Author	Message
holly1234 Member	# Posted: 4 Oct 2006 14:02:34 Hey guys. I was wondering if there is a difference between backpackers and tourists, while travelling most backpackers think themselves as something different from tourists (I know I did) but surely when it comes down to it there is no difference. Can anyone help me distinguish between the 2. Whenever I go on a new trip there is always a new term to define young travellers. what is it that makes us so sure that we are not tourists and instead 'backpackers' 'independent travellers' or just plain 'travellers'

JaMeZ Moderator Amsterdam	# Posted: 4 Oct 2006 14:22:36 Hi holly1234, Good question! I personally think there are a few aspects that distinguish 'backpackers' from 'tourists', although I do admit there is a very big gray area. * Budget: Backpackers usually have restricted funds, which expresses itself in various ways: staying in hostels instead of hotels, cooking own meals instead of going to restaurants, ... * Age: generally speaking, backpackers are the 'younger crowd' * Mode of travel: independent travel, i.e. taking public transportation or buying a second-car, is favored over the all-inclusive tours with guides etc. There's probably more aspects... discuss! James "It is no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase 'As pretty as an Airport' appear." - Douglas Adams
Nicolas Member Belgium	# Posted: 5 Oct 2006 10:27:14 · Edited by: Nicolas Hi, Sometimes, I hear that people make the difference between tourists and travellers, mostly based on the points that Jamez gave. Tourists have their trip planned by a company, which takes care of hotels, transportation and guided visits. Once on their trip, the only thing they have to think about is getting out of bed in time to be on the bus which stops right before the door of their hotel. And still, most of the times, the company has already arranged a wake-up-call for them . Tourists have most of the time no interaction with a country. They don't talk to the local people, don't eat/drink where the locals do, don't take the same transportation,... They visit all the "postcard places" and that's it. Travellers on the other hand, will go most of the time on low budget. Not because they're poor or cheap, but because it's a different way of life. They also don't arrange a lot from before, because they want to have the freedom to go where they want, and leave when they want. Travellers are much closer to the locals because they take the same transportation, eat the same food,... My point is, if you want to see everything of a country you've seen in photobooks, you don't want to worry about finding a place to sleep and you don't want to wait endlesly for a bus that never show up, be a tourist. But I think you see much more of a country being a traveller. Because then you really dive into a country. And it's exciting because you never know what's going to happen next. But as Jamez said, there is a big gray area, and most backpackers will be somewhere in that area. One closer to tourist, the other closer to traveller. I hope I made myself a little clear, 'cause it's really not an easy thing to explain I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list
roccanskater Member Morocco	# Posted: 5 Oct 2006 18:58:10 backpackers are explorers of new unknown things tourists are visitors to predefined locations viva backpacking to a backpacker, no other backpacker is a stranger
HorseHead Mcgee Member	# Posted: 26 Oct 2006 17:02:44 · Edited by: HorseHead Mcgee backpackers are explorers of new unknown things tourists are visitors to predefined locations That is a bit of an over-statement and self-serving egoism...unless you mean, unknown by backpacker...but really, there is not really that much "unknown" out there travel wise. Anyway, to the question at hand. I got back from a 10 month jaunt RTW and here is how classify things. There are 5 levels to a way a person relates to a foreign country (with overlap and some gray area). 1. Vacationer 2. Tourist 3. Traveler 4. Resident 5. Citizen For a backpackers trip, as a whole, they are a traveler, but when they reach and stay in any one place, they are tourists. In essence, I think backpackers fall in the gray area between tourist and traveler. A vacationer is typically someone who goes to a single place for a relatively short amount of time (2 weeks or less), this person will typically stay at a resort or in one place. A tourist will attempt to get out more than a vacationer, but is still largely limited by time (1 month or less) and therefore limits their geographic scope. The Japanese have touring down to a science. A traveler is someone who travels from place to place (note, this will typically include the business traveler as well) and has, at least the opportunity to experience a more "localized" lifestyle. Residents are those people who stay in one area for an extended period of time, i.e. school or work. And citizens, of course, are citizens.