A text message from my friend Paula: “Ed, home from our cruise. Tomorrow back to work. Ugh…”

Everyone within earshot looking at this page will inevitably sympathize with Paula. I’ve said this countless times in my writings, people hate their work – they see it as drudgery. I on the other hand, found my work to be both fulfilling and rewarding.

Sure, it wasn’t always this way, but most of the time it was good. If it was bad, I moved on. Salary wasn’t the main consideration with me accepting a position. It was the working environment, the people, the hours, etc. The interview wasn’t just for the benefit of the company, it was a two-way street.

But that’s me.

But what is also me is, I don’t desire spending inordinate amounts of money on a lavish vacation, especially now that I’m retired.

Hmmm... I wonder if there’s a contrasting contradiction between me and Paula? She keeps insisting I take a cruise. “Come-on, get out, have fun!” she vehemently scolds.

Well, before I go on, read these three pages:

Now that we have that out of the way – and you’re POed at me for even suggesting these, I want to describe – well, what most people see as my malady. “I really dislike travel, er tourism.”

Vacation Travel: a relatively short limited-time costly foray to one or more distant, unusual, unfamiliar places – you-know, tourism, trip, cruise, sightseeing, … These travels can often include expenditures such as hotels, restaurants, entrance fees, show tickets, tour guide fees, port fees, cruise extras, transportation costs, souvenirs, etc.

My reasons for disliking tourism include:

  • One spends more time getting to an attraction than actually seeing that attraction.
  • Costs at these destinations are artificially much higher than they would be for those who are native to that area.
  • Costs of lodging are very expensive necessitating the need for expedience – doing a lot of things to make the trip worth the expense.
  • The tourist really cannot know the real essence of the place they are visiting. The providers at the destination want to present the best experience so more people will come and spend money – hence the term tourist trap.
  • Next, cleanliness: Regardless of how well the providers clean facilities, there was probably thousands if not tens of thousands of people who came before who ate in or slept on.
  • Finally, for most people, tourism is an escape or a diversion from their lives of drudgery and mundanity. It’s also an experience they can share with friends and acquaintances.

For those who appreciate and enjoy vacation travel, the above are second-nature, meaning, most accept these as being a necessary aspect of tourism.

Oriented to Places – Not Appearances

Note. I don’t really get a thrill at the idea of being invited to a prestigious event or eating in five-star restaurants. I don’t appreciate these experiences simply because it’s not something I normally do. If it were, I would naturally look forward to it. But, like you, I’m not wealthy enough, so therefore, I don’t. Again, I’ve done these things in the past, but I didn’t appreciate them.

An example is dinning at the L’Auberge French Restaurant which was said to be the most highly credentialed restaurant in the upscale village of Oakwood, Ohio. In 1983, I ventured forth with several friends to this restaurant. The women were all excited at going to such a prestigious 4-star restaurant of supposed culinary excellence of fine cuisine. It was very expensive with everything being ala-carte. I myself didn’t really appreciate the experience. I think the attraction was not only the food, but the service, the extensive wine cellar, and the ambiance. The restaurant’s main clientele were the wealthy of the Dayton, Ohio area. At the time, Dayton still had several multinational corporations with senior high paid executives as well as many wealthy families who frequented the restaurant.

Note. In April 2014, the L’Auberge Restaurant was demolished to make way for construction of a new free-standing 3,000-square-foot bank branch. The upscale L’Auberge, which opened in 1979, closed in early 2012 after a debtor foreclosed on the restaurant and took possession of the property.

Ok, back to my malady of disliking tourism. Question, how do I know I don’t like it if I didn’t do it?

Answer: On a number of occasions, I did do the tourism thing. But on every trip, I felt lost, and I gained little if anything from the experience. I wanted to be free to do what I wanted, but I faced disapproval of my travel companions. For example, I tended to want to spend time conversing with the resident population at the various destinations – but of course, there was the disgruntlement of both the people I traveled with as well as the tourist agency. Basically, the schedule had us seeing so many places it left little time to be social.

If I had my druthers, I would seek to go live in a place for several months rather than see many places in two weeks.

When I visited China, I lived for several months among the people, my wife’s family. Sure, they would take me to a few different places to, so-to-say sightsee. But I mostly spent time with them in their everyday lives. I enjoyed their company – even though I couldn’t understand Mandarin Chinese. Her brothers kept trying to get me drunk.

I enjoyed this a whole lot more than when my wife and I took trips to New York’s Manhattan, Tokyo and Hong Kong. There I felt unconnected, alone, and lost – even though I was with her. These were foreign places I didn’t know – as strange to me as any city’s downtown area here in the US. There wasn’t enough time to explore. The clock ticked and the meter was running on our hotel room. Also, there was the scheduled return flight. In the end, it was a waste of time and money. I needed much more time to leisurely see a place. But due to my lack of wealth, I could only spend a short amount of time at each attraction.

Tourism to me is a sterilized plasticized view of a place that isn’t really what the place is all about. I get much more from a TV documentary about a place rather than actually going there and seeing it in person.

Instead, If I could afford it, I would venture to a place where I and my wife could stay for some time – a month or so – a place where we would know someone who lives there or could meet new people who do live there.

So, now I ask: why to people like tourism? Why do most hammer on me for not?

Why are common people the way they are?

  • Why would people shop at an upscale store and buy clothing when similar clothing can be purchased for much less at say Wal-Mart?
  • Why do so many enamored fans get very excited when seeing their idols such as movie or music stars?
  • Why do so many men have an obsession with spectator sports?
  • Why do people like to mimic the rich?
  • Why do so many of the employed view their gainful means as drudgery?
  • Why don’t they seek a life calling that would be rewarding?
  • Why do so many Americans have little to no passions outside of their work?
  • Why is it so many will spend money they can ill-afford to use to go on a two-week vacation?
  • Why are so many people living with extensive installment, credit card, and car debt?
  • Why does the average person look at their smart mobile device at least 50 times a day?
  • Why are there far more internet friends in people’s lives than actual in-person friends?
  • Why do friends text rather than talk?
  • Why do so many consume 4 to 5 hours of TV a day?
  • Why is clinical obesity at an epidemic level in the US?

Because this is the way people are. I absolutely don’t fault them for their lifestyles. They are happy; so, then what the heck – let them be.

The problem according to others is me.

Ed March 3rd, 2022

P. S. I’m a debt free person who has no TV in the house. I buy my clothes from discount stores. I have no idea of who is singing or starring in any movies or TV shows. I hate sports of all sorts. I’m financially well off. I enjoyed my work. I have dozens of hobbies (avocations) that I’m very proficient at. I have enough to go and see friends in far away places. My phone remains on my desk until I have to go out. I like seeing my friends in person. And I’m 6’ 1” tall and weight 180 lbs. At 72, I’m way above average in excellent health.

Am I bragging? No. Quite the opposite. I just want to know why people love to travel. I keep feeling I’m missing something.

…that I don’t catch on.