Tourist vs Traveler

There are tourists and then there are travelers 

Conversation of two tourists:

Pre-trip

Amit : Hey bro, wassup.

Devank : Wasssup bro. Long time, huh!

Amit : Yeah man. How have you been?

Devank : M good dude. How about you?

Amit : Same here bro. Listen, I have been planning to go to Kasol in the month of July for a two-day trip. Do you want to catch up?

Devank : Yeah sure bud. How many of you are going and are you done up with all the planning, like where to stay and what are the places to go, etc?

Amit : We are four in number including you. And I am done with all the prep work and have already listed out few 3 star hotels giving a good deal even in this peak season. I was just waiting for your nod to book the hotels. I think we are going to have a great time over there.

Devank : Great man, I am sure we would. I will also google out and make a list of places to visit as we are having only two days and a lot of places to catch up.

Amit : Yeah man, that would be a great help from you. Try to get some good deals as well.

Devank : OK man, will keep you updated.

Amit : Sure man.

After having done with all the ‘proper’ planning, they went on to visit Kasol, posted ‘traveling to Kasol, feeling excited’ on FB, stayed at a 3-star hotel, enjoyed in a pool, went on to visit every place in the city, took lunch and dinner at fine dine restaurants and took pictures of food (obviously) #foodporn, updated Instagram bio – born_traveler, photographer, adventure_junkie, #YOLO

Conversation of two travelers:

Pre-trip

Amit : Hey Dev.

Devank : Hi Amit. How are you?

Amit : I am very well bro. It has been months since we have traveled to someplace. What do you say, Bhutan, Kasol, Leh?

Devank : A few days back, I was thinking of the same. Hmm.. Kasol would be great this time around. Not a peak season, so less crowd. Great, let’s fix a date.

Amit : 29^th ??

Devank : 29^th it is. I think I will be free from all of my deadlines by then.

Amit : Great then, meet you at Kasol.

Devank : Done.

They met up at Kasol, walked down the road to experience the culture of the place, talked to local people on the way before bumping their bags into a hostel, met fellow travelers, shared their experiences and listened to others, visited places, and enquired about its history, went on hiking, met school-going children on the way with a smile, never left debris, rediscovered themselves.

I am not here to talk about the differences or similarities between a tourist and a traveler. Although there are more differences than similarities, it would be fair if I leave that up to you to figure out and to decide who is better. One may find the former to be a better one as they tend to rely more on planning and overall ease of visiting and experiencing the destination. Or, one may find the latter one to be better as they rely on intuition and focus more on enjoying the journey rather than just the destination. Here I will be talking from the perspective of a traveler and about my experiences gained over time.

A traveler is someone who always perceives the world in a different way. They are not in a hurry to visit every place of interest or they may not even go to every place of interest. Their interest lies in gaining experience rather than clicking ‘pout selfies’. They know how to smile and to smile back. They know how to share and to lend a hand. Travelers believe in a philosophy, a philosophy that says “visiting different places is like collecting dots and joining them as you go on”.

They are not afraid to take a road less traveled and full of uncertainties. They see uncertainties as opportunities. That said, it does not mean that travelers are reckless and odd persons. They are more of a person who is not hesitant to get their hands dirty to learn something. They are also observant by nature who observes little details in everything that comes their way.

There are people who love to collect souvenirs from different cities/places they visit in order to preserve something valuable or the memory of that place. But someone who tries to give back something or anything to the place they visit, either by their selfless act of helping others or by maintaining the beauty of the place and avoiding litter is a true traveler.

Traits of a traveler

In today’s world; having a backpack, completing a few treks or solo rides, cruising on a bike are few signs of a traveler; at least on social media. But a true traveler does not possess any of these signs. If someone asks me “Is there any way we can differentiate between a tourist and a traveler?” “By physical appearance, I am afraid, we can’t. But the way one behaves certainly categorizes one into a tourist and a traveler.”, I often reply.

He/She may seem like a normal human being, but inside a traveler, there would be a lot of thoughts in the process. They don’t just visit places because they love to travel, they see traveling as a self-building process and they get to know more about themselves as they move on. Their strength lies in their attitude, an attitude which comprises of being responsible, helpful, courteous, and possessing a smile.

P.S: Nobody is a born traveler; he/she may once have been a tourist in their life before becoming a traveler. Experiences gained over time help to convert a tourist into a traveler.

If you loved reading this story I wrote for you, you could at least buy me a coffee ☕, or else if you know someone who would love reading about this, please share this story with them. Just do the good deed. Cheers. 🙌

Until the next time...

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