Traveller or Tourist?

[Tink33]

There's an old saying that goes: the difference between travel and tourism is that travellers go places to learn new things and tourists travel to confirm what they already know.


I was watching a show on the Travel Channel called 5 Takes: Pacific Rim. The premise of the show is that 5 young travellers have $50 per day to experience a destination. They talk to locals and people who post on their website for advice on great spots to visit. I think of them as travellers.

I think of tourists as people who visit the main attractions of a destination and buy souvenirs.

So what is your travel style? Traveller or Tourist?

My earlier vacations were 80% tourist and 20% traveller. My future vacation plans call for at least a 50/50 split.

 

[Rajah]

I think we try to do a bit of a split. We like to visit the tourist stops, but we also prefer to stay in B&Bs and ask the locals for good places to go. We prefer to visit the smaller towns vs the big cities. And we buy souvenirs, but our preference is to buy things that are very representative of the place we're visiting. Not just a bell or spoon or magnet everywhere and such.

So what does that make us? Traveller or tourist or both? LOL!

 

[diznygirl]

Adventurer!!

Kungaloosh!

 

[MouseWorshipin]

Unless I go to visit family or on business, I'm a tourist.

 

[DVC Sadie]

I guess it depends on what I am wearing. If I have a fanny pack whle carrying a camera doing a Disneyworld vacation then I guess I'm a happy tourist.

When traveling to other destinations I have suddenly been transformed into a world class traveler. It depends if my dh sees me as "chic or geek" I am a happy WDW geek!

 

[Sthronds]

I am definitely split. I love to blend in and experience where I am but I am also happy on a bus tour with a guide and a camera around my neck. Oh, and you can't pull me away from a good gift shop!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I'd have to say I'm mostly a traveller. A good friend of mine used to tell me that she felt like she was on a field trip whenever we went anywhere.

I like to learn about the places I'm going to, and I love talking to the locals.