A tourist is somebody who does not know where he was and whom he met. A traveler is somebody who does not know where he is going to and whom he will meet. I am a 55-year old traveler, and I prefer to hitchhike and to stay with people who offer free accommodation. It is fun, and you meet interesting people every day.
That is very cool. Do you ever get to plan where you "tour"? I think it would be very hard for me to just "travel" I like to be in some control of what I am doing... but I think it is awesome that you do!