Traveler-Tourist: an Experimental Circuit

As I’ve noted elsewhere, I believe ardently that a tourist sees what they came to see, but a Traveler sees what they see. Though I work hard to be a Traveler instead of a tourist when visiting places, tourism—and tourists themselves—play an important economic role for many countries. Indeed, some countries depend heavily on tourists for their livelihood.

What tourists see and explore when they visit a place depends on any number of factors. For example, one tourist might visit a place for its cuisine and wine. Another for the location’s outstanding geology. Still others may visit for historical or religious reasons. Wherever a tourist goes, however, there remain specific sites that most everyone sees when visiting a specific locale. Staying in Paris for a bit? The Eiffel Tower is on your list. Going to New York, then make sure to stop at Times Square in Manhattan. Fancy wine and designer clothes in Italy? Well, the Colosseum is just around the corner. Exploring the Inca trail in Peru? Machu Picchu is a must. Each place has its “biggies”. And Jordan is no different.

Jordan’s biggies usually include Petra (see my previous blog for the sad decline in tourism there), Wadi Rum (where we will be doing a lot of future research), Aqaba (for the Red Sea), the Dead Sea (at a resort and/or spa), Jerash (if they have a good tour guide), and Amman proper. For those who want to get off the beaten path, or those with a superior tour guide, itineraries may be tailored to include other sites as well. For example, those interested in Christian history might also visit places like Bethany (where Jesus is said to have been baptized), Mt. Nebo (of Moses and Old Testament fame), Crusader Castles, Anjara and Umm Qais (places where Jesus is said to have visited), and Lot’s cave (the Sodom and Gomorrah Lot). Those interested in natural beauty, on the other hand, might visit the Wetlands Reserve at Azraq, Wadi Mujib’s wonderful wildlife, Wadi Dana’s Biosphere Reserve, the lesser-known Ajloun Forests Reserve, and the Eastern Desert—all places where we will be exploring and conducting fieldwork over the next five months.

In any case, seeing everything a place has to offer in one visit is a tall order. Experiencing the essence of a place is not always easy, and sacrifices might need to be made between sites and experiences. Whirlwind touring (attempting to see everything in one visit) can also lead to “needing a vacation from your vacation”. If planned well, however, I believe it’s possible to see the biggies and lesser-known places in a compressed time frame without overwhelming yourself—even if I have previously noted potential disadvantages to the tactic. At least, that’s what we’re attempting in the coming fortnight: melding together the (usually) whirlwind tourist with the (usually) life-changing-experience-searching Traveler.

As with fieldwork, adaptability, flexibility, and patience remain key to success. Especially on a circuit like we have planned. By “circuit”, I mean a loop…in our case, a rather large one with a few shorter sub-circuits, stretching from Jerash and Ajloun in the north, Aqaba and Wadi Rum in the south, the Dead Sea and Wadi Araba to the west, and Azraq in the East. The next several blogs will detail not just where we visit, but also how well our planned travel circuit fares with our wonderful visitors: my parents-in-law J Stay tuned!

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