Saturday, September 15, 2007

If I Could Go Anywhere: Contrasting Travel Styles


There are friends of mine that covet a week at the all-inclusive as their ultimate travel fantasy. A decadent, indulgent, and over-stimulating experience like no other the all-inclusive is an American dream come true. Can't choose just one entree from the all-lobster menu? Well, have a couple! The drinks flow freely, the activities are at your fingertips, and aside from deciding whether to sleep, lounge, or eat there really isn't much to worry or stress your brain. Thing is, vacations like this are expensive and I am cheap. Been there, done that. There has to be more to life.

Another travel staple is the family vacation, which can be done in a variety of really fun ways (cabins, cottages, anchovy-can ski condos, etc). But the most perplexing of these is the timeshare. I realize my friends with kids have different priorities when they travel. They don't want to fight with their children in restaurants or have to be crammed into a hotel room for hours and hours on end. For these folks, the timeshare is a nearly perfect solution- space, multiple rooms/suites, and kitchens to give the tots their cereal and naps perfectly on schedule. I respect the folks and their kids and pretty much it makes sense that they travel to their timeshares and have a merry ole time. But joining up with a cult-like corporate entity and collecting travel promotions so I can afford deluxe accommodations at a new premier property is not really my thing. Once again, you pay out the nose and get Preferred Customer lines instead of authenticity and character for your trouble...I'll pass.

I like backpacking. Not really the Euro-rail thing, or the eco-tourism/safari thing but the sore muscles, sun-burned face, need a beer and some tips on the fishing/ski conditions/secret hot springs gig. So there's my bias. But there are some other types of travel that have made it to my life list, despite my aversion to the timeshare and the all-inclusive. Nothing too original here, but I've restrained myself and mostly excluded backpacking destinations for this list. I'm still amazed that more people don't embrace really cool trips when they drop serious dough on a "vacation", but as the saying goes: to each their own.

My Kind of Travel
1. Train trip through Copper Canyon
2. Hiking the Na Pali Coast Trail in Hawaii
3. Going to see the polar bear migration
4. Hot Springs tour in Iceland
5. Horseback trip from pub to pub in Ireland
6. Trip to Sweden/Scandinavia and through Poland/Western Europe to visit all mine (and Aaron's) grandparent's countries
7. Driving our Toyota to its final resting place as far as we can possibly get on the route from California to Argentina
8. Floating down the Mississippi in a houseboat or canoe
9. Volunteering in Africa, Tibet, or some other far-flung place
10. And if money truly were no object: I'd stay at every single National Park historic lodge including the Ahwanee, Timberline Lodge, El Tovar, Old Faithful Inn, Crater Lake Lodge, and the list goes on and on.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, what an inspiring and creative list. The idea of driving a car until it breaks down in whatever country you've managed to reach is very amusing - what an adventure! I hardly travel but I would love to go on any of these trips.

In fact, one of my most memorable travels was to West Africa. My mom and I went together, hooked up with sis in Mauritania during her Peace Corps vacation. One of the highlights was being invited into the homes of my sister's friends, both in her Mauritanian village and in Dakar, Senegal. You can't buy that privilege (though of course the overseas flight costs a bundle). My sister had already travelled around the area a bit, and she functioned as our tour guide and translator (thanks sis!) through Mauritania, Senegal, the Gambia, Mali and the Ivory Coast. It was wondrous and life-changing.

If I ever do some major travelling again, I'd choose a Spanish-speaking country, as I do speak some Spanish and prefer being able to converse with the inhabitants in their language. Connecting with people is important to me.

zenhikers said...

Jessi, your trip to Africa sounds amazing! In high school I went on a trip that involved home stays in England, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and the Soviet Union and you are so right about the privilege of that kind of visit. I think every teenager should experience something like that (especially at that time in your life when you think you are the center of the universe!)