The Traveler vs. Tourist Debate and Why I Don’t Give a Crap
“I am not a tourist.”
This is the tagline for a tour company's latest campaign, where they are trying to inspire people to begin traveling differently.
Now, I’m all for inspiring people to travel. I’m also all for trying to convince people to travel outside of their comfort zones in order to experience places more deeply. It’s good to get “off the beaten path” sometimes.
But I have to be honest – I kind of take issue with the whole “I am not a tourist” campaign.
The traveler vs. tourist debate is certainly not a new one. For years, travelers and tourists have been defined and delineated, being separated from one another and placed at two ends of an invisible travel spectrum.
“Tourists“ are the ones who wear fanny packs and Aloha shirts. They’re the ones piling out of big buses to strike stupid poses in front of all the tourist sites. They are the ones eating at McDonalds because they’re afraid of “weird” food. They are the close-minded ones worthy of ridicule.
“Travelers“ are the ones who tote backpacks and only 3 pairs of underwear around the world. They use local transportation and thrive on living in hostel dorm rooms. They eat at street stalls and interact with locals as much as possible. They are the adventurous ones worthy of envy.
At least, these are the definitions we’ve been presented with – that tourists are “bad” and travelers are “good.”
But you know what? Those definitions are a bunch of crap. They’re nothing more than narrow stereotypes, and it bothers me when they are pitted against one another, as if one is more desirable than the other. When a big tour company tells people to “take travel back from the socks-and-sandals tourist crowd,” it makes it sound as though the evil tourists are ruing travel for everybody.
Which isn't true, of course.
I don’t care how you travel. I don’t judge where you go. I don’t label the “tourists” and the “travelers,” because, at the end of the day, those are stupid labels anyway. Not all “tourists” are buffoons, and not all “travelers” are saints. People are people, regardless of their travel style. I'm just glad they're traveling at all.
And yet, we are still confronted with the tourist vs. traveler debate time and time again.
My main question is: why does it have to be one or the other? Can’t a tourist also be a traveler, and vice versa?
What would you call a person who books a spot on a guided tour, but who spends their free time chatting with locals and getting lost in new cities? What would you call a person who backpacks around Europe, but only stays in places with Western amenities? Is one of these people “better” than the other? Of course not.
The truth is, there are some travel styles that just do not fit into either the “tourist” or “traveler” category. And there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, I am proudly a little bit of both.
If I stuck my nose up at “touristy” things, I would have never…
…climbed the Great Wall of China…
…visited the Grand Canyon…
…watched a sunset on Waikiki Beach…
…cruised through Milford Sound…
…or climbed to the top of the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Some of these “touristy” experiences have been some of my favorites. I have great memories from all around the world of being a tourist, taking lots of photos, and just enjoying the sites that everyone comes to see.
At the same time, if I refused to be a “traveler,” I would have never…
…went hiking on a glacier…
…road tripped across the United States…
…climbed sea cliffs in New Zealand…
…seen one of the world’s rarest birds up close…
…or traveled solo.
These, too, are some of my favorite travel experiences. And I never would have had any of them if I’d been too afraid to leave the guided tour behind.
But, looking back on all of the amazing travel experiences I’ve been lucky enough to have, it becomes clear to me that it’s not about being a “traveler” as opposed to a “tourist.” It’s more about taking advantage of opportunities and doing the things that appeal to me.
I don’t travel for anybody else, so why should I let somebody else tell me “the right way” to travel?
Because here’s a not-so-secret secret: there is no “right way.” There's no “wrong way,” either. There’s only the way that works best for you. And sure, maybe your style is different than the next person’s, but that doesn’t make it okay to apply those “tourist” and “traveler” labels.
Screw those labels. And screw the people who use them in a derogatory way.
I’m going to keep traveling the way I want to travel, no matter what you call me. And I hope you'll do the same.
READ NEXT: Am I a Lame Traveler?
What do you think of these labels? Do you have to be one or the other? How do you feel about the “I am not a tourist” campaign?
Amanda Williams is the award-winning blogger behind A Dangerous Business Travel Blog. She has traveled to more than 60 countries on 6 continents from her home base in Ohio, specializing in experiential and thoughtful travel through the US, Europe, and rest of the world. Amanda only shares tips based on her personal experiences and places she's actually traveled!
I think that the point you are trying to make is a good one, you can’t group all tourists-travelers into two categories. It is more like a bell curve with the two extremes but the majority lies somewhere in the middle, or are a combination of both.
I for one don’t fit into either of your categories. I travel by bicycle. I see more ‘real culture’ than both the backpackers and tourists but I also go and see the big tourist draws like Macchu Picchu or Chichen Itza. I know they will be over run with tourists but if I’m there I must go. It is something which cannot be missed. On the other hand the freedom of the bicycle allows me to stay over night in the dusty high mountain villages that the bus’s zoom through and are places the travelers don’t even go. These are the special places for me. When I’m the only foreigner there.
So you backpackers can have your buses and hostels, and you tourists can have your rental cars and resorts, and I’ll stick with my bicycle for a truly unique experience.
I like your bell curve idea, and I think you’re probably exactly right!
Also, it’s great to hear you do your own thing when traveling. I’m sure it’s more rewarding that way.
Yup – completely agree with you. Separating people into categories may be human nature but it’s a very annoying (and sometimes even dangerous) trait.
Definitely agree that it’s annoying, and certainly can be dangerous (I mean, just about every case of genocide in the world can be an example, albeit a very extreme one).
Great post. I think the tourist and traveler debate is one of the silliest travel blogging debates out there (almost as silly as the travel blogger vs travel writer debate). After all a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet, right?
Oh, I think the travel blogger vs. travel writer debate is much sillier. I won’t go anywhere near that one! 😉
Great post! Down with labels! As much as I say I don’t care what others think, I found myself looking over my shoulder and feeling a bit ashamed of popping into the occasional McDonald’s while traveling this year, even if sometimes it was just for free WiFi. (And fries. I love their fries.) It shouldn’t be this way… and this post is a great start at tearing down the stereotypes of good vs. bad travelers. Go you!
Thanks, Angie! Unfortunately, the stereotypes are so ingrained that it’s easy to fall into them and start looking over your shoulder before going into a McDonalds, or second-guessing a decision to visit a certain site because of it being labeled a “tourist trap.” I myself have often felt self-conscious being the only one taking photos in certain places — but you know what? I do it anyway. 😉
Love this article! I’ve never really thought about the differences of the two…and when you get right down to it those stereotyped labels only fit a narrow range of travelers. I just returned from an extended stay in Japan and I certainly did my fair share of “tourist” things…along with thousands of Japanese nationals who wanted to visit and take pride in their own cultural heritage sites. While I have plenty of “off the beaten path” stories about places I ate at and little stops that made Japan amazing for me, my trip their certainly would have been lacking had I not visited a whole host of “tourist” stops throughout the country. If you wanna know a little more about my travels there check out the “Denverite Abroad” section of my blog at http://www.livinitupdenver.wordpress.com. Thanks!
I think your case is a great example of actually fitting into BOTH definitions — both traveler and tourist — to really get the most out of your time abroad. I definitely think that’s the way to go!
Brilliant post, you captured my feelings exactly. Those who look down at “tourists” sound so elitist. There’s no reason to label people either tourist or traveler, when probably 98% of people who travel fit both descriptions to some degree.
Thanks, Scott! Glad you agree.
This post made me remember an experience I had in China–tourist, big time, and it was fun: http://www.50plusandontherun.com/2011/12/go-ahead-ring-bell.html
See what you think.
And thanks for making me think!
Nancy
Being a tourist can definitely be fun, and leave you with some great stories!
Excellent post, totally agree. The Oxford English dictionary defines a tourist as “a person who is travelling or visiting a place for pleasure” which is exactly how I imagine a traveller would define himself or herself. There is of course, as pointed out above, very little difference between the two, only in the stereotypes created. I however, went ‘travelling’ but to the locals of China, Malawi or Peru I was, quite simply, just a tourist. Whether traveller, backpacker, flashpacker or tourist, when you’re abroad everyone is viewed the same.
Excellent point. When you travel – regardless of which stereotype you may or may not fit into – chances are the locals are going to see you as a tourist anyway.
For me it comes down to attitude. Someone is a Tourist when they just want to ‘see’ and not ‘experience’ the local culture or sites. A Traveler can do the same things a tourist does, but with a deeper understanding/appreciation of it.
Tourists are usually behind a resort wall or only eating at the big touristy restaurants. It’s a stereotype, but often a correct one. Especially Americans, who we’ve found have been the more timid travelers.
We are a family of 4 (with a 3 & 1 yr old) that slow travel. For us that means staying in a home base for 6 months at a time. We’ve been in Belize for 1 month now and still occasionally get the ‘tourist treatment’, namely the tour and necklace hawkers wanting our business. But the longer we’re here, the more local we get.
It doesn’t matter why someone travels. Sometimes getting away, being behind a resort wall where you don’t have to think is exactly what you need. We’ve done plenty of that when we lived in Costa Rica, just to get away from everything Costa Rican! Were we tourists then? Not really, we were just Relaxers.
I think you make a good point in saying that it’s all about attitude. I think that does have a lot to do with it. Though, to say that a tourist never wants to experience a new culture (but only wants to “see” it) is probably not true in all cases.
Great blog post! I write on adventure travel and have found myself in the same position. From my perspective, it’s all about how you travel. I don’t mean backpacking / bus / bike . More that, there are many ways to get the same place.
There is also a ‘best of both worlds’ solution whereby you can look at tourist destinations from a fresh perspective.
(Your Great Wall of China example is a great one: You can always try Dan Dong, overlooking North Korea, rather than the obvious tourist sections.)
If you can approach travel with an aim to better understand the world and its peoples through visiting more places, you’ll be learning and fostering a connectivity between cultures – and not just collecting images and trophies.
Happily following your adventures, I’m on Twitter @advensportshol and @travelsportcopy
I absolutely approach travel from a “best of both worlds” perspective. I like doing the “touristy” things sometimes, and other times I try to experience things from a slightly different perspective. Ideally, the people reading my blog should be your average travelers — meaning many of them are probably “tourists”! So I feel like there’s definitely a need to do everything at a destination, no matter what “type” of person usually does them.
I’ve been on both sides of this argument. This is where I am now:
http://imblacknitravel.com/travel-do-what-you-like/
“Do what you like.” It’s so simple, but such great advice! Thanks, Greg.
Interesting comments. However, I can’t help but feel that the original post misses the point somewhat. As someone mentioned above, quite obviously there are stereotypes at play here. The word “tourist” here has had a negative connotation in literature and movies forever. It’s certainly not new.
I believe that, whatever label is applied, the goal of travel is to engage with a destination through interacting with people and respectfully exploring new landscapes. The loud, stereotypical boorish tourist doesn’t do that. Doing “touristy” things doesn’t make one a tourist. Maybe a better distinction is between traveling and vacation, which is a distinction between what you are doing, not who you are.
Very good points, Brett, and I thank you very much for posting them. There are definitely stereotypes at play here, and I agree that the “boorish tourist” stereotype is probably the one this campaign is referring to. Traveling vs. vacationing is perhaps a bit more interesting. Though you’d still have people saying one is “better” than the other, I’m sure, when, really, the fact that people are traveling at all should be the important part.
Don’t you find it fascinating how a “TOUR” company claims that they are for people who aren’t “TOURists”?
Where do you think the word is derived?
Sandals and socks or not, I don’t think there’s anything MORE touristy than taking organized tours.
I’d be lying to deny that I myself have been on several tours (even with the aforementioned company) – taking me to places otherwise difficult to get to (ie Antarctica or the Galapagos Islands) – but I think the ad campaign is a bit ludicrous.. trying to encourage some people to travel, and not others. Everyone should travel.
ironically enough, here’s the Mac Dictionary Definition of Tourist (fyi G Adventures swears by using macs):
tourist |ˈto͝orist|
noun
1 a person who is traveling or visiting a place for pleasure
Guess they’re trying to say it won’t be pleasurable to travel with them? 😉
I should add to, that last comment was intended to be sarcastic – of course that’s not the message, but I firmly believe the campaign is quite counter-productive.
I am fond of the product that G Adventures offers, to the point that I offered 6 years of service with them. 🙂 I think that Tours are an excellent way for people to experience the world, especially if they are uncomfortable with doing it alone, or if it’s to a place you can’t get to by yourself.
I just feel that it’s really a shame that they’ve decided to slam some people’s choices, or comforts, in how they choose to travel. The world is for everyone – the point of offering travel is that you should be able to appeal to everyone as well.
I completely understood where you were coming from, Ian. And I think it’s great that you’ve used and worked with G Adventures before. Like I said, I’m all for people taking tours. But yeah, “counter-productive” seems like a good phrase to use here. I think their intentions are good, but their presentation is perhaps a bit off the mark.
I’ve been on plenty of tours, too. There’s nothing wrong with tours. But I agree that everyone should be encouraged to travel — and encouraged to travel in whatever way they want to without any sort of judgment.
THANK YOU!!! I’m sure I’m going to end up repeating other people’s comments, but I’m so glad you wrote this. Everyone needs to travel in a way that’s most comfortable to them. Whether that’s a guided tour for every step of the way, completely independent, or somewhere in between, it’s about seeing the world. It’s not about being a snob and putting yourself into the “cool” crowd like high school or something. And it’s very odd for a big travel company to try to convince people to take their tours by saying they shouldn’t be tourists.
Thank YOU, Ali! It seems like everyone is in agreement on the fact that people should travel in whatever way works best for them.
And yes, I suppose it is a bit odd that a tour company’s new slogan is “I am not a tourist”…
Great post. I don’t care what people call me – I love ‘adventure travel’ and doing ‘touristy stuff’ too. I don’t know many people who actually fit in those categories, like so many stereotypes. Everyone’s different and everyone’s type of travel has worth.
I completely agree — every type of travel has worth, no matter what category someone does or doesn’t fit into.