored money belt, partner in crime to the fanny-pack, will undoubtedly be recommended by your worrisome parents.\u00a0 A better solution to monitoring your belongings: common sense and awareness of your surroundings.<\/p>\n

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5. Take It To the Next Level.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

When you\u2019re wearing sweats [and you should never<\/em> be wearing sweats], Europeans are wearing jeans. \u00a0When you\u2019re wearing jeans, Europeans are wearing suits. And when you\u2019re wearing suits, Europeans are wearing gowns and tuxes.\u00a0 If you feel overdressed for an occasion while abroad, you are doing something right.<\/p>\n

Equipped with these tips you are now ready to forget your family’s fashion faux pas. \u00a0With Gortex and fanny packs now threatening only to appear via webcam during a parental Skype session, you are poised to be an undercover American. \u00a0Successfully dress the part of a citizen of Europe, and your semester abroad will be anything but dodgy<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Want to read insider reviews from fellow study abroad students? Click\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0to find your perfect study abroad program!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brought to you by Abroad101’s fashion aficionado, Will Cox. They see you. You can\u2019t hide. They know who you are.\u00a0 You are a sophomore in high school traveling Europe with your family and everyone around you knows\u2026 you are a TOURIST.\u00a0 First there is your mother, power walking along in her Goretex pants, swishing more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_ppma_block_editor_authors":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[109,208,252,325],"ppma_author":[681],"class_list":["post-4289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-europe","tag-packing","tag-spain-2","tag-the-united-kingdom","author-sarahhanley"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t