Is There a Difference Between a Tourist and a Traveller?
Many people try to make a clear distinction between tourists and travellers, although such a demarcation is quite value-laden. It is often a way for people to create a hierarchy of travel, whereby self-identified travellers can feel assured that they are travelling in a more adventurous, exciting, and authentic way. (I recently covered the topic of authentic travel, which I argue is a myth and problematic for a variety of reasons. Plus, using the term authentic to describe a travel experience is fairly cringe-inducing at times.) In this article, my aim is to emphasise that, while it is commonplace to set tourists apart from travellers, the distinction is not so clear, with it ultimately amounting to a form of travel elitism.
Originally published at https://www.samwoolfe.com on January 21, 2020.
