Are you looking for inspirational travel quotes, especially tourist vs traveler quotes?
We are big fans of slow travel with your family. There are many definitions of slow travel movement. But for us, slow travel is the best way to break free from becoming a “tourist” and the best transition from “tourist” to “traveler,” where you get to experience a new location.
When you slowly travel and become a “traveler,” you get to know the local community, markets, and people. It’s a reason why we love home swapping so much.
In this article, I’m sharing with you a few of our favorite tourist vs. traveler quotes, hoping to inspire slow travel and encourage you to become a “traveler!”
All the following tourist vs. traveler quotes will make you pack your bag, board a plane, and travel slowly. But you can also check our road trip quotes article.
1. Quote by Andrez Zimmern
“Please be a traveler, not a tourist.” ― Andrew Zimmern
This quote suggests you should really get to know the places you visit, not just see the popular spots quickly.
2. Quote by Kamand Kojouri
“The best traveler is one without a camera.” ― Kamand Kojouri
This means it’s better to enjoy your travel experiences directly, not just through taking pictures.
3. Quote by Unknown Author
“Be a true traveler, don’t be a temporary tourist.” ― Unknown
It encourages you to deeply explore and understand the places you visit, instead of just stopping by briefly.
4. Quote by Benjamin Disraeli
“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home. Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. It is better to travel well than to arrive.” ― Benjamin Disraeli
This quote tells you that traveling is more about enjoying the journey than rushing to reach your destination.
5. Quote by Mason Cooley
“Travelers never think that they are the foreigners.” ― Mason Cooley
It means that good travelers feel at home anywhere they go because they connect well with local people and cultures.
6. Quote by Mohsin Hamid
“When I travel, I feel more like a nomad than a tourist.” ― Mohsin Hamid
This means the speaker likes to move around freely and live like a local, rather than just visiting popular tourist spots.
7. Quote by Lao Tzu
“A good traveler leaves no tracks. Good speech lacks fault-finding.” ― Lao Tzu
This quote suggests that a thoughtful traveler doesn’t leave any negative impact behind, and similarly, careful speaking doesn’t involve criticizing others.
8. Quote by Robert Louis Stevenson
“I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” ― Robert Louis Stevenson
Here, the speaker travels just for the joy of traveling, not because they have a specific destination or goal in mind.
9. Quote by Henry Adams
“The tourist was the great conservative who hate novelty and adored dirt.” — Henry Adams
This criticizes tourists as people who don’t like new experiences and are more interested in old, familiar, and possibly less clean places.
10. Quote by Paul Theroux
“Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.” ― Paul Theroux
This means tourists may not pay attention to the details of the places they visit, while travelers are open to exploring without a fixed plan.
11. Quote by Alez Garland
“Tourists went on holidays while travelers did something else. They traveled.” — Alex Garland
This suggests tourists just take breaks, while travelers engage more deeply and have authentic experiences.
“Travel not to find yourself, but to remember who you’ve been all along.” — Unknown
This quote encourages you to use travel as a way to reconnect with parts of yourself that you might have forgotten, rather than trying to discover a new identity.
13. Quote by Sara Shepard
“We did all the tourist crap, but I just wanted to sit in a cafe and watch people.” — Sara Shepard
This means the speaker prefers experiencing everyday life and observing locals over doing typical tourist activities.
14. Quote by Gilbert K. Chesterto
“The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.” — Gilbert K. Chesterto
This highlights that travelers are open to new experiences and seeing things as they are, whereas tourists have specific expectations and mainly see those.
15. Quote by H. Jackson Brown Jr
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” — H. Jackson Brown Jr
This quote advises that it’s better to seize opportunities and take chances, as regrets are more often about things you didn’t try rather than the things you did.
16. Quote by Mary Anne Radmacher
“I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” ― Mary Anne Radmacher
This means that experiencing different parts of the world has changed the speaker in a meaningful way.
17. Quote by Martin Buber
“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveller is unaware.” — Martin Buber
This suggests that when you travel, you often discover unexpected places and experiences that you didn’t know about before.
18. Quote by Anthony Bourdain
It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. ― Anthony Bourdain
This quote acknowledges that travel can be challenging and even painful, but these experiences are part of what makes it valuable.
19. Quote by Anthony Bourdain
Life–and travel–leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks–on your heart and on your body –are beautiful. ― Anthony Bourdain
It means that both life and travel have a lasting impact on you, often leaving you with beautiful memories and changes.
20. Quote by John Steinbeck
We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us. ― John Steinbeck
This suggests that travel has a power of its own to influence and shape us, rather than us completely controlling the experience.
21. Quote by Mark Twain
“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” — Mark Twain
This means traveling with someone is a quick way to learn if you really get along with them or not.
22. Quote by Neale Donald Walsch
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” — Neale Donald Walsch
This quote encourages stepping beyond what feels safe and comfortable, as that’s where real growth and experiences begin.
23. Quote by Jack Kerouac
“Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.” — Jack Kerouac
It urges you to pursue adventurous and meaningful activities instead of getting caught up in routine and mundane tasks.
24. Quote by Mark Twain
“Sail away from the safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails, explore, dream, discover.” ― Mark Twain
This suggests that you should leave behind safety and routine, and instead seek out new experiences and adventures.
25. Quote by Jawaharlal Nehru
“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” ― Jawaharlal Nehru
This quote highlights the endless beauty and possibilities for adventure in the world, encouraging an open and observant approach to life.
Final Thoughts
As we mentioned earlier in this post, we love slow traveling. It’s the perfect way to get to know a new culture, meet amazing people, and transition from “tourist” to “traveler.”
I hope those 26 tourist VS traveler quotes inspired you to travel, but most importantly, to become a traveler and not a simple tourist on vacation.
Let us know which is your favorite!
