It’s assumed to be a wonderful experience, but many beg to differ.
Stew and I love to travel, and have done so quite a lot since we retired at age 57. And so we’ve zigzagged across Mexico, from Chiapas to Chihuahua, and abroad from Antarctica to Iceland. We’ve wondered why some people are not only uninterested but downright averse to the notion of packing a bag and going some place away from home.
Some people we know are fearful. Is Mexico safe? How about the drug cartels in Colombia? Islamic terrorists in Egypt? What if the hot air balloon over Kenya springs a leak? Haven’t you heard about the latest pandemic sweeping China? You went on a zipline over Mexico’s Copper Canyon? What are you, nuts? Sure enough, if you doomsurf the internet long enough you’ll be paralyzed by so many what-if’s you’ll barely make it out of your house.
But a comparable portion of our friends and acquaintances seemingly don’t travel for the same reason they don’t attend church on Sunday: They claim to be uninterested. Maybe they just can’t afford it, or if they can, don’t want to endure the wear-and-tear on their Medicare-registered bodies of eight or ten hours immobilized in a coach seat, followed by grumpy mobs at customs, immigration, baggage pickup and other indignities at airports in London or Amsterdam. The hassle is not worth it, they say, just to look at some ruin, or shuffle past the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. Even if you fly business class it takes a couple of days for your eyes to refocus.
Beyond those concerns, a recent article in the New Yorker magazine argues against travel, as a pointless exercise no matter how much people gush about their experiences when they return or say how much they look forward to their next venture. The argument by Agnes Callard, an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Chicago, at first struck me as contrarian to the max, and indeed it took Stew and I a couple of readings to capture, perhaps, a few of the points she was making. She cites G. K. Chesterton (“travel narrows the mind”), Ralph Waldo Emerson (“travel is a fool’s paradise”), and Portuguese writer Fernando Pessoa, whom she calls “the greatest hater of travel.”
Callard seems to say that the benefits of travel are oversold. People don’t return home “enlightened” by the encounters with strange peoples and places, much less have a “life-altering experience,” as I claimed when Stew and I returned from two weeks in Africa. And rather than being changed by our encounters with foreigners, it’s usually the other way around. The hordes of tourists that are cluttering San Miguel nowadays most likely will forget about this place a few weeks after they return to the routines of their lives, while San Miguel continues to evolve into a tourist gulch like the small towns in Tuscany and southern Spain that are choking on their irresistible charms.
Americans in particular don’t travel nearly as much as Europeans but for very mundane reasons, not necessarily a provincial view of the world. Cost is a big reason, as getting to the other side of the Atlantic or the Pacific oceans adds several thousand dollars to the cost of any trip. I have friends in Paris and London who don’t think it’s a particularly big deal to take a discounted flight to Uzbekistan for a quick look-see or a high-speed train to Munich for the weekend. The average Brit has visited at least ten countries, while Americans only three. Only the Chinese are more cloistered, though from our experience abroad wading through crowds of camera-toting Asian tourists, those numbers are changing rapidly.
And at least in the case of Stew and I, we do acquire some indelible memories. Perhaps it’s because my reportorial instincts lead to ask a lot of questions, and as Stew claims, to try look behind every entrance closed to the public. Sometimes such nosiness pays off, as when, several years ago, I peeked in the entrance of the former Palace of the Inquisitor in downtown San Miguel. Rather than being offended, the owner invited us in for an unexpected half-hour tour of the place, including a tunnel that used to take prisoners to the jail across the street and has since been converted into a wine cellar.
I also take too many photographs, and our home is filled with them. So when we brush our teeth in the morning, pictures on the wall remind us of our visits to Peru, Croatia or the penguins in Antarctica. I keep changing the photo gallery. Those are for the most part pleasant memories that stand as markers in our lives, and if anything, encourage us to speed up our travels as time runs out as it inevitably will. Traveling and meeting foreigners, however briefly, also has alleviated in us the xenophobic fears propagated by the right-wing media.
So coming up in our travel schedule is a jaunt to Valle de Bravo, a beautiful lakefront resort a few hours outside Mexico City, and in the fall, a drive through New England, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island for the spectacle of the autumnal changing of the leaves. Stew’s already reserved a Tesla, and I’m eager to drive one of those for a couple of weeks. And before the end of the year, probably another four- or five-day visit to Mexico City—a fascinating place we’ve neglected during the 17 years we’ve lived here. And next year, Ireland and Romania, both of them supposedly beautiful in completely different ways.
Ironically, Prof. Callard in her article mentions walking around Paris and visiting a clinic for falcons in Abu Dhabi—places which Stew and I also have visited. Alas, there’s a chance we might cross paths somewhere with the professor, and hope we can compare travel experiences and she can elucidate her views over coffee—in simpler terms than she did in her New Yorker article.
El Rancho Santa Clara 
If Prof. Callard had pitched a story titled “The Case for Travel,” the New Yorker never would’ve published it.
I love being in different places, but two rules reign: 1) where I stay has to be as nice or better than what I have at home, and b) first class, or business if that’s as good as it gets. I’m over flying economy, and if that means fewer trips, so be it.
Your upcoming slate of travel sounds interesting, especially the Mexican part. Valle de Bravo is spectacular.
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You’re right about coach. I think the airlines are purposely making economy class so miserable to force folks migrate to “economy plus” or Business Class. You may be right about the New Yorker article. Sometimes articles catch the eye of editors because they are off the wall and likely to attract reader attention. Callard’s article had a few good observations but most of it was so contorted it gave you cramps trying to figure out what the point was. You’ve got to write more about Colombia. It started raining here, thank God. I thought the place was going to catch on fire or something.
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Al,
I always enjoy your posts, especially this one on travel. My partner and I are looking forward to several weeks in Italy this October. You are 100% correct about Africa, life altering. I suddenly understood where jazz , gospel and Motown originated. The people were amazing, especially the Masaii chief who told us five wives were not superior to just having one. Too many nags for any one hombre!
Saw you the Stew from afar the other night at the restaurant in La Luz. Would have come over to say hello, but did not want to disturb you and your friends. We all look older and wiser, but still hanging on. We moved this week from San Miguel to Juriquilla. Just could not take any more of Disneylandia. Not the same place I moved to 20 years ago. You always had the right idea being outside of town.
Say hello to Stew for me. Hope your finca is holding up well.
Warmest regards,
Anne Wilson
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Hello Anne: Good to hear from you after all these years. Africa was definitely an eye-opener, the people were so friendly and open, particularly in Botswana and Zimbabwe. San Miguel is indeed getting more Disneyfied by the day. Though I understand that tourism is how much of the population makes a living, the prices are such that the place is getting more expensive that Queretaro or even Mexico City. We had dinner at Quince, a rooftop la-di-dah restaurant right next to the Parroquia, and the bill came to $114 dollars, and we don’t drink alcohol and didn’t have desserts. And all that for so-so food and distracted service. We only visit the Centro during the week and might even cut back on that! Take care and thanks for the comment.
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I replied to your comment but apparently I didn’t press the right button and it got lost in the ether. I agree about Africa making an impression, the people and the animals. Folks in Botswana and Zimbabwe were super friendly and helpful. I also agree that San Miguel is becoming more Disneyfied by the day, particularly the prices which by now are higher than in Queretaro and even Mexico City. On Monday we had dinner at Quince, a beautiful, la-dee-dah rooftop restaurant in the Centro and the bill for two came to $114 dollars and we didn’t have any booze or desserts (those were going for $200+ pesos). And all that for so-so food and distracted service. Argh and ouch. Nice hearing from you.
al
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As a Nova Scotia resident in a condo building investigating EV chargers, plan your route here carefully. Nova Scotia Power has only 12 public Level 3 chargers along the public highways, although there are other options. Find them here: https://chargehub.com/en/countries/canada/nova-scotia.html
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Deborah: Thank you so much for your advice about EV chargers, and the link. We have a Waze GPS in my phone and supposedly it includes charging stations to help you plan your trip. In San Miguel we have six charging stations, though I don’t know how fast they are. The Tesla we’re renting has a range of 350 miles, or so they say, so that should be enough to know when it needs to be charged. I’m curious how this is all going to work because I’m afraid EVs are the future. We’ll see. Thanks again for your comment.
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Your blog post could read as a case of pretentiousness. What’s the point of publishing it? I don’t know you, so I cannot say that’s true. However, this is what it has first prompted me to consider. I would be pleased to be wrong about my impression.
As for travel, I have myself seen enough to know, “There’s no place like home (San Miguel).” Please remove the Titanic from your bucket list.
“Happy trails”
Mike
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Hello Mike: I’m sorry that the blog post struck you as pretentious and might have gotten your dander up. That was not my intention. I recognize that many people don’t want, or can’t, travel for a variety of reasons, and that is their privilege. See my reply to Barbara Eckrote and the story of my mom and her travels. Thanks for your comment.
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Have you watched the video “The Last Tourist”
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No, never have, though now that you mention it I will look for it tonight on Netflix or Amazon. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Wow. We watched only half of it which is as much as we could handle in one sitting. Two things have hit us so far. One those giant cruiseships that dump all those clueless tourists, but not before pointing them in the direction of tours and stores affiliated with the cruise companies, as if they weren’t making enough money already. The other was the business with the poor elephants in Thailand and how they are mistreated so they can be “trained” to do tricks for the tourists. At least a few tourists in the movie found the spectacle as revolting as I would. Stew covered his eyes during those segments with the animals. I’m afraid to watch the rest of the movie but would recommend it to any one who read my blog post. It’s on Amazon Video for $3.99. It illustrates some of the points I was trying to make in the post, but far more vividly. Thanks.
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I so enjoyed reading your post yesterday. I thought I would add a few thoughts of mine as a reply. Many people who don’t travel, myself included, either can’t afford to or have extenuating circumstances to prevent it such as a wheelchair or walker. Sadly, many don’t have passports! I was an avid traveler starting in 1974 through 2017. Most of it was done as a single woman and all of my adventures throughout Europe, South America and Central America were absolutely delightful. I have to laugh, at the age of 42 I had not been to Europe yet. My son had been to Europe twice by the age of 21. Once as a student in Royan, France and the second trip was a backpacking trip throughout Europe for three months. As I complained about this fact at the airport as he was leaving for his second adventure, he said, “Mom, when it is important enough, you will find a way.” Great words. I left for Europe the next year on my own for two weeks. What a great adventure! There are so many places I didn’t get to such as Italy, Turkey, Croatia, etc. But, I content myself with the wacky and interesting memories of yesteryear. That just about sums it up. It is extremely difficult to attend things here in SMA. I can’t imagine trying to travel to unknown places in my present circumstances. I so appreciate that you keep writing!
Barbara San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
415 124-9450 Mx Cell 713 589-2721 Vonage
http://www.babsofsanmiguel.blogspot.com
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing” Helen Keller
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Oh, I appreciate that many people can’t afford big trips or are at a stage in their lives that it becomes difficult because of mobility issues or whatever. That’s why want to keep traveling while we can. My mom, who worked as a maid in a nursing home in New York, had very little money and lived a pretty frugal, borderline miserly existence, but she would save her money and once a year—bang!—she would take off for China or some other faraway place in some sort of cheap tour with a bunch of fellow geezers. She did that until mobility problems got the best of her. I too went on a backpacking summer trip to Europe between undergraduate and graduate school, and it was one of the best ideas I’ve ever had. Thanks for your comments, and glad you like my posts.
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P.S. Valle de Bravo is delightful. Barbara San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
415 124-9450 Mx Cell 713 589-2721 Vonage
http://www.babsofsanmiguel.blogspot.com
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing” Helen Keller
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I took my wife and children on a three week trip to Guatemala in 2002. The kids were all teenagers, the oldest in her last year of highschool. Everyone seemed to enjoy the experience, even though it was three weeks of driving in a KIA van of questionable size. My middle daughter was changed by the trip. We live in an entitled bailiwick, the girl thought she was poor until she saw the real thing—she grew two feet at least in her understanding of our world—it was worth the 20 grand it cost, just for her sake.
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We too traveled in Guatemala in an anemic, three-cylinder sedan of some sort. When you venture in the backwaters of the countries you feel like you’ve traveled back to the 15th century, such was the poverty and backwardness. I remember too that one of the times we visited Guatemala we stayed overnight at some fancy hotel in the capital that was getting ready for a no-expense-spared celebration of some rich kid’s First Communion. Quite the contrast. Mexico’s Chiapas state, which borders on Guatemala felt the same way and reminded you of the saying “but for the grace of God” and teaches you to be grateful for what you have. Despite their situation though, we found Guatemalans in the countryside to be most graceful and friendly.
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This comment from Natalie Hardy, which came to me via email:
I just read your “What’s the point of travel?” post and loved its inquisitiveness. I was surprised to read that Americans on average have visited only three countries. Even that is more than I imagined. I trust that refers only to those who HAVE traveled. When I go north, I am especially struck by the number of people in my childhood who have no intention of leaving their backyard, much less their town or state. And for me, this explains a lot of the naivete’ and provincialism that I encounter on the rare trips back to my home area in Iowa. Keep up the good work! For sure, finding well traveled people, which one easily does in SMA, is a major reason I live here.
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Thank you for your comments. I’m also mystified why people are so uncurious, though I appreciate that travel is expensive. I remember telling a relative that Stew and I planned to visit New York and his reply was, “Why would anyone want to go there?” I felt like saying that pure curiosity would be one reason, but kept my mouth shut, because that’s how some people feel and I respect those differences.
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Comment from Karen Quinn, via email:
Love your recent blog about travel! We agree with you entirely.
Several years ago Jim and I attended a lecture at a local college by Rick Steves. It was called ‘Travel as a political Act”. We were most impressed by Rick’s attitude.. Though he’s a very wealthy guy because of his travel company, he seemed very sincere and down to earth. I found a link to his lecture and have shared it below.
We had a great trip last month…a Viking Rhine River cruise from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland…then a week on our own in Switzerland…taking trains everywhere. One day we took trains from Murren (up in the mountains from Interlaken) to Montreux (in the French southern part of Switzerland) and back. We were gone 12 hours and had 11 train connections…. And it all went like clockwork! And so scenic to boot!
We did the day trip as a challenge to the Swiss train system… and to ourselves.
Take care and keep in touch.
Karen
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Rick Steves deserves all the money he makes. Imagine the logistics of reporting, writing, editing—and fact-checking—every one of those millions of details. We saw his show about traveling as a political act, and of course, he was right, though I’m afraid he was preaching to the PBS choir. I Googled Murren and yes, that’s another one of those thousands of incredibly charming towns throughout Europe. How many can there be? The punctuality of Swiss trains doesn’t surprise me: They are the guys who make watches, after all. I’ve heard that the Japanese are even more anal about punctuality, but that’s hard to imagine. We need to hear about your trip to northernmost Norway, the Hebrides and those other places no one’s heard of. Keep traveling.
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Interesting post. There are some trips that are more memorable than others. At 16 years old my teachers went on strike. My parents told my sister and I we are going to Mexico for a month
This was 1975. To say rural Mexico was a culture shock to a kid from the suburbs of Toronto is an understatement. I remember my dad stopping the car in a tiny dusty town where a kid tried to sell me an ancient Readers Digest with the cover ripped off and what I remember to be a squirrel? on a thin rope. At Santa Clara de Cobre a young boy hopped in the back seat with my sister and I and gave raid fire instructions in Spanish of course to what we found out was his fathers copper workshop. I remember a women in a little shop counting out styrofoam cups and measuring thread out instead of selling us the whole bag of cups and the whole tiny spool of thread.
48 years later I could tell you 50 more experiences I remember and my memory usually isn’t great. I saw a life so much different than mine, so many beautiful things made by hand and incredible people I often think this trip was the best gift my parents ever gave me.
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Hi Cathie: Thank you for your comment. I remember a couple of eye-opening experiences like you that lie in the back of your mind for the rest of your life. One was Guatemala, another Nicaragua and the worst, Haiti, which looked like a failed state with no one in charge. If I had kids I would try to expose them to as much human diversity as I could afford, to immunize them against all the prejudice you hear in the States, and perhaps Canada too.
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One word: airlines. (I see it’s been mentioned before.)
That said, I wish I could talk my SO into more visits to Mexico. I’ve heard it said that there’s no border in the world you can step across and get a bigger change in language, culture, cuisine…no airline needed!
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I appreciate your frustration with airlines and airports. Did you ever go through Cancun airport? It’s like the seventh circle of hell. Mexico continues to get more Americanized, and maybe less Mexican. But if you get off the usual tourist routes, you can still experience a real change of pace. Don’t give up on Mexico yet!
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I’m a New Brunswick resident, right across the border from Calais, ME. I second needing to plan in advance places to charge an EV in both Canada and Northern New England.
Another suggestion I have is taking ferries from Maine to New Brunswick. They go from Campobello Island, NB to Deer Island, NB, to the New Brunswick mainland, taking quite a bit of driving distance out of the journey.
I understand the desire to make travel easier. I have pretty much given up travelling because of the effort and hassle. I love being in different places, but I hate the getting there and back.
Happy travels!
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Sorry for the delay in responding to your comment. We are planning a detailed itinerary of where we might find charging stations and of which type, so we don’t get stranded in the middle of the Canadian wilderness. But come to think of it, this kind of negates our original plan to have a spontaneous trip, doesn’t it? You’re not alone with being fed up with the hassle of travel. Barging through Houston airport is enough to discourage the most hardened traveler. We’re not there yet, but getting close. Al
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Travel isn’t the question, Al. It’s the answer. The question is, what is the point of life?
Romania is a fascinating place. Bucharest gets a poor rap, and it isn’t the most aesthetic Euro capital but it sure is an interesting one. Everyone goes to the giant marble palace, but don’t miss Ceaușescu’s home. And definitely don’t miss Peles Castle is you pass that way.
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Gary, you are our man, on the road all the time from one place to another, while the trains back in Old Blighty apparently go on automatic pilot during your absences! We still plan to hit Romania toward the end of next year, and possibly England on a driving tour! Sicily also looked damn good though we read it was really hot. I read that the Ceaușescus, ever the charming couple once visited Washington and stayed at the residence for official guests across the street from the While House. Apparently they walked off with the towels and pillowcases with the presidential seal as souvenirs.
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