"Friends" reference alert: In “The One With Ross’ Wedding,” Joey and Chandler embark on a long day of touring the city of London. Joey embraces his role as a tourist in the city, rocking a large hat with the British flag plastered across the front, and screaming, “London, Baby!” approximately every 10 minutes. Chandler, on the other hand, actively avoids being labeled a tourist, and eventually leaves Joey alone out of sheer embarrassment. Of course, at the end of the day, Chandler realized that he should not have hidden in his hotel room throughout their trip, and simply rocked their tourist status. Even though there is such a social stigma with the connotations of a tourist, it is important to never let embarrassment stop you from exploring the world. Besides, don't tourists always have more fun than locals, anyway? I mean, you're on vacation; stop worrying about what other people will think of you a rock the fanny pack. Here are 10 reasons to always embrace your inner tourist!
1. You will never regret the 3,000 photos you took on vacation.
2. Also, notice the rockin' Hawaii shirt: a necessity while being a tourist!
3. Even your selfies are cultured; take tons!
4. Plus, the invention of the selfie stick makes this angle look so much better!
5. Fanny packs are incredibly useful. (Seriously!)
6. Also, you'll definitely want to rock your most comfortable shoes.
I'm all about being as stylish as possible, but the walking involved in touring a new city was just too much for my wedges!
7. Paper maps are always there for you; especially when your phone dies, or you have no data, and CityMaps isn't working!
8. The tacky souvenir is also a necessity.
You will find a spot to place three miniature Eiffel Towers in your dorm room, I promise!
9. If you haven't booked your itinerary full with activities and tourist traps for 16 hours each day of your vacation, you could miss out on some amazing sites.
Not that you have to do everything on your list, but visiting a new country or city without knowing anything about it is a waste of time.
10. You'll have so much fun traveling and exploring this new city, you will rarely feel homesick! (The trouble starts when you start sulking in the hotel!)
Of course, you don't want to be so enthralled with your camera lens that you never really see the world out of your own two eyes, or run from each tourist attraction without paying attention to the city around you. Traveling is more than taking the best Instagram or bringing home the coolest souvenir. However, that doesn't mean you ought to actively avoid the tourist label -- it's stigma was influenced by grouchy people who don't like waiting in lines.
You will never regret purchases the tacky souvenir, or your thousands of photos from your vacation or abroad, and use the 3-D map, if necessary, it can make your trip all the more exciting. So rock your inner tourist; you will have a blast.
