Is there a difference between being a tourist and simply traveling? My answer would be yes, yes there is definitely a difference between the two. As Iyer mentions, someone who travels is someone who can leave all judgements and assumptions at home to clearly immerse ourselves into a new and foreign culture. Iyer also says that a tourist is someone who is constantly complaining about their surroundings. Traveling “whirls you around and turns you upside down” (Iyer, p.1). From personal experience, I would call myself a traveler based on Iyer’s definition since I am excited to go to the unknown and learn about the culture and find things that differ from my home country but are similar to other countries or places I’ve seen.
Rick Steve’s discusses that travel brings people closer together, while providing a greater appreciation for America and what America has to offer. I have had the opportunity to see this first hand by traveling to the Dominican Republic, Aruba, and various other places in the Caribbean and witnessing the country in areas that are not built around tourism. By witnessing how people live and the first world necessities, such as protection and my safe housing that I am accustomed to, but that are not present in these countries, I instantly felt gratification for the opportunities present in America. Rick Steve also discusses the idea of ‘soft first world travelers’ who would be bothered by a developing country since everything is wild and up close and personal. The ability to immerse yourself into a developing country is what makes someone a traveler opposed to a tourist in my opinion.
While I think there is a definite difference between being a traveler and a tourists I think both aspects hold a sense of adventure and a yearning for the discovery of the unknown. Once reading that represents this idea is Mark Twain’s Roughing It since he starts off by discussing the “long-strange journey he was going to make, and the curious new world he was going to explore” (p.1). Throughout the piece I think Twain starts as a tourist because he only planned to stay for three months and to see as many marvels as he could see while he had the chance. As the story I think Twain becomes a traveler since he immerses himself in what is happening while in the end staying in Nevada longer than the initial three months as planned.
While there can be a clear and simple divide between being a traveler and a tourist, I do not think that one person is either a traveler or a tourist but never both. I believe that under different circumstances one can be a traveler and under other circumstances that the same person is a tourist. Every experience is what you make of it, and in order to truly enjoy the experience we should always remember to approach a trip with new eyes and a yearning to explore the unknown. (This unknown can be a new state, or a completely new country, it is all in what you make of it!)
I like how you mention that traveling to certain places gives a sort of new appreciation for what people have in our country.
ReplyDeleteI like the quotes you picked from Iyer. It was nice to be refreshed on the portions of the article I did not look at very closely for my own post. I like that you placed yourself into one of the distinctions and then explained why. I find it really fun to explore the unknowns of new places and experience the cultural differences. While I studied abroad in London, I wanted to get on the Tube and just get off at a random stop to see where it led me. I never did it, but I really wish I would’ve. The personal experiences you used sound like amazing opportunities, definite eye-openers.
ReplyDeleteThe comment about Twain's piece makes perfect sense. I also think he starts out as a tourist then once he immerses himself in the culture he does in fact become a traveler. Tourists only set out for a planned amount of time and plan to see certain things. The traveler does the same thing but he also wanders off and finds new discoveries.
ReplyDeleteKatie,
ReplyDeleteI think that the parts of each piece you picked out were great ones, especially what you took away from Steves' video. You also added to your observations from the video by explaining your own experience as a traveler and seeing the world that he describes, which was nice to read. However, I'm not sure if I completely agree with your final paragraph in which you claim that you cannot be both a traveler and a tourist. While I agree that there are certainly distinctions, I'm not sure they are so clear-cut and defined so that they are exclusive to each other. I certainly think there can be a blending of both, and you don't have to forego one by being the other. Besides that, I think your post was very interesting and I enjoyed it.
The passion with which you describe your zest for travel to out-of-the-way places is powerful, Katie...
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