J.R.R. Tolkien coined the phrase “not all those who wander are lost” in his classic book “The Lord of the Rings.” It captures the curiosity that many have who like to see new places, meet new people, and encounter new cultures and traditions different from their own. Like the hobbit Frodo, many of us are initially reluctant to take on adventures only to recognize that once we do, we are never the same again.
Of course, while all who travel may not be lost, they aren’t guaranteed that they will make new discoveries. In fact, travelers may be sorely disappointed when their expectations are not met as they visit new places and view historic sites. For many years, tourists to France have been treated for what is referred to as “the Paris syndrome” stemming from acute disappointment after visiting landmarks in that famous city.
“It’s not like in the post cards” is a common lament among sufferers whose heightened expectations from airbrushed photos fail to match their on-the-ground experience after seeing the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe. Expecting a theme park or Disney’s Epcot, they instead find dirty streets, crowded venues, language barriers and surly locals.
What’s even worse is that instead of meeting charming Europeans who, unfortunately, are often unable to converse in the visitors’ native language, they end up mostly meeting other tourists who seem to be everywhere.
Overtourism is a problem that many countries are attempting to deal with by implementing higher visitors fees and additional travel restrictions. Following a crash last year in Venice between a cruise ship and a smaller tourist boat, Italy’s transportation minister said that cruise ships would be rerouted “to avoid witnessing more invasions … by these floating palaces, with the scandals and risks they bring.”
Organized tourism is a relatively recent phenomenon, notes Lucy Lethbridge, author of the prescient book “Tourists: How The British Went Abroad to Find Themselves.” Until the 19th century, few people had the time or means to travel across country borders. Organized tourism was facilitated by a number of conditions including rising incomes and growing free time, as well as standardized passports and visas.
But it took Thomas Cook coming along and recognizing that people would pay for the convenience of someone else organizing their trip for them to begin the tourism industry as it is known today. The famous Thomas Cook tour package company began when Cook organized a group of temperance supporters to attend temperance society meetings in 1841. Not content with domestic travel in England, Cook began organizing package tours abroad in 1855 — with foreign agencies, local guide books and travelers checks eventually following over time.
People from different generations report they travel internationally for different reasons, a McKinsey survey of more than 5,000 travelers reveals. For young adults, international travel is a priority, the study shows, with more than 65% of twentysomethings saying they travel so they can learn how to better participate in the world. For Boomers, international travel is more about entertainment options with family and friends than experiencing a new destination. They want convenience and a travel agent who will handle their itinerary and travel details in order to avoid unexpected encounters or unplanned situations.
My friend Larry Grossman, a frequent international traveler at age 74, notes the “travel challenge” of visiting other countries with his 32-year-old daughter. She was all about the Instagram moment, including dressing for the location, finding the perfect angle and time of day for photos and ensuring she recorded a visually engaging record of the visit. I was all about meeting locals, getting off the beaten path and understanding the culture of the place.”
Larry and his daughter ended up meeting in the middle as she reminded him that sharing meaningful photos and memories made more sense for him while he was “on the right side of the grass.”
International travel can be novel, surprising, memorable and remarkable. It can also be frustrating, mundane, expensive and disconcerting. As an occasional speaker for a cruise line, I’ve experienced both extremes of amazement and annoyance whether traveling professionally or on my own. Sometimes, I’ve been able to take missed connections, bureaucratic border crossings or unexpected museum closings in stride — while at other times I’ve been exhausted by what seem to be disinterested, inept or downright corrupt officials.
More than once I’ve reminded myself, as Dorothy says to Toto: “We are not in Kansas anymore.”
Of course, then I tell myself, if I wanted to see Kansas I should go to Topeka rather than Tanzania. When I lecture on historical and cultural trends in a country, I ask listeners to become leisurely strollers by observing their surroundings deliberately rather than breakneck Instagram tourists relentlessly photobombing a city, town or village.
The French have a term for this type of more attentive traveler: a flaneur. Popularized by the French poet Charles Baudelaire, the term describes those who are interested in everything about the place being visited rather than merely racing with an agenda from one landmark to another. Such travelers are interested in participating in daily life rather than a complete outsider clicking as many photos as possible. They become insiders, even if only temporarily, rather than complete outsiders, by first learning about a new place and then observing it, as much as possible, as interested bystanders.
Among the approaches that interested travelers can pursue is to approach a new place as if they were making their own documentaries. Travelers can do this by asking these questions:
- What interested you in visiting this site in the first place?
- What problems (current or historical) are people facing?
- What background research has broadened your perspective already?
- How can you observe real life to discover real stories?
- How can you combine facts with feelings so that you can tell others later about your experiences?
By continuing to ask questions, travelers not only become better observers, but also better storytellers when they get back home. Beyond a travelogue, travelers can return sharing experiences that enable others to relate, to share, and to participate vicariously in their journey.