Most of us fall into one of two categories—the travelers and the tourists. The travelers are those looking for the authenticity and real experience of being in a new environment, complete with eating
native cuisine, visiting off-the-beaten-path hot spots that only residents know, and staying in inexpensive lodging. Quite often, these are the travelers that we see up at dawn, backpack or rucksack firmly in place, their guidebooks all but memorized. They may wander around for most of the day, with no real agenda in place, just to get a true feel for their new environment. The tourist sticks to the familiar. They visit all of the “must see” landmarks, eat in the places that are similar to what they have at home, and stay at the well-known, chain hotels and motels. A tourist will often schedule activities and book reservations well ahead of time. A traveler will set off and try new things as the mood strikes. A tourist will travel with friends or family, or as part of a larger tour group; a traveler often travels alone or with other like-minded friends and gets to know the locals and other wanderers along the way. There’s a middle group who combine a little bit of both. They’ll stay in a hotel but spend hours wandering the city, a fluid game plan in mind that can change from moment to moment. They’re the more cautiously adventurous types, who like to absorb the real flavor of a strange place—they’ll ask a total stranger for a food recommendation that takes them to an out-of-the way eatery that’s not found on any map, but like to return to the comforts of the familiar at the end of the day. Which of the above describes you? Do you like to discover the new and unexpected, stick with the comfortable and familiar, or fall somewhere in between?
native cuisine, visiting off-the-beaten-path hot spots that only residents know, and staying in inexpensive lodging. Quite often, these are the travelers that we see up at dawn, backpack or rucksack firmly in place, their guidebooks all but memorized. They may wander around for most of the day, with no real agenda in place, just to get a true feel for their new environment. The tourist sticks to the familiar. They visit all of the “must see” landmarks, eat in the places that are similar to what they have at home, and stay at the well-known, chain hotels and motels. A tourist will often schedule activities and book reservations well ahead of time. A traveler will set off and try new things as the mood strikes. A tourist will travel with friends or family, or as part of a larger tour group; a traveler often travels alone or with other like-minded friends and gets to know the locals and other wanderers along the way. There’s a middle group who combine a little bit of both. They’ll stay in a hotel but spend hours wandering the city, a fluid game plan in mind that can change from moment to moment. They’re the more cautiously adventurous types, who like to absorb the real flavor of a strange place—they’ll ask a total stranger for a food recommendation that takes them to an out-of-the way eatery that’s not found on any map, but like to return to the comforts of the familiar at the end of the day. Which of the above describes you? Do you like to discover the new and unexpected, stick with the comfortable and familiar, or fall somewhere in between?