The Tourist’s Contradiction

The world is a contradiction, the universe is a paradox.

Throughout my travels, I have observed some contradictions that exist among tourists.

These contradictions make me chuckle, somewhat an entertaining feat that leaves me wondering about the extent of human contradictions.

Here is a list of four contradictions committed by tourists.

(I am guilty of some of them too..)

1. Hating on other tourists…When they are a tourist themselves

Tourists have a tendency to complain about other tourists.

“Man, why are there so many tourists here?”

“Bloody tourists, go back to where you came from!”

If I got a penny every time I heard those statements, I’d probably have enough money to fund my world travels…

I share this sentiment though, it is definitely harder to enjoy a place when you spend half your time lining up for entrance, and the other half attempting to take the perfect picture…. only to be ruined by unintentional photobombs.

It is however quite ironic that tourists hate other tourists for visiting tourist destinations, speaking their own language and looking lost & out of place… When they are doing the exact same thing.

2. Wanting to “go off the beaten path” but expect it to be reached by public transport

Off the beaten path

[adjective] In a secluded location, in a place which is not frequently visited or not widely known.

A popular approach to travelling nowadays is to go off the beaten path and experience “the real deal”.

By definition, it would mean that the place is hard to reach and requires somewhat jumping through hurdles to get to. Yet tourists often complain when a place lacks the infrastructure to make it accessible.

“I can’t believe they don’t have trains/busses/roads to get to this place!”

Well if they did, it wouldn’t be “off the beaten path”, would it?

Due to this contradiction, a lot of tour companies have taken advantage of the situation and start offering services for off the beaten path experiences.

“Tired of all the tourist-traps? Get off the beaten track and experience the real deal. Let us show you how to experience *insert country here* like a native! Visit X, Y and Z for the authentic experience where no other tourist have visited.”

That all sounds very excitingly genuine, doesn’t it? Of course it does, to you and the next 10,000 tourists who read the advertisement.

3. Want to indulge in the culture but don’t even try to speak the language

A big part of a culture is made up of language. You can learn so much about a culture through its language.

Even if countries speak the same language, they can still differ in colloquialisms. For example, the Spanish in Spain differs so much from the Spanish in Latin America. Some examples;

Fresa

• In Spain, it refers to strawberries
• In Mexico however, the word is used to refer to egocentric and conceited people

Capullo

• In Latin America, it means the bud of a plant, e.g flower bud
• In Spain, it is a slang word used to insult people, e.g asshole, idiot.

Even in English, slang words differ greatly between English-speaking countries. I love seeing the look on the English/American faces when I say

“I usually take my thongs off before going in the water.”

In Australia, thongs are referred to flip flops (footwear), but in any other English speaking country, it refers to a small sexy female underwear.

I have seen such a difference in the treatment I get from locals when I start the conversation with their local language or when I do in English.

The must-knows basic phrases of each country are “hello, thank you and sorry.”

If you know these three and genuinely attempt to use them when you converse with a local, they will appreciate it greatly.

4. Travel to see the world but bring their whole home with them

The concept of travelling light seems to elude some people.

For instance, when I went travelling around Europe with my parents many years ago, it blew my mind that my mother packed a rice cooker with her. She brought a fully functional family-sized rice cooker…all the way from Malaysia.

I understand the whole thing about us Asians needing to eat rice every day… But surely, there are other methods of cooking rice that doesn’t involve transporting a piece of electrical equipment to the other side of the world?

The total time she actually used it? Twice. And my poor dad had to carry it around for her….Ahh, family quirks are always amusing.

Extending this scenario to tourists in general, I find it ironic that tourists put so much effort into leaving their homes — arduous preparations, time-consuming flights, spending exorbitant amounts of money… only to bring their whole homes with them.

If its so convenient at home, why bother leaving? Forgive me for being so critical on this matter, but when you have to carry your own luggage on trains, busses, hundreds of staircases and across cobblestoned European roads, it quickly becomes a crash course in traveling light.

Article was originally published on my travel blog, Amalina Tales.

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