Difference between a Tourist and a Traveler

by

by

Have you ever thought who a tourist is and who a traveler is? Seriously, I have never thought about it till I went on a solo trip to Mumbai. I started traveling around 6 years ago. Neither I had any knowledge nor had I thought about the difference between the two. We all use these two words interchangeably, but believe me guys there are a hell lot of differences between the two.

As per dictionary meaning:

Tourist– A person who travels for pleasure, sightseer, visitor, holidaymaker etc.

Traveler– A person who travels

What makes the difference? Is it pleasure? But this pleasure has very wide connotation.

In Mumbai, I was criticized by my mate for the use of word ‘traveler’. This got me thinking “Who am I?”

My definition for the words would be:

Traveler:

Traveler is a person who travels. He has no time limits, no fixed iternary and no plans. There is no must see or must do in his list. He just flows. The way he looks at the place might be very strange for others. Some travelers are fascinated by city life, some by country side, some are interested in food and some are fond of meeting new people. If he is going to some place, he will be clueless as to what he will be doing tomorrow. Travelers can change their route in the blink of an eye. Their flexibility is enviable.

Traveler has no second thought for experiencing new things. His dictionary will not have the word “risk”. He has no rules and no status. He will never eat at a costly restaurant or spend a night in a fancy hotel rather he will eat on streets and night out at some hostels (Dorm). He will be at one place till the place get into his nerves. He will always use local transport to move from one place to another. He will try to avoid the crowded tourist places.

Traveler will never plan his travel. He will never wait for holidays to travel rather he will wait for prices to be slashed off flight tickets. He will always travel light. For him money is the most important factor. He never wait for others to travel with him. If he wants to travel then he will. He will never go for shopping. He is the one who knows the actual meaning of the word: Requirement and Needs. He will never take time to decide where to go.

People might think that their life is very happening as they are travelling around. They are misinterpreted being irresponsible or being lack of commitments. But that’s not true. They are so much committed towards traveling beyond a common man’s imagination. It is all because he is passionate about that. 

Now take a look at who are tourist:

Tourist are the noisy people on the earth. He is nothing but a slave to his schedule. He has predetermined rules of travel for himself. He will always be in a hurry. If you ask him ‘did you go to this place’- he will say Yes and the very next question – ‘did you see this or do this’- the answer will be ‘we didn’t have much time.’ Locals can easily make out who are tourist. That is why these tourist always land up facing trouble.

He will book everything in advance like accommodation, places to see, restaurants to go etc. If you will ask him to change his plan then immediately he will panic and will give thousands of reasons to say “NO”. He is the one who will never get out of his comfort zone while traveling. He has a fantasy to live in a 4/5 star hotel and dine in some fancy restaurants. He is very reluctant to talk to locals as he is always filled with suspicion.

His main motto of travel is pleasure but will end up not enjoying the pleasure as he is running behind time and material things. He’ll carry a memento from every place and not memories. The place will not interest him unless it is famous.

Conclusion

On deep introspection, the truth is I am not an adventurous traveler but I will say I am in a transition phase. I am a traveler with certain attributes of a tourist. I also visit famous places but don’t wish for luxurious travel. Connecting to local people and eating the food of the soil amazes me. I do plan not my holidays but my travel. I maintain a Travel diary and not a credit card statement. I am always eager to know what they do in a particular city and what exactly the city is all about. I blog about the places I have been to as it might be helpful for fellow travelers. Of course, a traveler might refer but a tourist will require. It’s a long endless journey in this transition. There is no horizon. This is living the life of a nomad and not a visitor. Life is to be lived without ratings as there is no one to appraise the performance. I believe the dawn is very close where I am free of all that makes me a tourist though I live in the world of a traveler. I imagine myself to be a person free of time limits, unlimited source for the money that I could earn for my travel and experience the life of a nomad. Let us all see where I go but not land.

by

by