Tourist Day Costume Ideas for Kids

The Hawaiian shirt is the centerpiece. The louder and more clashing the print, the more "tourist" it looks. Floral prints, flamingos, parrots, palm trees — the more it looks like it was bought at an airport gift shop, the better. Size up for the baggy, I-don't-care-about-fashion tourist aesthetic. The fanny pack goes around the waist (not cross-body — waist-worn is the tourist way). Neon or patterned fanny packs are the most touristy. Your kid can actually use it to carry school supplies, which makes it functional and funny. A camera around the neck is the prop that ties everything together. An old real camera that doesn't work anymore is perfect. A toy camera from a dollar store works too. In a pinch, draw a camera on cardboard, cut it out, and hang it on a string around the neck. The camera is what takes the outfit from "Hawaiian shirt day" to "tourist day." Oversized sunglasses — the bigger and more ridiculous the better. Novelty sunglasses shaped like stars, flamingos, or pineapples are peak tourist. Regular large sunglasses from a dollar store also work. A bucket hat or sun visor completes the head. Bonus points if it says the name of a vacation destination on it. A baseball cap from any tourist destination ("I ❤ NY", "Cancun", any national park) also nails the theme. Socks with sandals is the classic tourist footwear joke. White socks pulled up with slide sandals or flip flops. Check your school's shoe policy — if they require closed-toe shoes, white socks with sneakers and shorts still gives tourist energy. For maximum tourist: Hawaiian shirt, fanny pack, camera, oversized sunglasses, bucket hat, socks with sandals, a folded map sticking out of a pocket, sunscreen on the nose (white zinc oxide), and a guidebook or phrase book. Your kid will look like they just got off a tour bus in Times Square.

Tourist Day is one of the easiest themes to DIY because it's built from things most families already own. Raid the closet for the brightest, loudest, most mismatched shirt you can find — floral, Hawaiian, tropical, or just aggressively colorful. It doesn't need to be a "real" Hawaiian shirt; any over-the-top print works because tourists have terrible taste (that's the joke). Make a camera from a small cardboard box: draw a lens circle on the front, add a flash rectangle on top, and hang it from a string or ribbon around the neck. It takes five minutes and gets the point across immediately. A fanny pack substitute: a small zippered pouch or pencil case on a belt or ribbon around the waist. Or make one from a large envelope sealed and attached to a belt loop with a binder clip. For a map prop, print any map from the internet and fold it haphazardly so it sticks out of a pocket. Or draw a fake treasure-map-style tourist guide with labeled attractions. Zinc sunscreen on the nose is a classic tourist detail — a thick white stripe across the nose bridge. Actual zinc oxide sunscreen works, or use white face paint. It's a tiny detail that everyone recognizes.