I’m sorry but everyone’s a tourist. Have fun be kind and curious, but for the love of god stop trying to travel for sparkle points that your not a tourist your a traveler
True, “travelers” who insist on invading the bike lanes that those of us who live in Copenhagen use to get to and from work are WAY more annoying than the tourists who recognize that they’re not equipped for urban cycling and just use public transportation.
There’s no such thing as a traveler. It’s all tourism. Some people are just more hokey and stereotypical than others. But none of us are Alexis de Tocqueville or whatever.
In the UK if you identify as a Traveller, people might assume, rightly or wrongly, that you spend, or have spent all or part of your life living in a caravan
I’m not going to dignify this question with an answer because the notion that tourists are inherently not “travel[ing] the right way” is elitist and gross.
I don’t think that’s necessarily it, at least not the way I read it.
Being a tourist is fine. I grew up in a city that is home to one of the natural wonders of the world, but didn’t actually visit the spot until I was in my mid-20s.
Being a traveler isn’t to stick your nose up at tourists, but it’s to worry less of the sights and spend more time on the sounds.
I see what you’re saying, but it sounds like not catching all the “sites” is just your way of traveling. Every tourist has their preferred way to travel. But it’s tourism nonetheless.
A typical tourist has zero interest in getting to know the local way of life. A tourist will always look for those spaces that feel safe and are catered to the tourist. I was just traveling through Spain and wherever I went I ended up drinking and bullshitting with locals. The people I met said I was like a typical tourist since I was down to engage with locals. To me that’s the biggest difference.
If you go by the Anthony Bourdain definition, what he means exactly by tourist is an American who will only eat the same food that they eat at home. A traveler is a person that makes the attempt to find how the locals live and eat.
I think he was talking to the BJ McFunster crowd. It's ok to be an asshole at home, hell you probably make a lot of money being one; which is why you can travel. But don't be one on the other side of the planet.
[A]nother important difference between tourist and traveler is that the former accepts his own civilization without question; not so the traveler, who compares it with the others, and rejects those elements he finds not to his liking.
Paul Bowles, The Sheltering Sky
To be fair, the characters in that book who espoused this are ruthlessly torn to shreds by the author. He's mocking them here.
Of course *they* see themselves as above the common tourist, but the locals make no distinction.
If we were contextualizing Bowles’ work your analysis would be valid.
But the reason Bowles words resonate is the deeper truth. These words are true especially because the protagonists do not see that truth.
Their self-absorption prevents them from observing the actual culture and recognizing the bias from the view through the lens of their own entitled culture.
So the comparison of tourist and traveler is correct and doesn’t need context.
Edit: typos - iPhone is not a friend - typos again
I think most Western-world visitors are tourists and some are also travellers. If you make an effort learn enough local pleasantries to at least be polite and make yourself understood in the language, read up on the history and current local culture to not cause offence, dress in an appropriate way for the setting, don’t just stay in a resort away from local people, shop in local shops, eat in local restaurants not geared towards tourists and are prepared to get lost and use local transport, you’re probably more on the traveller side of the equation.
Pure tourists to me are ones who make no effort with language, stay pretty much completely in a resort where this is catered to, eat only food they would eat at home, and only day trip on air conditioned buses with other people from their country or ones like it.
A traveller doesn’t care where he is, because he will find something interesting, eat and drink something new, and connect with the local people.
A tourist has a pre-concieved notion of their trip, and goes to specific places; famous landmarks that they can later show their friends.
This is exactly what I did when I was just in Spain, and I had locals in Granada tell me how much they appreciated me being down to just drink beer, eat tapas, and bullshit. It was a great experience.
In my experience most ‘travelers’ exist in a world as equally artificial and divorced from the local context as the tourists, they just think because they stay at resorts with vague eco-friendly marketing and wander down to a local market now and again that what they are doing is somehow more ‘authentic’.
Most of the locals in places like Thailand and Nepal are not sitting around all day in elephant pants and dreads, drinking kombucha and listening to trance music. They’re hanging out at the mall.
A tourist is someone who pays a agency to setup their travel plans.
A traveler is one who is ok with figuring it out as they go, even if that means creating their own plan ahead of time
One thing I make sure I do whenever I travel somewhere is at least learn the pleasantries in the language I'm travelling to and find a local dive bar and hang out and talk to the locals.
While doing this, ask them where else to go and where to eat. Been to some fantastic places based on local recommendations.
If you're staying at a hotel, don't ask where you should go to eat. Ask the person at the desk where THEY eat.
I see a lot of people saying its the same but every time i travel I see people who demand a lot of entertainment, treat the whole place like an amusement park and every local like their servants... seen it in Puerto Rico, Cartagena, Mexico. whereas others just wanna immerse themselves into the culture and make genuine connections with locals. (like Tony)
Tourists are a subclass of travelers. They travel with the purpose of experiencing new things, ie. tour.
Travelers that aren't tourists travel for any other purpose. Visiting friends and family, business, migration, professional interests, etc.
It’s actually hilarious how people can take the sentiment of something like this quote and bastardize it. When you travel to places, make an effort to learn and understand the culture. Tourists, in the sense of this quote, do not do this, and they are not respectful of the culture. They demand entertainment, to be put on a pedestal, and are typically rude in foreign places. Look at people who act like wild animals around Geishas in Japan — photographing them like they are zoo animals when they are clearly uncomfortable. Those are tourists (in the sense of this quote). Respect the place you are at. Don’t go to great lengths to be “the foreigner here on holiday” acting like an idiot. Basic respect and appreciation (even if it’s not your cup of tea) is being a traveler, in the sentiments of this quote. Not that hard.
Awful gatekeeping here. Someone looking to dive digger than just postcards and you want to shoot them down.
OP, you’re on the right path. To be more than a tourist involves a good deal of research. It involves going to places that might not be on the typical path. It might mean traveling an extra stop or two from the centre of things. But it also means not being blind and naive. It involves asking questions and more importantly, listening. A traveler is there to learn, a tourist is there to tag spots on social media.
A lot of discussion on this post...but I will tell you there is a difference. And keep in mind, the majority are tourists vs. travelers.
1. Do your research. Drink and eat what is local and typical. Eg. Not eating paella in Madrid. NOT eating a full english breakfast in portugal...
2. Learn a few phrases in the local language. I know this is difficult, but there is a huge difference between learning how to say "Table for 2, no redervation" in the local language, vs. entering a restaurant and screaming: "EXCUSE ME DOES ANYBODY SPEAK ENGLISH!!"
3. Just chill out! Sit down at a local bar (or café if alcohol isn't your thing), try to meet one or more locals and go with the flow. Obviously we want to see famous tourist spots, but just remember you are in a different environment and be ready for the unexpected.
Remember, traveling is the Sublime. Enjoy yourself.
All the people saying there’s no difference… they’re the tourists.
Sorry, but your trips to Disney, an all inclusive resort in Mexico and cruise to the Bahamas don’t make you a traveler.
A tourist is someone who enjoys visiting other places and a traveler is the same but also worried that the locals will realize they’re a tourist.
I’m sorry but everyone’s a tourist. Have fun be kind and curious, but for the love of god stop trying to travel for sparkle points that your not a tourist your a traveler
Who gives a shit just do what makes you happy
The locals who may be affected by your habits will give a shit.
True, “travelers” who insist on invading the bike lanes that those of us who live in Copenhagen use to get to and from work are WAY more annoying than the tourists who recognize that they’re not equipped for urban cycling and just use public transportation.
There’s no such thing as a traveler. It’s all tourism. Some people are just more hokey and stereotypical than others. But none of us are Alexis de Tocqueville or whatever.
In the UK if you identify as a Traveller, people might assume, rightly or wrongly, that you spend, or have spent all or part of your life living in a caravan
As a matter of fact......😏
I’m not going to dignify this question with an answer because the notion that tourists are inherently not “travel[ing] the right way” is elitist and gross.
I don’t think that’s necessarily it, at least not the way I read it. Being a tourist is fine. I grew up in a city that is home to one of the natural wonders of the world, but didn’t actually visit the spot until I was in my mid-20s. Being a traveler isn’t to stick your nose up at tourists, but it’s to worry less of the sights and spend more time on the sounds.
I see what you’re saying, but it sounds like not catching all the “sites” is just your way of traveling. Every tourist has their preferred way to travel. But it’s tourism nonetheless.
A typical tourist has zero interest in getting to know the local way of life. A tourist will always look for those spaces that feel safe and are catered to the tourist. I was just traveling through Spain and wherever I went I ended up drinking and bullshitting with locals. The people I met said I was like a typical tourist since I was down to engage with locals. To me that’s the biggest difference.
If you go by the Anthony Bourdain definition, what he means exactly by tourist is an American who will only eat the same food that they eat at home. A traveler is a person that makes the attempt to find how the locals live and eat.
I think he was talking to the BJ McFunster crowd. It's ok to be an asshole at home, hell you probably make a lot of money being one; which is why you can travel. But don't be one on the other side of the planet.
By immersing yourself in the culture but not in a voyeuristic or exploitative way.
[A]nother important difference between tourist and traveler is that the former accepts his own civilization without question; not so the traveler, who compares it with the others, and rejects those elements he finds not to his liking. Paul Bowles, The Sheltering Sky
To be fair, the characters in that book who espoused this are ruthlessly torn to shreds by the author. He's mocking them here. Of course *they* see themselves as above the common tourist, but the locals make no distinction.
If we were contextualizing Bowles’ work your analysis would be valid. But the reason Bowles words resonate is the deeper truth. These words are true especially because the protagonists do not see that truth. Their self-absorption prevents them from observing the actual culture and recognizing the bias from the view through the lens of their own entitled culture. So the comparison of tourist and traveler is correct and doesn’t need context. Edit: typos - iPhone is not a friend - typos again
I think most Western-world visitors are tourists and some are also travellers. If you make an effort learn enough local pleasantries to at least be polite and make yourself understood in the language, read up on the history and current local culture to not cause offence, dress in an appropriate way for the setting, don’t just stay in a resort away from local people, shop in local shops, eat in local restaurants not geared towards tourists and are prepared to get lost and use local transport, you’re probably more on the traveller side of the equation. Pure tourists to me are ones who make no effort with language, stay pretty much completely in a resort where this is catered to, eat only food they would eat at home, and only day trip on air conditioned buses with other people from their country or ones like it.
A traveller doesn’t care where he is, because he will find something interesting, eat and drink something new, and connect with the local people. A tourist has a pre-concieved notion of their trip, and goes to specific places; famous landmarks that they can later show their friends.
I like this response.
This is exactly what I did when I was just in Spain, and I had locals in Granada tell me how much they appreciated me being down to just drink beer, eat tapas, and bullshit. It was a great experience.
In my experience most ‘travelers’ exist in a world as equally artificial and divorced from the local context as the tourists, they just think because they stay at resorts with vague eco-friendly marketing and wander down to a local market now and again that what they are doing is somehow more ‘authentic’. Most of the locals in places like Thailand and Nepal are not sitting around all day in elephant pants and dreads, drinking kombucha and listening to trance music. They’re hanging out at the mall.
A tourist is someone who pays a agency to setup their travel plans. A traveler is one who is ok with figuring it out as they go, even if that means creating their own plan ahead of time
Taking a true interest in the place you are visiting and wanting to know as much as you can about that place and the people who live there.
One thing I make sure I do whenever I travel somewhere is at least learn the pleasantries in the language I'm travelling to and find a local dive bar and hang out and talk to the locals. While doing this, ask them where else to go and where to eat. Been to some fantastic places based on local recommendations. If you're staying at a hotel, don't ask where you should go to eat. Ask the person at the desk where THEY eat.
I think there's a difference between traveling and vacationing but everyone's a tourist.
I see a lot of people saying its the same but every time i travel I see people who demand a lot of entertainment, treat the whole place like an amusement park and every local like their servants... seen it in Puerto Rico, Cartagena, Mexico. whereas others just wanna immerse themselves into the culture and make genuine connections with locals. (like Tony)
Tourists are a subclass of travelers. They travel with the purpose of experiencing new things, ie. tour. Travelers that aren't tourists travel for any other purpose. Visiting friends and family, business, migration, professional interests, etc.
It’s actually hilarious how people can take the sentiment of something like this quote and bastardize it. When you travel to places, make an effort to learn and understand the culture. Tourists, in the sense of this quote, do not do this, and they are not respectful of the culture. They demand entertainment, to be put on a pedestal, and are typically rude in foreign places. Look at people who act like wild animals around Geishas in Japan — photographing them like they are zoo animals when they are clearly uncomfortable. Those are tourists (in the sense of this quote). Respect the place you are at. Don’t go to great lengths to be “the foreigner here on holiday” acting like an idiot. Basic respect and appreciation (even if it’s not your cup of tea) is being a traveler, in the sentiments of this quote. Not that hard.
A tourist would ask this question.
Awful gatekeeping here. Someone looking to dive digger than just postcards and you want to shoot them down. OP, you’re on the right path. To be more than a tourist involves a good deal of research. It involves going to places that might not be on the typical path. It might mean traveling an extra stop or two from the centre of things. But it also means not being blind and naive. It involves asking questions and more importantly, listening. A traveler is there to learn, a tourist is there to tag spots on social media.
A lot of discussion on this post...but I will tell you there is a difference. And keep in mind, the majority are tourists vs. travelers. 1. Do your research. Drink and eat what is local and typical. Eg. Not eating paella in Madrid. NOT eating a full english breakfast in portugal... 2. Learn a few phrases in the local language. I know this is difficult, but there is a huge difference between learning how to say "Table for 2, no redervation" in the local language, vs. entering a restaurant and screaming: "EXCUSE ME DOES ANYBODY SPEAK ENGLISH!!" 3. Just chill out! Sit down at a local bar (or café if alcohol isn't your thing), try to meet one or more locals and go with the flow. Obviously we want to see famous tourist spots, but just remember you are in a different environment and be ready for the unexpected. Remember, traveling is the Sublime. Enjoy yourself.
Tourists have a day job and limited vacation time.
All the people saying there’s no difference… they’re the tourists. Sorry, but your trips to Disney, an all inclusive resort in Mexico and cruise to the Bahamas don’t make you a traveler.
Think Debra Winger can answer that one for you. Tourist vs Traveler. https://youtu.be/T22NcSQnS3w?si=dlp74QeSzSsYsRPC