Are you a casual tourist? Or traveller. The key word being 'casual'.

Leaving the traveller versus tourist debate aside, what kind of tourist/traveller are you? Would you consider yourself to be a 'casual tourist'? Or a 'casual traveller' if you object to being called a tourist at all? While my husband Terry was cooking dinner one evening in the big country kitchen my uncle and aunt have here in Bendigo, Australia, where we're staying while we write some books, we were dissecting a couple of trips they recently did to Spain last year and Mexico a couple of months ago. I'd asked Uncle George if they went to the Frida Kahlo museum in Mexico City as I'd suggested. They have a gorgeous garden here - a wild wonderful garden that's a cross between a romantic 'English cottage'-inspired gardens and something you'd see at a Russian dacha in a Tarkovsky film (there's a mini Birch forest) - plus my uncle's an artist and my aunt's very creative when it comes to interior design so I thought they might appreciate Frida Kahlo's garden and house. But they didn't go. In fact they didn't go to a lot of places I'd recommended. But they assured me they still had a great time. Flabbergasted, I asked: "But what did you actually *do*?" "Well, we just walked," my uncle replied, with a shrug of his shoulders and roll of his eyes, "We did a bit of this, a bit of that... we like to walk." I'm guessing the look on my face must have been one of dismay, but still somewhat enquiring, because then he declared - after swallowing a glass of wine (not that I'm suggesting he needed guts to tell me this - but maybe he did!) - "I think I'm a casual tourist..." "Uh-hah!" and I quickly splashed some more wine in my own glass. And so, over a bottle of wine, and Terry's preparation of another very fine meal, we developed a theory... my uncle's idea of travel can be described as 'casual tourism'. The way he likes to travel is very low key and laidback. He likes to explore, but he doesn't like to do much planning or preparation, and certainly doesn't want his day crammed with sightseeing. In fact, when he arrives he doesn't like to *do* much at all. But he's not the kind to lie on a beach and do completely nothing. He wants to experience a place, and the more atmospheric it is the better. For instance, Jerusalem is a favorite. But he and my aunt like to wander around a bit, see a sight perhaps, maybe do a short tour, eat some lunch some place, but it doesn't have to be very spectacular at all - they certainly don't feel obliged to base their choice on reviews. Then they'll do some more walking, perhaps browse in a shop, stop for a drink and a nibble at a cafe... and so it goes. They don't have tremendous expectations, and so they're not terribly disappointed either. They just seem to appreciate a place for what it is. Wandering around, walking the streets, taking in the vibe... that's their idea of a good time. And actually, when I'm not working on a travel book, that's mine too. Oh, except the bit about the restaurants of course. So, what do you think? Are you a casual tourist? Or casual traveller?