Abstract
This paper aims to identify if independent travelers differ from their counterpart package tourists through the lens of large-scale travel movement. To do so, the spatial patterns of Chinese outbound independent tourists were compared to those of outbound package tourists when traveling to Europe. The network analysis is employed to analyze and compare the node characteristics. The results suggest the two groups of tourists share both similarities and differences in major places visited. It is in line with previous literature that tourists seek a balanced experience between novelty and familiarity.