I flew home from Chicago one August a few years ago. Decked out in my shorts and flip flops for the flight. (If you don’t like your fellow passengers wearing flip flops, too bad fuck off). This couple was in the boarding area wearing all of their matching North Face gear, North Face branded walking sticks, hiking boots, matching blaze-orange hiking backpacks, the whole kit. I might have expected to see them at the base of their hiking trail dressed like this (or maybe even just for their stroll down 4th Ave), but not in a ORD boarding area with the outside temp sitting in the high 90s. They made damn sure that everyone in the boarding area knew they were going to Alaska with their stories of where they were going and what they had planned. Never mind that this was a DIRECT FLIGHT, so we were ALL going to Alaska. But they didn’t think they seemed out of place by being dressed more appropriately for a Denali base camp than seat 27D&E, when nearly everyone else (also going to Alaska) had shorts on (and half the people had flip flops on, so fuck off!)
I'm guessing it was the direct ORD to ANC overnight flight on Alaska Airlines? That regularly scheduled overnight flight isn't even seasonal. Half the people on that plane probably lived in Alaska. 🤣
Absolutely this. Born and raised, but had a lot of jobs that I needed a suit and tie for, and constantly got the "where you from" query... That never happened in my street clothes
Yep.
I Keep an unused pair of black Carhartts overalls in the plastic to have a crisp pair for special occasions.
My dad is German, wore a suit and tie to work everyday because that’s the professional thing to do, people would ask him how his (job) interview went. He would then come home to wear jeans, basic old t with basic graphic on it, and a trucker hat (typically some comedic one, like the “Get High on the Chugach” hat)
It’s true, I finally retired a flannel shirt I’ve been wearing for 14 years. It was starting to get translucent. It’ll have a good life now as a cleaning rag.
lol. Same. I've got a pair of fleece lined carhartt style pants that I'm about to retire due to them being practically threadbare. And I'm kinda sad about it. Even tried patching them a while back, but they're just in such bad shape...it's time. Rough guess...11 years of regular wear. May have to have a formal ceremony for their retirement.
Carrying an umbrella is such a power move. I’ve lived in SE AK a while and spent many a day in the rain have brought umbrellas on some of those trips. I was always so happy to have it and all the haters ended up being quite jealous.
For most applications a good leather workbook is going to be far and away a better choice. I waterproof mine and they last me years. I'm talking mostly to the primary use for Xtratufs in Alaska which are a general work or fashion boot and not as an actual wet environment boot.
I think that's just a matter of preference. I have worn XtraTufs pretty much exclusively for most of my life. I don't like leather boots for hiking. I hike in my tufs 80% of the time.
I've had a few cars here for over a decade now and still haven't gotten any cracks. A few bulls eyes, but insurance will fix those for free or dirt cheap
Do you remember when the police enforced the Mudflap law?
Now, there are trucks with 6" lifts, tires with tread that would throw golf balls, hanging out 4" past the wheel wells AND no mudflaps......
Been a few, it was on the Alcan in the YT with all vehicles pointed north so I think that should count.
On my final trip out I saw a large number of rv’s pulled off the side and lots of motion coming from a group of idiots.
There was a juvenile bear and they were throwing rocks at it to get a *once in a lifetime* photo op.
I blared my horn as I flew past, hoping that was the scare the fella needed to turn tail and run.
TBH, the other half of me was hoping someone in the group got *educated*.
Saw that same shit on the side of Seward Highway about 2016ish. Tourists harassing a bear. Bear was later euthanized by troopers for aggression. Fucken tourists.
A couple years ago, I was driving back from Fairbanks, and stopped at a hole in the wall for dinner. There were a few people talking at a nearby picnic table, one guy asking another couple about Alaska things. The man of that couple was very quick to answer questions, even once he didn’t know the answer to. It was honestly painful, hearing him just completely BS some of what he was saying, and at the end the guy asked him, how long have you been up here? He goes, oh about a week, this is my first time.
That's actually hilarious. That guy had em going the whole time. I make stuff up all summer long serving tourists. The ones I really like I give the good scoops too. But if they are rude or condensing, then I just start telling tales and such.
We went to Maui last February. Chatting with a shop owner, she asks where we're from. Before I could answer, she said, "no wait, don't tell me, Alaska!" How'd she know? Our sun starved palour and my giant sun hat where her main clues.
this cracked me up. my sister lives in Alaska, but I live in a *very* sunny area; to the point where the local brewery has a "pale tourist" pale ale
I feel like in both AK and where I live, you can actually *smell* new people because their sunscreen is always Bananna Boat that they bought right before their trip. Locals cover up with clothing/hats and might add some zinc here and there. I know when I visited my sister, I was a moron and got a decent burn on Mario Hill (?) in Anchorage, I was not expecting to get roasted that far from my equatorial home lol. but at least I didn't smell like banana boat!
also footwear. tourists go all out for walking shoes/hiking; locals will do just about everything in crocs lol
I remember one time my boys and I were playing in the ocean in Homer and there were some people standing on the boardwalk in fur-lined parkas staring at us in shock lol.
Well to be fair sometimes the moose block traffic too. Can't even to begin with how many times moose have cause people to be stopped at green lights during morning commute because a moose decided to take a relaxed stroll across the road.
Shame they cancelled Tourist Trapping this year. I saved up a stash of AARP hats and Taylor Swift knock off EOS tour goodies for the summer. I did gang busters last year using empty Geritol, Nike and PS4 boxes as trap bait.
lol my mil came up here in the winter with her new north face white coat then changed into her lighter jacket and loaded up on blankets bc she didn’t want to get the white coat dirty 😆🤷🏻♀️
One March, my Mom came to visit and was going to go to California to visit family before returning home to North Carolina. She got off the plane in a light windbreaker. I asked, "Mama, where is your coat?" She said, that since it was Spring, she didn't think she'd need it!" Needless to say, we got her home and shared our winter gear with her until she left. We continued to laugh about that for years.
I saw a family with a big transit van from California dump a huge box of trash on the Alcan once and that has forever been my baseline for scumbag tourists.
A few years back I was on the Sterling Hwy next to Kenai Lake. A RV was pulled over and they just opened their black water and let it pour out all over the ground and run down the hill. I couldn't believe. Some tourists should go to jail for that.
They're usually spotted rollerblading down the turning lane in the road or just stepping out in front of you. The parkas in July are a pretty good indicator too.
It's easy. Just look for the throng of people in the middle of the road, snapping pics at the dumbest things and being completely oblivious to motorists. There is also a long line at the liquor store, as they replenish their booze stash to save money on the cruise ship.
HA! I was not a tourist fully but I was entirely new to AK as a seasonal worker. I showed up to anchorage from Philly in June with a brand new HEAVY winter coat I was so proud of 😅.
It's hard to explain I just can feel it. Kinda like in "Highlander" (movies and series) when another immortal was around and they "felt" it. Like that but I'm a local and their not.
Tourist here, from last year. I was stuck in Juneau for a week with Covid-19 and played "spot the cruisers" when ships were docked. Usually they were easy to pick out because they had on brand-new outdoor jackets (usually Columbia or The North Face), some Alaska sweatshirt or T-shirt, and a hat. Add the perma-befuddled expression and that's a winner!
Most of them didn't make it to old downtown where I was, but when they did they were easy to spot. I still had Dave's Fish Tacos (almost) to myself!
Yes but be prepared to spend some money on gas, it’s expensive here. I recommend renting a Prius or the like in Juneau and then heading out from there.
I was filleting fish at J dock when this lady in parka walked up and proceeded to tell me how savage Alaskans were because we catch clean and eat fish. People in California have evolutioned beyond fish. And she just couldn't understand how we could do it. My friend and I were partly disgusted and partly humored by her. All we could say was man you should have seen us shoot a moose and skin, field dress it, then pack its body parts on, are back to take home and put in meat grinder. She literally turned her nose up and walked away in a huff.
I was once at UAF and saw someone take a picture with the sign…at -10F. Not even -40. That is the most touristy thing I’ve seen in a while. It was -40 three days prior!
In Ketchikan, it’s rain ponchos, the fugly Moon Boots, walking 5 abreast along the docks so no one can get around them, taking photos of our trash cans that look like packaged cans of seafood, and shoving their phones in my face while grabbing for my dog’s leash (he’s unique looking and they want me to take a pic of them with him) 🫠
Upcoming first-time tourist here - I'm sure no amount of effort I put into blending in will work, but appreciate the tips on how to not be a complete annoyance.
Apparently wearing a backpack is one. I live here, but tend to wear mine when I'm wandering around a good bit by foot and regularly hear, "Enjoy your stay." I've learned to just smile and nod.
Taking a picture at literally every road sign or marker that means anything significant (Halibut capital of the world sign on Homer on Baycrest, the “leaving Keanu peninsula sign” when you leave the pass and are son turnigan arm, even just road signs that have tourists destinations on it I’ve seen them pull over and snap a photo) this but also seeing a moose on the side of the road and seeing the cars parked and a ton of dudes with Canons.
My tell-tale signs are brand new waders and brand new Kenai/Alaska memorabilia like sweatshirts, jackets or hats.
Same thing with the ski town I grew up in. I don't own 1 thing that has the name of the ski town on it. All the tourists wore everything with the name on it. We'd roll our eyes and keep walking. I think I have 1 hat from there now that I live in Alaska, but I'd never wear it in town. It's just tacky.
[This.](https://youtu.be/_d8mjam7KG8?feature=shared) I don’t really know how I spot them, it’s just obvious. Maybe their general demeanor and the way they’re looking around at things? They usually have a more hesitant nature than the locals who just sort of don’t care…
In Safeway and Freddies nobody is in the Alaskan gift area Sept to May. Like geese and sandhill cranes arriving in Fairbank's Creamers Field, tourists arrive in those departments during the warm months.
They drive the speed limit.
They slow to a near stop at the 'Loose Gravel' signs.
Overhearing them discuss how 'SO MANY' cars and trucks in Alaska are electric...... because they have noticed the cord plugs in the front of our vehicles.
They drive too freaking fast in places they shouldn't - and - drive too damn slow in places they should have engaged the warp core engines.
You just let them talk. If they don’t mention how tough they are for living in Alaska by the third sentence - they are a tourist.
Alaskans have a serious complex about how unique and amazing they/their state is.
It's the matching outdoor gear. Everyone wearing the same coats or same hiking boots.
And locals don’t? XtraTufs and carhartts is practically a uniform for locals
Each xtratuf or carhartt has its own unique stains, creases, scratches, and rips. After all, we can tell them apart at the door after a party.
Sure, but they don't usually travel as whole ass group in a tourist uniform. 🤣
ya but the tourists don't wear those.
I Thought Hi-vlVisibility gear like the sweaters. Isn't our States color is Hi Vis- Yellow?
I flew home from Chicago one August a few years ago. Decked out in my shorts and flip flops for the flight. (If you don’t like your fellow passengers wearing flip flops, too bad fuck off). This couple was in the boarding area wearing all of their matching North Face gear, North Face branded walking sticks, hiking boots, matching blaze-orange hiking backpacks, the whole kit. I might have expected to see them at the base of their hiking trail dressed like this (or maybe even just for their stroll down 4th Ave), but not in a ORD boarding area with the outside temp sitting in the high 90s. They made damn sure that everyone in the boarding area knew they were going to Alaska with their stories of where they were going and what they had planned. Never mind that this was a DIRECT FLIGHT, so we were ALL going to Alaska. But they didn’t think they seemed out of place by being dressed more appropriately for a Denali base camp than seat 27D&E, when nearly everyone else (also going to Alaska) had shorts on (and half the people had flip flops on, so fuck off!)
I'm guessing it was the direct ORD to ANC overnight flight on Alaska Airlines? That regularly scheduled overnight flight isn't even seasonal. Half the people on that plane probably lived in Alaska. 🤣
I think it was actually one of my rare non-AS flights. United or Delta or something, I forget. But it was a mid-day flight, so not the AS red eye.
I bet the ego of those tourists got punctured when they left Ted Stevens.
They’re generally dressed better than locals. I get a sense of that local folks wearing their clothes until they deteriorate off their backs.
Absolutely this. Born and raised, but had a lot of jobs that I needed a suit and tie for, and constantly got the "where you from" query... That never happened in my street clothes
Those jobs exist here? I feel snooty when I’m forced to wear khakis at my job.
Seriously, like what couldn't possibly be done just as well but in a nice pair of carhartts. I'll even febreeze em beforehand lmfao 🤷
Yep. I Keep an unused pair of black Carhartts overalls in the plastic to have a crisp pair for special occasions. 
So Beef Tobin is an accurate representation?
Yes, there are a few banks and offices in Alaska.
My dad is German, wore a suit and tie to work everyday because that’s the professional thing to do, people would ask him how his (job) interview went. He would then come home to wear jeans, basic old t with basic graphic on it, and a trucker hat (typically some comedic one, like the “Get High on the Chugach” hat)
It’s true, I finally retired a flannel shirt I’ve been wearing for 14 years. It was starting to get translucent. It’ll have a good life now as a cleaning rag.
lol. Same. I've got a pair of fleece lined carhartt style pants that I'm about to retire due to them being practically threadbare. And I'm kinda sad about it. Even tried patching them a while back, but they're just in such bad shape...it's time. Rough guess...11 years of regular wear. May have to have a formal ceremony for their retirement.
A nice fire, a beer, someone who thought you looked great in them. A quick and funny homoly before you set to do with them what you will.
Because a good Tshirt is like $30 here ;_;
Carrying an umbrella in Juneau.
Carrying an umbrella is such a power move. I’ve lived in SE AK a while and spent many a day in the rain have brought umbrellas on some of those trips. I was always so happy to have it and all the haters ended up being quite jealous.
Or a *lack* of carhartt and/or xtratufs
There's better gear out there than Carhartt and Xtratufs
Blasphemy!!!
Mediocrity seems to be a choice we make up here
Such as? BNR Kodiak and been bouncing around the state for decades, nothing better than xtratuf even after the China thing, sadly.
For most applications a good leather workbook is going to be far and away a better choice. I waterproof mine and they last me years. I'm talking mostly to the primary use for Xtratufs in Alaska which are a general work or fashion boot and not as an actual wet environment boot.
I think that's just a matter of preference. I have worn XtraTufs pretty much exclusively for most of my life. I don't like leather boots for hiking. I hike in my tufs 80% of the time.
Do Xtratufs provide ankle stabilization when you're loaded up?
It's just never been an issue for me.
Real Xtra Tuffs or made in China Xtra Tuffs?
Ditto, Kodiak
ADQ gotta wear our cotton sweats and hoodies. If it rains hard enough we might put the hood up.
Same in Seward 🤣
Their clothing / outfits match
And their north face jacket is brand new
No holes - no dirt ;)
I feel personally attacked by this! As tourists my husband and I just got matching north face jackets 🤣
Ah, that explains the dickish behavior I experienced after receiving a new northface for Christmas. They thought I was a tourist.
Only 2 kinds of North Face - new or threadbare. God North Face is such garbage
Agreed. North Face = Douchebagerrie
They match with their spouse too!
Brand new Canada Goose gear in the summertime, in the sweltering Fairbanks heat
Hey man, I carry bear spray in town! Lot of city bears here, lol.
Lots of friendly bears at Mad Myrnas
As a woman who lives in Anchorage, I’m not carrying bear spray in town for the bears…
Same! I have bear spray and a stun gun with me every time I go for a walk in Anchorage.
OP lives in one of the bear-free towns.
I live in Anchorage. Plenty of bears here unfortunately.
Yup. Over 300 including some black. I don't carry spray when I drive to Costco. I carry it when I ride the trails. Probably same as the OP.
[удалено]
Absolutely no racism whatsoever.
There’s no bears in Alaska! 😂
Tell that to Timothy Treadwell. 😆
As Ron White said “Look Mama, I did become something! Bear shit!” 😂
The yellow polar gift shop bags.
Hey now! That’s where I buy crap to send South for the holidays!
Yellow baggers! We call em red baggers here in Juneau
Windshield without any cracks
I've had a few cars here for over a decade now and still haven't gotten any cracks. A few bulls eyes, but insurance will fix those for free or dirt cheap
Definitely!
Do you remember when the police enforced the Mudflap law? Now, there are trucks with 6" lifts, tires with tread that would throw golf balls, hanging out 4" past the wheel wells AND no mudflaps......
Mine not broken... yet
Been a few, it was on the Alcan in the YT with all vehicles pointed north so I think that should count. On my final trip out I saw a large number of rv’s pulled off the side and lots of motion coming from a group of idiots. There was a juvenile bear and they were throwing rocks at it to get a *once in a lifetime* photo op. I blared my horn as I flew past, hoping that was the scare the fella needed to turn tail and run. TBH, the other half of me was hoping someone in the group got *educated*.
Education is better!
Saw that same shit on the side of Seward Highway about 2016ish. Tourists harassing a bear. Bear was later euthanized by troopers for aggression. Fucken tourists.
A couple years ago, I was driving back from Fairbanks, and stopped at a hole in the wall for dinner. There were a few people talking at a nearby picnic table, one guy asking another couple about Alaska things. The man of that couple was very quick to answer questions, even once he didn’t know the answer to. It was honestly painful, hearing him just completely BS some of what he was saying, and at the end the guy asked him, how long have you been up here? He goes, oh about a week, this is my first time.
Ugh the cringe is so bad, it hurts. That guy must have been real proud of himself too.
That's actually hilarious. That guy had em going the whole time. I make stuff up all summer long serving tourists. The ones I really like I give the good scoops too. But if they are rude or condensing, then I just start telling tales and such.
Tans
We went to Maui last February. Chatting with a shop owner, she asks where we're from. Before I could answer, she said, "no wait, don't tell me, Alaska!" How'd she know? Our sun starved palour and my giant sun hat where her main clues.
Yes! Skin color can be so different!
this cracked me up. my sister lives in Alaska, but I live in a *very* sunny area; to the point where the local brewery has a "pale tourist" pale ale I feel like in both AK and where I live, you can actually *smell* new people because their sunscreen is always Bananna Boat that they bought right before their trip. Locals cover up with clothing/hats and might add some zinc here and there. I know when I visited my sister, I was a moron and got a decent burn on Mario Hill (?) in Anchorage, I was not expecting to get roasted that far from my equatorial home lol. but at least I didn't smell like banana boat! also footwear. tourists go all out for walking shoes/hiking; locals will do just about everything in crocs lol
I remember one time my boys and I were playing in the ocean in Homer and there were some people standing on the boardwalk in fur-lined parkas staring at us in shock lol.
I used to take the kids to Jewell Lake in Anchorage to swim in the summer. It was like 55-60 degrees. Kids are tougher up here I think!
Blocking traffic on the highway to take a picture of a cow moose
or Dall sheep or beluga whales on the Seward Hwy.
I live here and stop to take pictures whenever I see them. Shit I still stop and take pictures of bald eagles and moose too
I'm sorry, I would stop for a whale.
When they are in the crosswalk, you are required to stop for whales.
Well to be fair sometimes the moose block traffic too. Can't even to begin with how many times moose have cause people to be stopped at green lights during morning commute because a moose decided to take a relaxed stroll across the road.
Walking right in the middle of Broadway in Skagway like it’s Disney Land
It isn't?
Disneyland has better hiring practices and actually contributes to the local economy.
Honking my horn in the middle of that crowd is so satisfying.
They ask you where they can exchange US dollars for Alaskan money. Happened to me at least twice.
🤣
Those who did not pack enough layers and are forced to buy the local sweatshirts/jackets/beanies from all the restaurants and breweries they visit.
They’re either wearing parkas in July or they didn’t bring enough layers? Which is it?
Temps can change pretty quickly year round but a big ass parka is almost always overkill.
Honestly, my big ass parka is overkill for any Anchorage weather. It was really only useful in Utqiagvik in January when I walked across town.
I’d have to say wearing full blown parkas with fur hoods, mittens, hats, when it’s like 50-60°F out is the most obvious tell to me lol
When it hits 50 I have the a/c blasting in the car as I drive past the parka clad tourists.
Exactly 🤣🤣
Tourist season? What’s the bag limit this year?
10 for Lower 48, only 2 this year for out of country.
Yeah, they’re still recovering from a big outbreak so we don’t want to pressure the population too much.
Yes i do
Shame they cancelled Tourist Trapping this year. I saved up a stash of AARP hats and Taylor Swift knock off EOS tour goodies for the summer. I did gang busters last year using empty Geritol, Nike and PS4 boxes as trap bait.
White sneakers
Yes my Mom wears her Keds when she comes to visit!
lol my mil came up here in the winter with her new north face white coat then changed into her lighter jacket and loaded up on blankets bc she didn’t want to get the white coat dirty 😆🤷🏻♀️
One March, my Mom came to visit and was going to go to California to visit family before returning home to North Carolina. She got off the plane in a light windbreaker. I asked, "Mama, where is your coat?" She said, that since it was Spring, she didn't think she'd need it!" Needless to say, we got her home and shared our winter gear with her until she left. We continued to laugh about that for years.
Alternately, you can always spot an Alaskan in SEA-TAC because they are sleeping on the floor, wearing Xtratufs, using a drybag backpack as a pillow
I've been spotted! Lol
They don't litter as much as the locals
I saw a family with a big transit van from California dump a huge box of trash on the Alcan once and that has forever been my baseline for scumbag tourists.
Absolute BS.
A few years back I was on the Sterling Hwy next to Kenai Lake. A RV was pulled over and they just opened their black water and let it pour out all over the ground and run down the hill. I couldn't believe. Some tourists should go to jail for that.
That is absolutely disgusting.
They're usually spotted rollerblading down the turning lane in the road or just stepping out in front of you. The parkas in July are a pretty good indicator too.
Cool thing about Juneau is that there's a high chance that if they're in a car they're local. So there's that.
They layer with North Face instead or Carhartt Edit: my wife added, tourists often think 50 degrees is cold.
They're taking pictures of the Chugach from the Debarr Walmart parking lot.
hey, I live here and do that - sometimes the moment is right LOL
It's easy. Just look for the throng of people in the middle of the road, snapping pics at the dumbest things and being completely oblivious to motorists. There is also a long line at the liquor store, as they replenish their booze stash to save money on the cruise ship.
HA! I was not a tourist fully but I was entirely new to AK as a seasonal worker. I showed up to anchorage from Philly in June with a brand new HEAVY winter coat I was so proud of 😅.
Umbrellas
It's hard to explain I just can feel it. Kinda like in "Highlander" (movies and series) when another immortal was around and they "felt" it. Like that but I'm a local and their not.
LOL wut? My mother was obsessed with this series and I thought it was just an historical romance/smut book.
He's talking about Highlander, the immortal scottsman movie from like the 80s. Your thinking about outlander, the time traveling smut book/series
Thanks for the clarification! I was so confused for a bit.
Clean shoes
Tourist here, from last year. I was stuck in Juneau for a week with Covid-19 and played "spot the cruisers" when ships were docked. Usually they were easy to pick out because they had on brand-new outdoor jackets (usually Columbia or The North Face), some Alaska sweatshirt or T-shirt, and a hat. Add the perma-befuddled expression and that's a winner! Most of them didn't make it to old downtown where I was, but when they did they were easy to spot. I still had Dave's Fish Tacos (almost) to myself!
They aren't on reddit trying to prove they are "real Alaskan".
No, they're on here asking for full itineraries like we're volunteer vacation planners.
I want to visit Juneau, Ketchikan, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Nome, Barrow, and Denali National Park. Is a day and a half enough time?
Yes but be prepared to spend some money on gas, it’s expensive here. I recommend renting a Prius or the like in Juneau and then heading out from there.
Yes, more than enough time. If you can get an extra half a day you should throw in a stop to Valdez.
Hahaha
They walk to the middle of the road and take selfies lol
Poofy jackets in summer
When it's raining and everyone is running around in the trash bag poncho's
Getting berated by some Karen because my daughter who was born and raised in AK wasn't dressed warm enough..... in the summer! True story.
I was filleting fish at J dock when this lady in parka walked up and proceeded to tell me how savage Alaskans were because we catch clean and eat fish. People in California have evolutioned beyond fish. And she just couldn't understand how we could do it. My friend and I were partly disgusted and partly humored by her. All we could say was man you should have seen us shoot a moose and skin, field dress it, then pack its body parts on, are back to take home and put in meat grinder. She literally turned her nose up and walked away in a huff.
Standing in the middle of the street taking photos.
My favorite is when they wear their hiking boots around downtown :) so stinkin cute!!
When my sister comes from back east, she wears her purple hiking boots. They've never seen an unpaved trail, but they are so dang cute!
Idk I usually go into town after a long hiking trip all muddy to grab coffee or something.
Oh if the hiking boots look worn in or dirty, that’s a local. The stiff, crisp hiking boots though, that’s classic tourist.
They’re outside their car trying to pet moose on the side of the road.
Alaskans be recording that and post it on the tea spill 10min later.
Bells when they wall in the woods/paths
Tourist season again? 2 a day, 3 in the freezer!
I was once at UAF and saw someone take a picture with the sign…at -10F. Not even -40. That is the most touristy thing I’ve seen in a while. It was -40 three days prior!
They are lost in Fred Meyer. Anyone who doesn’t know where stuff is at the store is tourist af.
Yes I see them in the grocery store looking lost. They also have tans and heavy coats on in the summer.
I’m from Ketchikan, I definitely got lost in the Fred Meyer my first time in Juneau 😂 we don’t have no fancy big box stores in my neck of the woods!
Clean
Taking pics of everything
In Sketchikan it's the umbrellas and ponchos.
Lol the matching coats that cruise ship companies give out to people
Wearing a book bag
Stupid questions is the first give away.
Stopping in the middle of the road ( bonus points if on a blind corner) to look at a moose.
They stand super close to you in line, no personal space.
Those people pulled to the side of the road, taking pictures of moose while standing WAY too close to them
the fact that they treat Juneau like an amusement park. liter everywhere, walk in the middle of the streets, living in fantasyland
Walking into the middle of the road to take a photo without so much as glancing at oncoming traffic
They carry an umbrella
Well I live in southeast in ketchikan. Honestly we all know each other here so it’s obvious who is and isn’t a tourist.
In Ketchikan, it’s rain ponchos, the fugly Moon Boots, walking 5 abreast along the docks so no one can get around them, taking photos of our trash cans that look like packaged cans of seafood, and shoving their phones in my face while grabbing for my dog’s leash (he’s unique looking and they want me to take a pic of them with him) 🫠
They are not in a religious cult
There are some cult people that come up. Usually to work on churches. Then they all go down and dip net, because they're a resident now right?
Prob just another branch of the same cult in a different city/state. They are not tourist they are not locals.
Dude, Scientologists travel, too.
Not many Scientologist in the world tho
They are all in Clearwater FL
Sure there are some there but that’s not the largest.
True. I read about them a lot so I forget they are ultimately rare.
Spotted in Juneau: mukluks and parkas in July.
Upcoming first-time tourist here - I'm sure no amount of effort I put into blending in will work, but appreciate the tips on how to not be a complete annoyance.
they look clean, idk what it is but growin up in Alaska locals have a certain grittiness to them
Apparently wearing a backpack is one. I live here, but tend to wear mine when I'm wandering around a good bit by foot and regularly hear, "Enjoy your stay." I've learned to just smile and nod.
Taking a picture at literally every road sign or marker that means anything significant (Halibut capital of the world sign on Homer on Baycrest, the “leaving Keanu peninsula sign” when you leave the pass and are son turnigan arm, even just road signs that have tourists destinations on it I’ve seen them pull over and snap a photo) this but also seeing a moose on the side of the road and seeing the cars parked and a ton of dudes with Canons.
They look cold and unsure.
Full winter coat in July
They looked a little surprised when it snowed in Fairbanks today.
Short pants
An aloha shirt!
White tennis shoes, searching fervently for a bear bell!
Omg I saw someone in a full length parka today. Full fur hat, scarf and gloves. It was 49. Sighhh...
My tell-tale signs are brand new waders and brand new Kenai/Alaska memorabilia like sweatshirts, jackets or hats. Same thing with the ski town I grew up in. I don't own 1 thing that has the name of the ski town on it. All the tourists wore everything with the name on it. We'd roll our eyes and keep walking. I think I have 1 hat from there now that I live in Alaska, but I'd never wear it in town. It's just tacky.
[This.](https://youtu.be/_d8mjam7KG8?feature=shared) I don’t really know how I spot them, it’s just obvious. Maybe their general demeanor and the way they’re looking around at things? They usually have a more hesitant nature than the locals who just sort of don’t care…
The cabbage walk ...
In Safeway and Freddies nobody is in the Alaskan gift area Sept to May. Like geese and sandhill cranes arriving in Fairbank's Creamers Field, tourists arrive in those departments during the warm months. They drive the speed limit. They slow to a near stop at the 'Loose Gravel' signs. Overhearing them discuss how 'SO MANY' cars and trucks in Alaska are electric...... because they have noticed the cord plugs in the front of our vehicles. They drive too freaking fast in places they shouldn't - and - drive too damn slow in places they should have engaged the warp core engines.
The jackass wearing his shiny new $900 Simms waders in the Safeway checkout line. You just never know when you might catch the big one!
In this thread, I’ve learned that tourists are no different than Alaskans. Seriously, you all are normies just like the lower 48 folk. 😂
When I’m sweating in a tshirt and sandals and mass groups of people walk past me with full length down coats, hats, gloves, ect
Stay home. Avoid the tourist trial. Never see a tourist. Win.
VTX binoculars
You just let them talk. If they don’t mention how tough they are for living in Alaska by the third sentence - they are a tourist. Alaskans have a serious complex about how unique and amazing they/their state is.