Travel vs.Vacation

Perhaps you may have heard of people saying how they need a vacation, right after returning from one...... That probably translates as: Needing a vacation to relax, after their travels.

Of course, by definition, the term 'Vacation' includes Travel.  
According to Merriam-Webster, VACATION is "a period of time that a person spends away from home, school, or business usually in order to relax or travel."; 
And to TRAVEL is "to go on a trip or journey."

Traveling can come in many forms. It does not necessarily have to be roughing it out, it could also be leisurely, with certain things planned out so you have that peace of mind to head out and explore. 

The main difference is that one is Active when traveling, while on vacation, one would be more Passive.  

After all, VACATION is "a period of time devoted to pleasure, rest, or relaxation" as defined by thefreedictionary.com.

I guess the goal is to travel, relaxed, then you get to see new things, experience a day in a life of a local, sample the food, talk to the locals etc. All without exhausting yourself.  But oftentimes, we only have limited time in a place, and I believe most of us would like to see and absorb as much as we can in that short amount of time, which sometimes ends up becoming rather tiring. It would be good to strive for a nice mix of both :)

Here are some quotes which can probably help you better in seeing the difference between travel and vacation. Though these quotes actually differentiate a traveler from a tourist, they subtly bring out the difference between travel and vacation...

"The traveler is active; he goes strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes 'sight-seeing'."

~Daniel J. Boorstin

"The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see."  

~G.K. Chesterton

"Tourists don't know where they've been, travelers don't know where they're going."  

~Paul Theroux

"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving."  

~Lao Tzu

"When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable."  

~Clifton Fadiman

"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home."  

~James Michener

Well, these quotes are just guides and opinions, and not rules. There is no right or wrong way to travel, only what suits you at any moment in your journey.

Just my personal point of view. Would love to hear your thoughts!

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there's no path and leave a trail."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Travel when you can -- it is the most interesting and effective form of education!

Happy Travels! :)

P/S: If you'd like to know How I incorporated Travel in my life, you can check out this Interview I did with A World To Travel - A travel site focused on Round the World experiences, with inspiring travel stories.