BACKPACKERS VS TOURISTS: IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?

Posted: 11/16/2008 | November 16th, 2008
Updated: 12/22/2021 | December 22nd, 2021

All along the backpacker trail, you hear it. Het gesprek. The chatter. The snarls. De attitude. The condescension.

Dat klopt.

I’m speaking about exactly how backpackers feel about “tourists.”

Backpackers view tourists as non-travelers. Tourists are people who just go to a location for pictures, hotels, as well as cheesy restaurants. They stay with the beaten path, take huge bus tours, as well as never bother to interact with the locals.

Backpackers, on the other hand, think about themselves as genuine travelers – they go locations for cultural experiences, to satisfy the locals, as well as to immerse themselves in faraway lands. They are available to discover about the world as well as find unknown tricks as well as connections.

Or, at least, that’s what they believe they are doing.

However, while some travelers do that, a backpacker is usually a young traveler on a long trip who sleeps in hostels, cooks his/her own meals, lives cheap, as well as celebrations hard. Sure, they take regional transfer however they frequently just hang out with other travelers.

I always discovered this distinction a bit ironic since so many backpackers, while speaking down about “tourists,” bring their Lonely Planet, go to the exact same cities as well as stay at the exact same hostels, as well as stay with the exact same path that was laid out before them by the backpackers who came before.

While I think about myself part of the backpacker crowd (though more of a nomad), I don’t sign up for the line of believed that backpackers are much better than tourists. When I hear this argument, I shake my head as well as discover joy in pointing out the hypocrisy of some naive fellow traveler.

But let’s be clear.

“Tourists” do stand out like sore thumbs. They couldn’t hide if they tried. many make no attempt to discover cultural norms, blend in, or respect the regional method of life. These are the tourists that people speak about.

And I can’t stand them either — those tourists who come to a place, make no effort to interact with the locals as well as stay in the resort their whole vacation. What’s the point of coming to a new country if you’re never truly going to see it?

To me, that’s not traveling. (Though, I do appreciate that they at least made the effort to leave their country. infant steps, right?)

But exactly how is that different than a backpacker who just celebrations in Amsterdam as well as gos to the Van Gogh museum? exactly how is that different than somebody who goes to Thailand celebrations at the full Moon celebration as well as never explores somewhere “off the beaten path”? Or spends a month in a country as well as never learns the language? That’s not being a traveler. That’s not making an effort to discover about the people or place.

We are all tourists.

We all stand out sometimes.

And you understand what? There’s nothing wrong with that!

We all get an “A” for effort. What is ironic is that instead of trying to promote much better travel – travel that gets people of all travel styles to interact with the locals – backpackers insurance claim superiority since they do it cheaper as well as for a longer amount of time. They get off the beaten path, they say, as well as online like the locals do.

Except they don’t.

Experiencing a new culture means staying there long sufficient to get into the flow of life. most backpackers don’t do that. They just go to the newest celebration place as well as phone call it off-the-beaten-path up until somebody (else) with a Lonely world arrives. They eat at street stalls as well as insurance claim they are just like the locals, yet they never discover the language as well as only eat food that looks safe.

I frequently get asked where to go to see the “real” Thailand, as well as I always state that there is no such thing – every part is similarly real.

“Well, we want to online like a local,” they respond.

“Get an apartment as well as get a job” is my response.

If you want to truly get to understand a place, stay there for longer than a few days.

I like to phone call this “The beach Syndrome” – this concept that traveling inexpensive is much better as well as more authentic (because the locals are delighted you are saving your money as well as not providing it to them) as well as that there is someplace off the beaten path that is the true, authentic part of a country.

Backpackers believe just like the characters in the book The beach did – that there is some travel perfect out there. This authentic, mysterious location that supposedly exists where whatever is genuine as well as you’re the only complete stranger there as well as everybody is friendly as well as you melt right into regional life. What a location that would be! as well poor it doesn’t exist.

It’s a myth.

It’s “The beach Syndrome.”

I’m not a bigFan van bundel tours (hoewel ik nog steeds op tours ga), maar dat betekent echter niet dat ik veel beter ben dan de mensen die op hen gaan. Geen soort reizen is echt veel beter dan elk type andere reizen. Wat is er van belang dat we voorbij het backpacker / toeristendebat gaan, evenals erkennen dat het belangrijke deel is dat we reizen.

We gaan niet alleen voor plezier en foto’s echter om eveneens nog een cultuur te ontdekken en uit onze comfortzones te breken – zelfs als je een beetje een beetje bent.

Is dat niet het punt waarom we toch gaan?

A verhoogd met een ander type andere naam is nog steeds een roos.

En, ongeacht wat we onszelf bellen, we zijn echt allemaal alleen toeristen.

En het is tijd dat we stoppen met handelen alsof we niet zo goed zijn, net zo goed als het doen alsof een soort reiziger veel beter is dan een ander. Het is een stom onderscheid. Laten we allemaal over onszelf komen.

Hoe de wereld op $ 50 per dag te reizen

Mijn New York Times zeer populaire Paperback Guide to World Travel leert je precies hoe je de kunst van reizen beheerst om ervoor te zorgen dat je van de gebaande paden uitstapt, geld bespaart, evenals een diepere reiservaring. Het is jouw A tot Z-planningsgids die de BBC de “Bijbel voor budgetplan reizigers” wordt genoemd.

Klik hier om meer te ontdekken en om het vandaag te lezen!

Boek uw reis: Logistieke tips en trucs
Boek uw vlucht
Zoek een goedkope vlucht door gebruik te maken van Skyscannerner. Het is mijn favoriete browse-motor omdat het websites doorzoekt, evenals luchtvaartmaatschappijen over de hele wereld, zodat u altijd begrijpt dat er geen steen onbedoeld blijft.

Boek uw accommodatie
U kunt uw hostel met Hostelworld boeken. Als u ergens anders dan een hostel wilt blijven, gebruikt u booking.com terwijl ze consequent de goedkoopste tarieven voor pensions en hotels weergeven.

Onthoud geen reisverzekering
Reisverzekeringsdekking beschermt u tegen ziekte, verwonding, diefstal, evenals annuleringen. Het is een uitgebreide beveiliging in de situatie die er iets misgaat. Ik ga nooit op een reis zonder het, want ik moest het in het verleden vele malen gebruiken. Mijn favoriete bedrijf dat de allerbeste service en waarde biedt, zijn:

SafetyWing (het beste voor iedereen)

Verzeker mijn reis (voor die ouder dan 70)

Medjet (voor extra evacuatie-dekking)

Klaar om uw reis te boeken?
Bekijk mijn resource -pagina voor het allerbeste bedrijf om te gebruiken wanneer u reist. Ik vermeld alles die ik gebruik als ik reis. Ze zijn ook de allerbeste in de les en je kunt niet verkeerd gaan met behulp van ze tijdens je reis.