Trip vs. Tour: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
A trip is generally a journey made from one place to another, while a tour is a journey with visits to various places, often guided and structured.
Key Differences
A trip is a journey or excursion, usually for a specific purpose or destination. A tour, however, typically involves a series of stops or visits, often for leisure, education, or exploration purposes.
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Dec 08, 2023
Trips can be short or long and are not necessarily structured. Tours are often planned with a set itinerary, including multiple destinations or activities, and can vary in length from a day to several weeks.
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Dec 08, 2023
A trip is often self-directed or casually organized, allowing for more personal freedom. Tours are usually organized and led by guides or tour operators, providing structured experiences and information about the places visited.
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Trips can range from business travel to casual outings. Tours are more likely to be recreational or educational, focusing on sightseeing and experiencing different cultures or locations.
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Trips can be solo or with a group, with no formal leadership. Tours are typically conducted in groups, with a guide leading and managing the itinerary and logistics.
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Comparison Chart
Purpose
Usually for a specific reason or destination.
Structured journey with visits to various places.
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Duration
Can be of any length, short or long.
Often longer, with a set itinerary.
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Organization
Self-directed, flexible.
Organized, often with guides or operators.
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Type of Experience
Varied, including business or leisure.
Primarily recreational or educational.
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Group Dynamics
Solo or informal groups.
Typically in organized groups with a guide.
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Trip and Tour Definitions
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Tour
A trip with visits to various places of interest for business, pleasure, or instruction.
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Tour
A group organized for such a trip or for a shorter sightseeing excursion.
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Tour
A brief trip to or through a place for the purpose of seeing it
A tour of the house.
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Tour
A journey to fulfill a round of engagements in several places
A pianist on a concert tour.
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Trip
A usually temporary but absorbing interest or preoccupation
He's on another health food trip.
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Trip
A certain way of life or situation
"deny that his reclusiveness is some sort of deliberate star trip" (Patricia Bosworth).
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Tour
To make a tour of
Toured Europe last summer.
Officials touring the scene of the disaster.
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Tour
A journey through a particular building, estate, country, etc.
On our last holiday to Spain we took a tour of the wine-growing regions.
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Tour
A guided visit to a particular place, or virtual place.
On the company's website, you can take a virtual tour of the headquarters.
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Tour
A journey through a given list of places, such as by an entertainer performing concerts.
Metallica's tour of Europe
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Trip
To release (a catch, trigger, or switch), thereby setting something in operation.
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Tour
(intransitive) To make a journey
The Rolling Stones were still touring when they were in their seventies.
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Tour
(transitive) To make a circuit of a place
The circuses have been touring Europe for the last few weeks.
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Trip
(colloquial) A period of time in which one experiences drug-induced reverie or hallucinations.
He had a strange trip after taking LSD.
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Tour
A going round; a circuit; hence, a journey in a circuit; a prolonged circuitous journey; a comprehensive excursion; as, the tour of Europe; the tour of France or England.
The bird of Jove stooped from his airy tour.
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Trip
(by extension) Intense involvement in or enjoyment of a condition.
Ego trip
Power trip
Nostalgia trip
Guilt trip
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Tour
Anything done successively, or by regular order; a turn; as, a tour of duty.
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Trip
(electricity) A trip-switch or cut-out.
It's dark because the trip operated.
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Tour
A journey or route all the way around a particular place or area;
They took an extended tour of Europe
We took a quick circuit of the park
A ten-day coach circuit of the island
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Trip
A quick, light step; a lively movement of the feet; a skip.
Trip the light fantastic
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Tour
A time for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else);
It's my go
A spell of work
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Trip
(nautical) A single board, or tack, in plying, or beating, to windward.
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Trip
(intransitive) To fall over or stumble over an object as a result of striking it with one's foot
Be careful not to trip on the tree roots.
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Trip
To cause (a person or animal) to fall or stumble by knocking their feet from under them.
A pedestrian was able to trip the burglar as he was running away.
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Trip
(intransitive) To be guilty of a misstep or mistake; to commit an offence against morality, propriety, etc
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Trip
(transitive) To activate or set in motion, as in the activation of a trap, explosive, or switch.
When we get into the factory, trip the lights.
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Trip
(intransitive) To be activated, as by a signal or an event
The alarm system tripped, throwing everyone into a panic.
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Trip
(intransitive) To experience a state of reverie or to hallucinate, due to consuming psychoactive drugs.
After taking the LSD, I started tripping about fairies and colors.
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Trip
(intransitive) To journey, to make a trip.
Last summer, we tripped to the coast.
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Trip
(nautical) To raise (an anchor) from the bottom, by its cable or buoy rope, so that it hangs free.
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Trip
(nautical) To pull (a yard) into a perpendicular position for lowering it.
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Trip
To become unreasonably upset, especially over something unimportant; to cause a scene or a disruption.
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Trip
To move with light, quick steps; to walk or move lightly; to skip; to move the feet nimbly; - sometimes followed by it. See It, 5.
This horse anon began to trip and dance.
Come, and trip it, as you go,On the light fantastic toe.
She bounded by, and tripped so lightThey had not time to take a steady sight.
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Trip
To take a quick step, as when in danger of losing one's balance; hence, to make a false step; to catch the foot; to lose footing; to stumble.
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Trip
Fig.: To be guilty of a misstep; to commit an offense against morality, propriety, or rule; to err; to mistake; to fail.
A blind will thereupon comes to be led by a blind understanding; there is no remedy, but it must trip and stumble.
Virgil is so exact in every word that none can be changed but for a worse; he pretends sometimes to trip, but it is to make you think him in danger when most secure.
What? dost thou verily trip upon a word?
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Oct 19, 2023
Trip
To cause to stumble, or take a false step; to cause to lose the footing, by striking the feet from under; to cause to fall; to throw off the balance; to supplant; - often followed by up; as, to trip up a man in wrestling.
The words of Hobbes's defense trip up the heels of his cause.
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Trip
To overthrow by depriving of support; to put an obstacle in the way of; to obstruct; to cause to fail.
To trip the course of law, and blunt the sword.
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Trip
To detect in a misstep; to catch; to convict; also called trip up.
These her women can trip me if I err.
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Trip
To raise (an anchor) from the bottom, by its cable or buoy rope, so that it hangs free.
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Trip
To release, let fall, or set free, as a weight or compressed spring, as by removing a latch or detent; to activate by moving a release mechanism, often unintentionally; as, to trip an alarm.
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Trip
A quick, light step; a lively movement of the feet; a skip.
His heart bounded as he sometimes could hear the trip of a light female step glide to or from the door.
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Trip
A brief or rapid journey; an excursion or jaunt.
I took a trip to London on the death of the queen.
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Trip
A false step; a stumble; a misstep; a loss of footing or balance. Fig.: An error; a failure; a mistake.
Imperfect words, with childish trips.
Each seeming trip, and each digressive start.
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Oct 19, 2023
Trip
A stroke, or catch, by which a wrestler causes his antagonist to lose footing.
And watches with a trip his foe to foil.
It is the sudden trip in wrestling that fetches a man to the ground.
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Trip
A journey for some purpose (usually including the return);
He took a trip to the shopping center
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Trip
An accidental misstep threatening (or causing) a fall;
He blamed his slip on the ice
The jolt caused many slips and a few spills
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Trip
A catch mechanism that acts as a switch;
The pressure activates the tripper and releases the water
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Trip
An unintentional but embarrassing blunder;
He recited the whole poem without a single trip
He arranged his robes to avoid a trip-up later
Confusion caused his unfortunate misstep
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Repeatedly Asked Queries
What are common types of trips?
Business trips, family vacations, solo adventures.
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Are tours always guided?
Mostly, tours are guided, providing structured experiences.
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How long does a tour usually last?
Tours can last from a day to several weeks.
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What distinguishes a tour from a trip?
A tour is a structured journey with organized visits to various places.
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What’s essential for planning a trip?
Destination, accommodation, and transportation planning.
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Do tours typically have a theme?
Often, tours are themed, like historical tours or nature tours.
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Are tours more expensive than trips?
Tours can be more expensive due to organization and guidance costs.
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What's a road trip?
A journey by car, often over long distances and with flexible stops.
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How are tours beneficial for travelers?
Tours provide organized experiences and in-depth knowledge of places.
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What is a typical purpose of a trip?
Generally for travel to a specific destination or for a particular purpose.
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Can trips be for leisure?
Yes, trips can be for leisure, relaxation, or exploration.
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Can trips include multiple destinations?
Yes, but they're usually less structured than tours.
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What kind of accommodation is used in trips?
Accommodation can vary widely, from hotels to camping.
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Are there educational trips?
Yes, educational trips are common, especially for students.
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Is a trip more flexible than a tour?
Generally, trips offer more flexibility than tours.
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Dec 08, 2023
Do tours always involve a group?
Typically, but there are also private or small-group tours.
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Dec 08, 2023
Is a tour guide necessary for all tours?
Most organized tours include a guide, but self-guided tours exist too.
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Dec 08, 2023
Can a trip turn into a tour?
A trip can become a tour if structured visits and guidance are added.
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Dec 08, 2023
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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