With more money at their disposal, Indians have begun exploring different parts of the world with gusto. From regular haunts like Dubai and Thailand to lesser known places like Croatia and Fiji, Indians are seeing the world outside much more frequently than the last generation. However, there is a distinction between simply turning up to see a place versus coming back like a local. Read on to know what type of person you become once you pack your bags – a tourist or a traveller
Organisation
The first thing you need to see is your travel bag. How long did you take to pack? A few minutes? You’re a tourist. On the other hand, a traveller begins arranging for his trip months in advance. His bag will first be crammed with guide book and maps, tourist and visa documents and other essentials. He will meticulously research and actually enjoys the process of knowing what to expect before taking that plane. A tourist, on the other hand, will simply forward his passport to the travel agent and pack the travel brochure (and the items written therein apart from his own) with him for the duration of the trip.
Comforts
Tourists are loathe to give up on comforts. Even the mere suggestion of trying local cuisine may put them off. But what use is it going to Hong Kong if you don’t taste dim-sums? Tourists are always looking out for their guide to tell them things and take them around but if he suggests anything out of the box, or out of the itinerary in this case, a tourist will start frowning. He wants home-cooked food, a good van to travel in and a two-star hotel at the barest minimum when he steps out. A traveller on the other hand does not care for comforts. His aim is to collect as many experiences as possible. Travel overnight on potholed roads in a bus? No problem. Sleep in hostels to save money? No problem. The traveller has less but gets more while a tourist cannot live without his daily luxuries.
Places To See
A tourist will go by the destinations to visit to such an extent that there will be nothing he will want to miss. Reached Agra on Friday? No matter what, the tourist will demand that he be shown the Taj Mahal without disturbing the rest of his itinerary. A traveller, on the other hand, will seek out people and other places to explore. The tourist will gush about Taj Mahal for a few days but a traveller will carry the stories of daily life from Agra and every other place he visits forever.
Initiative
A tourist waits for things to happen to him. The luxury bus must come to him, the A/C room should be given to him and good Indian food must be served to him. A traveller goes looking for things beyond the guidebook. He is interested in how the locals travel, eat and sleep. He is, by nature, compassionate and adjusting. A tourist, on the other hand, tends to become cranky when things don’t go his way.
Getting Stretched
A tourist will happily splurge his time on shopping and other similar activities. A traveller will always splurge on getting most value out of his money. A tourist spends indiscriminately but a traveller stretches himself to just the right length, be it on money, food or travel. And he doesn’t really shop.
It’s fine to fall in either category, although it may seem that being a tourist isn’t a ‘cool’ thing. They both have their pros and cons, but knowing what group you fall under will help you know yourself better and ultimately plan your trip better.
