Traveler or Tourist ?

Traveler or Tourist

“The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see” – GK Chesterson

Some might argue that Mr. Chesterson was being overly fussy – that this is a distinction without a difference. Those people aren’t travelers.

You see, tourists knows what they are looking for long before they know what’s really there. A knowable, containable, and packageable experience. But these are mere parts to the puzzle. A traveler, on the other hand, seeks the truth of the place, the essence that can only be appreciated by seeing the puzzle as a whole. (2025, NL Travelers Guide)  

Seems a bit esoteric but I get it. I think we try to be a bit of both when we take our trips. We are certainly tourists in the sense that we have booked tours for specific dates and have a list of things we want to see and do. Having an itinerary that lets us know where we will be every night sure seems like a tourist thing. As for the traveler, we are planning on staying several nights at each place of interest, allowing us a more immersive experience. This will also allow us plenty of time to do tourist things in each place. We will also be shopping for groceries with the locals as we are searching for the best bakery in NL. Getting an oil change and having prescriptions filled are not tourist things. Is it a paradox to try to be both a tourist and a traveler?