‘Traveller' or ‘tourist'? These days you can be both at the same time
Are you an independent traveller, or do you prefer to travel in an escorted group?
Those who prefer to travel solo or with a chosen partner usually reject the idea of barrelling around a country with groups of strangers on rigid itineraries.
They like to take it slow, dive deep into a culture, hang out with locals and follow their instincts. They don't want to do that with 40 other people and a tour guide in tow.
On the other hand, some travellers are happy to allow others to make the arrangements for them. They feel more secure in a group with experienced leaders and a good ground game that smooths out unexpected events such as transport delays, natural disasters and even political upheavals.
These days, you don't have to be in one camp or the other. Independent travellers might choose to travel in a group to more complicated or risky destinations, while those who like the safety of escorted tours find opportunities for private experiences during, before and after the main event.
The world is so complicated now that it's natural for travellers to feel some uncertainty, which might explain the resurgence in group touring, certainly since COVID-19 taught travellers what it was like to be stuck far from home or have plans massively go awry. Recent geopolitical events have created another level of anxiety.
Among reasons for the increased popularity of escorted tours is that 'touring is not what it was', says Dennis Bunnik of family-owned Bunnik Tours, an Australian company that has specialised in small group tours since 2004.
'For a long time, the Australian touring market was dictated out of North America because that is the largest market,' Bunnik says. But touring has developed beyond that, especially for the Australian traveller, he says.
'Australians travel further and longer than anyone else, so we don't have to be rushed,' he says. 'We want to know what's around the corner. We're naturally curious and natural explorers. We don't want to take a bubble of Australia with us.'
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