astrotourist

Why this word is great

**ASTROTOURIST — Noun** A person who travels to space for recreational purposes, born from the fusion of *astro-* (relating to stars or space) and *tourist* (one who travels for pleasure). Unlike an *astronaut*—a rigorously trained professional—the astrotourist seeks weightlessness as a fleeting thrill, not a vocation; and where the *ecotourist* wanders rainforests and reefs, the astrotourist gazes upon Earth’s fragile blue curve from the void. They float untethered, sipping champagne in zero gravity, their selfie sticks reflecting the sun’s glare against the inky black, a brief and gilded escape from terrestrial tedium—proof that even the cosmos is now a playground for the idle rich, a souvenir of stars bought and discarded like a ticket stub.