saluki00

What is the difference between a tourist and a traveler?

Pretentiousness!!

Come on people. If you travel, by definition you are a traveler. If the primary purpose of your travel is leisure, then you are a tourist.

Remember, a traveler may or may not be a tourist. But a tourist is always a traveler.

It has nothing to do with what "style" of tourist you are.

Anyone who tries to break tourists into separate categories of "tourists" and "travelers" is nothing more than a pretentious twit.

JVE

Travelers do not want to be tourists. Tourists think travelers are tourists. Travelers create business only for travelers and not for tourists. Travelers are a bit more "chic" than tourists.

travelgourmet

<i>Travelers do not want to be tourists.</i>

They may not want to be tourists, but they are tourists.

<i>Travelers are a bit more "chic" than tourists.</i>

I doubt the "traveler" crowd would embrace the term chic.

Aduchamp1

A traveler is this and a tourist is that. And I am not this but you are that. And you think you are this but you really are that.

I'll talk. I'll talk. Anne Frank is in the attic. Just make this topic go away.

wanderful

Aduchamp1:

You remark: "Just make this topic go away."

You're not helping your cause by continuing to add to the conversation.

baldrick

When visiting as a conqueror, they will shoot at you,
When visiting as a tourist, they will be after your money,
When visitng as a traveller, they may see and accept you as a friend.
Therefor to travel well, you have to like the people you'll be seeing.

Aduchamp1

Wanderful

Besides stating the obvious, it was a frigging joke.

kfulgham

The tourist--or ugly American--stays at an American chain hotel, eats at McDonald's, complains because everyone doesn't speak English, and doesn't even try to learn "hello" and "thank you" in the local language.

Aduchamp1

There are ugly tourists from every country. When they poll "travel professionals" the Brits usually win with Germans placing well in being the most offensive tourists.

Tallblondchick1

I think you can be a Traveler and still stay in 5 star hotels (not that I do). I think the difference between a Traveler and a Tourist is that a Tourist is just there to get an overview, to check things off the list, to be able to say I’ve been there, done that, got the t-shirt. I think a Traveler is someone who wants to linger and “live like a local” (which at times may mean living in a hut and at times a 5 star hotel). A Traveler is someone who can skip that monument or this museum in order to relax at a café and soak it all in and talk to locals (which unfortunately I listen to my mother in the back of my head saying don't talk to strangers and don’t do as often as I should), just get a feel for a place and a culture and let it affect and change you. I’m a little of both. Don’t get me wrong I have a checklist (that keeps getting longer instead of shorter) and I will go to a city and be a tourist (I am addicted to travel guides and treat them like bibles), but I also have enough sense to realize seeing a monument or a church just to check it off my list isn’t enough. You need to slow down and enjoy the scenery and let the act of traveling change you. I think the first time I got to a place or maybe the first few days, I am a Tourist I have to see this, this, and this and take LOTS of pictures, but eventually, if the list isn’t too long, I say OK I’ve seen it all, now what does that mean what was the point, truly think about it and experience a place outside of t-shirt vendors and postcard perfect views. So I guess you could say I am a Tourist aspiring to be a Traveler. Just like me aspiring to be a Hippie and a Yuppie at the same time they might seem contradictory but they also might be able to mesh in some kind of weird amalgamation that just might work.

lorriewins

I think that a traveler is an experienced tourist....so I consider myself a traveler. I want to see all the "sights" when I go somewhere and I want to do the "touristy" things too. And most locals are proud of their "tourist sites"!! But I also want to find those places & people at a destination that give you a small clue as to what it truly is about. We try to always go to a small market off the beaten path & try the local food & laugh with the local people, even though chances are we dont speak the same language. And I have found that people EVERYWHERE are usually very nice & helpful if you just try. Learn a few words (please, thank you, good day are musts!!).

A traveler knows that it is small minded to expect people everywhere to speak English and just because a culture is different, it doesn't mean it's "backwards" & that our political/religious views aren't right for everyone.

Aduchamp1

Yesh well my mother's a traveler and your mother is just a tourist.

Luisah

"I doubt the "traveler" crowd would embrace the term chic."

You got that right. But the tourists who think they are travelers would.

"A traveler is this and a tourist is that. And I am not this but you are that. And you think you are this but you really are that."

LOL