On this logic, if (as I am about to do) I book a flight from Nice to Lisbon (both places I'm revisiting) a couple of months out, because otherwise it will cost me several times as much, I'm on a tour, but if I'm willing to blow the extra money (which would otherwise cover more time on the ground) I'm suddenly a cool "traveler" instead of a "tourist"? How silly.

"How silly."

Indeed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQFKtI6gn9Y
http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/l...d-why-they-not

LOL, obviously this ruffles some feathers.

MmePerdue, you are now contradicting yourself. You said that what I called a tour, you call a reconnaissance. Fine, I understood that. We were both referring to a fixed itinerary of places over a fixed period of time. Or at least I thought we both were. A la, 'here is my itinerary, what do you think of it?' type posts. Then follows a list of 10 places with dates beside them all. Travel and hotels are usually all pre-booked.

Now you bring up, "independent travel in the form of an outline rather than a set itinerary and the ability to deviate at will for months at a time" I certainly did not refer to that as a tour MmePerdu. Nor did you equate that to 'tour' in your first response to my comment. Are you trying to put words into my mouth?

I wrote, "Yes indeed, a tour simply means you have a set itinerary. How else would you define a tour?" Please note the word 'set' MmePerdu. I think it is clear what I was referring to by that and you yourself now write, "rather than a set itinerary". You can't have it both ways. If they have a set itinerary whether they booked it themselves or used a tour company, are they on a tour or not MmePerdu? Yes or no?

Thursdaysd, I don't see the relevance of your comment. What has flight costs got to do with anything? Are you suggesting that pre-booking your flights to save money somehow means you are not on a tour? If you go to A, B, C, Nice, Lisbon and then back home, are you not on a tour?

I also don't see the relevance of your comment re tourist and cool traveller. Who said anything about the word traveller being different from the word tourist? Not me. Who said anything about the word tourist being 'not cool'? Since you think one is cool that implies you think the other is not cool.

What is silly, is that you want to argue that a tour is not a tour and someone who plans a tour is not a tourist. It seems clear to me who is trying to suggest that an 'independent traveller' who plans their own tour is somehow not a tourist.

Gardyloo, the clip is amusing. It is indeed similar to those who want to say they aren't tourists or try to argue that a tour is not a tour.

The only difference I was pointing out to the OP in my first response was there are two kinds of travel to consider when thinking of a RTW ticket. Planned and unplanned travel.

A planned tour is well suited to the risk-averse. But it limits flexibility. Unplanned travel allows for total flexibility but will not appeal to the risk-averse who want to have a hotel booked ahead etc. and not take any risks that they don't have to.

Trying to argue what is or is not a tour and whether you are a tourist or an independent traveller is ridiculous. I'm done with this.

I'm beginning to get a sandralist/goldenautumn/etc.etc. kind of feeling here. Anyone else?

From http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/de.../english/tour:

Tour: A journey for pleasure in which several different places are visited

From my OED:

Tour: Journey through a country from place to place

So, everyone who is traveling to more than one place is on a tour. We are all tourists, including the argumentative ST.

I really fail to see the point of spending a great deal more money than necessary, just to avoid having fixed points in an itinerary. But then, I travel on a budget.

I'm not the one arguing that a tour isn't a tour thursdaysd. As your definitions point out, going from place to place is a tour. You can plan a tour or you can do a tour without planning, the only difference is you plan or don't plan ahead of time.

That you fail to see the advantage of total flexibility vs. pre-planned flights (which it appears you are referring to primarily) simply means to you it doesn't matter since you are willing to fix some things ahead of time based on cost. I have no problem with that. As I've said, it works for some to pre-plan things.

But I do think that seeing something only from your own viewpoint and not being able to 'see the point' for someone who does value total flexibility, suggests something about you.

There is no reason to connect pre-planned flights with being on a budget either. That is false logic. You can be on a budget and not plan. It will simply change the decisions you make accordingly. The only time it would be connected is if you wanted to stick to a fixed plan.

Nor does every tourist go on a planned tour. That the one word shares the same root as the other does not mean they are necessarily connected at the hip. A tourist can go on a tour or go on unplanned travel. So while I would agree that anyone who travels somewhere for pleasure is a tourist, I would not agree that every tourist goes on a planned tour.


Your comment, "just to avoid having fixed points in an itinerary" seems to indicate you can't even think in terms of unplanned travel. An itinerary by definition has fixed points. That's what an itinerary is all about. Describe an itinerary without known points.

From your OED:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/de...lish/itinerary

I really don't know what it is that you guys are trying to argue against here. What is it you think you are arguing against?

Is it that you feel it necessary to defend planned travel, as not doing so would not just indicate there is an alternative but somehow would indicate that your way is not better than the other way?

You are the one having an argument! We were having a peaceful until you showed up. Go back to drifting.

I had forgotten that ST was on my (very short) ignore list. Now that he has, regrettably, returned from whatever unfocused tour he was on, I have been reminded. I will read no more of his rantings.

If he is that concerned about semantics perhaps he should change his screen name to Sojourntourist.

>>I'm beginning to get a sandralist/goldenautumn/etc.etc. kind of feeling here. Anyone else?<<

I don't see sandralist/zeppole so much (well maybe a <i>little</i>) -- I get more than a hint of improvisor.

I don't know improvisor. Also among the banished and reborn? Certainly the name, improvisor, is redolent of the philosophy espoused above.

You people really are so predictable.

Stick to your planned vacations. Boooorrrrinnngggg.

yep -- improvisor for sure >)

Same syntax . . .

Sojourntraveller, you seem to be hung up on semantics and your interpretations of same. Why? Just curious...