Tourist - a person who is traveling or visiting a place for pleasure.
Traveler - a person who is traveling or who often travels
By definition, those two words have the same meaning but when you look at it at a deeper and different perspective, everything changes. It seems that stereotyping has always been the reason why these two words often get misinterpreted.
Some say that tourists are the ones who are always on travel tours with tour guides with them. Everything has been planned for them before they leave their home and have the trip of their choice. When they get there, they usually tour along with a group - from day one up to the last. These things usually last for 4-7 days.
They are not allowed to go somewhere without the tour guide cause they might get lost. When they are visiting tourist spots, they have limited time to observe and take pictures because they have an itinerary to follow. Other than that, if they spend a lot of time in some place, they become the burden of the group. Some also say that travelers have much time as they want. They can go anywhere without the time pressure than with being a group. They can explore and have more fun than others. They seem to blend in with other locals.
We see them like that because we chose to see them that way. I guess, that's where stereotyping comes in, and it actually doesn't matter whether you are a tourist or a traveler. Every tourist and traveler are curious that's why they are traveling. They are fun-seeking people, craving for adventure and experience the different culture of every place on Earth.
In my personal opinion, I find it odd. They all have this one thing in common: to see the world differently.
My family and I also experienced being on a tour and traveling on our own. For the past few year, we were always on tour because of the convenience of having the bus from the airport to the hotel to the tourist places. This helps me and my mom a lot since we're traveling with my dad and a kid (my sister). It would be dreadful to see them catching trains and buses. They'll get tired easily and might not enjoy the tour. We also have that fear we might get lost. But when we thought that being on tour is just a waste of money and thinking that we will enjoy if we are on our own, we tried going on our own. We had more time to go to some places and enjoy the scenery. We have a lot of time everywhere, and we go anywhere are feet would bring us, and chased trains.
You can be both; it actually really doesn't matter. Don't let those tourist vs traveler debate be a hindrance on exploring things and having adventures with your family and friends. See the world as you want to see it. Enjoy life while you have the strength to wander and get lost.
Tourist, Traveler and Backpackers, may curiosity be with us all. Cheers to more adventures.
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