Awesome review of White Lotus. I think one of the reasons I love the show is that it keeps me humble as a traveler. A lot of people will watch the show and say, "oh, I don't travel like that -- i really get to know a place," but when I watch 'annoying' tourists in any setting, I'm often reminded that I'm an annoying tourist, too, in ways I can't do much about (like causing delays because I speak the language badly, or contributing to inflated prices). So I'm grateful to everyone that shows kindness to me, and understanding of anyone who doesn't. More than 'don't stay in resorts,' or, 'take a walk around a neighborhood,' the one thing I wish I could hammer into the head of every traveler is: be more humble.
Luiza, I just got back from a Viking River cruise and, wow, did this ever resonate with me. It's the first cruise of any sort we've ever been on. And the price tag was a real stretch for us, but we saw all the ads and thought we'd give it a try. We liked the idea of visiting parts of Europe we probably weren't going to rent a car and drive to. We liked the idea of seeing cities and towns that were built to be approached by river.
What we didn't account for was being stuck for long periods of time on a boat with other American tourists. What I didn't realize about these cruises is that they cater to Americans who want all the discomfort of traveling to a different place removed and smoothed away for them. Everything is curated. Everything is controlled. And you could feel that when my husband and I went off the script by just wandering around, both the people in charge of the cruise and the passengers were deeply confused.
That's just the tip of the iceberg. As a sociologist it was fascinating and we did get to see some amazing things we probably would not have seen on our own. But it's hard to imagine doing it again. It made me think A LOT about what the purpose of traveling is, for others and myself.
Hahaha that’s perfect! Yes, cruises are the epitome of mass tourism and complete disconnect with the places visited. Usually, in cruises you are so separated that you don’t even sleep in the places you visit or eat local food. Anyway, nice you got to experience this with an analytical eye. I hope you enjoyed yourself nevertheless :D
Awesome review of White Lotus. I think one of the reasons I love the show is that it keeps me humble as a traveler. A lot of people will watch the show and say, "oh, I don't travel like that -- i really get to know a place," but when I watch 'annoying' tourists in any setting, I'm often reminded that I'm an annoying tourist, too, in ways I can't do much about (like causing delays because I speak the language badly, or contributing to inflated prices). So I'm grateful to everyone that shows kindness to me, and understanding of anyone who doesn't. More than 'don't stay in resorts,' or, 'take a walk around a neighborhood,' the one thing I wish I could hammer into the head of every traveler is: be more humble.
Luiza, I just got back from a Viking River cruise and, wow, did this ever resonate with me. It's the first cruise of any sort we've ever been on. And the price tag was a real stretch for us, but we saw all the ads and thought we'd give it a try. We liked the idea of visiting parts of Europe we probably weren't going to rent a car and drive to. We liked the idea of seeing cities and towns that were built to be approached by river.
What we didn't account for was being stuck for long periods of time on a boat with other American tourists. What I didn't realize about these cruises is that they cater to Americans who want all the discomfort of traveling to a different place removed and smoothed away for them. Everything is curated. Everything is controlled. And you could feel that when my husband and I went off the script by just wandering around, both the people in charge of the cruise and the passengers were deeply confused.
That's just the tip of the iceberg. As a sociologist it was fascinating and we did get to see some amazing things we probably would not have seen on our own. But it's hard to imagine doing it again. It made me think A LOT about what the purpose of traveling is, for others and myself.
Hahaha that’s perfect! Yes, cruises are the epitome of mass tourism and complete disconnect with the places visited. Usually, in cruises you are so separated that you don’t even sleep in the places you visit or eat local food. Anyway, nice you got to experience this with an analytical eye. I hope you enjoyed yourself nevertheless :D