A Traveler or a Tourist?

Fez, MoroccoPretty early on in the story, Port comes into contact with fellow American Eric Lyle, and his mother Mrs. Lyle. One of the first things that they seek to establish is their status as “travelers” rather than “tourists”. With references to their length of stay in Africa, it becomes apparent that the characters of the book differentiate travelers from tourists by the length of time that they remain away from home, and the lack of a desire to return there.
I, on the other hand, would be forced to categorize them as tourists, as a result of their attitude and behavior. Rather than embrace or attempt to at least experience the local culture of northern Africa, the Lyles are quick to isolate themselves. They stay exclusively in hotels, drive from place to place in their fancy automobile, and demonstrate an almost absolute disregard for ideals and standards of the native people that they see. To me a traveler is someone willing to embrace his or her surroundings in a foreign locale, in order to fully experience the places through which they journey.