21/03/2023
~ ARE YOU A TOURIST OR TRAVELLER? ~
I think by default all travellers are also tourists. But not all tourists are travellers. Here’s why!
TOURIST:
✨ As a tourist I’ve enjoyed relaxing on a vacation. Staying in the comfort of a nice hotel or disconnecting from the stress of work for the sole purpose of enjoyment.
✨ Travelling in a group where somebody else is planning my trip and all I have to do is show up!
✨ Taking pre-booked guides, tours and going to the most recommended places in any destination.
✨ And of course doing the most touristy activities on top of the list as recommended on wiki travel or TripAdvisor.
TRAVELLER:
✨ As a traveller, I’ve taken the off the beaten path to connect with places.
✨ Whether it’s cycling through small towns, speaking to locals, staying at their homes, enjoying local delicacies/street food and leaving the comfort of familiarity behind me.
✨ Or better, looking for reasons to find familiarity in new locations for completely new reasons.
✨ A face behind a shop counter that smiles back at me, my favourite street corner where I love going back for how the food tasted or what it reminded me of.
✨ Looking for recommendations from locals and finding a little something about places which they like to frequent.
✨ Pursuing a new activity, purely for the joy of learning about the place or it’s culture or with the intention of forging a deeper connection with the place. Like a blue pottery class or cooking class!
BUT:
✨ In all fairness, being a traveller is at times hard when you’re travelling solo, navigating a new landscape, carrying your heavy bags, and falling sick in foreign lands isn’t always the most amazing feeling.
✨ Also it takes more time at a new place to be a traveller which not everybody may have the luxury of.
✨ It is okay to be either, a tourist or a traveller at different points of time in your life.
But I would encourage everybody to take the off the beaten path atleast once, to truly feel connected with who you are in a foreign land.
✨ And at the end of the day. No matter who you are or which role you like to don while travelling, always be mindful of the culture and owe the locals their due respect.
✨ Be a kind guest in a land that belongs to somebody else and take back only memories, shopping bags (if thats your thing) and an experience that feels the most authentic to you!
So tell me, are you a tourist or traveller