Words such as agrotourism or globetrotter have been in use for quite some time now, but there are many modern words related to tourism that a traveller should know. Some of them were created not long ago, some have (not) gained popularity, and there are probably many more that will soon be created.
Travel porn – don’t google it, I don’t mean here what you’re going to see in the first search results (no, holiday sex is not what I mean). Travel porn is a popular term used to describe media images of beautiful and amazing places, bright, saturated photos that make us jealous of those who are lucky enough to be there.
Poverty porn - this expression appeared in the 1980s in connection with charity campaigns in underdeveloped countries. Photos and films often exploit the images of poverty to bring sympathy to poor people. Many backpackers seem to be pretty fond of this kind of photography – malnutrished, dirty kids with snot on their faces make for an attractive souvenir photo and they often invent their philosophy of faraway countries where people are extremely poor but happy.
Champing –short for ‘church camping’ or sleeping in churches. For about 55 pounds you can sleep in one of the English churches which is no longer in use – in the morning expect a knock on the door as your breakfast is included in the price. If you’re interested, have a look at: http://www.champing.co.uk/
Glamping – short for ‘glamour camping’ and it means sleeping in the nature in luxurious conditions, it might be for example a comfortable, big tent with a superb dinner served by an immacuosly clad waiter somewhere in the plains of Serengetti where you go on a safari.
Voluntourism – volunteering + tourism. This is when tourists have an urge to do some good for the society. They go on holiday where they build houses or work in an orphanage, etc. Voluntourism usually differs from real volunteering in the length of stay (usually one or two weeks only) and the lack of proper skills of voluntourists. It’s more often than not for helping your ego rather than anybody else. There are many controversies as to how much harm this kind of tourism might cause in the local communities.
War Tourism – sightseeing trips to war zones or dangerous areas, done in search of excitement, adrenaline and novelty.
Disaster Tourism – sightseeing in disaster-struck areas, tourists are driven by curiosity to see the suffering of people and the destruction of places.
Last Chance Tourism – travelling to places that may soon disappear, mostly due to the climate change or man-made changes to the environment.
It is said that corral reef and glacier are disappearing at an alarming rate – it is hard to say how much longer they will resist the damage done by us.
Slumming (also: Slum tourism) – guided trips to slums areas to see the life of poor people. An ideal way for taking poverty porn photographs. A controversial idea, but there are more and more of such tours nowadays – tourists usually find excuses how local communities benefit them, while local people often have their doubts.
Set Jetting – a trend of travelling to destinations first seen in the movies. For example there was a tourist boom in New Zealand after “Lord of the Rings” films appeared on the big screen.
Dark touristm (also: Black tourism or Grief tourism) – travelling to places connected with death and tragedy.
Backpacker – an independent traveller with a backpack. (Right, that’s easy, but have a look below…)
Flashpacker – they have a slightly bigger budget than backpackers and are happy to splurge on little luxuries. They often carry expensive electronics and wear modern tourist brands. They say they want to travel on budget, but it definitely doesn’t meen staying in a 10-person mix dorm or surviving or rice and water.
Slackpacker – if you like treks and close contact with nature, but you aren’t particularly fond of carrying a heavy backpack, a stove or a tent…? Think of slackpacking. It’s when you might tire yourself during the day, but you don’t mind knowing that at the end of the day you’re going to sleep in a comfortable bed. You can divide a longer, complicated route into small parts that allow you the comforts of travelling.
My Salkantray trek to Machu Picchu definitely included the elements of slackpacking. While walking was tiring and we had to fight with altitude sickness, we were pretty comfortable: our tents were always put up for us, lunch ready in a tent when in the midday, bowls with water for washing hands… and mules carried our luggage. e.
Staycation – that’s when you stay at home for your holidays and explore your surroundings – perfect way of spending your holidays in case of financial problems.
Mancation – a group of men going together on holiday, leaving their wives, girlfriends and lovers behind. They do stuff and usually drink a lot.
And there’s no good equivalent of holidays made by women group. I’ve heard femcation, but it’s not really in use.
Daycation – a day trip, usually to a beach or an amusement park.
Fakeation – well… that’s a good one! You PRETEND to be on holiday! Hide at home and post on Facebook and other social media as if you were on an exotic island (or a similar destination). Look online for tutorials on how to create fake photos for your ‘holidays’.
Graycation – holidays where three family generations go together.
Housesitting, cat sitting, dog sitting – taking care of a house, a cat or a dog while the owner is away (probably on holiday themselves). This is a perfect way to go somewhere new without having to pay for accommodation – you can explore your surroundings when you keep animals the company. I did cat sitting in Jerusalem, Israel and I liked it a lot! Look for online pages which advertise vacancies.
I would have never stayed in Jerusalem for a week, if I hadn’t decided to take care of a cat!
Grey nomad – Australian term for an older, retired person who travels for an extended period of time, usually in a campervan.
Digital nomad – a person who can live and work anywhere because they use digital technology and can work remotely.
Couchsurfing – name of the internet website for people who look for free accommodation/ offer free accommodation. Some complain that it is becoming a dating service full of people who are more interested in other-sex travellers than travelling itself, but if you try it might be a perfect way to learn about new cultures and experience budget travelling.
Thanks to Couchsurfing I met great people – I stayed with some, I travelled with others.
Bucket list – a list of things to do before you die. Comes from the term ‘kick the bucket’ (=die). Many travellers compile their own lists – I prepared that as well!
Wanderlust (English) i Fernweh (German) – a strong desire to explore the world.
Fuck-off Fund – money on your account – if you go through bad times in life then you know you don’t have to grit your teeth, but can tell the others to fuck the hell off, give up your job and set off exploring the world.
What else, do you think, should be added to this list? Let me know in the comments!
Recent additions:
Class Tourism – the pleasure you get from observing behaviour of people of lower social class. It might involve visiting poor neighbourhood in your area or watching films of such places online.
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