Vacations Blog

Back in February at the LA Times Travel Expo, I met representatives from a tour company called Intrepid Travel.  In an instant, they filled my head with visions of zip-lining through the jungle, rafting over whitewater rapids, trekking through the Himalayas, and all sorts of international adventures, all with my kids.  Intrepid Travel takes you off the beaten path in small groups on journeys tailored to the people in the group.  They have a family style trip that includes children 6 and older, with a group maximum of 14 people in which any adult traveling MUST have a child with him.  Emphasis on family travel and togetherness:  “This is NOT a babysitting service!”  For one flat fee per person, Intrepid takes care of all the details, a service that a busy parent might find very valuable.

Awkward family photo

Intrepid is running a contest – ending May 31 – that asks the question “How intrepid is your family?”  Take the quiz and enter to win $6,000 toward your family trip of choice, plus a 25% discount off the children’s booking cost.

I recently came across the 2006 Forbes Traveler 50 Most Visited Attractions list. After glancing at the top twenty or so attractions and feeling underwhelmed, I began asking myself – What do I enjoy more: popular tourist attractions or non-mainstream travel?

While pondering that query, I was reminded of one my favorite travel lines, from the early 20th century British writer, G.K. Chesterton.

“The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.”

• Many travel to get away from the crowds and stress of everyday life. Why go where the people are and lines are long?
• Often at tourist locations I feel like I’m a walking dollar sign, consistently being preyed upon by salivating locals (I will call them ‘tourist poachers’).
• Everyone has a story that goes something like this, “We were supposed to check out the Eiffel Tower but instead we………and it was awesome.”
• My avid traveler parents try to hit the touristy spots early (sunrise) in the morning to enjoy sites in their serenity (especially for ancient attractions) and to avoid the ‘tourist poachers’.

• I’m not calling for the abandonment of all tourist locations. I think they can be a great starting point, and the intrigue of a specific attraction often drives initial motivation. For instance, I really want to visit the Egyptian pyramids, the sole remaining wonder of the original seven. But I would make it a priority to visit Petra (pictured) in neighboring Jordan, a more difficult to get to lesser-known wonder (albeit Modern). And of course walking through local street markets, interacting and bartering with peddlers in the global language of smiles and expressions of amusement (often at the initial price ‘quote’), is always a must.

This is the first in a series of posts surrounding the notion of mainstream tourism versus cultural immersion travel. But let’s start the conversation with your opinions and insights. Which type of travel do you favor? Who has the best “Do the Unexpected” travel story (’When everyone else zigs, zag’)?

Here at Kango we love maps. Whether it be global or local, the map is where travel dreams begin their transition into becoming reality.

Here’s a standard political map of the world:

You likely remember seeing a similar version (who remembers the Soviet Union?) posted up on a wall in your junior high history class. Not all that exciting right?

Now imagine that instead of mapping the countries by area, they are measured by another variable (i.e. GDP, population, HIV prevalence), in turn distorting their geometries. I find these deformed maps are a great way to better visualize world statistics and grasp just how different (often alarmingly!) lifestyle, economy, and consumption are from country to country around the globe.

For the first of a weekly series focusing on these maps, I am going to stick close to travel and explore a Tourist Destinations cartogram using data from 2003.

Initial thoughts…

• Over 665 million international trips were made in 2003 for holiday and touring purposes. With a global population of roughly 6.3 billion in 2003, and assuming that some individuals took multiple trips, less than 10% of people around the world crossed borders for leisure.

• Western Europe was the region of choice for 46% of travelers. Traveling across European borders is friendly and contagious. The standard EU currency (Euro) and the ease of transportation (Eurail and modern freeways) promote intra-Europe travel. With luxury hotels and hostels, museums and nude beaches, Western Europe is an obvious destination for travelers of all ages. Many European cultures designate August as a month to travel.

• Conversely, Central Africa received less than .1% of the world’s total tourism. Transportation around Central Africa is dated, harsh, and potentially dangerous. Rough terrain, including the Sahara Desert and vast jungles, make up much of Central Africa.

• The Bahamas and Caribbean archipelago, obvious island destinations, receive tourism from the US, Western Europe and South America.

• Hong Kong, a country less than 1/3 the size of Rhode Island in land mass, is HUGE, living up to its tagline of “Asia’s World City”.

What are your reactions? Do your international travel plans reflect this map? How do you think it will look in 10, 50 years?