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Meeting people on your travels is memorable, in more ways than one. Here’s a list of the most annoying things travellers say.
Travelling solo means I usually have a greater opportunity to meet fantastic people โ without a buddy or partner to rely on, I have to work harder in social situations to make friends in a new destination. Iโve been lucky to meet a huge amount of amazing people who I can now call friends for life and who have made certain aspects of my time on the road extra special.
Yet here and there, like most of us lone nomads who sometimes seek great conversations with others, I have met people who have just rattled my inner traveller calm.
The type of people who only have to say one thing that tests your patience โ mainly because it isnโt the first time you have heard people so desperately try to cling on to the notion that they are, indeed, the worldโs best travellers. No really, they are.
I normally stare at them in disbelief, inwardly sighing or sometimes respond in a way that triggers a good debate. From travel โtoppersโ to โcountry tickersโ; people who reminisce about the good days and compare it to the terrible, ruined present (yet still visit) to those who just simply moan about the most ridiculous things, we have all come across those travellers who quite simply annoy the hell out of us.
And so, just after eight months solid on the road, I need to vent* a littleโฆ and have a good giggle. In that time Iโve noticed a pattern of quotes emerge from the many great explorers Iโve had the displeasure of meeting, and itโs usually one of the following five.
Contents
1. The Indiana Jones Traveller
Likely to say: “I really didn’t like it there. There were just too many tourists. I only go to places where there’s no one.”
Ok, so you choose a popular spot on the traveller map because you heard it was stunningly beautiful and/or a place of significant interest and upon arrival, it turns out it matched the description. However, since human instinct teaches us to appreciate the beauty and all that is wonderful it is natural a progression that increasing numbers of tourists will flock there.
I agree, too many tourists can spoil a view; some are over-zealous with the camera; have bad attitudes when it comes to preservation; have no concept of queuing or who loiter in tour groups big enough to rival an army while the leader waves an umbrella or something laughable like a pooh bear teddy on a long pole (this happened in China), or just happen to be there the same time as you because you misjudged your timings in trying to avoid said carnage.
At times you wish that these pockets of paradise can be reserved for a lucky few who only pass on the secret to those who deserve to see it and appreciate it. To hope that destinations are preserved for future travellers is sometimes wishing for a miracle.
But realistically, what do you expect? While there are “off the beaten track” places to uncover, it just so happens that you knowingly came to a key area of interest, so of course, there are going to be other tourists in these places. And you know what? YOU ARE ONE OF THEM! No really, you are. That hurts, doesnโt it? We may โtravelโ, but we still fall under that dreaded โTโ word in some form or another.
I recently had a debate with a traveller who used this line in relation to the gorgeous Malaysian Perhentian Islands. She had chosen to stay on the most popular and well-known spot of Long Beach and while I had a great time lapping up the mixture of quiet time and fun time, she hated it. The failure here was in not realising that โpopularโ translates into A LOT OF PEOPLE.
I began a discussion about how, in the modern travelling age, seclusion comes at a cost, especially now that top-end resorts have snapped up a huge chunk of the worldโs gorgeous enclaves of paradise. So I added: โWhy didnโt you just pay a local to take you out to a beach far away where no one would be?โ which was met with the response: โBut that would mean having to pay a lot of Ringgit to a local.โ
Involving and helping locals should be at the very core of how you travel – thatโs why seeing different places off the usual circuit takes a lot of work and organisation.
2. The Comparative Traveller
Likely to say: “Oh, you should have been here 15 years ago. It was SO much better. Itโs a shame youโve only seen it like it is now. Itโs ruined.โ
I would love a time machine from which to see the world in all its glory throughout the ages. That would be wonderful, wouldnโt it?! I agree already without having the pleasure of time travelling that the destination in which we currently reside was far more amazing, quieter and more โlocalโ than the sorry state you perceive it to be now.
But have some common sense. 20 YEARS AGO I WAS 15 YEARS OLD, hence why I am here now as a young woman with the financial security, time and the desire to try and see as much of the world as possible.
THIS IS MY TIME, so please quit competing with me about what you have seen. Congratulations – you have seen it twice, witnessed the change and potentially (should you not be over-exaggerating) got to see the place at its absolute best.
And my question to you is this: if you dislike it so much now, why do you remain here just to moan about it?
3. The Competitive Traveller
Likely to say: โWhat do you mean you DIDNโT see a Tiger in Nepal?โ
While this is not a standard line, it is an example of a traveller who wants to win an award for the most-number-of-awesome-sights-and-experiences-seen-in-travel. You know, the time when you chat about a favourite memory or experience and then they come along and dump all over it because they most definitely had the better experience, right?
A recent conversation about how I longed to see a tiger in the wilderness in Nepalโs jungle, but how rare a sighting actually is, turned into a game of Iโve-seen-more-animals-than-you. The reaction was a mixture of shock and horror like my travels had been forever tainted by the absence of a tiger: โYou DIDNโT see a Tiger? Wow. We did, in the National Park. We actually saw three. It was amazing.โ
Beware! This kind of traveller normally starts a conversation with one of the most long-standing annoying things travellers say: โWell, there was this one timeโฆโ And the resulting story isnโt something that happened at band camp.
4. The โI Do It Better Than Youโ Traveller
Likely to say: “Why do you have such a big bag? I only travel with four kilos.โ
Good for you. Really, I envy you when I have to hurl my bag on and off public transport and lug it around in the sweltering heat while trying to find accommodation. Except I travel with 17 kilos which in turn makes NO IMPACT ON YOUR TRAVELS whatsoever. So get over it!
I too wonder about people who carry suitcases large enough to smuggle livestock onto a
plane, but I donโt pull them up on it. If that makes them happy and feel more content that they have everything they need, then so be it. Travel with whatever makes you happy, whether that be multiple changes of clothing or an enviable amount of electronics, even if it is painful to carry.
5. The Country Ticking Traveller
Likely to say: โBut, how many countries have you been to? Iโm approaching my 80th country.โ
Everyone comes across the good old โcountry tickerโ. The ones who visit places like Seoul and thinks they have really gotten to โknowโ South Korea. Or the ones who count airport transfer destinations as a country they have visited. If you are a country-ticker and brag about it, let me tell you something. NO ONE THINKS ITโS COOL and bragging just makes you look like an asshole.
I genuinely admire people who are on their third gap year/career break, or who travel long term and who have actually been to a vast array of countries – properly and in-depth. Most of these people I have met are actually really useful information sources and able to give brilliant advice. Some, however, have sadly fallen into the โCompetitiveโ and โI Can Do It Better Than Youโ types.
Dealing With Annoying Travellers
We all have gripes on the road as we repeat the process every few days of meeting strangers and getting to know them. We even have our own annoying quirks at times.
Treasure the amazing friendships, be lucky when you encounter a group of sane, normal people and find enjoyment in those who fit the categories above, safe in the knowledge that you are capable of travelling and socialising without the need to be competitive or annoying.
Is there anything else you would add to the list?
Other Travel Tips
Looking for other tips beyond how to. deal with annoying fellow travellers? Check out these other guides:
Sahana Kulur says
Witty yet true list! As someone who travels with my husband, I have been told that “I must travel solo” to get the real flare! Some talked as if I must divorce him if I wanted to become a true traveller. ๐
MW says
Great list, and quality additions in some of the other replies as well. Personally I hate the one-upmanship of many ‘travellers’ and the truth is we are all tourists in someone else’s country whether you like the T word or not. Unfortunately almost nobody is a true Indiana Jones these days – if you happen to find a great spot devoid of others on one particular day you are very lucky, but you shouldn’t kid yourself that you’ve ‘discovered’ it yourself! As others have said though, it takes all sorts and without travellers like those mentioned we would have one less terrific rant. I would also mention one other category of annoying traveller – perhaps controversial because they do not aim to offend other travellers but have an alternate target – let us call them the ‘travellers are better than non-travellers’ type. Yes, you enjoy travelling, yes, I enjoy travelling too, but no, that does not make you a ‘better person’ than anyone who chooses a career/house/family/anything else instead/as well, even if they have never left the town in which they were born! These offenders are usually given away by the not so subtle derogatory comments such as ‘I can’t believe some other people don’t share my amazing desire to experience other cultures and broaden my horizons whilst making so many life long friends in the process’ – guess what? People who choose another path still make friends and enjoy their lives so stop feeling so superior!
Olesya says
Fantastic list! A lot of people seem to travel not for the experience itself but to be able to say they have been somewhere “better” than you, or they have done something you didn’t. A lot of arrogance around, eh?
Ross says
These are so true. I have definitely met them all. The competitive traveller I find the most annoying. No matter where you have been or what you have done they always say that it was better when they were there. They saw more and better things than you. And I agree totally that an airport definitely does not mean you have been to that country!
Tom says
Bloody oath this is so true. I was at the corn islands once and spent a week there with a swiss girl who personofied nearly all of these traits. She drove me crazy by the end and I eventually snapped at her one day.
An example you ask???
I was telling her about how I had just done the Inca Trail and seen Macchu Picchu which I was quite proud of, then she snaps back at me and sais “you see when I travel I dont like going to the tourists places as I might as well just stay at home because I am not really immersing myself in the culture”. What a wanker!!!!
I then said good idea, there is plenty of Inca Ruins located on the top of mountains 3000m above sea level in switzerland. She then went on to tell me about how she met some guy in a hostel who told her about some village he stayed in in peru on top of the mountains somewhere and how it was so much more amazing. “Bulls#!t it was!”
I used the exact same argument as you, the reason these places are popular is because when they were discovered they blew someones mind and said person wanted to share the experience, im sure if this little Peru village is as amazing as this guy said it was then more people would know about it.
There is a good book about travelling called Vagabonding where he writes about these people and labels them as “anti travellers” quite an interesting read. They deprive themselves of seeing beautiful places because they want to be able to say that they dont conform to all the usual travel trends.
Another example.
She was giving me a lecture about some more stupid stuff and all of a sudden says “no offence but I would never want to go to Australia (i am Australian) because it is full of tourists”. Then she went on to describe how they all see Sydney and the great barrier reef, if she did a little bit of research on the country then she would realize there is a lot more to see then the east coast.
Great site by the way, I think I have a new favourite!
Becki says
You are not the only one. We are all thinking it, just most of us not out loud! Haha
Becki says
Oh, you are not the only one. We are all thinking it!! Just not out loud! haha
Ken says
I gotta ask, what’s the best way to swap war stories then? Every war story feels like a one-up story but in actuality, the story-teller is really just trying to share what they experienced or saw (which may or may not actually one-up your stories).
Thoughts?
Becki says
I can’t imagine what it feels like to be in a war situation. In all honesty, my army friends have never ‘bragged’ about their experiences and sometimes do not tell the entire story as it’s too much. Anyone who uses it as a ‘one-up’ probably needs to assess why they joined the army in the first place. Travel however, is a whole different ball-game ๐
OCDemon says
I’ve started unfollowing certain travellers who shall remain nameless whose social media feeds consist of little more than bragging about the cool places they’re in, and, in particular, the cool hotels they’re staying at. If I want to see the inside of a fancy hotel room, I can visit the hotel’s website. Although to be fair, I compete on pack weight. But I’m competing against myself, because I am scrawny bastard with very bony shoulders and I have delicate flower that needs tender and loving care.
Becki says
Yes, there is a fine line between ‘bragging’ and ‘informing’. Agree. Delicate people need to look after themselves. lol
Ken Smith says
Becki,
Here’s my rant.
I’m annoyed by the newly arrived traveler who asks: “What? You’ve been in Mexico for six years and you are not fluent in Spanish.” Same question, different traveler, when I lived in France for four years.
When asked, I always say that I am fluent only in English — because that’s a fact. But, there are days here in Mexico when I don’t speak English. Same when I was in France. I was 60 on my first visit to France and I spoke no French at first.
I would put my language skills in the survival category or maybe the advanced tourist level. I make horrible grammatical mistakes. I use the infinitive too much because I can’t conjugate past and future tenses. But, most folks understand me. And, I have been asked to translate conversations in French and Spanish.
Some travelers, who claim to be fluent, annoy me because I hear them speak Spanish or French or another language and their accent is awful — to the point of being incomprehensible to native speakers.
Besides, I’m an American and Americans speak only American English. And, I’m 72 and I could argue that my brain is full and not accepting new data. Difficult to learn a new language at an advanced age, the experts say. Nonsense, I say, just listen to people and pick up one new word or phrase every day and soon you will be conversational.
I lived in Denmark for two years, but I know very little Danish. The Danes have a perverse pride that their language is so difficult that even their linguistic cousins in Norway and Sweden cannot learn to properly pronounce Danish. In Denmark, whenever I would say something in Danish, the response would be in English.
Once I was at the airport in Copenhagen. My physical appearance could be Danish. A man walked up to me and asked a question. I said, โUndskyld, jeg kan ikke snakke dansk.โ I replied: Sorry, I donโt speak Danish. He replied: โMen du taler dansk. Du er fra Nordjylland.โ But, you do speak Danish. You are from North Jutland. It is amazing to me that he could tell from my American-English accented Danish that I had learned some Danish in the far north of Denmark.
So, to avoid being annoying or annoyed, I suggest that travelers not criticize other travelers about their language skills. My experience tells me that some people can pick up other languages and other people cannot.
For myself when going to a new country, I go online and find some basic phrases — bathroom, beer, train station, the numbers, etc. I keep these basic phrases on one sheet of paper in my pocket. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. I tried, but I could never get the accent on the correct syllable in Croatian.
Jill says
This is why I stop chatting up people after awhile. It’s so tiring to have the same conversations over and over again! And whenever someone tries the, “You should have seen this place 15 (or 10 or 5 or 2) years ago!” I always think, “I bet that’s what the people who saw it 15 (or 10 or 5 or 2) years before you did were saying too!”
Becki says
I tire of chatting about these same things but sometimes, just sometimes, these kind of people come out with all kinds of amusing things that are great for future stories with other normal, like-minded travellers!
Becki says
For me, locals have created some of my best experiences in travel. Each to their own, but rejecting local people and customs is a big travel fail to me.
Alex Spicegasm says
How about travelers who want to visit a new country but still have access to their daily needs like English newspaper, English or American breakfast and some convenient stores selling what they usually can get in their country.
Becki says
I agree, we all miss home comforts but moaning about them on the road is destructive, and means you limit try local treats!!
JamJam says
As a travel agent, clients who complain about certain countries because the food isn’t like home drives me nuts the most. Of course it won’t be like home! It’s on the other side of the planet!
Yeity says
Ohhh wait, we got one – what about travellers with loads of little flag patches & trinkets on their backpack, what kind are they?
Maddie says
Very funny and so, so true! Numbers 2 & 4 are my bugbears. I travel with 17kg too and feel like every time I get on a bus I get disapproving stares, I’m the one who has to carry it so why does it matter?! ๐
JamJam says
Yes! I travel light because I am small and a big wimp, If you have a giant backpack, it doesn’t make me superior. Maybe you’re the smart one for bringing more stuff ๐
Tracy says
Haha this is awesome! I love reading a good rant almost as much as I like ranting. Me, my love and a couple friends are going backpacking next month and I’m sure we’ll come across a few people that fall into these categories! My goal is to keep my husband from turning into them lol … he has a bit of the hipster “i was cool before it was cool” attitude going on so I gotta keep him grounded ๐
George says
I AM NUMBER 4. I just remember going around Oz with my 17kg lost in the 25c heat, just dropping it dramatically to the floor and sitting on it. Not caring who was watching. I’ve been there, it was unpleasant. Travelling with carry on is totally manageable once you have done it a few times, it just takes the push.
Becki says
Not necesasarilly, especially when you have to pack for two seasons like I have to. I think people should travel with what they feel comfortable with; what they need and not lecture others on how to do it. There’sw soime countries I could travel with 5 kilos but I am travelling indefinitely so need a whole heap of stuff. Whatever makes you happy is my motto.
Mindy and Ligeia says
Oh my god, this is both fantastic and SO true! Excellent read! ๐
Yenny Lee says
HILARIOUS POST! But very honest! I really hate the last two kinds of tourists because I abhor people who would constantly compare themselves to others and pick their own seats just so they would appear great and godly. Goodness! Traveling is about enjoying and trying out new things; not annoying the hell out of people! haha!
Becki says
I know. I’ve met so many people who try and suck out the joy of travelling. I just don’t get it!
Nicole says
I am so relieved to here I am not the only one that gets pissed off with these types of travelers lol
I agree with every one of these and Ive been coming across them more and more over the last 13 months.
The one that really irritates me is the tourist Vs the traveler! Seriously! Am I less of a person because I WANT to see iconic landmarks?
And if there are a lot of ‘tourists’ in a certain area, doesn’t that mean its because there is something there worth seeing??? That one drives me crazy too!
So glad to hear someone address this publicly! Well done Becki ๐
Becki says
Yes, I agree. I like to see the iconic stuff and then go and meet locals away from everything. It doesn’t make me a better traveller (I just crave solo time and local life), nor does it make me less of a traveller for seeing the main stuff also. It just makes ME happy. That’s all that counts, right?
Liz Bridgen says
Brilliant! My favourite is Mr/Ms “I’m not a tourist, I’m a traveller.” No, mate, you’re staying in a backpacker’s hostel full of western backpackers doing western backpacker things and taking excursions organised for tourists. You’re just a tourist who’s able to extend their fortnight’s holiday by a few months of years. A traveller is someone like Wilfred Thesiger or (more recently) Rosie Swale Pope who strikes out on uncharted territory, and doesn’t see a soul speaking their language for months on end
Becki says
YES! Travelling is a different way of life, but ultimately you ARE a tourist. I want to be like Rosie though…
Tammy says
Ha ha ha, great post. I hate all of those too. They annoy me just reading this. I have one to add. The ‘experts in international development’ because they once volunteered in a school for one week. They know f… all, but are trying to lecture others. Really annoys me. You have probably come across them in SIem Reap. ๐
Terry Ward says
I think it’s idiotic when people say ‘I’m a traveler, not a tourist,’ or ‘It’s travel, not a vacation.’ Just anther way of feeling superior, and they’re really only competing with themselves. ๐
Chelsea Rae Schmidt says
Ha, great list and I’ve definitely met a version of them all. I think my least favorite is “The Competitive Traveller.” I usually just end the conversation with “good for you” and walk away.
James says
Nice Post. My personal pet hate is travelllers who DO things. Did you DO Angkor Wat, nope I went there but I didn’t do it. How do you DO a city? If anyone knows can they please tell me.
Yvette says
Good post!
Personally the ones who always annoy me most are those convinced for whatever reason that their experience is better than yours (ok, well people in general who think they’re better than me get that reaction). My favorite love-to-hate folks like that were a couple hippie girls in Laos who claimed they were non-materialists despite having far larger backpacks than me, who go on and on about how “the locals” are more pure in spirit because they have fewer things without thinking maybe said people want stuff but can’t afford it.
Oh, and those who judge an entire nation on stereotypes instead of the people they meet. If I had a nickel for every time I had to ask a German who had never been to the USA but knows it’s awful if I should base my opinion on how THEY are portrayed in movies cause that’s what they’re doing…
northierthanthou says
A most excellent savaging of some tired cliches. Well done.
Jeremy says
These sound very familiar. I had one guy go at length on me on how his way of booking hotels was superior to mine. My way is booking a day or so before I get somewhere, then having a reservation and a bed for the night. His way was to arrive at a destination and spend hours walking up and down streets trying to find a place to save money.
I could go on, but I don’t want to wind up being another type of traveler who gets on your part 2 list ๐
Diane says
Love this post. People are just competitive by nature whether it’s sports, their careers or anything else. All you can do is be confident in your efforts and take everything else in stride. I used to always let others’ comments bug me and then realized to just let it go. It’s their issue, not mine. I’ve definitely met all the people on your list. Hey, all these personalities make life interesting, right?
Malinda says
Love this! I cringe whenever I hear people rattling on like this. Sometimes I just smile and nod, others I walk away. As much as I ‘d love to challenge them it’s just not worth the effort.
Arianwen says
I met one girl who just kept going on about how privileged she was. As if that is going to go down well with the budget backpacking community. She kept boasting about how she was staying in a plush hotel for Rio Carnaval and at one point managed to throw ‘I’m degree educated and all my family are degree educated’ into a completely unrelated conversation just to spite my friend who hadn’t been to uni! Made my blood boil!!
Simon says
I suppose it’s another form of the comparative traveller, but there’s the person that always compares a country to their home, and how back home they do it so much better, faster, cleaner, cheaper, stronger, longer, etc etc.
Lauwrra says
So true! definitely another competitive traveler I walk away from… *cringes*
Tom says
When I was younger I probably committed a couple of these! I hate the country ticket though – I like to travel slow and really delve into a country and visit a lot of it including areas outside the main tourist spots.
Over the years I’ve spent about 10 weeks exploring Slovenia, a place that I love! A so called country ticker put me down on this and said I was wasting my time retuning to the same place and that he saw everything in Slovenia in 4 days!!! I’ve always said to people on the road try not to be swayed do what you want to do ๐
Rich says
Hahahaha, you didn’t see a tiger in Nepal.
Amber says
I too have had my fill of the tourists who complain of too many tourists. There is a reason why everyone is there and why the complainer is there too. Good call!
Monica says
Haha, love it Becki! I can’t stand the competitive travellers or the travellers who think they’re better than everyone else because they’ve done it for longer/cheaper/lighter or whatever. Guess what, some people don’t want to stay in $1 a night hostels with only one change of clothes and without a guidebook!
Richard says
Nice list, can relate to them all! Also, the hippy/spiritual types got on my tits, the ones who learn a couple of words of the language then proclaim they are at one with the earth.
Alyson says
It’s the ones that complain about everything that bug me. I once had the misfortune to be on a 3 day Thai trek with an irritating, portly, man-child who complained about peanuts with noodles at every meal. He drove me insane. I told him to go to Spain and stick to egg and chips next time. Or the Italian who complained that the minestrone wasn’t accurate and like they had back home when we were at about 4,000m in the Himalayas. Every scrap of food he was eating had been carried up there on some guy’s back. Or the ones that winge when nobody speaks English. Stop moaning!
Rebecca says
hahaha so true!
Jay says
Priceless and true ๐ Probably have been guilty of one or two of those in my time, haha!
A King's Life - Digital Nomad Family says
Ha! Loved it!
I recently had a conversation where the expat was bemoaning the building up of Bali and how ‘there will be no more rice fields left if we all build villas” and “30 years ago it was just beautiful”, yet she still lives here. In a villa. How are such seemingly conscientious travelers so un-self-aware.
We travel to lots of places where there are lots of people. And if we can’t stand it, we move on. We’ve been to Bangkok twice and have yet to see the crowded Grand Palace. It’ll still be there when we finally do.
I’m sure sometimes I fall into these traps too…especially when I’m tired or don’t really want to talk to someone.
Jasmine says
Hahaha this is such a perfect rant!! The competitive traveller… hilarious and so so true.
laurel says
Really funny! I guess people are just competitive no matter where in the world you go!
Ciaran Redmond says
The “compare my home country to everything traveler” or “I’m a volunteer, but in reality I only worked an hour a day for a week, just so I can take pictures with a poor ‘3rd world’ country kid and throw it on my facebook” traveler.
Honestly this used to really annoy me. I have learned to tune it out significantly. Most people are really cool.
The thing that bothers me about the mass amounts of tourists is not that I want the whole place to myself so to speak, although, yes I do like to think I am Indian Jones sometimes, specially at Angkor Wat! But don’t we all do this a little bit? The biggest problem I see among tourists is their utter lack of respect for where they are, contributing to the trash/pollution, the noise, and the endless partying.
I cannot believe how many people just come to these places to get complete sh*t faced. These are the people that bug me the most, in fact still to this point they drive me insane. “Lets fly to Asia to get as wasted as we can and act like a fool, then see a few tourist points and call ourselves well traveled and enlightened” There will always be this problem among ;young people, but it is in the thousands it seems! I think S.E.A. is on it’s way to being one big club scene .
Because of this mass development and influx in irresponsible tourism, the local culture is changing to suit the needs of backpackers. They are starting to loose their own culture. This is were I have a huge problem with tons of tourists. We need to be more aware of how we are affecting these places. Sure we are putting more money into the hands of a few locals, but in reality we are contributing to a much bigger problem, I hope that these respective countries will step up the regulations to protect their countries culture, and over all well being, while still making it very accessible and tourist friendly.
End my rant. ๐
Kate says
here here! I agree with all of these annoying things – the country-counter really gets my goat the most often, as if that defines their expertise….
Another that I’ve met is the constantly comparing home to here with “this is weird” regarding whatever is different.
Deep breath… It takes all kinds to make the world go round….
Ellen says
These are so true. I would also add there’s the category of people who look down upon others for only getting to travel for a few weeks out of the year. This is typically the category my husband and I fall into, taking one big two or three-week vacation a year, so we don’t have time to travel “low and slow” like people taking career breaks or digital nomads. Our jobs and lifestyles just don’t allow us to travel that way and we have determined the other aspects of our life to be more important to us than to give it all up to travel full-time. It seems that most of our peers are either currently traveling long-term or have in the past … that’s fine, that’s exciting for them! But we find it difficult when we meet up with fellow travelers, strike up what looks to be a promising conversation, only to have it go sour when they reply, “Oh … you’re only here for two weeks? That seems like a waste.” Well, it’s better than nothing – and it’s better than what most people do. It’s our lifestyle choice and all types of travel styles should be embraced.
Erin Bender says
I’ve met all of them and probably am some of them. Great list, well written! ๐
Stephen S. says
Hilarious, I’ve encountered all those people, and in full disclosure have had moments when I’ve been guilty of a couple of these myself. Although most of the time I catch myself, give myself a slap on the wrist, and adjust my attitude before it gets really bad.
Talon says
I know several in the #3 category, and they drive me insane the most. Also the “I can’t believe you went to XYZ and didn’t visit ABC!” Well, guess what, honey. Not everyone travels like you. I had no interest in seeing ABC, or perhaps I’ve seen so much of ABC everywhere else, that the 15th version didn’t really appeal to me. Or whatever. I’ve seen lots of Paris, but people still manage to surprise me with their finds. We all have different styles and tastes. How about you focus on what you enjoy, and I’ll focus on what I enjoy. Suggestions are always welcome, but don’t act like I ‘failed” just because I didn’t go with your plan and method.
Larissa says
Becki, it’s too bad you didn’t write this post 15 years ago. . .that’s when you could have had the whole country to yourself and the tigers would surround you and walk off with the spare pair of knickers that was all you packed. I must have done that on 4 or 5 planets! ๐
You hit the nail on the head! My one addition would be the “My Paradise must be Your Paradise” Traveler–the one who insists you see, do, eat and drink exactly what they did at a given location. Never mind that you’re not a rock climber or your allergic to seafood, your trip will just NOT be perfect unless you recreate THEIR trip.
Loved the rant ๐
Oceana says
Yes! Love it! I’m sure that at some point I’ve probably even fit into some of these categories in past times of minimal wisdom haha!! But I definitely agree that it is good and healthy to rant, and your topic is spot on!!
Georgina says
I agree. I have probably committed some of these crimes in the past and it’s always good to be reminded about how annoying these comments are.
What about the tight-arse princess who books a budget tour/transport/accommodation and complains endlessly? Or the tourist who expects customs and conditions to be exactly the same as ‘back home’? There was an American guy on my tour of Cambodia who who made an almighty scene in Siem Reap when his main was delivered before his starter. He was given a wide berth for the rest of the tour!
Becki says
A wide berth is the solution. People that complain about ‘basic’ living drive me mental. Save up for a 5* instead if you are going to moan!
Hannah says
LOVE IT!!! Especially number 4! We leave for our RTW in 82 days and I have a 65L bag probably about 15Kg and I think I will be fine with it..i need options and BIKINIS!!!!
Chris says
Hahaha you do make me chuckle Becki ๐
Epic rant – and I can totally agree with those stereotypes – the “you should’ve been here 10years ago” ones are the worst though!
Becki says
I’ve just had a guy tell me about Beijing in the 80’s but in a way that downgraded my travels there recently.