Global Traveler vs Tourist

A bigger debate than it needs to be in the global travel world is should you travel as a tourist or as a global traveler. When trying to understand this debate, first understand this is purely about leisure travel. Business travel which Robin and I did for many years, is a totally different type of travel.

Traveler vs Tourist Definitions

As business travelers, we were clearly not tourists, but our travel pattern did not meet the traveler definition. Perhaps some definitions might help:

Tourist

A person who travels for short periods of time, usually no more than 2-4 weeks at a time. A tourist generally spends more money per day traveling, by taking tours, using more expensive forms of transportation, and staying in more expensive lodging.

Global Traveler

A global traveler is a person who travels for longer periods of time. They could be on a long sabbatical from their job, between jobs, on a travel “gap year”. They might be a full-time “Travel Nomad.” This last category is becoming more common. More and more people are finding that they can have a job while being on the road full-time. Those advocating that you should not travel as a Tourist, also relate their suggestion to the idea of “Travel Like a Local”. They believe that by being more like a local you will meet and get to know more people. They believe that they will also learn the local language and adopt the local culture.

There are two additional concepts that support the idea of being more of a traveler than a tourist. They are “Intentional Travel” and “Slow Travel”.

Intentional Travel

Intentional Travel is traveling with a purpose in mind and making conscious choices at every  step of your trip.  Cultural immersion is a big part of intentional travel. It is one of the top objectives that we set when we travel.

Slow Travel

Slow Travel is the call for travelers to spend more time in fewer places and move more intentionally from place to place. The concept rejects the idea of parachuting into major cities on a whirlwind tour; jetting from place to place with barely enough time to get a feel for one before you’re on to the next.

Our Recommendation

While we are still able to do it, Robin and I are attempting to travel about half our time. Since we are not true Digital Nomads, and we still own a condo back home, we face a number of challenges, like how to manage our home when we are away. (See House Care While Away).

Our plan is to try to stay at least 5 days or more in each place we visit. We try to visit a number of places in a similar geographic area on each trip. In 2022, we traveled for three continuous months across Europe. We did the same in the Asia/Pacific region in 2023. In 2024, we will return to Europe to attend the Olympics in Paris. We also plan to visit Greece on a tour that we previously purchased at an auction. We attempted to go to the Olympics in Tokyo in both 2020, and 2021. During Covid we ended up with a large amount of travel credits. Therefore, we traveled in 2022 and will be traveling in 2023 and 2024 by using a number of our credits.

Budget Strategies

Our spending patterns are somewhere between tourist and traveler. We stay a lot in timeshares, which cost us less than expensive hotels. They also provide a few more amenities than most vacation rentals, e.g., Air BnB type of accommodations. We only hire tour operators, when necessary (see Our Favorite Tours). And we use travel loyalty points extensively, whenever it makes sense (see Budget Strategies).

When we take a cruise, we try to take cruises that stay a little longer in each port. We normally prefer cruises that are at least 10 days in length. If booking an excursion, we often try to find our own tour. They are often less expensive and more interesting. However, when booking your own excursion, you do take on the risk of making sure you get back before the ship is scheduled to depart. Fortunately, no bad lessons learned on this issue. We particularly like river cruises. We believe they do a better job of allowing you to really get to know a local area. See Our Favorite Cruise Lines for more information.

Conclusion

So, what difference does it make if you are a Tourist or a Global Traveler. None that we know of, but here are a few suggestions to avoid being labeled an “Ugly American Tourist”.

• Learn some basic terms in the local language. English has practically become the standard language for most high-end travel locations. Nevertheless, most people we have met appreciate our poor attempts to speak their native language. Google Translate is a great tool to use to fill in gaps in your foreign vocabulary.
  
• Understand the local customs. This is particularly important when traveling in places without a European Heritage. Particularly in Asia, Africa and the Muslem world this is important. We have published about our European, South American and Asian experiences. Please see our Destinations page. We have also published posts about some educational topics including Indigenous People, Impacts of War and Why Travel.
  
• Try to avoid using a “selfie stick” or posing for excessive Instagram photo shoots. These actions just say “Tourist”. In most situations, other people probably want to take the same picture. If you are blocking their ability to get a good photo, you are not making any friends. In addition to annoying the other people waiting to take a picture, you are certainly displaying your lack of concern for other people.
• Most importantly, act like you are in the house of your friend’s parents. Be on your best behavior. Clean-up after yourself. Mind you manners. Listen when spoken to and apologize if you do not understand. Treat people with respect.