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!
Interesting post Amanda. I agree with you that we don’t need distinctions. It’s great to just enjoy your travels in a manner that suits you best.
Thanks for weighing in, Samuel!
Great post Amanda! you know write about this topic a lot and whole heartedly agree with you. I’m so sick of superior attitudes. There is so much I could say in the way some of G adventures choices reflect this elitist attitude lately, but what is the point.
Who cares how people choose to travel. It’s their money, their time, let them do whatever makes them happy. And while we always encourage getting off the beaten track, we also encourage going to see these famous places on the trail. They are famous for a reason.
And hell- MacDonalds is great for free toilets and wi-fi- where would we be without it? 🙂
Thanks for the kind words, Caz! I definitely know how you feel about this issue, and I’m glad that so many others out there feel the same way!
I think a lot of travellers think they are more superior than others for all sorts of reasons – but then again those people will always find a reason to feel superior. It’s best to just live your life the way that makes you happy and which doesn’t harm anyone else.
Agreed, Jade! And I think you’re right that those sorts of people would find a reason to feel superior, even if the tourist/traveler debate disappeared.
[…] thing you’ve done:First I really hate the traveler vs tourist debate (there’s a great post here that sums up my feelings on it). I’ve gone to Times Square in New York, the Tower of London […]
I was looking for the Rolf Potts quote, but couldn’t find it, so I was glad to see someone else had! Paul Theroux also has similar thoughts at the end of one of his books, which I also can’t lay my hands on right now. I perked up when I saw your title because I had this conversation only yesterday with my son. Since we live on an island which relies on tourism we can’t sniff at it. It’s the bread and butter, but, honestly, if all the tourists who came here wanted to do something “meaningful” or hike/climb/sail or whatever, then we would be over-run, so I am happy that some folk come and spend their money, but also happy they stay on the beach. Besides which, I am a bit stressed out right now, and could quite imagine a vacation where I lie on a beach and do nothing! So then I would be a tourist elsewhere! Our conversation came about because we recalled it was exactly two years since my son arrived in St Lucia having crossed the Atlantic (traveller) but once there he said he was really happy to “do the tour” (tourist). To everything there is a season including the manner in which one needs to travel.
Fantastic points, Linda. And I do think it’s important to remember that, without the “tourists,” many places would not be able to sustain their main economic enterprises! Many places around the world rely heavily on tourism, so, like you said, you really can’t “sniff at it.”
“Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.” – Paul Theroux
Great post. If nothing else, people who trot out the tired old “tourist vs. traveler” argument are lacking in originality. To quote Rolf Potts:
“The tourist/traveler distinction has largely degenerated into a cliquish sort of fashion dichotomy: Instead of seeking the challenges that mindful travel requires, we can simply point to a few stereotypical ‘tourists’, make some jokes at their expense, and consider ourselves ‘travelers’ by default.”
– Rolf Potts, VAGABONDING, http://www.vagabonding.net/
GREAT quote. I think “cliquish” is perfect to use in this instance.
Tourist or traveler, I guess we’re both. We like the less busy areas when we travel, the small towns and villages but we also want to see the Eiffel tower or the Statue of Liberty up close.
Neither is right or wrong but in the middle of high season, a less touristy area is definitely more enjoyable, for us.
I can definitely understand that. I’m not a fan of big tourist crowds, either. Though I’ll certainly put up with them anyway to visit the “must-see” sights!
I hear ya!
I agree it really doesn’t matter how you travel and people can be far to closed minded in this debate 🙂
Luckily, most of the people who have commented on this post seem to be plenty open-minded about it, which is really encouraging!
This is so dead on! It makes me angry when people who have had the opportunity to travel a lot project an elitist attitude onto others, an attitude that can discourage others from trying travel for fear of not being able to “do it right”.
That makes me really mad, too! We can’t all travel the same way. In fact, I wouldn’t WANT everyone to travel the same way. That would be so boring!
I couldn’t agree more. I don’t even know if I am a traveler that does touristy things or a tourist that does traveler things… I think both can be fun and I don’t see why you’d have to decide to be or do one thing or the other. Seems silly. Some touristy things are just too much fun to miss out on: climbing on a cathedral to get a great view, posing for a silly picture that you can later laugh about …
I agree that you shouldn’t have to “pick” one or the other. As you said, that just seems silly!
I hate labels, because no one ever fits a label completely. I do think there is a difference though between being a tourist and visiting touristy spots (the latter I am more than happy to do!). Having said that, there are some things that drive me insanely mad about travelers as well, one of them being when a traveler brags about how many countries they’ve been to or when they become jaded with traveling.
I wonder if there’s anyone out there who actually *likes* labels. Lol. But you make some great points, Andi! I really dislike the “travelers” who brag, too.
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Oh man I love being both. There are times I just want to do the campiest crap there is known to man and other times I do feel like taking the off the beaten path choices. I really don’t think there is anything wrong with either or.
I’m the same way, Erica. Sometimes the “campiest crap” winds up being the most fun!
It’s particularly annoying when people boast about “going local” just because they’ve eaten some exotic icky delicacy or have ridden on an overloaded truck in a third-world country. Whether we’re “tourists” or “travelers,” the reality is we are all outsiders and should at least behave with a degree of humility and respect towards the communities we are visiting. That might be a more worthwhile gauge of how well we travel rather than classifying people into stupid labels. Great post!
I could not agree with you more, Kristine! I hate the people who brag about how they travel, suggesting than it’s “the best” way to do it. It may be the best for them, but it certainly isn’t the best for everybody!
Great write-up. Wondering how people would define us … I would say homeless even though we apartments 🙂
Well, as long as your travel style works for you, who cares how people define you! 😉