Passionate immersive travelers surf cardboard signs through European cities: ExperienceLess and Trourists

By Joshua | September 20th, 2009 | 4 Comments »

Created for those “who travel to live destinations, not visit them,” ExperienceLess is the collaborative effort of a loose group of “trourists” (I know, say it 3 times fast) who, lacking “real experiences at an unfamiliar destination,” sit out with cardboard signs inviting strangers to invite them into their city for the night. To me, their postmodern couchsurfing and shouting about “the difference between visiting a city and living it,”

“HELP!!! I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOUR MUSEUMS AND I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOUR STATUES. AND, ABOVE ALL, I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOUR CITY. I  WANT TO LIVE IT.”

invites a rehash of the tired, old “traveler vs. tourist” debate (I’ve always agreed with Kelsey Timmerman that, ultimately, we’re ALL tourons, get over it). Still, I enjoy watching the videos and reading the stories that these trourists manage to squeeze out of their exploits, like in Barcelona:

“But the master plan was suggested by Guillen and Laura, who informed us that that very night Monjtuic (known as the ‘the magic mountain’ of Barcelona) would be experiencing its most special night of the year…. Things kicked off at Laura’s house, where assorted mates joined in to prepare potato omelets to savor later that evening. Rumba concerts, Brazilian rhythms and Capoheira gym-dance exhibitions were among the night’s entertainment fare”

As long as they find the experiences they are seeking, I’m all for it. Suerte, muchachos.