Why Your Opinions on Travel are Wrong

28 Comments / Advice, Inspiration / By Marc Hall

“Why would you want to go to Phuket? Bali is so much better”

You slowly roll your eyes, take a sip of your flat rum and coke, change the subject to the football on the telly and wish you never brought it up.

It is a pointless argument – most travellers know what I’m talking about.

“In a world where opinions are so easily shared, whether it be from your neighbour or on Facebook, finding the exact truth on anything is getting harder and harder to find.”

You can find out in a few seconds the thoughts of millions of people on the latest Love Island episode, or who should or shouldn’t have won Eurovision. It can become tribal.

Travel and the opinions that it attracts are a hotbed for these types of debates.

Millions of conversations and discussions go on every day through social media about travel. Through your rage and furious typing, you forget you are fuelling the attention machine where Elon and his Silicon Valley buddies tell each other how awesome they are knowing the engagement and eyeballs they get on their respective sites lines their pockets more and more.

Since the dawn of travel and especially print media, ‘must-do’ lists have been everywhere. Whether it be from Lonely Planet, travel blogs or social media, we are constantly playing a comparison game. A game based on opinions of others.

These comparisons become conversations off and online. There is only one truth to all worth knowing:

You are all right. And you are all wrong at the same time.

Read that again.

Travel is a personal experience. Your opinion only matters until someone else disagrees with you. As the famous quote goes:

“Opinions are like a*sholes. Everyone has got one and thinks everyone else’s stinks”

So on that happy note, lets have a chat about some of these opinions and debates which wind people up so much.

I hope you will consider some of these next time you get into a rant online about how overrated (or awesome) somewhere is.

The Traveller vs Tourist Argument

This HAS to go first.

After seeing it mentioned on Twitter recently again, I tweeted this:

“I’ve seen this ‘Traveller vs Tourist’ thing pop up on Twitter lately. Such a pointless argument. Do you really think the locals look at you and try and figure out which category you fall into? Me neither.”

Some of my responses:

“Unless you’re living in a country, you’re a tourist. Embrace it. There’s nothing wrong with being a tourist.”

“Travellers wear a cravat and a Panama hat, tourists have an under armour baseball cap and a neck tattoo. It’s not that difficult to tell them apart”

“A traveller is happy when they are given a free fried banana, a tourist expects it”

You are all right. You are all wrong, remember?

My tweet wasn’t a question, but, well, you know how it works and it created a discussion that went on for a few days.

The term was first mentioned in the 19th century by novelists and writers. The types who used to wander the lands in search of inspiration. The term has not gone away since.

There have even been PHD papers done by some seriously smart people trying to settle the argument. This research goes back decades.

Guess what the outcome is? They can’t figure it out.

I don’t know about you, but if some dude or dudette in a white coat with more letters after his name than I have in mine have tried to settle it and can’t, then I’ve got no chance.

So, in my humble opinion, if it’s in you to relinquish some of your precious ego, try putting this debate in the hands of the ‘locals’.

Do you think they care whether you are a tourist or traveller?

Probably not.

Remember, you are a ‘local’ somewhere. So, ask yourself the question. Do you care?

Probably not.

Let’s move on, people.

Solo Travel vs Group Travel

This one can get tribal.

The benefits for both solo and group travel are totally legit. Again, there is no right or wrong answer to this decades old debate.

The answer for you comes down to personality and what you want to achieve out of your travels.

Remember, travel is a personal experience.

“When you define what you want your experience to be, it largely contributes to the type of travel you enjoy.”

It is why best friends and families are not always compatible when they travel. They might get along just fine at home, but one of the special things about travel is the uncertainty. For many of us, this is the exciting bit. For others, it is terrifying.

This isn’t always a good mix on the road.

The irony is, even if you identify as a ‘Solo Traveller’ you are often hanging out with and visiting places with others. Its the same with ‘Group Traveller’s’ you will often find yourself alone. Usually to escape from others for a bit.

For such a tribal argument, people forget that the travel experiences of both group and solo travellers are often similar and intertwine.

There is more than enough room for both types of travel.

You do you.

Slow Travel vs Fast Travel

We’ve heard it all before, but as far as travel debates go, it is quite a new one.

Ever since the rise of the Digital Nomad movement in recent years, slow travel has become not only more popular among the travel community, but easier to do.

Good luck to them. I spent a year doing it in 2019. Many years in the UK back in the 90s/00’s as well. I have to agree, it is a fantastic way to travel – especially for younger people.

Sadly, for most, as attractive as it sounds, slow travel just isn’t an option. Careers, families – stuff that keeps you in one place (it is a choice, but that’s another article).

Most people are limited by annual leave balances. To get the most bang for your buck travelling the world, often you have no option but to travel fast. There is nothing wrong with this.

“If your only chance to visit places you have dreamed about can only fit into a two-week window, then go for it.”

Again, travel is your personal experience. Many Asian tourists visit New Zealand for only 5 – 7 days. What they fit into their itinerary in such a short period almost adds another category to how you define fast travel.

Your personal circumstances and desires dictate what type of travel you can enjoy.

Follow these and you can’t go wrong. Your personal journey is the most important part of this whole debate.

Off the Beaten Track vs Tourist Sites

“Yeah, the Colosseum is cool, but you didn’t see the real Rome”

I got this one just the other week when I explained my visit to the Eternal City was only four days. Guess how long my friend was there? Seven. Go figure.

Anyway.

Every traveller goes somewhere is because something has influenced them to jump on that plane.

It might be a photo, an Insta reel or a childhood memory. Usually of a tourist site somewhere. I know I was. These influences fuel our desire to see the world. That will never change.

“The problem is, not only are you liking the same reel on Insta, but so is Tony from New York and a million others.”

As the world of travel has become more and more affordable, your popular tourist sites are busier than ever. Queues, price hikes and crowds complicate things further. It can lead to a frustrating experience. But ultimately, what you came for.

The other side of the coin is those in desire of the ‘off the beaten path’ experience do something different.

Away from most, if not all, of the tourist crowds, it is a different story. They can wander the streets easily, enjoy cheaper prices – have a more supposed ‘authentic’ experience.

The trouble is, it brings its own problems. The language barrier can be awkward. It is easier to get lost. It might not be so easy to get around – this type of experience isn’t for everyone.

Most importantly, it might be not what you expected and even a little dull. After all, there is a reason the tourist sites are popular. They cater for the tourist crowd better than anywhere.

My solution to this debate is a balance of the two. Enjoy the tourist sites. They are popular for good reason, but explore the alleyways, wander a block or two away. Just enough to get a little taste of what life is like beyond the busy places.

Sometimes, these are where you will find your best travel memories.

Budget Travel vs Luxury Travel

Here’s a simple question:

Would you save up for a luxurious month-long trip, staying in fancy hotels and dining out every day or a budget three-month trip, staying in hostels and cheaper self-catered apartments??

Your first instinct is the right answer (for you).

Sometimes, it’s somewhere in the middle. Either way, this discussion has gone on for years as well. It all comes down to stereotypes.

The ‘Budget Traveller’ might call the ‘Luxury Traveller’ a snob.

The ‘Luxury Traveller’ might call the ‘Budget Traveller’ a cheap-ass.

Either way, they are at totally opposite ends of the travelling spectrum. The thing is, these two categories of traveller are getting closer and closer. Let me explain.

“There will always be the cheap backpacker, there will always be the high-end five star traveller – the difference is in the middle.”

From Airpoints, to upgrades, voucher sites and generous discounts, the opportunity for the former ‘budget’ traveller to experience the nicer side of travel has never been more available.

People staying in hostels can now dine is nicer places. They might sit next to the business class traveller in an airport lounge. Budget travellers can afford the incredible experiences that only a few short years ago might have been out of reach.

You see this in New Zealand more than anywhere.

New Zealand ain’t cheap. But with a little planning, you can get some amazing deals on activities and dining at a reasonable price through the rise of popular voucher sites.

There will always be a place for every type of travel. There will always be a place for every type of traveller.

Just find yours and find out for yourself.