17 things travellers need to stop saying right now

Travellers say some of the most cringe-inducing things. Here are our biggest bugbears.

We've all been guilty at one time or another, but when you actually stop and think about the stuff that travellers say on the road, back home and online, some of it is just down-right ridiculous. Shafik Meghji picks out some of the most outrageous stuff travellers say.

1. "I'm not a tourist, I'm a traveller."

This is plain old pretentious. By default, when we visit a new destination, we're all tourists. Stop trying to make out you're any better than anyone else simply because you’ve got your own tent, carry around a guitar, or use moody Instagram filters.

2. "I've done [city, country, continent, etc]."

Being somewhere for a limited period of time doesn't mean you've "done" it. You could spend a lifetime travelling around a country – let alone a region or continent – and still have plenty left to explore. And places change over time, often remarkably rapidly, so there’s always something new to see and experience.

3. "Been there, done that."

A similar sentiment to the one expressed above, to which the only sensible response is: quite frankly, no you haven't.

4. "It's too touristy."

This one is frequently used to dismiss places that are popular or well-known simply because, well, they’re popular or well-known. The Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu and Uluru are among the most-visited attractions in the world, and rightly so. To pass up the opportunity to see one of them just because lots of other people want to see them too is idiotic. And anyway, much as you might like to deny it, you're a tourist too (see point 1), so get over it.

5. "I discovered this…"

Christopher Columbus “discovered” the Americas in the sense that he arrived in a place that was already inhabited by tens of millions of people and mistakenly thought he was in Asia. He didn’t discover anything – and neither did you. Stop columbising and accept that others enjoyed the same places before you did.

6. "I don't just do beach holidays."

It seems fashionable of late to hate on those who want to go to the beach and simply relax. Travel doesn’t always have to be packed with cultural exploration, adventurous activities and culinary experimentation. Sometimes people simply want – and/or need – to get away from it all and chill-out for a bit. They don’t need to be judged for doing so. 

7. “It was so authentic/inauthentic.”

Problematic phrases like this are regularly used by worldly “travellers” to distinguish themselves from hapless “tourists”, with the experience of hardship often held up as some kind of badge of honour and any form of comfort scorned. Travelling in the back of rickety lorry, surrounded by flatulent cattle, over bumpy dirt tracks, for hours on end may well be a memorable experience, but it’s no more “authentic” than doing the same journey in a plane. Moreover, the notion that as a newcomer you are somehow qualified to judge the supposed authenticity/inauthenticity of a place/experience, is woefully misguided (at best).

8. “I got to see the real [insert destination].”

Another pretentious travel trope. Sorry, but it’s all real – the tourist attractions, the places in the guidebooks, even the bits you didn’t like.

9. “I’ve just ticked it off the list.”

The “ticking-it-off-the-list” traveller visits somewhere solely for the pleasure of telling other people that they’ve been there. This kind of joyless one-upmanship is not what travelling should be about.

10. “[Country] has the friendliest people in the world.”

So you met everyone in the country? And they were all nice? And then you compared them with everyone else in the world and they came out on top? It’s great that you felt so welcomed during your travels, but don’t go overboard and make sweeping generalisations. Similarly, if you met a few rude locals, don't tar the entire population with the same brush.

11. "I only travel with a backpack."

There seems to be a myth that those who travel with a suitcase on wheels are less experienced than those who haul backpacks around for weeks on end. We hate to break it to you, but it's just not true. That wheelie suitcase might not glide smoothly over the dirt tracks in the Vietnamese countryside, but it's far more comfortable to transport in most other circumstances, so who's laughing now? 

12. "I can't believe you didn't visit [insert attraction/place]!"

Just because you went there and loved it doesn't mean others will too. We all have different priorities on our holidays, so don't berate someone for not visiting your favourite place when they went to the same destination. Remember: travel is subjective.

13. "It was this amazing little local place..."

This simply doesn't make sense: everywhere is local to somewhere, right? Just because the menu wasn't in English doesn't make it any more or less "authentic" than a restaurant you might find in a guidebook.

14. "You should have gone there 10 years ago..."

OK, so you visited Thailand before it became so popular? Or perhaps you went to Croatia before the latest tourist boom? That's great, and I'm sure it was fantastic, but there's no need to try and make others feel inadequate while you reminisice about how "off the beaten track" it was.

15. "It's so overrated."

Whether you're talking about the Eiffel Tower or an entire destination, don't dismiss what others' might consider the highlight of their trip.

16. "Well, I only paid £10 for..."

There seems to be some kind of contest among many travellers as to who got the best deal. Whether it was on a carved elephant you bought at a roadside souvenir stall or an entire holiday package, stop comparing prices and trying to show off that you got a better deal. It doesn't make you a "better traveller" and, in fact, it makes you a bit of a bore. 

17. "Let me just show you a picture."

Please, no. These dreaded words are the gateway to hours of boredom as one photo invariably turns into an hour-long slideshow of reminiscing about your epic trip. We've all been guilty of this, and been victim to it – next time, think twice before getting out the holiday snaps.