Traveler vs. traveller

“Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.” ~ Paul Theroux

It boggles my mind that there is even a discussion about who is a traveler, and who is a tourist. Who is traveling in the correct way and who is doing it all wrong. A quick Google search will teach you . I found this infographic online, which explains the argument:

I understand the idea behind the argument, travelers are there to explore the culture and get off the beaten path, while tourists are following along with the guidebooks. I believe even travelers stick out depending on which country you are in, and I know long-term travelers who complain more than anyone I’ve met, because they have experienced so much. I don’t believe tourists would travel if they weren’t curious and expected to gain lifetime experience.

To be a good ‘traveler’ we are supposed to leave our stereotypes and preconceived opinions at home. All this traveler vs tourist debate does is bring out the worst stereotypes about traveling, which is a great education for anyone no matter how you travel.

The point of travel is to explore and experience, meet new people and be open to changing your perspective. We are all different people with unique preferences, it only makes sense that we will all travel in different ways.

While one person can argue that if your entire vacation is spent at a resort or with a group tour, then you aren’t a true traveler… just a tourist. I would argue, we are all travelers and all tourists. We are all visiting new cities and our individual preferences take us in different directions.

The adventurous stories that travelers tell, I think are personality-driven and may not interest someone else – not making you less of a traveler, but a different type of traveler with a different style.

Traveling has led to more experiences and opened my world up to more possibilities than I could have ever imagined. Whether I was at the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Machu Picchu or in the middle of nowhere in Botswana, I was still a tourist in that country, but also a traveler, exploring, experiencing and creating my own path.