differenza tra traveller e tourist

Tourist Vs. Traveler: What's the Difference, And Which Travel Type Is Right For You?

Contrary to what one might believe, there is a difference between a tourist and a traveler - so, which one should you be?

Tourist or traveler - what's the difference and which is better? For the purpose of this discussion, a tourist is someone on a short trip (up to around four weeks) that is just taking annual leave from work. A traveler is someone who has quit their job, become a digital nomad, or has taken an extended leave off work to travel for much longer.

These modes of travel offer very different perspectives and benefits. Traveling full time is not for many people, but for others, it's a dream come true!

If one is a tourist, then one is on a holiday. With this style of travel, one will typically pick one or two specific countries or locations to visit. One will normally want to make the most of one's time and so will plan one's trip carefully. Or one will just stay at a beach resort and enjoy sunbathing and cocktails.

• Tourist: On Holiday - Often two Weeks
• Budget: Much Higher
• Daily Schedule: Packed With Things To See and Do
• Pics: Tons Of Pics Every Day

The daily budget of a tourist is generally much higher. This is the time to have a good time and live it up. One is likely to stay at nice accommodation, go and see expensive attractions, and enjoy various activities. This is the good life and time to spend and enjoy life.

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A traveler is someone traveling for an extended period of time. This can be done in many ways. One can take a "gap year" - after finishing high school and before entering university, just travel for a year. Alternatively, it is common to take the gap year after finishing university but before starting a job. This is often on a shoestring budget. The trip can be financed by volunteering in countries around the world. This is often where one is hosted by a family, business, or farm and does some amount of work in extend for bed and board. It is an awesome way to enjoy a cultural exchange.

• Budget: Managed To Last Long Term
• Gap Year: Take A Year Off And Do Something Completely Different Somewhere Else In The World

Often travelers will quit their jobs for a year and travel. This is very common in Europe, but perhaps less common in America. Often employers will reluctantly agree that as they are good workers, their job will be there when they get back.

• Options: Living Off Savings, Volunteering, Working And Traveling, Digital Nomad

One can also become a digital nomad and work online. In theory, any job that can be done from home on a laptop can be done remotely, if it can be done remotely, it can be down anywhere where there is internet (depending on the security and timezones, etc. of the company). Just move one's home office to Bora Bora in Tahiti or to an Air BnB on the Greek islands!

Other travelers look for freelancing work that can be done online - they look for work just made for traveling. This can include data analyst, software engineer, online English (or other) tutoring, content management, online forum community management, proofreading, and much more. There are many ways of making money while traveling .

• Online Jobs: Opportunities Online Are Limitless Now!

Travelers are typically traveling at a much slower pace and will often spend days to months just working or chilling somewhere in the world. They may rent an Airbnb in a country for a couple of months. Or work on a farm for a couple of months. But the pace is different as is the budget.

While a tourist may be spending well over $200.00 daily, a traveler may only be spending $50.00 daily (or even $20.00 or zero for savvy backpackers). This of course varies wildly.

Another difference is that whereas a tourist will often choose a place and see it superficially in a short time period. A traveler will choose a region and will often get to know it much better.

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Which is For You?

Which is better is entirely a matter of opinion and circumstance. A tourist is settled in their own country and just wants a break and to see something different. They are settled and have a family or otherwise are happy where they are.

A traveler seeks traveling to be a lifestyle - a way of life (at least for a while). The road can be someone's home. That is of course not for most folks. Most folks want a sense of a place to call home. One compromise that many travelers come to is choosing a country to live in for a year or two, and then move to another.

This is the lifestyle of many NGOs (non-government organizations - normally non-profit charity and development organizations in developing countries). Other people often in this category are workers for the United Nations seeking international postings, and embassy staff seeking international postings.

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Difference Between | Descriptive Analysis and Comparisons

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Key Difference: According to expert travellers, a traveller is a type of person that likes to live in the now, he likes to experience life as it passes by and has a whole different outlook on life. On the other hand, a tourist is usually short on time. He has a specific amount of time in which he has to plan his whole trip.

However, in today’s world the words have come to become significantly different from each other. Each word has garnered a significance that is now attached with the word. A tourist may be called a traveller without any problems, but a traveller will be gravely insulted if they were called a tourist.

A tourist and traveller differ in many aspects including likes, dislikes, travelling habits, places they like to visit, the way their experience a place, the people they like to talk to, etc.

According to expert travellers, a traveller is a type of person that likes to live in the now, he likes to experience life as it passes by and has a whole different outlook on life. They prefer to travel light, and live each place that they visit. They do not like to visit the tourist places, but rather to take the beaten path and find small places with great cultural significance. They prefer to travel in small groups of usually one or two people and prefer to walk or take the local transport.

They can usually be seen carrying a translation booklet in order to be able to talk in the local language. They prefer to shop on the street and will bargain with the shopkeepers, just like the locals. They love to try the local cuisine by eating on the street and love to listen and share stories with the locals about their culture. The travellers usually take their time to get to know a place and do not rust. They can sometimes spend months in a country, without having any inclination to leave. The traveller really gets to know and understand the root of the country they are in.

Tourists are usually people that prefer to interact very little with the locals and do not have the time to sit and converse with them. They do not listen to their stories and prefer to share very little about themselves. They are usually seen taking photos in almost every tourist spot in random poses. They also prefer to speak in English and do not like to converse in the local language. Tourists usually prefer to reside in hotels that have pools and spas, which allow them very little interaction with the locals and their housing manners.

Tourists and travellers are very different when it comes to interacting with a country. However, each are best suited to a particular type of person. A tourist has very limited time to incorporate all the things of a country into a small time consumed package and hence he must cover all the tourist places. On the other hand, a traveller has ample amount of time and money in order to admire the city at their own leisure. Being a traveller or a tourist can sometimes also depend on the country and its people.

Comparison between Traveller and Tourist:

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What is the difference between tourist and traveller?

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It’s time for that age old debate – what is the difference between tourist and traveller? For me, it all comes down to one very important thing.

Tourist vs traveller. Is there any real difference between the two? Does it really matter? And why do people care?

I don’t know why, but arguing the difference between tourist and traveller is something that happens a lot more than you’d think when backpacking and travelling.

Everyone’s got an opinion on this one, and after years of being on the road myself, I thought I’d finally break my silence and wade into the debate. I’ve always found this such an interesting topic, and I’m really interested to hear what you guys think too.

Quoting Alex Garland , author of The Beach , he said:

I had ambiguous feelings about the difference between tourists and travelers – the problem being that the more I traveled, the smaller the differences became. But the one difference I could still latch on to was that tourists went on holidays while travelers did something else. They traveled.

That quote has always resonated within me, but the more and more I travel myself the more and more I believe it boils down to one fundamental difference; travellers care.

Travellers care more than you’ll ever realise

Travellers care about the culture and societies they are visiting. Travellers care about the people they are meeting, both locals and foreigners alike. Travellers care about the way they travel, they want to discover and explore but in a sustainable way. Travellers just care.

A lot of people argue one of the main fundamental differences between a traveller and tourist is education. Not in your own personal education, but the education of travelling. People use travelling as a way to learn about themselves as much as about their surroundings, whereas tourists use travelling as an escapism, a way to forget about themselves as much as the surroundings they’ve left behind.

The way I travel is I completely immerse myself in a country and a new culture. I make the effort to learn as much of the language as I can, I speak to the local people and ask about their background, the local history, the local politics. I try and leave as good of an impression of myself and the country I come from as possible while not being quick to judge theirs.

I do all of this not because I need to but because I want to, because I care.

It’s a pretty broad brush to tarnish all tourists with by saying they don’t care, but I just don’t think a lot of them do.

Is there really a difference between a tourist or traveller though?

This isn’t some pretentious middle class debate, and this isn’t travel snobbery.

I, personally, do think there is a difference between travellers and tourists (unlike a lot of people out there).

Gary Arndt from Everything Everywhere , one of the biggest professional travel bloggers out there, once responded to the same question stating:

There is no difference. It is a distinction used by pretentious people to make themselves feel superior to others. To the locals, no matter how long you’ve been traveling or whatever your mindset is, you are still a tourist. After two years on the road, I’m still a tourist when I show up somewhere new.

This isn’t about feeling superior to anyone. I actually agree; travellers often get high and mighty about being a ‘traveller’, and to a degree this itself is anti-travelling.

However, if there is a difference between travellers and tourists, then it is down to personal perspective, what the individual thinks. Obviously this is my opinion, this is what I believe.

Travelling is such a personal experience, so what other people do, what they see, where they go, it shouldn’t affect what you do or how you feel about travelling. So long as they care.

Tourist and traveller difference: My life as a traveller

In my opinion, more often than not tourists are only ever interested in seeing a country’s sites and attractions as opposed to seeing the people within it, often just to say they’ve been to a particular place, and I think that’s sad, and at times completely contradictory to what tourism is supposed to do, what tourism is supposed to be about.

As I write this I have just come from the beautiful and historic town of Kotor on the coast of Montenegro . It’s a place teeming with tourists and travelers alike.

The town is so small I feel I could kick a football over its walls, yet every single day a new cruise ship moors up and thousands of passengers swarm within the walls, cluttering and clogging up the small side streets of Old Town.

At one restaurant I asked the waiter what he thought of the cruise ship passengers. He said: “They do nothing for the restaurant culture in Kotor. 99% of passengers have already eaten before they’ve left the ship, and they are all told to carry water with them, so they are not interested in restaurants. If anything, the large groups of them walking around Old Town put people off from dining outside.”

Walking around, you will see clusters of passengers all with a guide from the ship. They don’t use local transport, they don’t interact with the local people, and they rarely spend anything of notable worth. All in all, they just don’t care.

Kotor in the early morning and evening is a completely different place compared to the afternoon. Without the tourists, it is tranquil and charming. With them, it is something else entirely. I know which one I prefer.

The real impact of tourists

One night, after everything had closed down, including all the bars, I found a group of locals celebrating the opening of a new shop.

Confident on rakia, the local fiery spirit, I finally asked them what they all thought of the type of tourists Kotor attracted.

One guy, Nikola, said: “They do more harm than good, but it is not their fault, it is the local council’s for allowing them to come in the first place.

“10 years ago, we were all happy. Everyone stayed up late and interacted with each other; a part of that culture has died.

“The local council was only interested in making money, and then the cruise ships came.”

According to local fisherman, fish stocks and with it their way of life and earning a living are down 10 times than what they were just a few years ago.

Also, a particular type of fish has become so rare it is thought to be extinct. It doesn’t take much to deduce the correlation coinciding with the arrival of the cruise ships and the pollution they bring, both in the forms of human pollution and environmental pollution.

This is a problem for both travelers and tourists.

Traveler vs tourist quote

If there’s one quote to sum all of this up, it’s this one by Andrew Zimmern, a famous food writer:

Please be a traveler, not a tourist. Try new things, meet new people, and look beyond what’s right in front of you. Those are the keys to understanding this amazing world we live in.

Perhaps the hardest thing to deal with is as travellers there is very little we can do about tourists.

I guess the only thing we can do is to keep on being ourselves, to keep on travelling, to keep on caring. Or maybe it just doesn’t matter…

What do you think is the difference between a tourist and a traveller? I would love to hear your opinion so make sure you let me know in the comments below.

Also, make sure you read the truth about solo travel in Honduras and El Salvador and the world’s worst value tourist attractions for your next coffee break.

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About the Author

Macca Sherifi is the founder of the multiple award-winning blogs An Adventurous World and the Great British Bucket List. Every month he inspires over 200,000 avid readers to travel the world.

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16 thoughts on “What is the difference between tourist and traveller?”

‘Tourist’ comes from the word ‘tour’ which is something which is organised. Package holidays and excursions are for ‘tourists’, where meals are provided for, or a local representative is available 24/7. A traveller is willing to step outside of his/her comfort zone and to immerse themselves in a different culture. Mass tourism (there’s that word again) has a negative impact on it’s environment and very often no positive impact at all (think Venice for example), whereas travellers contribute more to local economies by eating at local restaurants and staying at independent hotels. As author Robert Louis Stevenson once said… “I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” Travellers love the feel of motion under their feet. Tourists can’t wait to arrive at their destination.

Ah Scott, you’ve nailed it. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Thanks for the comment – I really appreciate it!

I love the quote from Gary Arndt. If we venture outside of our hometown, we are essentially “tourists” at some point – whether we like to admit it or not! I always ask why are things “travellers” value automatically “better” than what “tourists” do? There are lots of overlaps and I believe we shouldn’t have to be defined as one or the other. Thanks for sharing your views on this topic!

Oh I agree with you. I was being extremely facetious when I wrote this post (a couple of years ago now!) There’s such blurred lines between being a traveller and a tourist and I think fundamentally they’re the same thing. Expanding on your point, you get just as many annoying travellers as you do tourists! Always a good debate though!

“There is no difference. It is a distinction used by pretentious people to make themselves feel superior to others.” I don’t think that tourist is something humiliating. It is just two different meanings of the describing of someone who is going to the different city, country, anywhere. You may feel the difference only in the comfort that someone has and another refuses.

Yeah, safe to say we agree with this one completely! As mentioned, we feel this is perfectly summed up in “The Beach” by Alex Garland. Always an interesting debate though!

Kudos to a nicely written article. I agree with you that there are differences between travelers and tourists. But I don’t think that these differences are as clear cut, black and white. There are tourists who care, and travelers who don’t. There are many ‘travelers’ here in Southeast Asia who come to get drunk, and have ‘tourist’ mentality you’ve described. I’ve been traveling for over 10 years and lived in many countries; I enjoyed learning about new culture, picking up new languages, and growing with each experience. I don’t think I’m a tourist, but I’m not a traveler either, as ‘travel’ connotes a destination.

Thanks for the comment Noel; I really appreciate it. I completely agree with you and it is not clear cut black and white. At the end of the day, we’re all people doing the same thing, we’re all trying to see a country in our own way. It doesn’t really matter whether that’s for a few days, a few weeks or a few years, as long as we’re doing it, you know?

Yes this is your opinion and of course your entitled to it, but Gary is right. Here is the problem; you say your are not pretentious but you certainly sound pretentious.

Definition:

To be pretentious is to make a claim or put on an act to:

A) Fit into a group.

B) Appear “better” than you are or than others.

So you are a “traveler” not a “tourist” and travelers “care” and tourists don’t. Kind of nails the definition, doesn’t it?

Fair play Rob! I can’t really argue with that definition. I really didn’t mean to come across as being pretentious; it was just a point of view that I wanted to express and to spark (another) debate. This is a subject that is quite close to my heart and I have found people’s comments fascinating. At the end of the day, there really isn’t much difference between the two. As long as people are travelling and they are enjoying it, who’s to say they’re one thing over the other.

I actually resonate more with Gary’s definition (sorry!). To say that travellers care implies that tourists don’t. Sure, some tourists don’t care, but there are many that do (and, I suspect, many travellers that don’t). A difference in care is not the distinction in my book, and I’m not really sure there is a major difference between tourists and travellers – it all just boils down to semantics IMHO.

No worries Paul! When I took the stance “travellers care, tourists don’t”, I knew it was a very broad brush to use, but I decided to go with it anyway. I completely agree with you though. I have met so many travellers who don’t care, and tourists who do. Perhaps that’s why there really isn’t much of a difference between the two. As you say, it all boils down to semantics.

Having spent the past 9 years as both a tourist and traveler, I’ve found myself caught up in this debate more times than I can count. At this point, even the words in the argument have lost their meaning. A traveler is always a tourist; even if he/she becomes “localized.” A tourist is always a traveler, because the very act of not being at home means they’re traveling.

The issue, in my opinion, is trying to put word-based labels on a lifestyle choice; and getting offended when someone calls you the wrong one. The words have lost their meaning but the sentiment remains the same. Instead of arguing tourist vs traveler, we should all embrace whatever form of travel works for us. For many of those people on the tour ship, that’s the only way they will ever feel comfortable enough to see the world. And sure, they see a very limited, fake slice of it, but at least they got off their couches. (not that I’m defending cruise ships or their impact on local communities)

Anyway, now I’m rambling… maybe that means I should write my own article on the topic. Thanks for the inspiration, and thanks for making my brain work this morning 🙂

Thanks for your comment Greg, and I’m glad I got your brain working in the morning! Always a hard task! I actually couldn’t agree with you more. As long as people are travelling, and as long as they’re enjoying it, that’s the most important thing in my eyes. Let me know if you do write an article on the topic; I’d love to see your point of view.

Great post. I couldn’t agree more. For me, travelling is really about getting under the skin of a country, knowing its people, customs and culture. I’ve seen so many photos from other Travellers and they label a picture ‘a nice temple in …’ with little other info, like they don’t know what it means to be there.

Thanks for the comment and support Abbi! I agree with you, travelling is all about getting under the skin of the country. Too many people pass through a country like a ghost; in my opinion, it’s so much better to really immerse yourself in different cultures and societies.

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Traveller vs. Tourist: Embracing Different Travel Styles

• February 12, 2024

When it comes to exploring the world, there are two distinct types of individuals: the traveller and the tourist. Both have their own unique ways of experiencing new destinations and cultures, and it’s essential to understand and appreciate the differences between these two approaches. So, are you a traveller or a tourist? Let’s dive into the world of travel styles and discover the joys of embracing each one.

The Traveller: Adventurous Souls Seeking Authentic Experiences

If you consider yourself a traveller, you are an adventurer at heart. You yearn for genuine connections and authentic experiences that immerse you in the essence of a destination. Travellers are passionate souls who seek to understand the local culture, traditions, and history. They crave to explore off-the-beaten-path destinations, ready to venture into the unknown with an open mind and heart. Travellers are like artists, painting their travel memories with vivid colors, powerful stories, and unforgettable encounters.

Travelling with Purpose

For a traveller, the journey goes beyond simply visiting landmarks and ticking off bucket list items. It’s about understanding the world and one’s place in it. Travelling with a purpose allows travellers to engage with local communities and make a positive impact. Whether it’s volunteering, supporting local businesses, or participating in cultural exchanges, the traveller seeks to leave a meaningful footprint on every journey.

Freedom and Flexibility

Travellers embrace freedom and flexibility in their itineraries. They are not bound by rigid schedules or strict plans. Instead, they allow themselves to get lost in the labyrinthine streets of a new city, stumble upon hidden gems, and interact with locals who can reveal the true essence of a place. Serendipity is their guide, leading them down unexpected paths that hold the promise of incredible discoveries.

Living Like a Local

For the traveller, the ultimate goal is to experience a destination like a local. They seek out authentic local cuisines, explore markets and bazaars, and immerse themselves in the everyday life of the people. It’s about walking in their shoes, understanding their struggles and triumphs, and developing a deep appreciation for their way of life.

The Tourist: Explorers in Search of Must-See Attractions

If you identify as a tourist, you are an explorer driven by curiosity and a desire to see the world’s most famous sights. Tourists are captivated by iconic landmarks, renowned museums, and breathtaking natural wonders. They are keen on capturing picture-perfect moments and indulging in the comfort and convenience of organized tours. Every journey is a new story to tell, and tourists are the storytellers.

Bucket List Experiences

For the tourist, visiting bucket list attractions is a top priority. From the Eiffel Tower to the Great Wall of China, these iconic landmarks hold a great allure. Tourists enjoy the thrill of checking off these famous sites from their travel lists, capturing breathtaking photos to cherish and share with friends and family.

Structured Itineraries

Tourists appreciate structured itineraries that ensure they get the most out of their limited time in a destination. They rely on organized tours and travel agencies to take care of the logistics, allowing them to focus on the enjoyment of the experience. These itineraries provide a sense of comfort and convenience, ensuring that tourists can make the most of their time and visit all the must-see attractions.

Capturing Memories

For the tourist, capturing memories is an essential part of the travel experience. From selfies in front of famous landmarks to carefully curated photo albums, tourists love to document their adventures and share them with the world. These memories serve as reminders of incredible journeys and inspire others to embark on their own explorations.

Embracing Both Travel Styles: A Harmonious Approach

While there are distinct differences between travellers and tourists, it’s important to remember that both travel styles have their merits. Instead of pitting them against each other, why not embrace both approaches and create a harmonious way of exploring the world? Here’s how:

Seek Balance

Balance is key. Incorporating elements of both travel styles allows you to experience the best of both worlds. Plan your itinerary to include iconic landmarks and hidden gems, organized tours and free exploration, structured activities and spontaneous adventures. By striking a balance, you can delve into the heart of a destination while still ticking off those must-see attractions.

Engage with Locals

No matter your travel style, engaging with locals is crucial to truly understanding a destination. Talk to the locals, learn from them, and immerse yourself in their culture. Whether you’re a traveller or a tourist, these interactions will enrich your experience and create lasting memories.

Leave a Positive Impact

Both travellers and tourists have the power to leave a positive impact on the places they visit. Support local businesses, respect the environment, and contribute to the local economy. Consider volunteering or participating in sustainable tourism practices that benefit the community. By being mindful of your actions, you can ensure that your travels have a positive effect.

Traveller vs. Tourist: Which Label Fits You?

Ultimately, whether you identify as a traveller or a tourist, what truly matters is the joy and fulfillment that travel brings to your life. It’s about exploring the world, broadening your horizons, and creating memories that will last a lifetime.

So, are you a traveller, ready to uncover the hidden treasures of the world? Or are you a tourist, eager to bask in the grandeur of famous landmarks? Perhaps you are a harmonious blend of both. Whichever label resonates with you, embrace it, and let your adventures unfold.

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Traveller vs Tourist: Exploring the Essence of Your Journey

Feb 13, 2024 | Feature | 0 comments

Do you enjoy immersing yourself in the local culture or prefer to stick to well-planned tours? This is often the basis for debating whether you are a traveller or a tourist.

The main difference between these two exploration styles is their impact on the individual and the places they visit.

In this article, we will delve into the details of each approach, examining how they can positively impact the world while providing fresh perspectives and experiences for those who embrace them.

Discover whether you align more with the spontaneous explorations of a traveller or the structured sightseeing of a tourist as we explore their impact on the places they visit and the experiences they cherish.

Traveller vs Tourist: Exploring the Essence of Your Journey.

Key Takeaways of the Traveller vs Tourist Debate

• The difference between tourists and travellers often lies in their approach: tourists may follow an itinerary and prioritize comfort, while travellers seek authentic experiences and local immersion.
• Engagement with local culture, such as learning the language, eating local cuisine, and respecting customs, can significantly enrich travel experiences and contribute positively to the community.
• While enjoying the journey, mindful accommodation choices and the impact on local economies are important, and labels like ‘tourist’ and ‘traveller’ should not overshadow the personal nature and authenticity of one’s travel experience.

Traveller vs tourist mindset.

Exploring the Traveller and Tourist Mindsets

While both tourists and travellers explore the world, their approaches often differ. Tourists and travellers differ in their mindset and approach to exploring new places. Tourists often use travel as escapism and comfort, sticking to the itinerary and ticking off lists of iconic sights. On the other hand, travellers seek to enrich their experience by soaking in experiences and discovering off-the-beaten-path locales.

Regardless of their engagement styles, which some people argue about, both parties significantly impact the local economy of the places they visit.

The Quest for Authenticity: Traveller Makes an Effort

Travellers often go the extra mile, literally and metaphorically. They demonstrate a commitment to understanding and respecting local culture by investing time in research and engaging in community host programs. Their journey is marked by an effort to genuinely connect with local traditions and heritage, reflecting their quest for authenticity.

Sightseeing vs. Immersion: Tourists Stick to the Itinerary

Tourists tend to prioritise visiting famous landmarks, sticking to structured travel plans centred around these popular attractions, which can be considered tourist sites. This approach to travel, rooted in historical travel patterns, offers a curated experience of a destination, with scenic and themed journeys emerging to cater to this preference.

Comfort Zone Boundaries: Tourist or Not a Tourist?

However, it’s worth noting that the distinction between a tourist and a traveller isn’t always clear-cut. While travellers might venture outside their comfort zone more frequently, an appreciation for familiar amenities doesn’t preclude a tourist from embracing new experiences.

Travel abroad and partake in volunteering programs worldwide to give back to the communities.

Cultural Engagement: More Than Just a Visitor

To be more than a mere visitor, one must actively engage with local culture, respect societal norms, and uphold environmental responsibility. Here are some ways to do so:

• Learn the local language
• Participate in local farming and crafts
• Support local businesses and artisans
• Respect cultural traditions and customs
• Minimize your environmental impact
• Form lasting bonds with the communities you visit

By following these guidelines, travellers can contribute to the preservation of cultural heritage and respect for cultural norms, leading to a more meaningful and responsible travel experience.

Language as a Bridge: The Effort to Speak Local Words

Mastering even a few local language words can significantly enhance the overall experience. It allows travellers to:

• Connect genuinely with the community and its culture, fostering more meaningful and authentic experiences
• Become more independent and confident
• Open doors to honest conversations with locals
• Bridge cultural gaps

By speaking the local language, travellers can make the most out of their trip, create lasting memories, and connect with local people.

Dining Like a Local: Why a Traveller Eats Local Food

An integral part of travel is relishing local cuisine, which is closely linked to the cultural experience and offers a glimpse into the local heritage. Trying local dishes is a form of cultural immersion, providing insight into the place’s way of life and history.

Eating at small, local restaurants also ensures your money goes directly into the community, providing an authentic culinary experience.

Cultural engagement and exploration.

Accommodation Choices: Where You Stay Matters

Your choice of nightly accommodation can significantly shape your travel experience. From glamping to staying in traditional local housing, your choice of accommodation can set the tone for a truly unforgettable vacation or business trip. After all, understanding your personal accommodation needs is crucial in finding the perfect place to stay.

Beyond the Hotel Experience: Finding Local Charm

Opting for alternatives to traditional hotels can offer deeper insights into local life. Choosing accommodations like Spanish villas, Airbnb, or even boutique hostels can provide a unique and personalized stay, enhancing the authenticity of the travel experience.

Safety and Comfort: Balancing Adventure and Well-being

Undoubtedly, while seeking adventure off the beaten path, safety and comfort remain supreme. Considering the following factors is crucial for a positive and memorable stay:

• Safety features of accommodations
• Access to transport
• Access to cash
• Access to communication

Shared experiences from other travellers can provide insights into finding safe and comfortable accommodations in less explored areas.

. Accommodations like Spanish villas, Airbnb, or boutique hostels can provide a unique and personalised stay.

Economic Impact: Supporting the Community You Visit

Travellers can positively impact local economies by supporting small businesses and local organizations. Increased visitor spending results in higher sales tax revenue, which can be reinvested into the community, leading to economic growth in the areas they visit.

The demand for better infrastructure and expanded service offerings due to tourism serves the visitors and improves the quality of life for residents.

Tourism Industry Realities: The Double-Edged Sword

Yet, it’s critical to remember that tourism can have positive and negative impacts. It can exacerbate local issues such as overcrowding, poor infrastructure, and living conditions, leading to an uneven income distribution, increased consumption of natural resources, and substantial negative ecological impacts.

But the coin has another side: tourism can contribute to cultural safeguarding and revitalization, foster mutual respect, and improve international relations.

Making Conscious Choices: How Your Money Talks

By making mindful decisions, travellers can actively contribute to positive change. Here are some ways to do so:

• Consuming local food
• Staying in eco-friendly accommodations
• Supporting female-owned enterprises
• Donating to local charities

Every decision can help promote social responsibility and empower local communities.

The positive economic impact of travel.

Navigating New Territories: Instincts Over Google Maps

Transitioning from economic implications to exploration, it’s worth discussing how to navigate unfamiliar territories. While Google Maps may be handy, relying on instincts can lead to more spontaneous and explorative experiences.

Intuition can serve as a vital tool for safety, and choosing to navigate without technological assistance can enhance engagement with the local environment and culture.

Discovering the Uncharted: A Traveller’s Joy

Embarking on a journey off the beaten track can be a thrilling experience. Exploring lesser-known locations often leads to more meaningful experiences, new friendships, and transformative experiences. Plus, the anticipation and delight of discovering hidden gems before they gain popularity give many travellers a sense of pioneering and the pleasure of sharing these finds with others and immersing themselves in a new culture.

The Reliance on Technology: When to Put Away the GPS

However, determining when to rely on technology and when to trust our instincts can be a challenge. Avoiding using GPS for navigation can prevent travellers from being confined to well-trodden paths, enabling more unexpected and personal discoveries.

The challenge of finding one’s way without a GPS can boost a traveller’s confidence and foster reliance on one’s abilities to navigate.

Navigating New Territories: Instincts Over Google Maps.

Social Dynamics: Solo Exploration vs Group Excursions

The social interactions during travel play a significant role in shaping the overall experience. Whether you prefer the flexibility of solo travel or the social experience of group travel, each has distinct advantages and opportunities for personal growth.

The Power of Solitude: Personal Growth on the Road

Solo travel offers a unique set of advantages, including:

• A personalized itinerary
• Improved self-awareness
• Enhanced decision-making abilities
• Independence and confidence
• Deepened engagement with the culture and environment

The Group Tour Debate: Convenience vs. Authenticity

Conversely, group tours provide ease and potential cost savings for large groups. They handle all transport, accommodation, and tickets for attractions, making group travel generally cheaper than individually. However, the structured nature of group tours may limit opportunities for personal exploration and authentic experiences.

Social Dynamics: Solo Exploration vs Group Excursions.

The Label Debate: Rejecting Travel Snobbery

However, it’s essential not to get entangled in the terminology. The distinction between ‘traveller’ and ‘tourist’ often leads to a sense of elitism and superiority in travel, which can overshadow the true essence of journeying. After all, travel motivations are varied and should not be subjected to the narrow classifications imposed by travel snobbery.

Why Labels Don’t Define Your Journey

Whether identifying as a tourist or traveller, it’s vital to remember that these labels don’t necessarily reflect the real difference a traveller makes in the quality or authenticity of the travel experience. Each individual has interests and comfort levels that should not be deemed superior or inferior.

After all, travel experiences are personal and cannot be judged by labels.

From Instagram Feed to Real Life: Staying Present

In today’s digital age, it’s tempting to focus primarily on capturing ‘Instagrammable’ moments during travel. But the real adventure lies in the present moment, beyond the camera lens. Navigating without technology can enhance engagement with the local environment and culture, leading to more profound, authentic experiences.

A Summary of a Traveller vs a Tourist

From the characteristics of travellers and tourists to the impacts of travel choices, we’ve explored the essence of journeying. Whether you’re a traveller, a tourist, or a bit of both, remember that the joy of travel lies in the experiences and memories you create, not the labels you wear.

The beauty of exploring new territories, engaging with different cultures, and stepping outside your comfort zone is a universal aspect of travel that transcends these definitions. Each trip offers unique opportunities to learn, grow, and see the world through a new lens.

So, pack your bags with an open mind and a heart ready for adventure, and let the journey transform you as much as you impact the destinations you visit.

Related Content to Fair Dinkum Traveller!

• Budget Airlines vs Major Airlines: Is Budget Always Cheaper?
• Hotels vs Camping: Who is Your Winner?
• Holiday Apartment vs Hotels – What is your preferred Holiday Option?

Which a you, a traveller or a tourist?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a traveller and a tourist.

The difference between a traveller and a tourist is that a traveller goes to different places and may not return to the previous place. In contrast, a tourist temporarily visits a new place for leisure. So, essentially, a traveller is more about the journey, and a tourist is more about the destination.

Is every tourist a traveller?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the terms “tourist” and “traveller” are nearly the same, as both involve making a trip or journey for pleasure or culture. Therefore, every tourist is essentially a traveller.

What is the traveller vs tourist debate?

The debate between “traveller” and “tourist” revolves around the image they evoke; a traveller is seen as brave and visiting fewer mainstream places, while a tourist is perceived as following guidebooks to well-known sights.

How can travellers support local communities?

Travellers can support local communities by spending money at small businesses, getting involved with local organizations, and making thoughtful spending decisions. This helps to contribute to the local economy and community positively.

Why is it beneficial to navigate without technology?

Navigating without technology allows for more spontaneous and explorative experiences while boosting confidence and independence in one’s steering ability. It can lead to a deeper connection with the environment and self-reliance.

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Tourist vs. Traveller: What’s the Difference?

What kind of person are you, a tourist or a traveller ? Most people would say that these are actually the same thing, though in reality, they couldn’t be more different. Both have completely different approaches when it comes to travel and in fact, one group despises the other!

So what exactly is the difference between them? Why does one group have such animosity towards the other? And more importantly, which one are you?

Table of Contents

What is a Tourist?

A tourist travels once or twice a year and stay in a minimum of a 3-star hotel and only dines in mid-range restaurants and above. They prefer to know exactly what they’re eating or better yet, something that they actually recognise. Tourists are usually very easy to spot, as they’re the one’s who walk around Japan wearing kimonos or insist on wearing a sombrero while in Mexico.

Tourists say they want to experience different cultures, though they won’t want to stray too far from their creature comforts of home. These are the British holidaymakers that go to Benidorm, Spain only to have their dinner in a pub called The Three Lions or Americans that travel all the way to Jamaica just to stay within the confines of their sandals resort. All tourists really want is warm weather and nice beaches, nothing else.

Most important of all, tourists want a holiday , a maximum of 2 weeks away before they start missing life back home.

What is a Traveller?

A traveller stays in the cheapest nastiest hostels or sleeps on the floor of someone’s house if it means they get to travel. Travellers want to immerse themselves in different cultures and live life like a local. A traveller finds any way they can to get from A to B, be it a deathtrap bus or hitching a ride with a stranger.

Travellers want to adventure to the most obscure corners of the world and challenge themselves to experience something a few people have. Travellers want to sample new and unique cuisine and will even eat food sold on the streets.

Most important of all, if a traveller had a choice, they would live life on the road for 365 days a year, without a second thought to life back “ home”. Travellers sacrifice everything to do what they do; lives back home, careers, relationships, everything.

Tourist is the Enemy of the Traveller

Though both tourists and travellers have a common love of travelling to foreign countries, it’s the defining difference between them is what drives a wedge between them. Tourists are unfortunately the target of travellers’ loathing. For many, the sight of Bermuda short-wearing tour groups is enough to make you cringe.

But why? What’s the reason for all of this animosity?

Commercialisation

There’s a predictable pattern that happens year after year. Travellers find a gorgeous new hidden paradise, word quickly spreads which brings the wave of tourists then boom, you have yourself another Ibiza or Bali full of high-rise hotels, McDonald’s and Irish bars on every corner and heavy commercialisation.

Tourists bring with them a demand for convenience. As a result, everything that once made a place so unique and special is ravaged by the tourist horde until it’s a shell of its former self. What was once a secret white sandy beach later becomes filled with deck chairs and umbrellas before a long line of hotels.

Travellers prefer to travel through life a breeze and adapting to the world they are in, rather than wanting it to change to fit their needs. They want everything to remain exactly the same.

Giving Travellers a Bad Name

Though it’s pretty easy for us to tell who is a tourist and who is the traveller, straw hats and bright pink skin is a dead giveaway. Of course, most tourists are the nicest people on Earth who have nothing but good intentions and a simple desire to relax for a few days in some tropical weather. Sadly, others aren’t so quiet, respectful or discrete.

As far as locals are concerned, we’re all the same, we’re simply foreigners . Being tarred with the same brush means we’re automatically assumed to be like tourists in every way, and that’s a problem.

We’re grouped in with the pissed-up stag parties screaming their way through the streets of Prague and every Karen with their short blonde hair yelling at the man behind the counter because he doesn’t speak English. Who wants to be associated with them?

Feeling of Resentment

As pretentious as it may be, many travellers have a feeling of resentment towards tourists. It’s like spending hours struggling to climb to the top of a mountain just to see a group of lazy bastards stepping off a cable car. They haven’t put the work into it that you have, and you feel that they don’t deserve it.

We’ve travelled hundreds of miles on death-trap buses and titanic-quality ferries, slept of piss-stained hostel mattresses and ate with rats running across our feet. Whereas tourists just from a first-class flight straight into a hired car to guide them to their 4-star hotels. They haven’t earned it.

Nothing Wrong With Being a Tourist

Though this article sounds like a scathing attack on tourists, it’s not my intention. There’s nothing wrong with being a tourist, many people don’t have a choice but to be one. Most people have responsibilities and don’t have the time to spend weeks or months at a time on the road. Neither can your family of four realistically stay in a budget hostel with a bunch of drunk and horny youths.

Sometimes you have no choice but to be a tourist, and what’s more, sometimes it’s a relief to be. I think everyone likes to stay in a decent nice hotel and have some quick cosy transport from time to time!

It’s a State of Mind

What it boils down to, the real difference between being a tourist or a traveller is the mindset of an individual, where their priorities lay. It’s about how much respect a person shows to where they are, to the culture they’re intruding into. It’s about how much you actually want to experience outside of what you’re used to, and even if you don’t want to, to at least respect it.

But above all else, the real difference between the two can be easily summed up; tourists want a holiday , travellers want an adventure .

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Cool article I enjoyed reading it. Even within the traveler category there are differences and some resentment. The traveler you described is a backpacker, getting by as cheaply as possible, hostels, etc. but now we have digital nomad culture, those who also travel all year and love cultural immersion, but aren’t on a cheap budget. I personally sometimes get annoyed by the backpacker crowd too only due to personal experiences and these things are only true in my limited reality. But I do get your overall sentiment, we travelers in the end are all just travelers, even the tourists. If you’re interested I wrote an article about it on my website “backpacker vs digital nomad” if you wanna check it out. Thanks for sharing !

TravellingWelshman

Absaloutely agreed with that one! Even these two groups can be broken down into different sub-groups and different styles of travel, its much more intricate than people first realise. But of course there isn’t a right or wrong way of travelling, each to their own! Thank you so much for checking out my article, I’ll be sure to check yours out too!

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The "Good Tourism" Blog

For diverse perspectives on sustainable tourism & responsible travel ... because travel & tourism is everyone's business., tourist vs traveller: what’s the difference.

What is the dif­fer­ence between a tour­ist and a traveller? 

How do the beha­viours and atti­tudes of tour­ists dif­fer from those of trav­el­lers when inter­act­ing with people and places?

Your cor­res­pond­ent put these tour­ist vs trav­el­ler ques­tions to “GT’s” diverse net­work of travel & tour­ism stake­hold­ers — “GT” Insight authors, “GT” Part­ners, and their invit­ees — and invited emailed writ­ten responses of no more than 300 words. 

Thanks to those who chose to par­ti­cip­ate. Their answers appear in the order received. 

Click/touch a name to go to their answer:

• Saverio F Ber­to­lu­cci  — Dif­fer­ent modes and motiv­a­tions for travel
• Zohreh Khos­ravi  — Tour­ist vs trav­el­ler : Be respons­ible, regardless
• S Fate­meh Mosta­favi Shirazi  —  The dif­fer­ences are narrowing
• Jim Butcher  — For some, ‘mor­al and cul­tur­al status’ matters
• K Michael Hay­wood  — Tour­ist vs trav­el­ler: Is it relevant?
• Peter Richards  — Leave that bag­gage at home
• Geof­frey Lip­man  — Tour­ist vs trav­el­ler? ‘The plan­et doesn’t care’
• Dorji Dhradhul  — In Bhutan: A ‘vis­it­or’ when plan­ning, a ‘guest’ upon arrival
• Steve Noakes  — Will AI influ­ence beha­viours, attitudes?
• Dav­id Jar­ratt  — ‘The des­ig­na­tion is tem­por­ary, flu­id, and, ulti­mately, flawed’
• Sudip­ta K Sarkar  — Tours can be ‘cre­at­ively recre­ated’ to be more like travel
• Ivana Dam­njan­ović  — Bet­ter to focus on adject­ives, not nouns
• Edwin Magio  — Dis­tinc­tions are ‘used to make people feel inferior/superior’
• Ha Phan  — What mat­ters is a happy exper­i­ence for all concerned
• Susan Eardly  — ‘It doesn’t mat­ter as long as you’re see­ing the world’
• Elisa Spamp­inato  — ‘The pre­cious bag­gage of meaning’
• Chat­G­PT  — Trav­el­lers ‘tend to have a more pos­it­ive impact’ than tourists
• What do you think?

Pre­vi­ous “GT” Insight Bites:

• The heads of fin­ance, oper­a­tions, and PR walk into their boss’s office … 
• Yes, Tour­ism Minister
• What are tourism’s biggest chal­lenges & threats over the next five years?
• ‘Tour­ism is built on the back­bone of white suprem­acy’. What do you think?
• Really, what’s the dif­fer­ence? ‘Sus­tain­able tour­ism’ vs ‘regen­er­at­ive tourism’
• Want a career in tour­ism? Import­ant things you should know
• Diverse per­spect­ives on travel & tour­ism and a fairer world
• Diverse per­spect­ives on eco­nom­ic degrowth and tourism
• Diverse per­spect­ives on vis­it­or dispersion

Different modes and motivations for travel

Saverio francesco bertolucci , administrative assistant,  alcambarcelona , spain.

Tour­ists and trav­el­lers are not exactly the same. 

I describe the trav­el­ler as a sub­type of tour­ist who is ded­ic­ated to mak­ing journeys. 

Trav­el­lers invest time and money to see many dif­fer­ent des­tin­a­tions using all trans­port means possible. 

Trav­el­lers’ aim is to get an over­view of many dif­fer­ent places, there­fore they do not prop­erly settle down in an area, but rather move quickly from one des­tin­a­tion to anoth­er. The most fam­ous cluster of trav­el­lers is rep­res­en­ted by globetrotters.

In gen­er­al tour­ists’ needs and wants are more pre­ten­tious and their impact on the loc­al eco­nomy can be more powerful. 

Tour­ists often select a spe­cif­ic des­tin­a­tion for the dur­a­tion of a trip, vis­it­ing many cul­tur­al and nat­ur­al her­it­age sites, res­taur­ants, and oth­er attrac­tions. They rarely organ­ise more than one day trip away from that destination.

Dif­fer­ences can be defined also on a char­ac­ter-based ana­lys­is: Trav­el­lers are free spir­its who wish to make a con­nec­tion with their inner selves, while tour­ists look for mes­mer­ising exper­i­ences to increase their know­ledge of a place and/or enjoy its goods and services. 

It is import­ant to note that these are gen­er­al traits. There are always exceptions.

Back to menu ^

Tourist vs traveller: Be responsible, regardless

Zohreh khosravi ,  content strategist , iran.

Everything hinges on the atti­tude and beha­viour of tour­ists or trav­el­lers in their inter­ac­tion with the host com­munity and the des­tin­a­tion, regard­less of their category.

It is bet­ter to use the term ‘respons­ible tour­ist’ or ‘respons­ible trav­el­ler’ than simply tour­ist or trav­el­ler, because respons­ible people are ulti­mately what any des­tin­a­tion wants to attract. 

For sim­pli­city I’ll refer to tour­ists … respons­ible tourists.

Respons­ible tour­ists place great value on the des­tin­a­tions they vis­it. From the moment they arrive they con­sider them­selves involved in the improve­ment of the des­tin­a­tion and the well-being of its people.

They plan and con­duct their trips in such a way that res­id­ents bene­fit, as well as themselves. 

When meet­ing res­id­ents, respons­ible tour­ists don’t feel sep­ar­ate or super­i­or, but con­sider dif­fer­ences in life­style and cul­ture as learn­ing oppor­tun­it­ies. Respons­ible tour­ists hon­our the loc­al identity. 

Respons­ible tour­ists prefer to stay in sus­tain­able accom­mod­a­tions and simple eco­lodges instead of chain hotels and inter­na­tion­al resorts. 

Rather than eat­ing in chain fast foods and inter­na­tion­al res­taur­ants, respons­ible tour­ists prefer the exper­i­ence of eat­ing in simple, clean, and cosy loc­al cafes; per­haps even observing and par­ti­cip­at­ing in the cook­ing process. 

Sim­il­arly, such a tour­ist does not go to lux­ury and brand stores. 

When buy­ing souven­irs to take home, they look for real products that come from the heart of the loc­al cul­ture; arts and crafts that are actu­ally pro­duced by locals. 

This sort of respect is what sep­ar­ates the respons­ible tour­ist and respons­ible trav­el­ler from simply the tour­ist or the traveller.

Tourist vs traveller: The differences are narrowing

S fatemeh mostafavi shirazi , visiting scholar, iran.

On Feb­ru­ary 7, I put “What is the dif­fer­ence between a tour­ist and a trav­el­ler” into Google. It returned 69,800,000 res­ults in 0.62 seconds. 

The attempt to dif­fer­en­ti­ate the ‘tour­ist’ from the ‘trav­el­ler’ has a long his­tory. Authors with dif­fer­ent cul­tures, back­grounds, and per­spect­ives have writ­ten about the sim­il­ar­it­ies and dif­fer­ences between tour­ists and travellers. 

It mainly comes down to the pur­pose of travel. 

For example, were many early trav­el­lers in fact “proto-tour­ists” , as Crick described them in 1985?

Gov­ern­ments like to keep track of who is com­ing and going, and why, which makes defin­i­tions import­ant for statistics. 

From that per­spect­ive, in 2008, the Inter­na­tion­al Recom­mend­a­tions for Tour­ism Stat­ist­ics (IRTS) described a trav­el­ler as “someone who moves between dif­fer­ent geo­graph­ic loc­a­tions, for any pur­pose and any duration”. 

A tour­ist? “A vis­it­or (domest­ic, inbound or out­bound) is clas­si­fied as a tour­ist (or overnight vis­it­or) if his/her trip includes an overnight stay, or as a same-day vis­it­or (or excur­sion­ist) otherwise.”

Undoubtedly, it is an ongo­ing debate as authors define tour­ist and trav­el­ler from dif­fer­ent points of view. Some do believe there are dif­fer­ences along­side many sim­il­ar­it­ies, and some do not. 

The dif­fer­ences between these two terms are nar­row­ing in the digit­al age, as the speed and turnover of inform­a­tion and know­ledge is increasing. 

When we move to a dif­fer­ent place (travel), or vis­it attrac­tions, quer­ies come to our mind that we look for answers to. Tech­no­logy offers the oppor­tun­ity to see new places and their attrac­tions and get answers to our quer­ies without travelling. 

But, the human sense of mov­ing (travel) to and through a phys­ic­al des­tin­a­tion is quite dif­fer­ent from the vir­tu­al envir­on­ment. Without a doubt, the vir­tu­al exper­i­ence is not the same as a real exper­i­ence in a phys­ic­al destination.

Ulti­mately, our con­cern is peoples’ move­ment from one phys­ic­al loc­a­tion to another. 

For some, ‘moral and cultural status’ matters

Jim butcher , reader,  canterbury christ church university , uk; tourism’s horizon ; politics of tourism.

The main dif­fer­ence is that most tour­ists would nev­er worry about such questions. 

Trav­el­lers might. 

For some of the lat­ter, mor­al and cul­tur­al status, expressed through con­spicu­ous con­sump­tion, matters. 

Tour­ists are after a holiday. 

The 18 th cen­tury aris­to­cracy sent their off­spring trav­el­ling around Europe; part of their induc­tion into the elite of their day, through the acquis­i­tion of cul­ture and ‘civil­isa­tion’. 

Today travel can play a com­par­able role. 

A gap year teach­ing Eng­lish abroad, or a stint as a volun­teer tour­ist in a Cam­bod­i­an orphan­age, is a right of pas­sage for middle class youth seek­ing entry into the pro­fes­sion­al mana­geri­al class ; the new elite of experts, poli­cy­makers, and NGO employ­ees with the author­ity to decide much about oth­ers’ lives.

Tour­ism as we know and love it arrived with indus­tri­al­isa­tion in the 19 th cen­tury, and became increas­ingly avail­able to a grow­ing work­ing class. 

Thomas Cook defen­ded ‘travel for the mil­lions’ in 1850s Bri­tain; pho­to­graph­er Har­old Fein­stein cham­pioned the joy­ful human­ity of New York’s teem­ing tour­ists 100 years later; while Black­pool, Coney Island, Rimini, and the Costa Del Sol wel­comed the masses on their hol­i­days at vari­ous stages throughout. 

But an anti-mass sen­ti­ment is ever present. Even today it is expressed through a desire by some to sep­ar­ate their cul­tur­al pur­suits from those of the lower orders. 

To be a trav­el­ler has often been a way of dif­fer­en­ti­at­ing one­self from the mass tour­ist. But travel need not be infused with the snob­bery of those who sig­nal their vir­tues over the sun seek­ing majority. 

Jack Ker­ou­ac, icon of post 1945 travel, wrote in The Dharma Bums : 

“I saw that my life was a vast glow­ing empty page and I could do any­thing I wanted.”

A worthy pae­an to youth­ful free­dom for our risk-con­scious, reg­u­lated age, for trav­el­lers and tour­ists alike.

Tourist vs traveller: Is it relevant?

K michael haywood , professor emeritus,  university of guelph , canada.

I loathe the word ‘tour­ist’. 

It has become a pejor­at­ive term used unfairly to describe a deluge of out­siders (many trav­el­ling or arriv­ing en masse) unsure of their sur­round­ings and, there­fore, will­ing to remain aloof and observe from afar. 

In anoth­er sense, it has become a descriptor reflect­ing neg­at­ively not only on the industry (that can add value to com­munit­ies), but on those of us who, by nature, are curi­ous introverts.

Ref­er­ence to ‘trav­el­ler’ as being a more enlightened and respect­ful jour­ney­er or adven­turer is sim­il­arly misrepresentative. 

We’re all con­stant trav­el­lers, many of us con­tent to be mobile sight­seers, not neces­sar­ily the type of people who are always seek­ing self-ful­fil­ment or cul­tur­al awareness.

Now, it is being said that the age of the post-tour­ist is upon us. To those of us attent­ive to the nuanced evol­u­tion of travel & tour­ism, we know there is noth­ing new here at all. 

Unfor­tu­nately, though, we’re deal­ing with anoth­er equally ambigu­ous char­ac­ter­isa­tion that’s gen­er­at­ing indis­crim­in­ate advocacy for de-growth , itself far from being a trans­form­a­tion­al panacea. 

As a baseline descriptor I’m con­tent with the more benign term, ‘vis­it­or’, know­ing full-well that most des­tin­a­tions these days are dis­cern­ing as to the desired types of vis­it­ors they seek. To this end, demo­graph­ic and psy­cho­graph­ic seg­ment­a­tion has been the norm for dec­ades, as in Canada’s Explorer Quo­tient Pro­files .  

And yet, while I may be an explorer part of the time, I doubt that I fit neatly into any par­tic­u­lar pro­file. Depend­ing on the time and cir­cum­stance, we all travel for mul­tiple motiv­a­tion­al reasons. 

Cer­tainly our desires and inclin­a­tions can be influ­enced through bet­ter and more eth­ic­al psy­cho­lo­gic­al tar­get­ing , but as strangers wel­comed in the midst of those places we decide to vis­it we must remem­ber: We have oblig­a­tions to act and behave responsibly.

Leave that baggage at home

Peter richards , project manager, switch-asia tourlink , thailand.

I’ve wit­nessed the often judge­ment-laden tour­ist vs trav­el­ler debate for years, and met vis­it­ors in both camps who have some­times been insight­ful and caring, oth­er times incred­ibly selfish.

There may pos­sibly be some use­ful dis­tinc­tions between a ‘tour­ist’ and a ‘trav­el­ler’.

Per­haps a con­scious decision to jour­ney as a ‘trav­el­ler’ rather than as a tour­ist can lead to very dif­fer­ent, more raw, and in some cases rich­er experiences. 

How­ever, when con­sid­er­ing which kinds of vis­it­ors are truly more of a bless­ing or a bur­den to loc­al places and people, I don’t think that these dif­fer­ences are as import­ant as the more fun­da­ment­al dif­fer­ence between being a friendly, polite, and fairly humble vis­it­or; or being an arrog­ant, demand­ing, and highly self-absorbed visitor. 

I would sug­gest that wheth­er one is on a two-week poolside break from crazy career busy­n­ess, or one is lucky enough to be tak­ing a year-long jour­ney of (self) dis­cov­ery, the more that we can leave the bag­gage of our expect­a­tions and rel­at­ive self-import­ance at home — includ­ing over-think­ing the kudos of our travel cre­den­tials — the bet­ter the exper­i­ence is likely to be for everyone.

Tourist vs traveller? ‘The planet doesn’t care’

Geoffrey lipman , president & co-founder,  sunx malta  .

The plan­et doesn’t care. Cli­mate change will hit tour­ists and trav­el­lers alike. 

It will kill their kids and grandkids if travel & tour­ism doesn’t play its part fully in the glob­al response. And it will hit the poorest first; par­tic­u­larly the least developed coun­tries and small islands vul­ner­able to sea level rise.

Humanity’s very sur­viv­al is at stake.

Our ment­or at SUNx, the late Maurice Strong, called this out in 1972 at the first Earth Sum­mit that he led in Stock­holm; and in the second that he led in Rio 1992; and in the Earth Charter that he launched in 2000 with Mikhael Gorbachev, call­ing for a pact between people and planet.

The IPCC has said that to get to the safe space of Par­is 1.5 by mid-cen­tury, human­ity has to peak green­house gas emis­sions in 2025, cut them in half by 2030, and hit Net Zero by 2050. 

Human­ity includes all people: Tour­ists and trav­el­lers, vis­it­ors and the vis­ited, and all the people in travel & tour­ism who facil­it­ate that.

Please note “peak in 2025”. Our sec­tor’s silence on this is deafening. 

This is what’s behind the concept of Cli­mate Friendly Travel: Our sec­tor respond­ing to the exist­en­tial threat — keep­ing that simple fact at the top of our minds — as we nav­ig­ate through crowding, intensi­fy­ing elec­tron­ic conversations.

It’s why this ques­tion of tour­ists or trav­el­lers reminds me of the Church in the Middle Ages debat­ing “How many angels can you get on the point of a pin?” 

Cor­rect answer: Who cares?

Wheth­er trav­el­ler or tour­ist, we need to help peak emis­sions now. 

Two real questions: 

• How do we all keep trav­el­ling and tour­ing, and organ­ising and man­aging travel and tours, while peak­ing emis­sions in 2025?
• What is our plan B to save our kids?

We need answers now.

In Bhutan: A ‘visitor’ when planning, a ‘guest’ upon arrival

Dorji dhradhul , director-general,  tourism council of bhutan.

In Bhutan’s trans­formed tour­ism policy, which came into effect on Septem­ber 23, 2022, we are subtly yet delib­er­ately repla­cing the word ‘tour­ist’ with ‘guest’.

We believe she is a ‘vis­it­or’ when she is plan­ning to vis­it our coun­try. The moment she arrives, the vis­it­or becomes our ‘guest’.

A guest is more per­son­al and bey­ond business. 

And a guest leaves our coun­try as our friend and fam­ily with a renewed wish to return or stay con­nec­ted for life. 

So, I believe the word ‘trav­el­ler’ has no place or space in our tour­ism approach.

This is being influ­enced by our tour­ism policy and prac­tice of “ high-value low volume ” aptly backed up by the prin­ciple that tour­ism is bey­ond rev­en­ue and receipts in Bhutan.

Will AI influence behaviours, attitudes?

Steve noakes , chair,  binna burra lodge , australia; founder,  pacific asia tourism.

I decided to see what Chat­G­PT might say in answer to your ques­tion. It told me:

“… a tour­ist gen­er­ally seeks a more famil­i­ar and com­fort­able exper­i­ence, while a trav­el­ler is more inter­ested in explor­ing and immers­ing them­selves in new cul­tures and experiences.

“How­ever, it’s import­ant to note that these are gen­er­al­isa­tions, and many people may con­sider them­selves both tour­ists and trav­el­lers, depend­ing on the cir­cum­stances of their trip.”

So then I thought about how arti­fi­cial intel­li­gence (AI)- gen­er­ated inform­a­tion might impact on the beha­viours and atti­tudes of a tour­ist or a trav­el­ler and the way in which they inter­act with people and places.

Well, it’s hard to say at this early stage of the new tech­no­logy, so, I thought I’d ask Chat­G­PT to improve this text I have just written.

This is what it told me:

I made a few minor edits to improve the clar­ity and flow of the text:

“I was curi­ous to see what Chat­G­PT would say in response to your ques­tion, and it provided the fol­low­ing explanation:

‘A tour­ist gen­er­ally seeks a more famil­i­ar and com­fort­able exper­i­ence, while a trav­el­ler is more inter­ested in explor­ing and immers­ing them­selves in new cul­tures and exper­i­ences. How­ever, it’s import­ant to note that these are gen­er­al­isa­tions, and many people may con­sider them­selves both tour­ists and trav­el­lers, depend­ing on the cir­cum­stances of their trip.’

“This got me think­ing about how the inform­a­tion gen­er­ated by arti­fi­cial intel­li­gence may influ­ence the beha­viours and atti­tudes of tour­ists and trav­el­lers, as well as the way in which they inter­act with people and places. It’s dif­fi­cult to say at this early stage of the tech­no­logy’s devel­op­ment, but it will be inter­est­ing to observe how AI con­tin­ues to shape the way we travel and exper­i­ence new cultures.”

‘The designation is temporary, fluid, and, ultimately, flawed’

David jarratt , senior lecturer in tourism management, the university of central lancashire , uk.

I’m not sure that there is an object­ive dif­fer­ence, rather the term ‘trav­el­ler’ refers to how some tour­ists see them­selves and/or the type of exper­i­ences they consume. 

This dis­tinc­tion hints at exclus­iv­ity and can be con­sidered an attempt to set one­self apart from the ‘masses’. 

This is per­haps best summed up in a quote by Water­house (p18) :

“I am a trav­el­ler, you are a tour­ist, he is a tripper”

He points out that such dis­tinc­tions, which emerged in the 19 th cen­tury, are largely mean­ing­less as trav­el­lers are fig­ments of their own ima­gin­a­tions or, altern­at­ively, they are simply tour­ists with a bet­ter brand image! 

The self-declared Trav­el­ler may seek seem­ingly authen­t­ic cul­tur­al exper­i­ences and describe them­selves as sens­it­ive, dis­cern­ing, adven­tur­ous, or inde­pend­ent; for travel allows us not only to amass cul­tur­al cap­it­al but it can be seen as reflect­ing one’s life­style and per­son­al qual­it­ies (see Munt for more on this). 

So Ego is a sig­ni­fic­ant ele­ment of the tourist/traveller distinction.

To be clear, in my view, if we are using the tour­ism infra­struc­ture — air­lines and hotels for example — then we are tour­ists. How­ever, I do not use that term in a derog­at­ory fash­ion nor do I have a spe­cif­ic group in mind, rather tour­ism reflects the move­ment of people for a mul­ti­tude of dif­fer­ent reas­ons; busi­ness, vis­it­ing fam­ily, pil­grim­ages, sport, edu­ca­tion­al vis­its, and, yes, holidays. 

‘Hol­i­days’ are increas­ingly wide­spread and var­ied, reflect­ing cul­tur­al and per­son­al inclin­a­tions; their vari­ety is a part of their appeal. I myself enjoy cul­tur­al breaks, out­door adven­tures, and beach hol­i­days in equal measure. 

In real­ity, con­sumers often move between dif­fer­ent types of tour­ism products and tour­ist typo­lo­gies. So, even if one does dis­tin­guish between trav­el­lers and tour­ists, then the des­ig­na­tion is tem­por­ary, flu­id, and, ulti­mately, flawed.

Tours can be ‘creatively recreated’ to be more like travel

Sudipta k sarkar , senior lecturer in tourism management,  anglia ruskin university , uk.

A tour­ist can be referred to as a vis­it­or on a struc­tured vis­it­a­tion plan in which key ele­ments like trans­port, accom­mod­a­tion, culin­ary choices, sight­see­ing, and exper­i­ences are pre-arranged and con­sumed with­in a spe­cif­ic time period. 

A trav­el­ler gen­er­ally moves through a des­tin­a­tion in a less struc­tured way in which most of the ele­ments are determ­ined on the spot. 

A tour­ist may look for more ser­vices and exper­i­ences that are (rel­at­ively) famil­i­ar, com­fort­able, and safe. 

For example, Chinese or Indi­an tour­ists — rep­res­ent­ing some of the fast­est-grow­ing out­bound inter­na­tion­al tour­ist mar­kets — often only dine in food out­lets that offer pre­ferred cuisines. 

Apart from hav­ing pop­u­lar sites on top of their buck­et list, tour­ists may also enjoy exper­i­ences that con­nect with them culturally. 

The Xu Zhimo Memori­al Garden at King’s Col­lege in Cam­bridge, UK, is pop­u­lar among Chinese tour­ists, for instance. (Xu Zhimo was an early 20 th cen­tury Chinese poet.) 

Sim­il­arly, Indi­an tour­ists often like to vis­it the shoot­ing loc­a­tions of pop­u­lar Bol­ly­wood films, such as those in Switzer­land or London. 

Fur­ther­more, tour­ists’ inter­ac­tion with loc­als is gen­er­ally minimal. 

Many of the above fea­tures have become linked to ‘mass tour­ism’ in recent years.

Con­versely, trav­el­lers are more likely to engage with loc­al exper­i­ences; meet and chat with fel­low pas­sen­gers of loc­al trans­port; spend more time at pop­u­lar and off­beat spots in dif­fer­ent immers­ive ways, includ­ing deep­er engage­ment with com­munit­ies; sleep at inform­al accom­mod­a­tion out­lets; and try unfa­mil­i­ar culin­ary options. 

Tour­ist exper­i­ences can be cre­at­ively recre­ated to be more like trav­el­ler exper­i­ences by provid­ing oppor­tun­it­ies for genu­ine and deep­er inter­ac­tions with loc­al elements. 

Better to focus on adjectives, not nouns

Ivana damnjanović , vice-dean for international cooperation,  singidunum university , serbia.

The words ‘tour­ist’ and ‘trav­el­ler’ might have dif­fer­ent mean­ings mani­fes­ted through dif­fer­ent (even oppos­ing) mind­sets, atti­tudes, and beha­viours, as often stated. 

‘Tour­ist’ car­ries the notion of travel that is pre-pack­aged, and the neg­at­iv­ity of (mass) tour­ism. It might be a per­son who travels to escape, to tread the same crowded paths in a rush to check long lists of must-see places. An ama­teur traveller. 

‘Trav­el­ler’ might denote some­body spon­tan­eous; will­ing to step out of their com­fort zone to immerse in dif­fer­ent cul­tures, to learn, and to see the hid­den and the unseen. Some­body who cares. An exper­i­enced tourist.

Does this mean that all trav­el­lers are caring and responsible? 

Isn’t vis­it­ing a secluded place dan­ger­ous when the place is not will­ing and/or pre­pared to wel­come visitors? 

Aren’t nat­ur­al and cul­tur­al val­ues again turned into resources? 

Con­versely, can’t travel be pre-organ­ised for a group of people who share an interest in doing good, like volun­teer­ing and cit­izen sci­ence, or trav­el­ling inten­tion­ally to trans­form pos­it­ively not only the extern­al world but their inner world as well? 

Offi­cial dic­tion­ar­ies do not recog­nise such differences. 

I’d like to sug­gest a dif­fer­ent perspective:

• Stop focus­ing on the nouns and the nuances in their mean­ings. In the (travel & tour­ism) world there is already much divi­sion, enti­tle­ment, silo­ing, sep­ar­a­tion, segreg­a­tion, dif­fer­ence-emphas­is … In such a con­text we would fare bet­ter using words to cre­ate unity and part­ner­ship; a ‘we’ that is hol­ist­ic instead of divided.
• Focus instead on adject­ives that emphas­ise the pos­it­ive power of tour­ists and trav­el­lers; the atti­tudes and beha­viours that are respons­ible, eth­ic­al, sus­tain­able, regen­er­at­ive, mean­ing­ful, trans­form­a­tion­al … The list goes on. 

Let’s worry less about what we call ourselves; more about how we express who we are.

Distinctions are ‘used to make people feel inferior/superior’

Edwin magio , commonwealth scholar,  leeds beckett university , uk.

Many art­icles have been writ­ten to explain the dis­tinc­tions between tour­ists and trav­el­lers. The major­ity are based on “who is good and who is bad”. This, in my opin­ion, is used to make people feel inferior/superior. 

Many por­tray tour­ists as mis­be­hav­ing or caus­ing problems. 

To behave badly or well is simply a mat­ter of choice, regard­less of wheth­er one is a tour­ist or a traveller.

That being said, it makes no dif­fer­ence wheth­er you’re a tour­ist or a trav­el­ler; as long as you’re a respons­ible trav­el­ler or tour­ist, you’re on the right track. 

A respons­ible trav­el­ler or tour­ist con­siders the con­sequences of their actions and helps to pre­serve loc­al com­munit­ies, cul­tures, eco­nom­ies, envir­on­ment, and wildlife.

The Respons­ible Tour­ist and Trav­el­ler , based on the World Tour­ism Organ­iz­a­tion’s Glob­al Code of Eth­ics for Tour­ism , is a prac­tic­al guide to becom­ing more responsible. 

Instead of focus­ing on dif­fer­ences, our emphas­is should be on encour­aging tour­ists and trav­el­lers to fol­low the guidelines to make travel more reward­ing for every­one, includ­ing the people they meet and the places they visit.

What matters is a happy experience for all concerned

Ha phan, partnership officer, asset‑h&c , vietnam.

I would say: a tour­ist goes on hol­i­day and a trav­el­ler goes travelling. 

From my wan­der­lust per­spect­ive, they are quite dis­sim­il­ar in their approaches before their trip, as well as in their beha­viours in the places they visit. 

When I think of tour­ists, I see them going in large groups or fam­il­ies or book­ing via a tour agency. They may be will­ing to enjoy lux­ury accom­mod­a­tions or spend money on high-end services.

Tour­ists love vis­it­ing all the remark­able sights and attrac­tions in a short time. As such, the sched­ule will be tough, with no time to con­nect with loc­al people.

Mean­while, I see trav­el­lers spend­ing more time explor­ing the cul­ture or place or even learn­ing a bit of the lan­guage to con­nect with the loc­als. They are open-minded to new exper­i­ences and in deep­en­ing their under­stand­ing of the destination. 

Trav­el­lers often prefer quiet places, nature, and rich cul­ture like the coun­tryside and are will­ing to stay in homestays and try loc­al specialties. 

Trav­el­ler trips might be longer than tour­ist itin­er­ar­ies, but they are not neces­sar­ily slower because there is time for unex­pec­ted activities. 

Wheth­er a tour­ist or a trav­el­ler, what mat­ters is that their exper­i­ence is a happy one for all concerned. 

In case a tour­ist or a trav­el­ler to South­east Asia is inter­ested in adding social impact to their trips, ASSET‑H&C mem­bers wel­come all at their hotels, res­taur­ants, cof­fee shops, baker­ies, and spas. 

ASSET‑H&C mem­ber schools provide high-qual­ity voca­tion­al train­ing to equip stu­dents with pro­fes­sion­al prac­tices and soft skills for their suc­cess­ful integ­ra­tion into the hos­pit­al­ity and tour­ism industry, be it in a 5‑star resort or their own cof­fee shops.

I hope both tour­ists and trav­el­lers will join hands to con­trib­ute to their des­tin­a­tions’ sus­tain­able development.

‘It doesn’t matter as long as you’re seeing the world’

Susan eardly , founder,  serene vacations , sri lanka.

Tour­ist or trav­el­ler, it doesn’t mat­ter as long as you’re see­ing the world!

Take your time, plan your hol­i­day, and find out about the cul­ture and his­tory of the coun­try you are visiting. 

Try new things, meet new people, and look bey­ond to under­stand this amaz­ing world and nature we live in.

Exper­i­ence it all! You may nev­er get anoth­er chance.

The beauty of travel is a per­son­al exper­i­ence. A true explorer will ask ques­tions and seek answers. 

Being a tour­ist or a trav­el­ler is all about attitude.

A trav­el­ler is someone who often travels, while a tour­ist travels for pleas­ure and/or sight­see­ing with a guide.

Trav­el­lers will research and study their des­tin­a­tions before leav­ing. They focus on the cul­ture of the coun­try they are vis­it­ing and con­nect with loc­als to exper­i­ence it.

Many trav­el­lers try to learn the loc­al lan­guage, dress like a loc­al, and use pub­lic trans­port, while sup­port­ing loc­al com­munit­ies by avoid­ing buy­ing souven­irs at tour­ist shops.

What is a travel & tour­ism trend for 2023?

‘Mind, body, and soul’ well­ness will go to the next level in 2023, with more people seek­ing mind­ful­ness get­aways. Many people want to find peace at a silent retreat and/or are keen to go on a break that focuses on men­tal health.

‘The precious baggage of meaning’

Elisa spampinato , travel writer and community storyteller, traveller storyteller.

Words carry the pre­cious bag­gage of mean­ing, and although that is use­ful and neces­sary, some­times they can also become dan­ger­ously limiting. 

One of those cases is the clas­sic dis­tinc­tion between the mass tour­ist — the escap­ist who loves spend­ing the entire hol­i­day relax­ing and unplug­ging in their bubble — and the adven­tur­ous trav­el­ler — the open-minded and curi­ous indi­vidu­al that uses travel as a gate­way to new worlds and cultures. 

Accord­ing to the clas­sic pic­ture in our mind, tour­ists seem to look at the hol­i­day as an oppor­tun­ity to com­pletely relax, unplug from their routine lives, and indulge in lux­ury or com­fort that seems denied or unob­tain­able in their daily context. 

The feel­ing of being ‘Kings and Queens for the day’ — exten­ded for the dur­a­tion of the vaca­tion — is usu­ally accom­pan­ied by a self-centred focus where everything revolves around them, sup­por­ted by a tour­ism industry built to serve the customer’s every need.

On the oth­er hand, the trav­el­ler­’s atti­tude seems to be more open, by nature, to any­thing that is unfamiliar.

They are not look­ing for the com­fort to escape ordin­ary dis­com­fort — per­haps because their life is already com­fort­able and fully sat­is­fy­ing — but rather are inter­ested in the fresh exper­i­ences that a new place can offer. 

Embra­cing the spir­it of trav­el­ling as an adven­tur­ous dis­cov­ery, they go on their jour­ney to bring back home new and rich­er memor­ies, new names, faces, and exot­ic stories.

As with all dicho­tom­ies, the two terms exist in their pure form only in the the­ory of books and aca­dem­ic studies.

How­ever, if approached as a tool, these two types can encour­age reflec­tion on our atti­tudes and beha­viours when trav­el­ling, and they can help change our actions, so that tour­ism can become an oppor­tun­ity to grow, con­sciously aware of our impact and the poten­tial bene­fits of our activities.

Travellers ‘tend to have a more positive impact’ than tourists

Chatgpt feb 13 version.

The dif­fer­ence between a tour­ist and a trav­el­ler lies in their motiv­a­tions and beha­viours when explor­ing new places.

A tour­ist is someone who travels for pleas­ure or leis­ure and is motiv­ated by the desire to escape from routine and exper­i­ence some­thing new.

Tour­ists typ­ic­ally fol­low a pre-planned itin­er­ary, stay in hotels or resorts, and engage in activ­it­ies mar­keted towards visitors.

On the oth­er hand, a trav­el­ler is someone who seeks out new exper­i­ences, inter­acts with loc­als, and immerses them­selves in the loc­al culture.

Trav­el­lers tend to explore off the beaten path, stay in loc­al accom­mod­a­tions, and try loc­al food.

Tour­ists and trav­el­lers also dif­fer in their atti­tudes and beha­viours when inter­act­ing with people and places. Tour­ists may be seen as pass­ive observ­ers, while trav­el­lers are more engaged and curious.

Tour­ists tend to stick to their own cul­ture and lan­guage and may demand ser­vices and accom­mod­a­tions that cater to their needs.

Trav­el­lers are more respect­ful of loc­al cus­toms and tra­di­tions, mak­ing an effort to learn some of the loc­al lan­guage and adapt­ing to loc­al norms and behaviours.

Research sug­gests that the atti­tudes and beha­viours of trav­el­lers may have a more pos­it­ive impact on loc­al com­munit­ies and eco­nom­ies than those of tourists.

Trav­el­lers tend to spend more money on loc­al products and ser­vices, while tour­ists may con­trib­ute to the exploit­a­tion of loc­al resources and cultures.

In con­clu­sion, tour­ists and trav­el­lers are two dis­tinct types of trav­el­lers with dif­fer­ent motiv­a­tions, atti­tudes, and behaviours.

Tour­ists seek to escape routine and exper­i­ence some­thing new, while trav­el­lers seek authen­t­ic exper­i­ences and inter­ac­tions with locals.

Trav­el­lers tend to have a more pos­it­ive impact on loc­al com­munit­ies and eco­nom­ies, mak­ing an effort to learn about and respect loc­al cul­tures and customs.

What do you think? 

Share your own thoughts about the tour­ist vs trav­el­ler debate in a com­ment below. Or  write a deep­er “GT” Insight . 

The “Good Tour­ism” Blog  wel­comes diversity of opin­ion and per­spect­ive about travel & tour­ism, because travel & tour­ism is everyone’s business.

“GT” is where free thought travels.

Fea­tured image  (top of post): Tour­ist vs trav­el­ler: What’s the dif­fer­ence? Image by Jan Vašek (CC0) via Pixabay .

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Tourist vs. Traveller... Is There A Difference?

Hello again Travellers!  👋🏻 ,

Happy Tuesday!  We hope your week has been great so far. 🤩

It’s business as usual here at SimsDirect, and as we immerse ourselves within October, it’s time for us to wrap things up with Q3 as we transition into the year's final quarter. 🗓

Which reminds us, for those of you residing in the ACT, NSW, SA, TAS, and VIC - Make sure all of those clocks are adjusted! Yep. It’s that time of year again; daylight savings is upon us. 😎

Which makes us wonder, how do you personally feel about daylight savings? We will admit it initially feels strange when the sun is still out at 7 pm! Well, here in Sydney, at least. 😅

While we’re on the subject - did you know that for 76~ days a year, the sun never sets in Norway?! Pretty crazy, right? Also known as ‘The Land of the Midnight Sun’, where the sun never actually sets from May to late July. ☀️🤯

Have you ever been to Norway and experienced this eerie yet captivating sight?  

Anyways , moving on, this weeks topic is:

The difference between a traveller and a tourist

Ahh, yes, it’s an age-old question, one for the history books, and, as a business within the travel space, a question that we get asked a lot more often than you think.

But tourist vs traveller , does it really matter? And why do people care so much? Is there even a fundamental difference between the two?

It seems like almost everyone has an opinion on this one, so, we thought it would be fitting to take it into our hands and really break it down.

By definition , taken from Oxford Languages, both read as follows:

Tourist - a person who is travelling or visiting a place for pleasure.

Traveller - a person who is travelling or who often travels.

Hmm… Strikingly similar, it seems… You could swap the definitions around, and it would still suit the word at hand.

We need to go deeper .

Perhaps we could analyse a quote from Alex Garland’s novel, ‘ The Beach ’.

“I had ambiguous feelings about the difference between tourists and travellers – the problem being that the more I travelled, the smaller the differences became. But the one difference I could still latch on to was that tourists went on holidays while travellers did something else. They travelled.”

That kind of makes sense; maybe what he’s trying to convey is the fact that travellers care ; they have a desire to learn about the history, indulge in the culture, and become a part of the place they are visiting, as opposed to simply needing a break from real life.

Could that be it?  

Did we, SimsDirect, solve one of life’s greatest mysteries ? A key question answered that’ll potentially go down as a critical component in defining the characteristics of human existence.

Okay, maybe not . 😂

It’s much of a muchness really. 🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♀️

Tourist, Traveller. Tomato, tomato. (Pronounced: tuh-may-toe , tuh-mah-toe .) 🍅

But if you made it this far, thank you for reading the Simify  rendition of Mythbusters.

Adios amigo ! 🤞🏻

Have a great day and we will catch you next week. 🥰🧡

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“Traveler” vs. “Tourist”: What’s the Difference?

The difference between “traveler” and “tourist”

• While travelers seek unique experiences and cultural immersion, tourists tend to follow pre-planned itineraries and focus on popular attractions.
• Travelers often seek long-term travel to learn and grow from their experience, while tourists tend to take short-term trips for leisure breaks.
• Tourists prioritize relaxation and entertainment, while travelers prioritize personal enrichment and discovery.

What is the definition of “traveler” and “tourist”?

• A person who travels to different places, usually for leisure or business purposes.
• A person who seeks out unique experiences and cultural immersion.
• Often associated with long-term travel and a desire to learn and grow from new experiences.
• A person who travels for leisure and often follows a pre-planned itinerary.
• Focuses mainly on popular attractions and activities in tourist hotspots.
• Short-term travel is often associated with tourists, who are looking for a break from their routine.

Which is the more popular variant on the Internet?

• As a frequent traveler, Emily prefers to stay in hostels and meet locals.
• The solo traveler was seen wandering around the city, taking in the sights and sounds.
• The savvy traveler knew how to bargain with the street vendors for a better price.
• The tourist took a guided tour of the historic landmarks in the city.
• The group of tourists captured numerous photos of the breathtaking scenery on the hiking trail.
• The inexperienced tourist forgot to pack sunscreen and suffered from a bad sunburn.

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UN standards for measuring tourism

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Glossary of tourism terms

Tourism is a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes. These people are called visitors (which may be either tourists or excursionists; residents or non-residents) and tourism has to do with their activities, some of which involve tourism expenditure.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Activity/activities : In tourism statistics, the term activities represent the actions and behaviors of people in preparation for and during a trip in their capacity as consumers ( IRTS 2008, 1.2 ).

Activity (principal): The principal activity of a producer unit is the activity whose value added exceeds that of any other activity carried out within the same unit ( SNA 2008, 5.8 ).

Activity (productive): The (productive) activity carried out by a statistical unit is the type of production in which it engages. It has to be understood as a process, i.e. the combination of actions that result in a certain set of products. The classification of productive activities is determined by their principal output.

Administrative data : Administrative data is the set of units and data derived from an administrative source. This is a data holding information collected and maintained for the purpose of implementing one or more administrative regulations.

Adventure tourism : Adventure tourism is a type of tourism which usually takes place in destinations with specific geographic features and landscape and tends to be associated with a physical activity, cultural exchange, interaction and engagement with nature. This experience may involve some kind of real or perceived risk and may require significant physical and/or mental effort. Adventure tourism generally includes outdoor activities such as mountaineering, trekking, bungee jumping, rock climbing, rafting, canoeing, kayaking, canyoning, mountain biking, bush walking, scuba diving. Likewise, some indoor adventure tourism activities may also be practiced.

Aggregated data : The result of transforming unit level data into quantitative measures for a set of characteristics of a population.

Aggregation : A process that transforms microdata into aggregate-level information by using an aggregation function such as count, sum average, standard deviation, etc.

Analytical unit : Entity created by statisticians, by splitting or combining observation units with the help of estimations and imputations.

Balance of payments : The balance of payments is a statistical statement that summarizes transactions between residents and non-residents during a period. It consists of the goods and services account, the primary income account, the secondary income account, the capital account, and the financial account ( BPM6, 2.12 ).

Bias : An effect which deprives a statistical result of representativeness by systematically distorting it, as distinct from a random error which may distort on any one occasion but balances out on the average.

Business and professional purpose (of a tourism trip): The business and professional purpose of a tourism trip includes the activities of the self-employed and employees, as long as they do not correspond to an implicit or explicit employer-employee relationship with a resident producer in the country or place visited, those of investors, businessmen, etc. ( IRTS 2008, 3.17.2 ).

Business tourism : Business tourism is a type of tourism activity in which visitors travel for a specific professional and/or business purpose to a place outside their workplace and residence with the aim of attending a meeting, an activity or an event. The key components of business tourism are meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions. The term "meetings industry" within the context of business tourism recognizes the industrial nature of such activities. Business tourism can be combined with any other tourism type during the same trip.

Business visitor : A business visitor is a visitor whose main purpose for a tourism trip corresponds to the business and professional category of purpose ( IRTS 2008, 3.17.2 ).

Central Product Classification : The Central Product Classification (CPC) constitutes a complete product classification covering goods and services. It is intended to serve as an international standard for assembling and tabulating all kinds of data requiring product detail, including industrial production, national accounts, service industries, domestic and foreign commodity trade, international trade in services, balance of payments, consumption and price statistics. Other basic aims are to provide a framework for international comparison and promote harmonization of various types of statistics dealing with goods and services.

Census : A census is the complete enumeration of a population or groups at a point in time with respect to well defined characteristics: for example, Population, Production, Traffic on particular roads.

Coastal, maritime and inland water tourism : Coastal tourism refers to land-based tourism activities such as swimming, surfing, sunbathing and other coastal leisure, recreation and sports activities which take place on the shore of a sea, lake or river. Proximity to the coast is also a condition for services and facilities that support coastal tourism. Maritime tourism refers to sea-based activities such as cruising, yachting, boating and nautical sports and includes their respective land-based services and infrastructure. Inland water tourism refers to tourism activities such as cruising, yachting, boating and nautical sports which take place in aquatic- influenced environments located within land boundaries and include lakes, rivers, ponds, streams, groundwater, springs, cave waters and others traditionally grouped as inland wetlands.

Coherence : Adequacy of statistics to be combined in different ways and for various uses.

Competitiveness of a tourism destination : The competitiveness of a tourism destination is the ability of the destination to use its natural, cultural, human, man-made and capital resources efficiently to develop and deliver quality, innovative, ethical and attractive tourism products and services in order to achieve a sustainable growth within its overall vision and strategic goals, increase the added value of the tourism sector, improve and diversify its market components and optimize its attractiveness and benefits both for visitors and the local community in a sustainable perspective.

Consistency : Logical and numerical coherence.

Country of reference : The country of reference refers to the country for which the measurement is done. ( IRTS 2008, 2.15 ).

Country of residence : The country of residence of a household is determined according to the centre of predominant economic interest of its members. If a person resides (or intends to reside) for more than one year in a given country and has there his/her centre of economic interest (for example, where the predominant amount of time is spent), he/she is considered as a resident of this country.

Country-specific tourism characteristic products and activities : To be determined by each country by applying the criteria of IRTS 2008, 5.10 in their own context; for these products, the activities producing them will be considered as tourism characteristic, and the industries in which the principal activity is tourism-characteristic will be called tourism industries ( IRTS 2008, 5.16 ).

Cultural tourism : Cultural tourism is a type of tourism activity in which the visitor's essential motivation is to learn, discover, experience and consume the tangible and intangible cultural attractions/products in a tourism destination. These attractions/products relate to a set of distinctive material, intellectual, spiritual and emotional features of a society that encompasses arts and architecture, historical and cultural heritage, culinary heritage, literature, music, creative industries and the living cultures with their lifestyles, value systems, beliefs and traditions.

Data checking : Activity whereby the correctness conditions of the data are verified. It also includes the specification of the type of error or of the condition not met, and the qualification of the data and their division into "error-free data" and "erroneous data".

Data collection : Systematic process of gathering data for official statistics.

Data compilation : Operations performed on data to derive new information according to a given set of rules.

Data confrontation : The process of comparing data that has generally been derived from different surveys or other sources, especially those of different frequencies, in order to assess and possibly improve their coherency, and identify the reasons for any differences.

Data processing : Data processing is the operation performed on data by the organization, institute, agency, etc., responsible for undertaking the collection, tabulation, manipulation and preparation of data and metadata output.

Data reconciliation : The process of adjusting data derived from two different sources to remove, or at least reduce, the impact of differences identified.

Destination (main destination of a trip): The main destination of a tourism trip is defined as the place visited that is central to the decision to take the trip. See also purpose of a tourism trip ( IRTS 2008, 2.31 ).

Destination management / marketing organization (DMO) : A destination management/marketing organization (DMO) is the leading organizational entity which may encompass the various authorities, stakeholders and professionals and facilitates tourism sector partnerships towards a collective destination vision. The governance structures of DMOs vary from a single public authority to a public/ private partnership model with the key role of initiating, coordinating and managing certain activities such as implementation of tourism policies, strategic planning, product development, promotion and marketing and convention bureau activities. The functions of the DMOs may vary from national to regional and local levels depending on the current and potential needs as well as on the decentralization level of public administration. Not every tourism destination has a DMO.

Documentation: Processes and procedures for imputation,  weighting,  confidentiality  and suppression rules, outlier treatment and data capture should be fully documented by the  survey provider.  Such documentation should be made available to at least  the body financing the survey.

Domestic tourism : Domestic tourism comprises the activities of a resident visitor within the country of reference, either as part of a domestic tourism trip or part of an outbound tourism trip ( IRTS 2008, 2.39 ).

Domestic tourism consumption : Domestic tourism consumption is the tourism consumption of a resident visitor within the economy of reference ( TSA:RMF 2008, figure 2.1 ).

Domestic tourism expenditure : Domestic tourism expenditure is the tourism expenditure of a resident visitor within the economy of reference, (IRTS 2008, 4.15(a)).

Domestic tourism trip : A domestic tourism trip is one with a main destination within the country of residence of the visitor (IRTS 2008, 2.32).

Domestic visitor : As a visitor travels within his/her country of residence, he/she is a domestic visitor and his/her activities are part of domestic tourism.

Durable consumer goods : Durable consumer goods are goods that may be used repeatedly or continuously over a period of a year or more, assuming a normal or average rate of physical usage. When acquired by producers, these are considered to be capital goods used for production processes, as is the case of vehicles, computers, etc. When acquired by households, they are considered to be consumer durable goods ( TSA:RMF 2008, 2.39 ). This definition is identical to the definition of SNA 2008, 9.42 : A consumer durable is a goodthat may be used for purposes of consumption repeatedly or continuously over a period of a year or more.

Dwellings : Each household has a principal dwelling (sometimes also designated as main or primary home), usually defined with reference to time spent there, whose location defines the country of residence and place of usual residence of this household and of all its members. All other dwellings (owned or leased by the household) are considered secondary dwellings ( IRTS 2008, 2.26 ).

Ecotourism : Ecotourism is a type of nature-based tourism activity in which the visitor's essential motivation is to observe, learn, discover, experience and appreciate biological and cultural diversity with a responsible attitude to protect the integrity of the ecosystem and enhance the well-being of the local community. Ecotourism increases awareness towards the conservation of biodiversity, natural environment and cultural assets both among locals and the visitors and requires special management processes to minimize the negative impact on the ecosystem.

Economic analysis : Tourism generates directly and indirectly an increase in economic activity in the places visited (and beyond), mainly due to demand for goods and services thatneed to be produced and provided. In the economic analysis of tourism, one may distinguish between tourism's 'economic contribution' which refers to the direct effect of tourism and is measurable by means of the TSA, and tourism's 'economic impact' which is a much broader concept encapsulating the direct, indirect and induced effects of tourism and which must be estimated by applying models. Economic impact studies aim to quantify economic benefits, that is, the net increase in the wealth of residents resulting from tourism, measured in monetary terms, over and above the levels that would prevail in its absence.

Economic territory : The term "economic territory" is a geographical reference and points to the country for which the measurement is done (country of reference) ( IRTS 2008, 2.15 ).

Economically active population : The economically active population or labour force comprises all persons of either sex who furnish the supply of labour for the production of goods and services as defined by the system of national accounts during a specified time-reference period (ILO, Thirteenth ICLS, 6.18).

Economy (of reference): "Economy" (or "economy of reference") is an economic reference defined in the same way as in the balance of payments and in the system of national accounts: it refers to the economic agents that are resident in the country of reference ( IRTS 2008, 2.15 ).

Education tourism : Education tourism covers those types of tourism which have as a primary motivation the tourist's engagement and experience in learning, self-improvement, intellectual growth and skills development. Education Tourism represents a broad range of products and services related to academic studies, skill enhancement holidays, school trips, sports training, career development courses and language courses, among others.

Employees : Employees are all those workers who hold the type of job defined as "paid employment" (ILO, Fifteenth ICLS, pp. 20-22).

Employer-employee relationship : An employer-employee relationship exists when there is an agreement, which may be formal or informal, between an entity and an individual, normally entered into voluntarily by both parties, whereby the individual works for the entity in return for remuneration in cash or in kind ( BPM6, 11.11 ).

Employers : Employers are those workers who, working on their own account with one or more partners, hold the type of job defined as a "self-employment job" and, in this capacity, on a continuous basis (including the reference period) have engaged one or more persons to work for them in their business as "employee(s)" (ILO, Fifteenth ICLS, pp. 20-22).

Employment : Persons in employment are all persons above a specified age who, during a specified brief period, either one week or one day, were in paid employment or self-employment (OECD GST, p. 170).

Employment in tourism industries : Employment in tourism industries may be measured as a count of the persons employed in tourism industries in any of their jobs, as a count of the persons employed in tourism industries in their main job, or as a count of the jobs in tourism industries ( IRTS 2008, 7.9 ).

Enterprise : An enterprise is an institutional unit engaged in production of goods and/or services. It may be a corporation, a non-profit institution, or an unincorporated enterprise. Corporate enterprises and non-profit institutions are complete institutional units. An unincorporated enterprise, however, refers to an institutional unit —a household or government unit —only in its capacity as a producer of goods and services (OECD BD4, p. 232)

Establishment : An establishment is an enterprise, or part of an enterprise, that is situated in a single location and in which only a single productive activity is carried out or in which the principal productive activity accounts for most of the value added ( SNA 2008, 5.14 ).

Estimation : Estimation is concerned with inference about the numerical value of unknown population values from incomplete data such as a sample. If a single figure is calculated for each unknown parameter the process is called "point estimation". If an interval is calculated within which the parameter is likely, in some sense, to lie, the process is called "interval estimation".

Exports of goods and services : Exports of goods and services consist of sales, barter, or gifts or grants, of goods and services from residents to non-residents (OECD GST, p. 194)

Frame : A list, map or other specification of the units which define a population to be completely enumerated or sampled.

Forms of tourism : There are three basic forms of tourism: domestic tourism, inbound tourism, and outbound tourism. These can be combined in various ways to derive the following additional forms of tourism: internal tourism, national tourism and international tourism.

Gastronomy tourism :  Gastronomy tourism is a type of tourism activity which is characterized by the visitor's experience linked with food and related products and activities while travelling. Along with authentic, traditional, and/or innovative culinary experiences, Gastronomy Tourism may also involve other related activities such as visiting the local producers, participating in food festivals and attending cooking classes. Eno-tourism (wine tourism), as a sub-type of gastronomy tourism, refers to tourism whose purpose is visiting vineyards, wineries, tasting, consuming and/or purchasing wine, often at or near the source.

Goods : Goods are physical, produced objects for which a demand exists, over which ownership rights can be established and whose ownership can be transferred from one institutional unit to another by engaging in transactions on markets ( SNA 2008, p. 623 ).

Gross fixed capital formation : Gross fixed capital formation is defined as the value of institutional units' acquisitions less disposals of fixed assets. Fixed assets are produced assets (such as machinery, equipment, buildings or other structures) that are used repeatedly or continuously in production over several accounting periods (more than one year) ( SNA 2008, 1.52 ).

Gross margin : The gross margin of a provider of reservation services is the difference between the value at which the intermediated service is sold and the value accrued to the provider of reservation services for this intermediated service.

Gross value added : Gross value added is the value of output less the value of intermediate consumption ( TSA:RMF 2008, 3.32 ).

Gross value added of tourism industries : Gross value added of tourism industries (GVATI) is the total gross value added of all establishments belonging to tourism industries, regardless of whether all their output is provided to visitors and the degree of specialization of their production process ( TSA:RMF 2008, 4.86 ).

Grossing up : Activity aimed at transforming, based on statistical methodology, micro-data from samples into aggregate-level information representative of the target population.

Health tourism : Health tourism covers those types of tourism which have as a primary motivation, the contribution to physical, mental and/or spiritual health through medical and wellness-based activities which increase the capacity of individuals to satisfy their own needs and function better as individuals in their environment and society. Health tourism is the umbrella term for the subtypes wellness tourism and medical tourism.

Imputation : Procedure for entering a value for a specific data item where the response is missing or unusable.

Inbound tourism : Inbound tourism comprises the activities of a non-resident visitor within the country of reference on an inbound tourism trip ( IRTS 2008, 2.39 ).

Inbound tourism consumption : Inbound tourism consumption is the tourism consumption of a non-resident visitor within the economy of reference ( TSA:RMF 2008, figure 2.1 ).

Inbound tourism expenditure : Inbound tourism expenditure is the tourism expenditure of a non-resident visitor within the economy of reference ( IRTS 2008, 4.15(b) ).

Innovation in tourism : Innovation in tourism is the introduction of a new or improved component which intends to bring tangible and intangible benefits to tourism stakeholders and the local community, improve the value of the tourism experience and the core competencies of the tourism sector and hence enhance tourism competitiveness and /or sustainability. Innovation in tourism may cover potential areas, such as tourism destinations, tourism products, technology, processes, organizations and business models, skills, architecture, services, tools and/or practices for management, marketing, communication, operation, quality assurance and pricing.

Institutional sector : An aggregation of institutional units on the basis of the type of producer and depending on their principal activity and function, which are considered to be indicative of their economic behaviour.

Institutional unit : The elementary economic decision-making centre characterised by uniformity of behaviour and decision-making autonomy in the exercise of its principal function.

Intermediate consumption : Intermediate consumption consists of the value of the goods and services consumed as inputs by a process of production, excluding fixed assets whose consumption is recorded as consumption of fixed capital ( SNA 2008, 6.213 ).

Internal tourism : Internal tourism comprises domestic tourism and inbound tourism, that is to say, the activities of resident and non-resident visitors within the country of reference as part of domestic or international tourism trips ( IRTS 2008, 2.40(a) ).

Internal tourism consumption : Internal tourism consumption is the tourism consumption of both resident and non-resident visitors within the economy of reference. It is the sum of domestic tourism consumption and inbound tourism consumption ( TSA:RMF 2008, figure 2.1 ).

Internal tourism expenditure : Internal tourism expenditure comprises all tourism expenditure of visitors, both resident and non-resident, within the economy of reference. It is the sum of domestic tourism expenditure and inbound tourism expenditure. It includes acquisition of goods and services imported into the country of reference and sold to visitors. This indicator provides the most comprehensive measurement of tourism expenditure in the economy of reference ( IRTS 2008, 4.20(a) ).

International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities : The International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) consists of a coherent and consistent classification structure of economic activities based on a set of internationally agreed concepts, definitions, principles and classification rules. It provides a comprehensive framework within which economic data can be collected and reported in a format that is designed for purposes of economic analysis, decision-taking and policymaking. The classification structure represents a standard format to organize detailed information about the state of an economy according to economic principles and perceptions (ISIC, Rev.4, 1).

International tourism : International tourism comprises inbound tourism and outbound tourism, that is to say, the activities of resident visitors outside the country of reference, either as part of domestic or outbound tourism trips and the activities of non-resident visitors within the country of reference on inbound tourism trips ( IRTS 2008, 2.40(c) ).

International visitor : An international traveller qualifies as an international visitor with respect to the country of reference if: (a) he/she is on a tourism trip and (b) he/she is a non-resident travelling in the country of reference or a resident travelling outside of it ( IRTS 2008, 2.42 ).

Job : The agreement between an employee and the employer defines a job and each self-employed person has a job ( SNA 2008, 19.30 ).

Measurement error : Error in reading, calculating or recording numerical value.

Medical tourism : Medical tourism is a type of tourism activity which involves the use of evidence-based medical healing resources and services (both invasive and non-invasive). This may include diagnosis, treatment, cure, prevention and rehabilitation.

Meetings industry : To highlight purposes relevant to the meetings industry, if a trip's main purpose is business/professional, it can be further subdivided into "attending meetings, conferences or congresses, trade fairs and exhibitions" and "other business and professional purposes". The term meetings industry is preferred by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and Reed Travel over the acronym MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) which does not recognize the industrial nature of such activities.

Metadata : Data that defines and describes other data and processes.

MICE : See meetings industry.

Microdata : Non-aggregated observations, or measurements of characteristics of individual units.

Mirror statistics : Mirror statistics are used to conduct bilateral comparisons of two basic measures of a trade flow and are a traditional tool for detecting the causes of asymmetries in statistics (OECD GST, p. 335).

Mountain tourism : Mountain tourism is a type of tourism activity which takes place in a defined and limited geographical space such as hills or mountains with distinctive characteristics and attributes that are inherent to a specific landscape, topography, climate, biodiversity (flora and fauna) and local community. It encompasses a broad range of outdoor leisure and sports activities.

National tourism : National tourism comprises domestic tourism and outbound tourism, that is to say, the activities of resident visitors within and outside the country of reference, either as part of domestic or outbound tourism trips ( IRTS 2008, 2.40(b) ).

National tourism consumption : National tourism consumption is the tourism consumption of resident visitors, within and outside the economy of reference. It is the sum of domestic tourism consumption and outbound tourism consumption ( TSA:RMF 2008, figure 2.1 ).

National tourism expenditure : National tourism expenditure comprises all tourism expenditure of resident visitors within and outside the economy of reference. It is the sum of domestic tourism expenditure and outbound tourism expenditure ( IRTS 2008, 4.20(b) ).

Nationality : The concept of "country of residence" of a traveller is different from that of his/her nationality or citizenship ( IRTS 2008, 2.19 ).

Non-monetary indicators : Data measured in physical or other non-monetary units should not be considered a secondary part of a satellite account. They are essential components, both for the information they provide directly and in order to analyse the monetary data adequately ( SNA 2008, 29.84 ).

Observation unit : entity on which information is received and statistics are compiled.

Outbound tourism : Outbound tourism comprises the activities of a resident visitor outside the country of reference, either as part of an outbound tourism trip or as part of a domestic tourism trip ( IRTS 2008, 2.39(c) ).

Outbound tourism consumption : Outbound tourism consumption is the tourism consumption of a resident visitor outside the economy of reference ( TSA:RMF 2008, figure 2.1 ).

Outbound tourism expenditure : Outbound tourism expenditure is the tourism expenditure of a resident visitor outside the economy of reference ( IRTS 2008, 4.15(c) ).

Output : Output is defined as the goods and services produced by an establishment, a) excluding the value of any goods and services used in an activity for which the establishment does not assume the risk of using the products in production, and b) excluding the value of goods and services consumed by the same establishment except for goods and services used for capital formation (fixed capital or changes in inventories) or own final consumption ( SNA 2008, 6.89 ).

Output (main): The main output of a (productive) activity should be determined by reference to the value added of the goods sold or services rendered (ISIC rev.4, 114).

Pilot survey : The aim of a pilot survey is to test the questionnaire (pertinence of the questions, understanding of questions by those being interviewed, duration of the interview) and to check various potential sources for sampling and non-sampling errors: for instance, the place in which the surveys are carried out and the method used, the identification of any omitted answers and the reason for the omission, problems of communicating in various languages, translation, the mechanics of data collection, the organization of field work, etc.

Place of usual residence : The place of usual residence is the geographical place where the enumerated person usually resides, and is defined by the location of his/her principal dwelling (Principles and recommendations for population and housing censuses of the United Nations, 2.20 to 2.24).

Probability sample : A sample selected by a method based on the theory of probability (random process), that is, by a method involving knowledge of the likelihood of any unit being selected.

Production account : The production account records the activity of producing goods and services as defined within the SNA. Its balancing item, gross value added, is defined as the value of output less the value of intermediate consumption and is a measure of the contribution to GDP made by an individual producer, industry or sector. Gross value added is the source from which the primary incomes of the SNA are generated and is therefore carried forward into the primary distribution of income account. Value added and GDP may also be measured net by deducting consumption of fixed capital, a figure representing the decline in value during the period of the fixed capital used in a production process ( SNA 2008, 1.17 ).

Production : Economic production may be defined as an activity carried out under the control and responsibility of an institutional unit that uses inputs of labour, capital, and goods and services to produce outputs of goods or services ( SNA 2008, 6.24. ).

Purpose of a tourism trip (main): The main purpose of a tourism trip is defined as the purpose in the absence of which the trip would not have taken place ( IRTS 2008, 3.10. ). Classification of tourism trips according to the main purpose refers to nine categories: this typology allows the identification of different subsets of visitors (business visitors, transit visitors, etc.) See also destination of a tourism trip ( IRTS 2008, 3.14 ).

Quality of a tourism destination : Quality of a tourism destination is the result of a process which implies the satisfaction of all tourism product and service needs, requirements and expectations of the consumer at an acceptable price, in conformity with mutually accepted contractual conditions and the implicit underlying factors such as safety and security, hygiene, accessibility, communication, infrastructure and public amenities and services. It also involves aspects of ethics, transparency and respect towards the human, natural and cultural environment. Quality, as one of the key drivers of tourism competitiveness, is also a professional tool for organizational, operational and perception purposes for tourism suppliers.

Questionnaire and Questionnaire design : Questionnaire is a group or sequence of questions designed to elicit information on a subject, or sequence of subjects, from a reporting unit or from another producer of official statistics. Questionnaire design is the design (text, order, and conditions for skipping) of the questions used to obtain the data needed for the survey.

Reference period : The period of time or point in time to which the measured observation is intended to refer.

Relevance : The degree to which statistics meet current and potential users' needs.

Reliability : Closeness of the initial estimated value to the subsequent estimated value.

Reporting unit : Unit that supplies the data for a given survey instance, like a questionnaire or interview. Reporting units may, or may not, be the same as the observation unit.

Residents/non-residents : The residents of a country are individuals whose centre of predominant economic interest is located in its economic territory. For a country, the non-residents are individuals whose centre of predominant economic interest is located outside its economic territory.

Response and non-response : Response and non-response to various elements of a survey entail potential errors.

Response error : Response errors may be defined as those arising from the interviewing process. Such errors may be due to a number of circumstances, such as inadequate concepts or questions; inadequate training; interviewer failures; respondent failures.

Rural tourism : Rural tourism is a type of tourism activity in which the visitor's experience is related to a wide range of products generally linked to nature-based activities, agriculture, rural lifestyle / culture, angling and sightseeing. Rural tourism activities take place in non-urban (rural) areas with the following characteristics:

• Low population density;
• Landscape and land-use dominated by agriculture and forestry; and
• Traditional social structure and lifestyle

Same-day visitor (or excursionist): A visitor (domestic, inbound or outbound) is classified as a tourist (or overnight visitor), if his/her trip includes an overnight stay, or as a same-day visitor (or excursionist) otherwise ( IRTS 2008, 2.13 ).

Sample : A subset of a frame where elements are selected based on a process with a known probability of selection.

Sample survey : A survey which is carried out using a sampling method.

Sampling error : That part of the difference between a population value and an estimate thereof, derived from a random sample, which is due to the fact that only a subset of the population is enumerated.

Satellite accounts : There are two types of satellite accounts, serving two different functions. The first type, sometimes called an internal satellite, takes the full set of accounting rules and conventions of the SNA but focuses on a particular aspect of interest by moving away from the standard classifications and hierarchies. Examples are tourism, coffee production and environmental protection expenditure. The second type, called an external satellite, may add non-economic data or vary some of the accounting conventions or both. It is a particularly suitable way to explore new areas in a research context. An example may be the role of volunteer labour in the economy ( SNA 2008, 29.85 ).

SDMX, Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange : Set of technical standards and content-oriented guidelines, together with an IT architecture and tools, to be used for the efficient exchange and sharing of statistical data and metadata (SDMX).

Seasonal adjustment : Seasonal adjustment is a statistical technique to remove the effects of seasonal calendar influences on a series. Seasonal effects usually reflect the influence of the seasons themselves, either directly or through production series related to them, or social conventions. Other types of calendar variation occur as a result of influences such as number of days in the calendar period, the accounting or recording practices adopted or the incidence of moving holidays.

Self-employment job : Self-employment jobs are those jobs where remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits (or the potential of profits) derived from the goods or services produced.

Self-employed with paid employees : Self-employed with paid employees are classified as employers.

Self-employed without employees : Self-employed without employees are classified as own-account workers.

Services : Services are the result of a production activity that changes the conditions of the consuming units, or facilitates the exchange of products or financial assets. They cannot be traded separately from their production. By the time their production is completed, they must have been provided to the consumers ( SNA 2008, 6.17 ).

Social transfers in kind : A special case of transfers in kind is that of social transfers in kind. These consist of goods and services provided by general government and non-profit institutions serving households (NPISHs) that are delivered to individual households. Health and education services are the prime examples. Rather than provide a specified amount of money to be used to purchase medical and educational services, the services are often provided in kind to make sure that the need for the services is met. (Sometimes the recipient purchases the service and is reimbursed by the insurance or assistance scheme. Such a transaction is still treated as being in kind because the recipient is merely acting as the agent of the insurance scheme) (SNA 2008, 3.83).

Sports tourism : Sports tourism is a type of tourism activity which refers to the travel experience of the tourist who either observes as a spectator or actively participates in a sporting event generally involving commercial and non-commercial activities of a competitive nature.

Standard classification : Classifications that follow prescribed rules and are generally recommended and accepted.

Statistical error : The unknown difference between the retained value and the true value.

Statistical indicator : A data element that represents statistical data for a specified time, place, and other characteristics, and is corrected for at least one dimension (usually size) to allow for meaningful comparisons.

Statistical metadata : Data about statistical data.

Statistical unit : Entity about which information is sought and about which statistics are compiled. Statistical units may be identifiable legal or physical entities or statistical constructs.

Survey : An investigation about the characteristics of a given population by means of collecting data from a sample of that population and estimating their characteristics through the systematic use of statistical methodology.

System of National Accounts : The System of National Accounts (SNA) is the internationally agreed standard set of recommendations on how to compile measures of economic activity in accordance with strict accounting conventions based on economic principles. The recommendations are expressed in terms of a set of concepts, definitions, classifications and accounting rules that comprise the internationally agreed standard for measuring indicators of economic performance. The accounting framework of the SNA allows economic data to be compiled and presented in a format that is designed for purposes of economic analysis, decision-taking and policymaking ( SNA 2008, 1.1 ).

Total tourism internal demand : Total tourism internal demand, is the sum of internal tourism consumption, tourism gross fixed capital formation and tourism collective consumption ( TSA:RMF 2008, 4.114 ). It does not include outbound tourism consumption.

Tourism : Tourism refers to the activity of visitors ( IRTS 2008, 2.9 ).

Tourism characteristic activities : Tourism characteristic activities are the activities that typically produce tourism characteristic products. As the industrial origin of a product (the ISIC industry that produces it) is not a criterion for the aggregation of products within a similar CPC category, there is no strict one-to-one relationship between products and the industries producing them as their principal outputs ( IRTS 2008, 5.11 ).

Tourism characteristic products : Tourism characteristic products are those that satisfy one or both of the following criteria: a) Tourism expenditure on the product should represent a significant share total tourism expenditure (share-of-expenditure/demand condition); b) Tourism expenditure on the product should represent a significant share of the supply of the product in the economy (share-of-supply condition). This criterion implies that the supply of a tourism characteristic product would cease to exist in meaningful quantity in the absence of visitors ( IRTS 2008, 5.10 ).

Tourism connected products : Their significance within tourism analysis for the economy of reference is recognized although their link to tourism is very limited worldwide. Consequently, lists of such products will be country-specific ( IRTS 2008, 5.12 ).

Tourism consumption : Tourism consumption has the same formal definition as tourism expenditure. Nevertheless, the concept of tourism consumption used in the Tourism Satellite Account goes beyond that of tourism expenditure. Besides the amount paid for the acquisition of consumption goods and services, as well as valuables for own use or to give away, for and during tourism trips, which corresponds to monetary transactions (the focus of tourism expenditure), it also includes services associated with vacation accommodation on own account, tourism social transfers in kind and other imputed consumption. These transactions need to be estimated using sources different from information collected directly from the visitors, such as reports on home exchanges, estimations of rents associated with vacation homes, calculations of financial intermediation services indirectly measured (FISIM), etc. ( TSA:RMF 2008, 2.25 ).

Tourism destination : A tourism destination is a physical space with or without administrative and/or analytical boundaries in which a visitor can spend an overnight. It is the cluster (co-location) of products and services, and of activities and experiences along the tourism value chain and a basic unit of analysis of tourism. A destination incorporates various stakeholders and can network to form larger destinations. It is also intangible with its image and identity which may influence its market competitiveness.

Tourism direct gross domestic product : Tourism direct gross domestic product (TDGDP) is the sum of the part of gross value added (at basic prices) generated by all industries in response to internal tourism consumption plus the amount of net taxes on products and imports included within the value of this expenditure at purchasers' prices ( TSA:RMF 2008, 4.96 ).

Tourism direct gross value added : Tourism direct gross value added (TDGVA) is the part of gross value added generated by tourism industries and other industries of the economy that directly serve visitors in response to internal tourism consumption ( TSA:RMF 2008, 4.88 ).

Tourism expenditure : Tourism expenditure refers to the amount paid for the acquisition of consumption goods and services, as well as valuables, for own use or to give away, for and during tourism trips. It includes expenditures by visitors themselves, as well as expenses that are paid for or reimbursed by others ( IRTS 2008, 4.2 ).

Tourism industries : The tourism industries comprise all establishments for which the principal activity is a tourism characteristic activity. Tourism industries (also referred to as tourism activities) are the activities that typically producetourism characteristic products. The term tourism industries is equivalent to tourism characteristic activities and the two terms are sometimes used synonymously in the IRTS 2008, 5.10, 5.11 and figure 5.1 .

Tourism product : A tourism product is a combination of tangible and intangible elements, such as natural, cultural and man-made resources, attractions, facilities, services and activities around a specific center of interest which represents the core of the destination marketing mix and creates an overall visitor experience including emotional aspects for the potential customers. A tourism product is priced and sold through distribution channels and it has a life-cycle.

Tourism ratio : For each variable of supply in the Tourism Satellite Account, the tourism ratiois the ratio between the total value of tourism share and total value of the corresponding variable in the Tourism Satellite Account expressed in percentage form ( TSA:RMF 2008, 4.56 ). (See also Tourism share).

Tourism Satellite Account : The Tourism Satellite Account is the second international standard on tourism statistics (Tourism Satellite Account: Recommended Methodological Framework 2008 –TSA:RMF 2008) that has been developed in order to present economic data relative to tourism within a framework of internal and external consistency with the rest of the statistical system through its link to the System of National Accounts. It is the basic reconciliation framework of tourism statistics. As a statistical tool for the economic accounting of tourism, the TSA can be seen as a set of 10 summary tables, each with their underlying data and representing a different aspect of the economic data relative to tourism: inbound, domestic tourism and outbound tourism expenditure, internal tourism expenditure, production accounts of tourism industries, the Gross Value Added (GVA) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) attributable to tourism demand, employment, investment, government consumption, and non-monetary indicators.

Tourism Satellite Account aggregates : The compilation of the following aggregates, which represent a set of relevant indicators of the size of tourism in an economy is recommended ( TSA:RMF 2008, 4.81 ):

• Internal tourism expenditure;
• Internal tourism consumption;
• Gross value added of tourism industries (GVATI);
• Tourism direct gross value added (TDGVA);
• Tourism direct gross domestic product (TDGDP).

Tourism sector : The tourism sector, as contemplated in the TSA, is the cluster of production units in different industries that provide consumption goods and services demanded by visitors. Such industries are called tourism industries because visitor acquisition represents such a significant share of their supply that, in the absence of visitors, their production of these would cease to exist in meaningful quantity.

Tourism share : Tourism share is the share of the corresponding fraction of internal tourism consumption in each component of supply ( TSA:RMF 2008, 4.51 ). For each industry, the tourism share of output (in value), is the sum of the tourism share corresponding to each product component of its output ( TSA:RMF 2008, 4.55 ). (See also Tourism ratio ).

Tourism single-purpose consumer durable goods : Tourism single-purpose consumer durables is a specific category of consumer durable goods that include durable goods that are used exclusively, or almost exclusively, by individuals while on tourism trips ( TSA:RMF 2008 , 2.41 and Annex 5 ).

Tourism trip : Trips taken by visitors are tourism trips ( IRTS 2008, 2.29 ).

Tourist (or overnight visitor): A visitor (domestic, inbound or outbound) is classified as a tourist (or overnight visitor), if his/her trip includes an overnight stay, or as a same-day visitor (or excursionist) otherwise ( IRTS 2008, 2.13 ).

Tourism value chain : The tourism value chain is the sequence of primary and support activities which are strategically fundamental for the performance of the tourism sector. Linked processes such as policy making and integrated planning, product development and packaging, promotion and marketing, distribution and sales and destination operations and services are the key primary activities of the tourism value chain. Support activities involve transport and infrastructure, human resource development, technology and systems development and other complementary goods and services which may not be related to core tourism businesses but have a high impact on the value of tourism.

Travel / traveller : Travel refers to the activity of travellers. A traveller is someone who moves between different geographic locations, for any purpose and any duration ( IRTS 2008, 2.4 ). The visitor is a particular type of traveller and consequently tourism is a subset of travel.

Travel group : A travel group is made up of individuals or travel parties travelling together: examples are people travelling on the same package tour or youngsters attending a summer camp ( IRTS 2008, 3.5 ).

Travel item (in balance of payments): Travel is an item of the goods and services account of the balance of payments: travel credits cover goods and services for own use or to give away acquired from an economy by non-residents during visits to that economy. Travel debits cover goods and services for own use or to give away acquired from other economies by residents during visits to other economies ( BPM6, 10.86 ).

Travel party : A travel party is defined as visitors travelling together on a trip and whose expenditures are pooled ( IRTS 2008, 3.2 ).

Trip : A trip refers to the travel by a person from the time of departure from his/her usual residence until he/she returns: it thus refers to a round trip. Trips taken by visitors are tourism trips.

Urban/city tourism : Urban/city tourism is a type of tourism activity which takes place in an urban space with its inherent attributes characterized by non-agricultural based economy such as administration, manufacturing, trade and services and by being nodal points of transport. Urban/city destinations offer a broad and heterogeneous range of cultural, architectural, technological, social and natural experiences and products for leisure and business.

Usual environment: The usual environment of an individual, a key concept in tourism, is defined as the geographical area (though not necessarily a contiguous one) within which an individual conducts his/her regular life routines ( IRTS 2008, 2.21 ).

Usual residence : The place of usual residence is the geographical place where the enumerated person usually resides (Principles and recommendations for population and housing censuses of the United Nations, 2.16 to 2.18).

Vacation home : A vacation home (sometimes also designated as a holiday home) is a secondary dwelling that is visited by the members of the household mostly for purposes of recreation, vacation or any other form of leisure ( IRTS 2008, 2.27 ).

Valuables : Valuables are produced goods of considerable value that are not used primarily for purposes of production or consumption but are held as stores of value over time ( SNA 2008, 10.13 ).

Visit : A trip is made up of visits to different places.The term "tourism visit" refers to a stay in a place visited during a tourism trip ( IRTS 2008, 2.7 and 2.33 ).

Visitor : A visitor is a traveller taking a trip to a main destination outside his/her usual environment, for less than a year, for any main purpose (business, leisure or other personal purpose) other than to be employed by a resident entity in the country or place visited ( IRTS 2008, 2.9 ). A visitor (domestic, inbound or outbound) is classified as a tourist (or overnight visitor), if his/her trip includes an overnight stay, or as a same-day visitor (or excursionist) otherwise ( IRTS 2008, 2.13 ).

Wellness tourism : Wellness tourism is a type of tourism activity which aims to improve and balance all of the main domains of human life including physical, mental, emotional, occupational, intellectual and spiritual. The primary motivation for the wellness tourist is to engage in preventive, proactive, lifestyle-enhancing activities such as fitness, healthy eating, relaxation, pampering and healing treatments.

Differenza tra turista e viaggiatore

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Turista vs Viaggiatore

Fare un viaggio, andare in vacanza, viaggiare e viaggiare sono alcune delle parole e frasi che sono comuni con il concetto di spostarsi in luoghi diversi. La storia è piena di viaggiatori famosi come Cristoforo Colombo e Hsuan Tsang ma non turisti. Perché? C'è differenza tra un viaggiatore e un turista? Cerchiamo di scoprire in questo articolo.

La parola turista viene dal turismo che si riferisce al viaggio per piacere e svago. Le persone che si recano in luoghi lontani per piacere, affari o qualsiasi altra attività e soggiornano per un periodo di non più di un anno alla volta sono etichettati come turisti. Un turista è, quindi, qualcuno che va in luoghi lontani senza alcuna intenzione di rimanere in questi luoghi in modo permanente. Potrebbe andare in vacanza o in viaggio d'affari. A volte, un turista sta visitando i suoi parenti e amici e, in altri, viene visto assistere a eventi culturali o musicali svolti in altri paesi. Un turista può essere interessato solo a visitare la città, o potrebbe essere andato all'estero per partecipare o partecipare ad un incontro o evento sportivo.

Il turismo oggi è diventato un'attività commerciale con molti paesi, a seconda degli scambi con l'estero che essi guadagnano con la loro industria del turismo. Nel 2011, quasi 1000 milioni di turisti sono arrivati ​​in diversi posti del mondo.

Viaggiatore

Traveller è una parola usata per una persona che viaggia. Il viaggio è più un verbo che un nome in quanto è l'attività di spostarsi da un luogo a un altro. Un viaggiatore è una persona che viaggia per viaggiare come se viaggiare fosse una vocazione. Un viaggiatore non pianifica in anticipo le sue destinazioni e i suoi luoghi di attrazione e non prende accordi come un turista. Si mette in viaggio con un biglietto di sola andata dato che non ha una data fissa per la partenza e l'arrivo. I viaggiatori fanno visita alle attrazioni turistiche e ai monumenti storici, ma a volte passano solo le località rispetto ai turisti che pianificano ogni dettaglio del loro viaggio e spesso fanno una visita guidata del luogo, per risparmiare tempo e far vedere tutto ciò che è importante nel posto in cui sono in tour.

Qual è la differenza tra turista e viaggiatore?

• Sia che si tratti di un turista o di un viaggiatore, entrambi viaggiano in luoghi lontani.

• Un turista pianifica la sua visita in anticipo e ha nella sua mente i luoghi esatti di attrazione.

• Un turista viaggia per svago e piacere (a volte per lavoro), ma può anche visitare amici e parenti o partecipare ad eventi culturali e incontri sportivi.

• Un viaggiatore è una persona interessata a viaggiare per istinto, e passa attraverso luoghi piuttosto che a raccogliere souvenir per la gente a casa come un turista.

• I famosi esploratori del passato sono indicati come viaggiatori e non turisti.

• Il viaggio è più di un verbo che di un tour ed è per questo che il viaggiatore connota l'immagine di un uomo scalzo che vaga da un posto all'altro.

• Registrazione

• Cinese semplificato (Mandarino)
• Cinese tradizionale (Hong Kong)
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Qual è la differenza tra traveller e tourist ?Sentiti libero di rispondere con un esempio.

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they are almost the same but traveler (US spelling with one l) doesn't always mean that they are not from the area where tourists always are. I went to school with Jenny; she's a traveler now. the locals hate the tourists because they take up all the parking.

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Travellers go to many different places, but a tourist is someone visiting a country on a vacation. Although you can travel somewhere and be a tourist in that place. Usually you wouldn't call yourself a traveller unless you travel constantly.

So if you are always travelling, you are a traveller. if you are visiting a country for a vacation, you are a tourist..

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• Moscow Tours

Our 20 Best Moscow Tours of 2022

Join us on an unforgettable tour to Moscow, the capital of Russia. Imagine visiting Red Square, St. Basil’s the Kremlin and more. Moscow is one of Europe’s most vibrant cities and one of Russia’s most historical. All of our tours to Moscow are fully customizable and can be adjusted to fit any budget. Our most popular tours are listed below. Please click on the tour details to learn more or contact us for more information about our Moscow tours using the form at the side of the page. You can also schedule a call with one of our Russian travel specialists to learn more.

Classic Moscow

This is our most popular Moscow tour that includes all the most prominent sights. You will become acquainted with ancient Russia in the Kremlin, admire Russian art in the Tretyakov Gallery, listen to street musicians as you stroll along the Old Arbat street, and learn about Soviet times on the Moscow Metro tour.

Accommodation

PRIVATE TOUR

A Week in Moscow

This tour is a perfect choice for those who wish to get to know Moscow in depth. One of the highlights of this package is the KGB history tour which gives an interesting perspective on the Cold War. You will also have time for exploring the city on your own or doing extra sightseeing.

Weekend in Moscow

This tour is a great way to get acquainted with the capital of Russia if you are short of time. You will see all the main attractions of the city, the most important of which is the Kremlin - the heart of Russia. The tour starts on Friday and can be combined with a business trip.

Group Tour Moscow Break by Intourist

Russia's capital has so much to offer, from the Kremlin and the Metro to the Old Arbat street and the Tretyakov Gallery. Besides these sites, you will also visit a fascinating country estate which today is quite off the beaten path, Gorky Estate, where the Soviet leader Lenin spent the last months of his life.

Kolomenskoye Tour with transport

The history of Kolomenskoye stretches back for centuries. In 1380, Dmitri Donskoi’s army passed through Kolomenskoye on their way to the Kulikovo battlefield, and it was...

Tours by car

Kremlin, Red Sq., Cathedrals & Armory Tour

The Kremlin is truly a fascinating structure, at the same time it is an ancient tower, the city’s former military fortification, a palace, an armory, the sovereign treasury...

Walking tours

Kremlin, Red Sq., Cathedrals, Armory, Diamond Fund Tour

Old Arbat walking tour

You will be told of the street’s interesting history and view the street’s artisan culture. You will also have the opportunity to view and purchase souvenirs from the...

Tour to Sergiev Posad with transport

Considered by some to be the Russian Vatican, Sergiev Posad is the temporary residence of the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Trinity St. Sergius Monastery (Lavra)...

Tour to Kuskovo with transport

The Kuskovo Estate often called the Moscow Versailles due to its perfectly preserved French park, is an example of an 18th century, luxurious Moscow summer residence. Its history...

Tour to Tsaritsyno with transport

The Tsaritsyno Estate is located in the southern part of Moscow. The estate was constructed for Catherine the Great by the Russian architects Bazhenov and Kazakov in a romantic...

Moscow Metro and Old Arbat Tour

The Moscow Metro is one of the largest and most grandly built metro systems in the world. It was meant to be a showcase of the Soviet Union’s achievements for both the Russians...

Vodka Museum Tour with transport (excursion and vodka tasting)

Vodka is an important component of Russian life, an element of national identity and everyday culture. We invite you to visit the Vodka Museum and feel the atmosphere of long-gone...

Mikhail Bulgakov Apartment Museum

This apartment museum located close to Patriarch Ponds became the prototype of the "bad apartment" described in the novel "The Master and Margarita." Currently the museum's...

Kremlin, Red Sq., Cathedrals & Diamond Fund Tour

The State Museum of Lev Tolstoy Tour

Take this opportunity to learn more about the Russian writer Lev Tolstoy. During the visit to the museum you will see part of a vast collection of exhibits connected to Tolstoy...

Novodevichy Convent Tour with transport

Tour of the Novodevichy Monastery. Founded in 1524 by Grand Prince VasiliIoanovich, the original convent was enclosed by fortified walls and contained 12 towers. The structure...

City Tour with Visit to St. Basils & Red Sq. with transport

Panoramic City Tour. This Moscow tour is a great start to your trip and the best way to get acquainted with many of the city’s major highlights. Our professional guide will...

City Tour of Moscow

Head to the heart of Moscow with a professional guide on a 4-hour private walk through the city center. See Tverskaya and Old Arbat streets, Theatre Square with the world-famous...

Moscow Metro walking tour

Kremlin, Red Square and Cathedrals Tour

KGB Tour with transport

This is a very interesting and insightful tour. You will visit places connected with Stalin’s terror - a time of great repression and fear. You will be shown monuments to...

Soviet and Post-Soviet Moscow Tour

The tour begins with a drive or walk down Tverskaya Street – a Soviet masterpiece. In the years of Soviet power, Tverskaya began to undergo a transformation: it was widened...

Tretyakov State Gallery Tour

This world-famous gallery contains masterpieces of Russian art beginning in the 10th century up until today. You will view exquisite Russian icons and paintings from the 18th and...

Jewish Heritage of Moscow Tour

This tour offers a detailed look into the history and present-day life of the Jewish community of Moscow. On the tour, you will visit sites connected with the cultural and religious...

Vodka Museum Tour with transport (excursion only)

Lena, our guide in Moscow was excellent. She was very knowledgable and could answer any question we had for her. We liked that she could pick up on our interests and take us places we might not have thought of to go. When we realized that one of the places we had chosen to see would probably not be that interesting to us, she was able to arrange entry to the Diamond Fund and the Armoury for us. Riding the Metro with Lena was a real adventure and a lot of fun. In Saint Petersburg we found Anna well versed in the history of the Tsars and in the Hermitage collection. Arkady in Veliky Novgorod was a very good guide and answered all of our questions with ease. Novgorod was perhaps a long way to go for a day trip, but we did enjoy it. Vasily was a great driver to have and kept us safe with good humour and skill. We enjoyed ourselves so much, my daughter says she is already planning to return. We would both have no hesistation to recommend ExpresstoRussia to anyone we know.

Just wanted to let you know that My grandson Bruno and I couldn´t have been more pleased with our week in Moscow (6/15 - 6/21). We were absolutely enchanted with the whole experience, including getting lost a couple of times in the Metro during our free time. Although both our guides (both Eleanas) were excellent, I would particularly commend the first one (she took us to the Tatiakov, the KGB tour, and to that beautiful cemetery where so many great Russian artists, authors, composers, musicians, militarists, and politicians are buried). Her knowledge is encyclopedic; and her understanding of today´s Russia as a product of its past was, for us, truly enlightening. I will be taking another tour in Russia, with my wife, within the next two or three years. I will be in touch with you when the time comes. Meanwhile, I will refer you to other potential visitors to Russia as I meet them.

Tours to Moscow

Our Moscow tours are land only meaning that you arrange your own air travel to Russia and our expert staff meets you at the airport and handles everything else from there. Our online Airline Ticket booking system offers some of the most competitive rates to Russia available on the web so if you need tickets, please visit our Russian air ticket center . Rest assured that you will be taken great care of on one of our Moscow tours. Express to Russia has a fully staffed office in Moscow that will help to make your visit fun, informative and unforgettable. Please remember that of all these tours are private and can be adjusted to your taste. You can add, replace or skip some sights; you can add more days to the package or cut the tour short. Our specialists will be glad to help you create the tour of your dreams!

Moscow, a City Like No Other

Moscow is Russia’s largest city with a population of between 12 and 13 million. It is also Europe’s largest city and when you visit Moscow, you can feel it. The layout and architecture of the city is eclectic, ranging from crooked, ancient streets and alleyways to wide, bustling boulevards, from medieval churches to Stalin skyscrapers and to modern, glass buildings towering over everything and of course in the center of it all is the Kremlin and the magnificent Red Square. Moscow is also home to a fantastic, efficient and very beautiful metro system – each station having its own special design. In fact, Express to Russia’s Moscow metro tours and excursions are some of our most popular attractions that we offer. On our Moscow tours, you will see this and more.

Moscow Tours centering on Russian History

Moscow has a long and interesting history and has been the capital of Russia in many of its different iterations – capital of the Grand Duchy of Moscow , the Russian Empire and of course the Soviet Union (who could ever forget the Soviet Union?). Moscow, was founded in the 12th century by Prince Yuri Dolgaruki (Yuri of the long arms – he really did have long arms!). From that time on, it was home to the Russian Tsars until Peter the Great moved the capital to St. Petersburg in 1703. The city has survived invasions and sieges from the Mongols, the Tartars, the Poles, Lithuanians and Napoleon but has always persevered. Our Moscow tours will enlighten you on this great history and give you insights into Muscovites and their unique culture. Our Moscow tours show you what the city is like today but also brings to life the past. Moscow never seems to sleep and is bursting with energy. A Moscow tour with Express to Russia is truly the best way of getting to know Russia’s largest and most vibrant city.

Frequently Asked Questions From Our Travelers

What is the best time to visit moscow.

Any time of year is fine depending on what you plan to do. Summertime is pleasantly warm, ideal for exploring the city and its vibrant atmosphere, but Moscow will be much busier and accommodation is more expensive. Winter can be quite cold but beautiful nonetheless, and this is unproblematic if you intend to spend most of your trip in museums and galleries. There are also various festivals and events organised throughout the year. For more information about the best time to visit, read our guide

How many days are enough in Moscow?

If you plan your itinerary strategically and aren’t averse to a packed schedule, you can cover Moscow’s main sights over a long weekend. Most popular attractions are in the city centre, and the Moscow Metro allows you to cover much ground in a small amount of time. Ensure that your accommodation is fairly central and book tickets in advance, so that you can make the most of your days. For an informative and well-organised day out, check out our Moscow day tours with options to suit all interests.

Do they speak English in Moscow?

As Russia’s capital city, tourists are well accommodated in Moscow. There should be English-speaking staff in restaurants, bars, hotels, shops and attractions in tourist hotspots, and there are also English-speaking tourist police. Transport services have English translations on their maps and English announcements via intercom; alternatively, order taxis from the Yandex Taxi app (Russian Uber), though it’s unlikely that your taxi driver will speak English. If you get stuck and cannot communicate, it’s fine to use Google Translate.

Is it safe to travel to Moscow?

It is no less safe to travel to Moscow than to any European city if you exercise common sense and look after your belongings. As with every city some regions can be more unsavoury than others, but no tourist attractions are located there. The traffic in Moscow is notorious, so exercise caution when crossing roads. Do not take unlicensed taxis; book in advance or take public transport, which is widespread and perfectly safe. If you encounter any problems, look for the special tourist police who can help you. For more information, read our guide about staying safe in Russia .

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Travel Itinerary For One Week in Moscow: The Best of Moscow!

I just got back from one week in Moscow. And, as you might have already guessed, it was a mind-boggling experience. It was not my first trip to the Russian capital. But I hardly ever got enough time to explore this sprawling city. Visiting places for business rarely leaves enough time for sightseeing. I think that if you’ve got one week in Russia, you can also consider splitting your time between its largest cities (i.e. Saint Petersburg ) to get the most out of your trip. Seven days will let you see the majority of the main sights and go beyond just scratching the surface. In this post, I’m going to share with you my idea of the perfect travel itinerary for one week in Moscow.

Moscow is perhaps both the business and cultural hub of Russia. There is a lot more to see here than just the Kremlin and Saint Basil’s Cathedral. Centuries-old churches with onion-shaped domes dotted around the city are in stark contrast with newly completed impressive skyscrapers of Moscow City dominating the skyline. I spent a lot of time thinking about my Moscow itinerary before I left. And this city lived up to all of my expectations.

Travel Itinerary For One Week in Moscow

Day 1 – red square and the kremlin.

Metro Station: Okhotny Ryad on Red Line.

No trip to Moscow would be complete without seeing its main attraction. The Red Square is just a stone’s throw away from several metro stations. It is home to some of the most impressive architectural masterpieces in the city. The first thing you’ll probably notice after entering it and passing vendors selling weird fur hats is the fairytale-like looking Saint Basil’s Cathedral. It was built to commemorate one of the major victories of Ivan the Terrible. I once spent 20 minutes gazing at it, trying to find the perfect angle to snap it. It was easier said than done because of the hordes of locals and tourists.

As you continue strolling around Red Square, there’s no way you can miss Gum. It was widely known as the main department store during the Soviet Era. Now this large (yet historic) shopping mall is filled with expensive boutiques, pricey eateries, etc. During my trip to Moscow, I was on a tight budget. So I only took a retro-style stroll in Gum to get a rare glimpse of a place where Soviet leaders used to grocery shop and buy their stuff. In case you want some modern shopping experience, head to the Okhotny Ryad Shopping Center with stores like New Yorker, Zara, and Adidas.

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To continue this Moscow itinerary, next you may want to go inside the Kremlin walls. This is the center of Russian political power and the president’s official residence. If you’re planning to pay Kremlin a visit do your best to visit Ivan the Great Bell Tower as well. Go there as early as possible to avoid crowds and get an incredible bird’s-eye view. There are a couple of museums that are available during designated visiting hours. Make sure to book your ticket online and avoid lines.

Day 2 – Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the Tretyakov Gallery, and the Arbat Street

Metro Station: Kropotkinskaya on Red Line

As soon as you start creating a Moscow itinerary for your second day, you’ll discover that there are plenty of metro stations that are much closer to certain sites. Depending on your route, take a closer look at the metro map to pick the closest.

The white marble walls of Christ the Saviour Cathedral are awe-inspiring. As you approach this tallest Orthodox Christian church, you may notice the bronze sculptures, magnificent arches, and cupolas that were created to commemorate Russia’s victory against Napoleon.

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Unfortunately, the current Cathedral is a replica, since original was blown to bits in 1931 by the Soviet government. The new cathedral basically follows the original design, but they have added some new elements such as marble high reliefs.

Home to some precious collection of artworks, in Tretyakov Gallery you can find more than 150,000 of works spanning centuries of artistic endeavor. Originally a privately owned gallery, it now has become one of the largest museums in Russia. The Gallery is often considered essential to visit. But I have encountered a lot of locals who have never been there.

Famous for its souvenirs, musicians, and theaters, Arbat street is among the few in Moscow that were turned into pedestrian zones. Arbat street is usually very busy with tourists and locals alike. My local friend once called it the oldest street in Moscow dating back to 1493. It is a kilometer long walking street filled with fancy gift shops, small cozy restaurants, lots of cute cafes, and street artists. It is closed to any vehicular traffic, so you can easily stroll it with kids.

Day 3 – Moscow River Boat Ride, Poklonnaya Hill Victory Park, the Moscow City

Metro Station: Kievskaya and Park Pobedy on Dark Blue Line / Vystavochnaya on Light Blue Line

Voyaging along the Moscow River is definitely one of the best ways to catch a glimpse of the city and see the attractions from a bit different perspective. Depending on your Moscow itinerary, travel budget and the time of the year, there are various types of boats available. In the summer there is no shortage of boats, and you’ll be spoiled for choice.

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If you find yourself in Moscow during the winter months, I’d recommend going with Radisson boat cruise. These are often more expensive (yet comfy). They offer refreshments like tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and, of course, alcoholic drinks. Prices may vary but mostly depend on your food and drink selection. Find their main pier near the opulent Ukraine hotel . The hotel is one of the “Seven Sisters”, so if you’re into the charm of Stalinist architecture don’t miss a chance to stay there.

The area near Poklonnaya Hill has the closest relation to the country’s recent past. The memorial complex was completed in the mid-1990s to commemorate the Victory and WW2 casualties. Also known as the Great Patriotic War Museum, activities here include indoor attractions while the grounds around host an open-air museum with old tanks and other vehicles used on the battlefield.

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The hallmark of the memorial complex and the first thing you see as you exit metro is the statue of Nike mounted to its column. This is a very impressive Obelisk with a statue of Saint George slaying the dragon at its base.

Maybe not as impressive as Shanghai’s Oriental Pearl Tower , the skyscrapers of the Moscow City (otherwise known as Moscow International Business Center) are so drastically different from dull Soviet architecture. With 239 meters and 60 floors, the Empire Tower is the seventh highest building in the business district.

The observation deck occupies 56 floor from where you have some panoramic views of the city. I loved the view in the direction of Moscow State University and Luzhniki stadium as well to the other side with residential quarters. The entrance fee is pricey, but if you’re want to get a bird’s eye view, the skyscraper is one of the best places for doing just that.

Day 4 – VDNKh, Worker and Collective Farm Woman Monument, The Ostankino TV Tower

Metro Station: VDNKh on Orange Line

VDNKh is one of my favorite attractions in Moscow. The weird abbreviation actually stands for Russian vystavka dostizheniy narodnogo khozyaystva (Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy). With more than 200 buildings and 30 pavilions on the grounds, VDNKh serves as an open-air museum. You can easily spend a full day here since the park occupies a very large area.

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First, there are pavilions that used to showcase different cultures the USSR was made of. Additionally, there is a number of shopping pavilions, as well as Moskvarium (an Oceanarium) that features a variety of marine species. VDNKh is a popular venue for events and fairs. There is always something going on, so I’d recommend checking their website if you want to see some particular exhibition.

A stone’s throw away from VDNKh there is a very distinctive 25-meters high monument. Originally built in 1937 for the world fair in Paris, the hulking figures of men and women holding a hammer and a sickle represent the Soviet idea of united workers and farmers. It doesn’t take much time to see the monument, but visiting it gives some idea of the Soviet Union’s grandiose aspirations.

I have a thing for tall buildings. So to continue my travel itinerary for one week in Moscow I decided to climb the fourth highest TV tower in the world. This iconic 540m tower is a fixture of the skyline. You can see it virtually from everywhere in Moscow, and this is where you can get the best panoramic views (yep, even better than Empire skyscraper).

Parts of the floor are made of tempered glass, so it can be quite scary to exit the elevator. But trust me, as you start observing buildings and cars below, you won’t want to leave. There is only a limited number of tickets per day, so you may want to book online. Insider tip: the first tour is cheaper, you can save up to $10 if go there early.

Day 5 – A Tour To Moscow Manor Houses

Metro Station: Kolomenskoye, Tsaritsyno on Dark Green Line / Kuskovo on Purple Line

I love visiting the manor houses and palaces in Moscow. These opulent buildings were generally built to house Russian aristocratic families and monarchs. Houses tend to be rather grand affairs with impressive architecture. And, depending on the whims of the owners, some form of a landscaped garden.

During the early part of the 20th century though, many of Russia’s aristocratic families (including the family of the last emperor) ended up being killed or moving abroad . Their manor houses were nationalized. Some time later (after the fall of the USSR) these were open to the public. It means that today a great many of Moscow’s finest manor houses and palaces are open for touring.

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There are 20 manor houses scattered throughout the city and more than 25 in the area around. But not all of them easily accessible and exploring them often takes a lot of time. I’d recommend focusing on three most popular estates in Moscow that are some 30-minute metro ride away from Kremlin.

Sandwiched between the Moscow River and the Andropov Avenue, Kolomenskoye is a UNESCO site that became a public park in the 1920’s. Once a former royal estate, now it is one of the most tranquil parks in the city with gorgeous views. The Ascension Church, The White Column, and the grounds are a truly grand place to visit.

You could easily spend a full day here, exploring a traditional Russian village (that is, in fact, a market), picnicking by the river, enjoying the Eastern Orthodox church architecture, hiking the grounds as well as and wandering the park and gardens with wildflower meadows, apple orchards, and birch and maple groves. The estate museum showcases Russian nature at its finest year-round.

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If my travel itinerary for one week in Moscow was a family tree, Tsaritsyno Park would probably be the crazy uncle that no-one talks about. It’s a large park in the south of the city of mind-boggling proportions, unbelievable in so many ways, and yet most travelers have never heard of it.

The palace was supposed to be a summer home for Empress Catherine the Great. But since the construction didn’t meet with her approval the palace was abandoned. Since the early 1990’s the palace, the pond, and the grounds have been undergoing renovations. The entire complex is now looking brighter and more elaborately decorated than at possibly any other time during its history. Like most parks in Moscow, you can visit Tsaritsyno free of charge, but there is a small fee if you want to visit the palace.

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Last, but by no means least on my Moscow itinerary is Kuskovo Park . This is definitely an off-the-beaten-path place. While it is not easily accessible, you will be rewarded with a lack of crowds. This 18th-century summer country house of the Sheremetev family was one of the first summer country estates of the Russian nobility. And when you visit you’ll quickly realize why locals love this park.

Like many other estates, Kuskovo has just been renovated. So there are lovely French formal garden, a grotto, and the Dutch house to explore. Make sure to plan your itinerary well because the estate is some way from a metro station.

Day 6 – Explore the Golden Ring

Creating the Moscow itinerary may keep you busy for days with the seemingly endless amount of things to do. Visiting the so-called Golden Ring is like stepping back in time. Golden Ring is a “theme route” devised by promotion-minded journalist and writer Yuri Bychkov.

Having started in Moscow the route will take you through a number of historical cities. It now includes Suzdal, Vladimir, Kostroma, Yaroslavl and Sergiev Posad. All these awe-inspiring towns have their own smaller kremlins and feature dramatic churches with onion-shaped domes, tranquil residential areas, and other architectural landmarks.

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I only visited two out of eight cities included on the route. It is a no-brainer that Sergiev Posad is the nearest and the easiest city to see on a day trip from Moscow. That being said, you can explore its main attractions in just one day. Located some 70 km north-east of the Russian capital, this tiny and overlooked town is home to Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, UNESCO Site.

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Sergiev Posad is often described as being at the heart of Russian spiritual life. So it is uncommon to see the crowds of Russian pilgrims showing a deep reverence for their religion. If you’re traveling independently and using public transport, you can reach Sergiev Posad by bus (departs from VDNKh) or by suburban commuter train from Yaroslavskaya Railway Station (Bahnhof). It takes about one and a half hours to reach the town.

Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius is a great place to get a glimpse of filling and warming Russian lunch, specifically at the “ Gostevaya Izba ” restaurant. Try the duck breast, hearty potato and vegetables, and the awesome Napoleon cake.

Day 7 – Gorky Park, Izmailovo Kremlin, Patriarch’s Ponds

Metro Station: Park Kultury or Oktyabrskaya on Circle Line / Partizanskaya on Dark Blue Line / Pushkinskaya on Dark Green Line

Gorky Park is in the heart of Moscow. It offers many different types of outdoor activities, such as dancing, cycling, skateboarding, walking, jogging, and anything else you can do in a park. Named after Maxim Gorky, this sprawling and lovely park is where locals go on a picnic, relax and enjoy free yoga classes. It’s a popular place to bike around, and there is a Muzeon Art Park not far from here. A dynamic location with a younger vibe. There is also a pier, so you can take a cruise along the river too.

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The Kremlin in Izmailovo is by no means like the one you can find near the Red Square. Originally built for decorative purposes, it now features the Vernissage flea market and a number of frequent fairs, exhibitions, and conferences. Every weekend, there’s a giant flea market in Izmailovo, where dozens of stalls sell Soviet propaganda crap, Russian nesting dolls, vinyl records, jewelry and just about any object you can imagine. Go early in the morning if you want to beat the crowds.

All the Bulgakov’s fans should pay a visit to Patriarch’s Ponds (yup, that is plural). With a lovely small city park and the only one (!) pond in the middle, the location is where the opening scene of Bulgakov’s novel Master and Margarita was set. The novel is centered around a visit by Devil to the atheistic Soviet Union is considered by many critics to be one of the best novels of the 20th century. I spent great two hours strolling the nearby streets and having lunch in the hipster cafe.

Conclusion and Recommendations

To conclude, Moscow is a safe city to visit. I have never had a problem with getting around and most locals are really friendly once they know you’re a foreigner. Moscow has undergone some serious reconstruction over the last few years. So you can expect some places to be completely different. I hope my one week Moscow itinerary was helpful! If you have less time, say 4 days or 5 days, I would cut out day 6 and day 7. You could save the Golden Ring for a separate trip entirely as there’s lots to see!

What are your thoughts on this one week Moscow itinerary? Are you excited about your first time in the city? Let me know in the comments below!

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24 comments.

Ann Snook-Moreau

Moscow looks so beautiful and historic! Thanks for including public transit information for those of us who don’t like to rent cars.

MindTheTravel

Yup, that is me 🙂 Rarely rent + stick to the metro = Full wallet!

Mariella Blago

Looks like you had loads of fun! Well done. Also great value post for travel lovers.

Thanks, Mariella!

I have always wanted to go to Russia, especially Moscow. These sights look absolutely beautiful to see and there is so much history there!

Agree! Moscow is a thousand-year-old city and there is definitely something for everyone.

Tara Pittman

Those are amazing buildings. Looks like a place that would be amazing to visit.

Adriana Lopez

Never been to Moscow or Russia but my family has. Many great spots and a lot of culture. Your itinerary sounds fantastic and covers a lot despite it is only a short period of time.

What was their favourite thing about Russia?

Gladys Parker

I know very little about Moscow or Russia for the\at matter. I do know I would have to see the Red Square and all of its exquisite architectural masterpieces. Also the CATHEDRAL OF CHRIST THE SAVIOUR. Thanks for shedding some light on visiting Moscow.

Thanks for swinging by! The Red Square is a great starting point, but there way too many places and things to discover aside from it!

Ruthy @ Percolate Kitchen

You are making me so jealous!! I’ve always wanted to see Russia.

Moscow is in my bucket list, I don’t know when I can visit there, your post is really useful. As a culture rich place we need to spend at least week.

DANA GUTKOWSKI

Looks like you had a great trip! Thanks for all the great info! I’ve never been in to Russia, but this post makes me wanna go now!

Wow this is amazing! Moscow is on my bucket list – such an amazing place to visit I can imagine! I can’t wait to go there one day!

The building on the second picture looks familiar. I keep seeing that on TV.

Reesa Lewandowski

What beautiful moments! I always wish I had the personality to travel more like this!

Perfect itinerary for spending a week in Moscow! So many places to visit and it looks like you had a wonderful time. I would love to climb that tower. The views I am sure must have been amazing!

I was lucky enough to see the skyline of Moscow from this TV Tower and it is definitely mind-blowing.

Chelsea Pearl

Moscow is definitely up there on my travel bucket list. So much history and iconic architecture!

Thumbs up! 🙂

Blair Villanueva

OMG I dream to visit Moscow someday! Hope the visa processing would be okay (and become more affordable) so I could pursue my dream trip!

Yup, visa processing is the major downside! Agree! Time and the money consuming process…

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