Chasing Amy-Lou

I did a bit of research and read a few articles recently on the differences between a traveller and a tourist, and whether there are actually any differences at all. This debate, it appears, has been going on for several years (yes, I am late to the party), with many bloggers, writers and backpackers chiming in with their two cents, making it apparent that ‘yes! there are differences because of such and such’, or, ‘no, we’re all the same, we just do things differently’.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a Traveller as: A person who is travelling or often travels. It defines a Tourist as: A person who is travelling or visiting a place for pleasure. Now, in my mind, there doesn’t seem to be much of a difference here, apart from the ‘visiting a place for pleasure’ description. However, after delving into the Google bank of articles related to this topic I found a much deeper insight, a more passionate argument.

Many of the articles I read stated that being a tourist was merely something one did on a weekend city break, or a summer holiday; planning what to see and where to go while sticking to a rigid itinerary. A tourist may have a love for organised coach trips filled with badly-dressed Germans, loud Americans, and stiff upper-lipped British folk; and have a must-do list of things to see while on their trip. A traveller on the other hand is one who strives to immerse themselves in the culture of whatever country they find themselves in; one who doesn’t mind where they are as long as they can explore. A traveller could also be described as a wanderer, for once they’ve taken to the open road they will always find something to keep them on it, whatever the cost.

A traveller won’t care for luxury or comfort; they won’t mind living out of a backpack for months on end, sharing a shower with other B.O.-riddled individuals. A tourist however, will happily regale in returning to their hotel after a day wandering round a city’s ‘tourist traps’ or ‘main attractions’ (think Vatican City or Sagrada Familia or The Statue of Liberty), snapping pictures and updating their Facebook status’ as they go. They’ll relish the slap-up meal they’re undoubtedly going to consume in that five star restaurant they read about in Which? magazine. Whereas the traveller will enjoy scraping together bits of foreign currency (usually coins), hoping they’ll have enough for that authentic local cuisine that just about resembles something edible (probably dog).

While reading these articles it struck me that maybe this differentiating or categorising is all a bit snobbish; a bit fascist and slightly elitist in favour of the traveller. Maybe there shouldn’t be a difference between a traveller and a tourist. Have we just manufactured these differences ourselves, in order to justify our reasons for visiting different countries? Was there one moment in time where a traveller thought to himself, ‘I am sick of being around all these tourists. I am not a bloody tourist! I’ve been on the road for over five months, the last bath I saw was in Rome and it was ancient and located in a museum, my camera has been dropped more times than a pair of knickers in a Bangkok whore-house and I do not own a fucking bumbag! I must do something to distance myself from these ghastly, snap-happy, rich-folk whose idea of slumming it is staying in a Travelodge!’?

Perhaps this did happen. Perhaps all those who put effort into their trips, who took the time to wander for months on end, who country-hopped and experienced the highs and lows of culture shock and jet lag, who carried hand-sanitiser and considered it a luxury, felt they needed to be recognised for their efforts, or set apart from those who were just escaping the office for a weekend, or getting away for a much needed two-week break. Travelling has in essence become a lifestyle, a way of living and something that backpackers around the globe will feel passionate about and will feel proud to be labelled as such.

Tourists like one another. Travellers apparently don’t like anybody, unless he’s wearing a loincloth or she a sari. They appreciate their genuine experiences so much that they resent sharing them. The presence of other visitors at the temple, mountaintop or jungle clearing compromises the authenticity. Their own presence, curiously, does not – Anthony Peregrine, Telegraph, 2012

Tourists may be looked upon with disdain by travellers and travellers may be looked upon in much the same light by tourists. But hang on a minute there, Mrs. Traveller person, wasn’t visiting Machu Piccu on your six-month tour of South America, and taking a selfie as you sat below Christ the Redeemer exactly the same as what a tourist on a two-week break would do? Here are where the lines become blurred.

Up until recently I certainly would’ve categorised myself as a traveller, shunning the typical things a tourist would do and opting for something a little more risque or different; striving to take the road less smooth and wander off the beaten track. However, it appears from the criteria differentiating the two that I would fall into both categories, if not perhaps a little more into the tourist bracket of which I originally looked upon with utter contempt, allowing the ‘I am cultured’ opinion I have of myself to seep through my well oiled, sunburnt pores. How could I possibly be a tourist? I don’t own a Canon EOS 70 DSLR and my backpack has seen more dorm rooms than the frat house whore!

Originally I wanted and yearned to sit firmly on one side of this argument: the side that was ultimately pro-categorisation. I wanted to shout out, ‘Absolutely! There are massive differences between being a traveller and being a tourist’. I wanted to define each so that people would know which catergory they fit into. Looking at it though, I would say that this isn’t always possible. Being a tourist isn’t a bad thing, saved only for those who don’t wish to stay in hostels, and being a traveller doesn’t make you any better than the person standing next to you with the baseball cap and neatly folded guide-map.

I read an article on The Huffington Post website from July 2013 where the writer had included a quote from a reader, who stated this:

A tourist is an amateur traveller and a traveller is a professional tourist

I really liked that quote and I hope that the person in question (Fashionista) doesn’t mind me taking it and using it for the future.

If you have a career that only allows you a certain amount of time off per year, then getting away from it all and packing as much as you can into a few weeks, as opposed to taking a year or two out, or eternally hitting the road may be the only option you have to travel. Not everyone is made for living their life out of a rucksack. Not everyone can afford the luxury of a hotel. Each and every person who visits a country and comes away with photos, memories and rich experiences can define themselves as a both a traveller and a tourist, they just choose to do things differently, they choose different routes and different ways around it, and in my eyes, there’s nothing really wrong with that.

Tourist’s don’t know where they’ve been; travellers don’t know where they’re going – Paul Theroux