Make better choices—as a traveller, as a tourist

Whether you are a tourist or a traveller, what's vital is to have a positive impact on the place you are visiting

- Chaitali Patel

It was one of those days. I had an impending deadline and words seemed to elude me. I made my way to the quirky XVA Art Hotel & Cafe in the Al Fahidi historical district-one of Dubai's oldest neighbourhoods-to get some writing done. As I worked, a group of tourists entered the café for a quick look. Dubai has expats from all over the world but it's still easy to spot those who are visiting. Most tourists don't make it as far as Al Fahidi, giving it a pass for Dubai's numerous big-ticket attractions. Those who do, get a peek into the traditional Emirati way of life, prevalent before the discovery of oil.

From the corner of my eye, I caught a couple posing under the gnarled ficus tree in the centre. I didn't blame them, the café is a highly Instagrammable place. Another lady had her phone out and was recording a video or doing an Insta live.

Having made it to Al Fahidi, this group certainly ticked the box of immersing itself in a city by exploring local culture. Did this, then, make them travellers as opposed to tourists? Used interchangeably, the two words often elicit polarising opinions. I wondered if there is indeed a difference between the two or whether it's just semantics? Alex Garland wrote in his novel, The Beach: "Tourists went on holidays while travellers did something else.