Tourist, Traveler, or Pilgrim?

It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves …

- André Gide 

There’s a difference between being a Tourist and a Traveler. 

You probably feel that just by reading those words, right? 

Let me toss in a third option: a Pilgrim. 

Here are my definitions (inspired by Rick Steves):

• A Tourist is a sight-seer, intent on visiting popular places and checking them off a list.
  
  

• A Traveler roams to learn about other people and places by immersing herself in new experiences.
  
  

• A Pilgrim travels to learn about herself. 

I’ve been all three, sometimes on the same trip.

When we traveled to Tanzania to hike Mount Kilimanjaro, the Tourist in me was enticed by this bucket list experience (this was the carrot my husband had to dangle to get me to even think about it). 

Once there, my Traveler got curious about the local people and the country. I spent hours in conversation with our guides to learn more. 

My Pilgrim learned that she’s capable of doing something that initially felt terrifying and pushed herself even farther than she thought possible.

Then Tourist-me came home and bragged endlessly about reaching the summit 😁

What’s become very clear to me is the power of pilgrimage. A pilgrimage is an intentional journey, that’s just as much internal as it is external. It leads to transformation as you walk toward deeper truth, renewed clarity, a reclaimed sense of self. 

It’s not just about going somewhere new. It’s about becoming a new version of yourself. 

This can happen on a traditional pilgrimage route, like the Camino. It can also happen as you give yourself the space to walk intentionally, no matter where you are.

I guess in many ways, hiking Kilimanjaro was a pilgrimage, even though I didn’t know it at the time. Now I’m curious to look back at other trips I’ve traveled to see how they were pilgrimages.

Have you been on a pilgrimage? How has it changed you?