Being less… “touristy”
12 November 2012
There is something I hear all the time, it is a term or statement about a particular destination. I meet so many travellers and tourists that moan and complain about how “touristy” some areas are now getting or trying to find a destination that is less “touristy” or this is a good one “I’m going here because it is apparently what **insert country name here** used to be like”. One thing that I find quite ironic about the situation at hand is that so many of these people are the folks that are ready, waiting and searching for a WiFi connection, waiting to eat a pizza and stay in their flashy hotels.
We are all searching for that perfect destination where we feel alienated and isolated or even distanced from the place we call home and more times than not we crave to be away from places that remind us of home, but at the same time we are naturally are drawn to places that make us feel more at home. Now many of these areas that are now “touristy” turned touristy for a very good reason, they clearly hold an attraction that is vastly appealing to the outside world and a broad range of people. Modern travel can find its roots back in the 60’s when the first generation of modern travellers emerged in the forms of hippies searching for enlightenment or a greater purpose in life, they found many areas of the world that had been forgotten or simply not discovered. Since then incomes have grown and the world has become more connected, ideas have been shared and knowledge published. Travel has become relatively simple and much of the world has been “done”. Due to this exponential increase in the tourism industry whole cities, towns and suburbs have built themselves on this money. It has led to rapid development in many areas, fuelling internet connections, guesthouses, hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, book stores, cafes you name it! You don’t have to do much research to realise that many people in developing continents like Asia realised that tourism is a money making machine that has very deep pockets, they realised this a long time ago. What is funny is that the bulk of the people that you find moaning and complaining about places being too “touristy” are found in these lesser-developed nations.
What I would really like to ask is that are these people actually really wanting something less “touristy” or is this just a saying that makes them sound “cool”? Well in my humble opinion I believe that the majority of these people aren’t actually that fussed on the fact that these destinations have become popular. One thing I have realised is that a large sum of the folk that demand, want or crave a non-touristic experience are very close-minded and to put simply not that adventurous to start with. To back up my claim I would first like to point out the fact that it really does not take long to get off the beaten path, well you might not be off the beaten path completely but you sure as hell will be away from what you self-proclaim to dread. All it takes is a little time for research, a fair amount of dedication and the balls to do something different. I see tourists with their iPhones walking around in the mountains asking the local staff if there is a WiFi connection or why there isn’t any hot water or that there should be more heating. Get a grip people. I think the 21st centuries advances in technology in regards to travel have done great things, but have also severely disconnected us from what travel is all about. Many of the destinations that have turned into tourist resorts or “traps” have done so due to such a high demand for the comforts that many of us take advantage of at home. Almost all people will say once in their life that they crave to be away and distanced from home, but yet when they arrive at a what was a “low-key” destination they start demanding or wanting those comforts that were once taken from granted. This therefore leads to a demand for these facilities. It doesn’t make sense, well not to me anyway.
Speaking from a personal perspective a destination “touristy” or not is what you individually make of it and if you are going to sit around and tell me that this place is too touristy or developed, why are you here? Find an alternative and believe me there are millions out there. They are however for the people that have drive, ambition and wish to move beyond their comfort zones. So find these attributes in yourself and go! It is similar to the old saying “seek and you shall find”. Travel is no different. If you do not seek you will never get your head out of the gutter. This is the way the world works and the tourism industry is no exception. People want comforts so comforts are delivered. It is time to move out of your comfort zone and begin to go back to the roots of what travel was all about self-discovery, experiencing alien cultures, exploring new landscapes and looking at the world in under a new light. Get off your ass and go find those places that are waiting to be personally discovered by you, because you are the only person that is in charge of what you consider to be “non-touristy”.
Hi
I agree your points, but I’m not sure who this is talking to. The old-schoolers are already exploring for themselves and the “Iphone and £300 shades” crowd will never tear themselves away from their home comforts.
I recently saw an interview with Ex LP author Joe Cummings. He said. . .
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I can say that guidebook editors today tend to demand a different type of approach. They still want the facts but they want them sugar-coated. It used to be we authors tried to get under the skin of the country, but most editors these days seem to want us to take a more ethnocentric view, one that imposes Western values on non-Western societies. Going native seems to be frowned on; its like, “Hey don’t enjoy yourself too much, don’t fraternize with the locals.” Party content is big, too. “Find out where the parties are, the discos.” Basically places where you meet other tourists are big now.
Also the smaller towns and off-the-beaten-track places are getting less attention. It’s a market-driven approach; publishers look at what the other publishers are putting into competing guides, and they want the same coverage. There’s less incentive to be a maverick and do something different.
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…which made me wonder – are most travellers just following the ‘subliminal’ instructions of the guide books? In the 1960s and 70s – the travelbooks wrote that it was cool to ‘explore and discover’ places/things – so that’s what we did. Now they write that it’s cool to find the most happening nightclub in Bangkok, so that’s what the current generation think you ‘should’ do when travelling. Are/were we ALL just sheep ?
i BobSter!
Thanks a lot for the feedback! This was I guess a generalisation at best, but if i had to narrow it down to a specific kind of crowd it would be the one you described “iPhone and 300 Pound shades” kind of traveller. Joe is a friend of mine and that extract that you put in from the interview is something I could not agree more with!
Yeah it makes me wonder if people are doing those things, it is a shame to say the least. Well I guess it is something that we as the alternate crowd will have to continuously deal with, unfortunately. Maybe things will change, who knows! For instance I don’t even travel with a guide book and I am in the middle of writing an article on “Are guide books really needed” I hope you keep an eye open for it.
All I can do is continue to do what I am doing. This was simply just an expression of my thoughts, but thank you for your input I really appreciate it.
Ashley
Ok, but I think you’re conflating some ideas that maybe should be kept analytically separate: discovery and technological deprivation. Getting away from tourists could mean one or the other but most often some combination of both, each emphasized at different times.
People can “rough it” close to home. In places familiar, but tougher. Wherever you live. You can also discover without discarding your technology. See something amazing, take a picture, instagram, or tweet or blog it or whatever new technology popped up while I was typing. And that feeling of discovery is stronger when there are fewer tourists in their socks and sandals in the picture.
This may not be the best way to explain, but I started typing so I could figure out why this piece rubbed me the wrong way. I guess the term ‘touristy’ needs to be unpacked a bit. Someone wants to go somewhere less touristy? Ask why? Their answer might be different than your answer. Too many tourists probably bug people for different reasons.
I’m in a cute cafe in Hanoi where I am typing on my Macbook. And happy to be here.
Hi Jared,
I never said that technology and the advances in communications were a super negative aspect of travelling. What I said is that technology itself has disconnected or severed our connection to travelling whether or not in a large way is debatable. While I myself require technology to express my thoughts, vision and ideas while I am on the road, it is something i am grateful for.
And yes I completely agree with your statement that “touristy” is a term that would hold many different answers, this is why I stated in the article that …”touristy of not is what you individually make of it”.
Hi – I found your article very interesting.
Travel has certainly changed in the past years and there’s nothing wrong with that. Whichever way one chooses to travel will broaden ones horizons.
My husband and I are in our early 50s and have travelled the World. We began by backpacking (big rucksacks), have done tours (though never group ones) and have even been known to use a wheely bag (gasp). Over time we’ve learned that less is more and now travel with 30L packs. These contain few clothes, but …. lots of gadgets !
Yes, we are happy when we can get free wifi (book flights, accommodation, decide where we want to go to next); Having electricity is also a bonus (have to recharge those camera batteries and ipods
).
As for “touristy” places – the word “tourist” seems to be a dirty word to some. In the end, we’re all tourists and whether we consider ourselves more adventurous than others – live and let live !
Addy, you are so right when you say “in the end we’re all tourists” it is very true. However, I do believe that there are different types of travellers. I wrote this to provoke thought positive or negative and I am glad you have found it interesting, but thank you very much for your input.
Great comment BobSter! I too feel like the commercialization of independent travel is a bit of a blow – it takes most of the discovery and wonder out of something that is amazing exactly because it is unknown.
We recently did a survey of travelers to see how they find things to do and the progression was pretty much standard: Lonely Planet -> Internet search -> Ask a Local. It seems counter-intuitive for the way that I’ve been traveling – I tend to do it the other way around, using a guidebook as a last resort!
I really believe that the future of travel is individually-relevant, locally-immersed and peer-connected. Sites like http://arribaa.com do a good job of giving travelers access to the really unique things that locals are actually interested in, instead of just one writer’s opinion of a place or its people.
In the end travelers will get out of their travels the value and care that they put into it.
Arribaa.com looks very very interesting! Thanks for the link Colette