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A traveller or a tourist? Who are you?

Each one of us enjoys seeing new places, going to new cities, trying out new things. But we all fall under either of these two categories : Traveller or a Tourist !

And as you travel more, you realise how these two are really different. For people who just got bitten by the travel bug may not make out the difference between these two.

Given below are a few questions and a few pictorials to help you understand the difference between these two and pick your own tag .

Pictorial No. 1 : It's easy to say this one. A tourist is one who has a fixed itinerary and knows where he/she will go on his trip, will definitely cover all famous spots and eat at the most famous restaurants as suggested by zomato or trip advisor .

Where as for a traveller, itinerary means "a boring way of wandering" . He/She will know not only famous places to visit but will meet people and read through portals like Tripoto or reddit to find out some "hidden" not so famous, but jewel of a place in that area. He/ She will not fear from taking the road less travelled to find out what may lie ahead.

pc: holidify.com

Question : Would you travel to a place without an itinerary ?

If your answer is yes, your a borderline tourist. If your answer is no, you might be a traveller . You got to answer more to decide further !

Pictorial 2 :

pc :Holidify.com

You will always find a group of family or friends on city streets with a selfie stick and shopping bags , using GPS to find the location . Tag them straight-away as tourists.

While, you will also , always, find a loner somewhere in a local cafe either interacting with local people there or going through something on his/ her laptop or maybe a map . Also you can spot them on streets with a small backpack just looking lost. Well, the word"traveller" is inscribed on their forehead. Just see a little closer :)

Question : Do you like to travel alone or in groups of more than 3 atleast ?

If you say - "travel alone" - Congratulations, you are a traveller in making !

If you say - "group only" - You are 99% tourist already . Unless you find that 1 % group who might take that flight with you together but you hardly know about their where-about once you reach your destination.

Pictorial 3 :

pc : holidify.com

Now, don't tell me you don't like to buy gifts for your family back home ? OR maybe just something to brag about in your friends?

A tourist and a Traveller will always buy something from the place they visit. The difference lies in what they buy.

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For those who are still hanging between a tourist and traveller, here are a few more questions to help you choose your spot better .

Question : Do you make friends with local people of the place you are visiting ?

If you say yes, well good going, you are mastering the art of travelling.

If you say that you rather just see the place and interact with people such as your driver, guide or cook only, you are a perfect tourist !

Question : When you pick a stay point for your visit, what do you prefer :

Options : A) A 5 star hotel with all the luxury .

B) A 2-3 star hotel with basic amenities such as an air-conditioner , parking , restaurant, room service, etc.

C) A home-stay with a common kitchen , a common balcony, a room with mosquito net and a hammock as a bed.

If you choose A or B, you are definitely not a traveller . Option A makes you a "certified tourist", while option B leaves you some hope of being an adventurer still.

If you chose option C, my friend, you are a "professional dare-devil traveller" .

Traveller
Tourist

As a tourist you are going for a sight-seeing , you expect new adventure to happen to you within your comfort zone. As a traveller, you stretch yourself out for new adventures, and there is no such thing as "sight-seeing" in your dictionary. Every place you go, every person you meet is an experience for you .

A matter of fact is, only 10% of us all, are actually travellers. We all may like to tag ourselves in this category as it is "THE" term on the era . Especially in India, we are the country with biggest number of tourists . We boost other countries tourist economy, we love to travel, but we don't really know what travelling is.

Being a tourist is not a wrong deal, it has it's own positives . But if you really wish to explore this big wide world, even 1 % of it , you must try to be a traveller . A traveller will taste the real flavors of the place , will witness a sight that a tourist can't , will take back memories which will last for life, and make friends from across the world .

Tourists are usually visitors, while travellers , travel irrespective of a reason, and may never return.

If you want to test your traveller / tourist quotient further, check out this link below: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adventure-collection/traveler-or-a-tourist_b_3568344.html

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