Traveling and "Keeping it Real"

Today I am feeling a bit philosophical. Over the weekend I had a conversation with a friend who told me that he wouldn’t be interested in a vacation that was a cruise or tour because the experience wouldn’t be authentic. He has the view that if he went on an organized experience to a destination he would be herded around and he would not have the opportunity to have any kind of genuine experience of the location. I told him that, no matter how he goes, that will always be true.

I know that a big part of our business is selling organized trips, and I confess that is not the best way for everyone to explore a new locale, but it is not because you get a more “authentic” read on the culture when you go on your own. In physics they talk about the “uncertainty principle” which is found in the social sciences too. It says that the act of looking at something alters it so it will not be the same as it was before it was observed. (Teachers know that their class is different when the principal visits.) Anyway, when outsiders come into a place, it changes the place. It is inevitable. So, if you visit, it isn’t the way it usually is. That is true whether you are on a tour or alone. People act differently when you are there.

And, do we want it to stay the same? If you go into a village, do you want to eat and sleep as the natives do? Some people do, but most don’t. The reasons to use organized travel (tours or cruises) is that the travel company knows what other people have enjoyed about the place and have the where-with-all to provide it. They know which places and people are likely to be interesting to you and they can make the arrangements. If you go into a new place by yourself, you have to ask around and still may not find what you would have enjoyed. You may also have some uncomfortable or threatening experiences.

The best part of organized travel is the huge variety of experiences available. The smaller your group and the more customized the activities, the higher the cost. But, there are experiences for everyone. It surprises me that there are now so much variety in the kinds of vacations people can schedule and afford. Just remember that no matter how much anyone tries to “keep it real”, as soon as we start viewing something, it changes it.