I live in Vienna, Austria. I have mixed feelings about the impact of mass tourism. On the one hand, I totally understand the desire to travel and see & experience other places and cultures. I feel very blessed to live in Vienna - people come from all over the world to see what this city has to offer. It is majestic, ancient and full of beauty. So many of our businesses are dependent on tourism. On the other hand, just the sheer number of people coming every summer and winter is overwhelming the city. The Christmas markets for example - there are masses and masses of people just coming and going, to the point that I as a resident & citizen of Austria, find myself not enjoying them anymore. I used to go to support local craftsman and artisans.. but now I find myself being tired of pushing my way through hoards of people. I personally enjoy travelling very much, but I have actively avoided places that have been heavily (negatively) impacted by mass tourism such as Venice, Rome etc.
Austria is on our dream travel wishlist because of my family's ancestry. But, we really want to be respectful of the impact tourism has on these beautiful places, so we may just have to be content seeing it via Rick Steve's videos!
Absolutely worth it if one has the opportunity! I don’t like the touristy aspect of it and the way it’s usually depicted on social media. Learning about different cultures, trying flavors you cannot have back at home, experiencing a different way of life, especially different ways of celebration, and how we live similarly but with differences too. I remember my first time at a night market, we were so excited! Going forward I will be traveling less, so I can feel more prepared financially for certain life expenses. I don’t think traveling is a must in my life, but if given the opportunity and one knows what they want to get out of traveling, beyond a picture of a landmark, it’s worth it.
This might be unpopular but I actually hate to travel. I like being at the place but find the packing, getting to the airport/train station/dock, boarding, arriving and settling in very stressful. It always take me a few days to recover leaving and coming back. It's not worth it to me. All but 2 of my travel experiences were for practical reasons such as work/family even though I had opportunities to travel more. I could have travelled through Europe with my highschool, taken a cruise for a Quince (keensay 15 in Spanish), gone to the Mountains in Canada.....but I always backed out. Maybe it's because I am working class and can't take off for 3 or more weeks even assuming I have the money. All I can think of is how far behind and exhausted I will be when I get back. I do dream of traveling one day when I can leave for six months at a time. What I have done instead is travel locally. I live in sort of a destination area. So what I prefer to do is stay in an upscale hotel nearby and do the things people do when visiting the area. As far as learning about the world I also think this is partly a narrative. While I try to stay home I know many well traveled ignorant jerks and many non travelled open minded people. I think you bring your personality with you wherever you go. If you are the type of person that values learning about people and things you will seek that out in books, media, pen pals, social groups, and travel. If you are not the type of person interested in learning and observing humanity and the planet you will go through a place but it will never go through you. Yet, like minimalist packing and wardrobe videos! 😊 I have lived in less than 200sft for decades. So I am also looking for ways to get the most out of every space and everything.
We did a lot of traveling when we were younger. We went all over US and loved it. Some trips were for the site seeing and some were just to sit on a beach. Now that we are older we prefer to stay home. Traveling is different than it used to be and just too much hassle. I do enjoy watching the travel videos here on TH-cam and think “oh that looks like something we would enjoy” but in the end watching from the comfort of home is what I happily do. ❤️🎄❤️
I love traveling! I come from a family who loves exploring and from a city -Tangier- where one of the most famous explorer in the world comes from - Ibn Battuta. I was also lucky to grow up in Europe where we have so many countries we can train hop to. Now, I prefer to travel to destinations that are more off the influencer and New York Times list, lately I traveled to Egypt, Lebanon, Côte d’Ivoire, Sri Lanka, Liberia. As I’m in the process of decolonising my mind I want to go to places different from where I grew up to help expand my mind. I’m in the habit of being able to travel very cheaply and I hope to continue doing so once I have children. For me travelling is the best way to learn about the world :).
I grew up in Australia, which made international travel prohibitively expensive. I didn’t travel overseas as a child, because a simple holiday from Tasmania to Queensland would cost several thousand dollars for my family, in the 90’s. I went through a period from ages 20 to early 30’s where I did a lot of overseas travel and got a lot of it out of my system. I’m now very aware of the environmental impact flying has, which makes my desire to travel pretty low. I envy people in Europe who can catch a train and be in another country in a couple of hours! In saying that, in 2027 my family are going on a trip to Italy for a few months. It’s my Dad’s final place he wants to explore before he ‘kicks the bucket’ 😂
Same here... grew up in Tasmania. Our holidays tended to be local or just over in Victoria/Adelaide to see family, and we had some larger trips associated with two moves to Queensland and back (we used to drive up slowly and enjoy the journey when we moved). I've never had a passport (I was born in the UK but came over on Mum's). My siblings quite like travelling but the frequent moves as a child had the opposite effect on me... the best part of going away is coming home! I'd quite like to experience other cultures but would find the emissions to get there difficult to justify, but I can still learn a lot from content by creators from other countries on TH-cam. I feel that because of the carbon footprint, long distance international travel (when not connected to work or family) should be a few times in a life experience, not the annual experience it is for some people.
In the end, recreational travel is another form of consumption. Some people hoard stuff, some people hoard ”experiences” and some people hoard both. Not that I’m totally against either stuff or travel, in moderation both can be okay. But majority of the world’s population can’t afford to travel, so we shouldn’t make it out to be some fundamental aspect of human condition and growth.. if that makes sense?
Great point about 'hoarding experiences.' Even the "bucket list" mentality is a form of overconsumptive hoarding in a way - rather than being content with what we have and where we are. A fine line, I suppose.
I live in New England, USA. IMO, it's one of the prettiest and diverse regions I can think of. I try to visit the different states and enjoy they what they have to offer. Any getaway I have I consider a privilege, because not everyone has the time or means to travel.
@AnasNoBuyYear2025 it is, IMO. And it's relatively small in area so you can see a variety of natural and cultural attractions in a relatively short period of time once you get here. Ocean, lakes, mountains, Colonial historical sites, cities, etc. Hope you have a chance to visit sometime!
Try traveling with a blind mentally disabled young man. I ship our clothes for less money than the fees. I layer well on the plane….no carry on just an under seat bag for him and myself. I have overpacked so many times and have learned what I wear and what I don’t. Going from midwinter NY to Florida….my harness boots are good in snow and mighty cool with a short skirt in the sun. One pair of sandals. I usually thrift my summer wardrobe while there so I always need a bigger box to ship back.
As a travel content creator I like sharing interesting places. I am not into selling products, but I do like selling information. There are some places I like to show so people can avoid an over traveled place and most of all I like to share overlooked places.
One cool trip was to Omaha! ( just imagine!) My husband had to go for business and the trip included spouse ( me). The company had hired a bus to transport spouses around the city and I was the ONLY spouse! The driver took me all around (I remember Fred Astaire's home and Warren Buffet's home!) I felt pretty special!
As someone who lives close to Glacier National Park. I havent gone since precovid days because it's been over run as a tourist Hotspot. There's even a local Instagram that's just dumb things people have over heard tourist say. I can say for certain some of these hotspots become problematic for the local people living there.
I enjoy pack with me content because of its cultural weirdness. For instance, if you fly from the U.K. to another country, you can’t take a bottle of water, or a lipstick, or sun cream, or anything that could be construed as a liquid. So it’s interesting to see what people abroad can pack. I also wonder how influencers would pack if they had to include my husband’s CPAP machine or my big medication set. We haven’t been on holiday since our honeymoon in Rome in 2015. My husband refuses to leave the cat alone. He only went to Rome because I’d won the trip, and he really couldn’t turn down a free holiday in Rome, but the cat looked a bit sad when we got home do it was our last time. I love how gentle and soppy he is. Childhood holidays were mostly in the U.K. - Devon, Scotland and so on, but later we went to France a lot. I visited America once for a friend’s wedding! It was amazing! Though I got struck by lightning and bitten by a poisonous spider on the same day!
@ it was not fun. I was standing in the doorway of an overcrowded tent (the wedding was in a field in Tennessee and there was a storm), and stupidly I held on to one of the mental tent poles. Everything went white, and I found I was sitting on the ground. There was a smell of burning, and the soles of my feet and the palms of my hands really hurt. I was just sitting there in a daze, when someone said, “Cathy, your HAIR!” and brought a mirror over. My long hair was standing on end. I kept twitching. The other person in the tent doorway was the minister who was officiating. Throughout the service he and I kept twitching, and our hair slowly flopped down. Something must have earthed me or I’d have died.
I have not done much traveling for vacation in my life since I grew up undocumented in the US so I haven’t been able to leave the country. I did a couple of trips with choir or band to Disney and in my 20s I visited my partner in another state when he was getting his graduate degree but that’s about it. In my 30s I’ve traveled a lot more for small work trips like conferences, but that feels so different than a relaxing trip. I’m really looking forward to finally visiting family in Mexico once I get my residency, but it will probably be tricky since I will have an infant and a toddler by the time I am able to travel internationally. I definitely dream of traveling one day but honestly it’s not in our budget between the mortgage and daycare for 2 kids 🥲. Maybe when the youngest is in elementary school it will be more financially possible.
Merry Christmas Alexa. Thanks for the thoughtful and thought provoking content this year.
I live in Vienna, Austria. I have mixed feelings about the impact of mass tourism. On the one hand, I totally understand the desire to travel and see & experience other places and cultures. I feel very blessed to live in Vienna - people come from all over the world to see what this city has to offer. It is majestic, ancient and full of beauty. So many of our businesses are dependent on tourism. On the other hand, just the sheer number of people coming every summer and winter is overwhelming the city. The Christmas markets for example - there are masses and masses of people just coming and going, to the point that I as a resident & citizen of Austria, find myself not enjoying them anymore. I used to go to support local craftsman and artisans.. but now I find myself being tired of pushing my way through hoards of people. I personally enjoy travelling very much, but I have actively avoided places that have been heavily (negatively) impacted by mass tourism such as Venice, Rome etc.
Austria is on our dream travel wishlist because of my family's ancestry. But, we really want to be respectful of the impact tourism has on these beautiful places, so we may just have to be content seeing it via Rick Steve's videos!
Absolutely worth it if one has the opportunity! I don’t like the touristy aspect of it and the way it’s usually depicted on social media. Learning about different cultures, trying flavors you cannot have back at home, experiencing a different way of life, especially different ways of celebration, and how we live similarly but with differences too. I remember my first time at a night market, we were so excited!
Going forward I will be traveling less, so I can feel more prepared financially for certain life expenses. I don’t think traveling is a must in my life, but if given the opportunity and one knows what they want to get out of traveling, beyond a picture of a landmark, it’s worth it.
This might be unpopular but I actually hate to travel.
I like being at the place but find the packing, getting to the airport/train station/dock, boarding, arriving and settling in very stressful. It always take me a few days to recover leaving and coming back. It's not worth it to me. All but 2 of my travel experiences were for practical reasons such as work/family even though I had opportunities to travel more. I could have travelled through Europe with my highschool, taken a cruise for a Quince (keensay 15 in Spanish), gone to the Mountains in Canada.....but I always backed out.
Maybe it's because I am working class and can't take off for 3 or more weeks even assuming I have the money. All I can think of is how far behind and exhausted I will be when I get back. I do dream of traveling one day when I can leave for six months at a time.
What I have done instead is travel locally. I live in sort of a destination area. So what I prefer to do is stay in an upscale hotel nearby and do the things people do when visiting the area.
As far as learning about the world I also think this is partly a narrative. While I try to stay home I know many well traveled ignorant jerks and many non travelled open minded people.
I think you bring your personality with you wherever you go. If you are the type of person that values learning about people and things you will seek that out in books, media, pen pals, social groups, and travel. If you are not the type of person interested in learning and observing humanity and the planet you will go through a place but it will never go through you.
Yet, like minimalist packing and wardrobe videos! 😊 I have lived in less than 200sft for decades. So I am also looking for ways to get the most out of every space and everything.
We did a lot of traveling when we were younger. We went all over US and loved it. Some trips were for the site seeing and some were just to sit on a beach. Now that we are older we prefer to stay home. Traveling is different than it used to be and just too much hassle. I do enjoy watching the travel videos here on TH-cam and think “oh that looks like something we would enjoy” but in the end watching from the comfort of home is what I happily do. ❤️🎄❤️
I love traveling! I come from a family who loves exploring and from a city -Tangier- where one of the most famous explorer in the world comes from - Ibn Battuta. I was also lucky to grow up in Europe where we have so many countries we can train hop to.
Now, I prefer to travel to destinations that are more off the influencer and New York Times list, lately I traveled to Egypt, Lebanon, Côte d’Ivoire, Sri Lanka, Liberia. As I’m in the process of decolonising my mind I want to go to places different from where I grew up to help expand my mind. I’m in the habit of being able to travel very cheaply and I hope to continue doing so once I have children. For me travelling is the best way to learn about the world :).
I grew up in Australia, which made international travel prohibitively expensive. I didn’t travel overseas as a child, because a simple holiday from Tasmania to Queensland would cost several thousand dollars for my family, in the 90’s. I went through a period from ages 20 to early 30’s where I did a lot of overseas travel and got a lot of it out of my system. I’m now very aware of the environmental impact flying has, which makes my desire to travel pretty low. I envy people in Europe who can catch a train and be in another country in a couple of hours! In saying that, in 2027 my family are going on a trip to Italy for a few months. It’s my Dad’s final place he wants to explore before he ‘kicks the bucket’ 😂
Your dad's bucket list seems like a legit reason to me.
Same here... grew up in Tasmania. Our holidays tended to be local or just over in Victoria/Adelaide to see family, and we had some larger trips associated with two moves to Queensland and back (we used to drive up slowly and enjoy the journey when we moved). I've never had a passport (I was born in the UK but came over on Mum's). My siblings quite like travelling but the frequent moves as a child had the opposite effect on me... the best part of going away is coming home! I'd quite like to experience other cultures but would find the emissions to get there difficult to justify, but I can still learn a lot from content by creators from other countries on TH-cam. I feel that because of the carbon footprint, long distance international travel (when not connected to work or family) should be a few times in a life experience, not the annual experience it is for some people.
Ooooh I love to complain with you!!! Let’s GOOOOOOO!!!
In the end, recreational travel is another form of consumption. Some people hoard stuff, some people hoard ”experiences” and some people hoard both. Not that I’m totally against either stuff or travel, in moderation both can be okay. But majority of the world’s population can’t afford to travel, so we shouldn’t make it out to be some fundamental aspect of human condition and growth.. if that makes sense?
😮 you’re so right that if a majority of humanity can’t travel it doesn’t make sense to think of travel as a fundamental human experience.
Great point about 'hoarding experiences.' Even the "bucket list" mentality is a form of overconsumptive hoarding in a way - rather than being content with what we have and where we are. A fine line, I suppose.
I live in New England, USA. IMO, it's one of the prettiest and diverse regions I can think of. I try to visit the different states and enjoy they what they have to offer. Any getaway I have I consider a privilege, because not everyone has the time or means to travel.
I really want to travel to New England during the fall! It seems soooo beautiful
@AnasNoBuyYear2025 it is, IMO. And it's relatively small in area so you can see a variety of natural and cultural attractions in a relatively short period of time once you get here. Ocean, lakes, mountains, Colonial historical sites, cities, etc. Hope you have a chance to visit sometime!
Try traveling with a blind mentally disabled young man. I ship our clothes for less money than the fees. I layer well on the plane….no carry on just an under seat bag for him and myself. I have overpacked so many times and have learned what I wear and what I don’t. Going from midwinter NY to Florida….my harness boots are good in snow and mighty cool with a short skirt in the sun. One pair of sandals. I usually thrift my summer wardrobe while there so I always need a bigger box to ship back.
As a travel content creator I like sharing interesting places. I am not into selling products, but I do like selling information. There are some places I like to show so people can avoid an over traveled place and most of all I like to share overlooked places.
One cool trip was to Omaha! ( just imagine!) My husband had to go for business and the trip included spouse ( me). The company had hired a bus to transport spouses around the city and I was the ONLY spouse! The driver took me all around (I remember Fred Astaire's home and Warren Buffet's home!) I felt pretty special!
Don't know the carol this time but it's pretty!
As someone who lives close to Glacier National Park. I havent gone since precovid days because it's been over run as a tourist Hotspot. There's even a local Instagram that's just dumb things people have over heard tourist say. I can say for certain some of these hotspots become problematic for the local people living there.
I enjoy pack with me content because of its cultural weirdness. For instance, if you fly from the U.K. to another country, you can’t take a bottle of water, or a lipstick, or sun cream, or anything that could be construed as a liquid. So it’s interesting to see what people abroad can pack.
I also wonder how influencers would pack if they had to include my husband’s CPAP machine or my big medication set.
We haven’t been on holiday since our honeymoon in Rome in 2015. My husband refuses to leave the cat alone. He only went to Rome because I’d won the trip, and he really couldn’t turn down a free holiday in Rome, but the cat looked a bit sad when we got home do it was our last time.
I love how gentle and soppy he is.
Childhood holidays were mostly in the U.K. - Devon, Scotland and so on, but later we went to France a lot. I visited America once for a friend’s wedding! It was amazing! Though I got struck by lightning and bitten by a poisonous spider on the same day!
wow, struck by lightning... I feel like that is an experience not many people have and live to tell the tale!
@ it was not fun. I was standing in the doorway of an overcrowded tent (the wedding was in a field in Tennessee and there was a storm), and stupidly I held on to one of the mental tent poles.
Everything went white, and I found I was sitting on the ground. There was a smell of burning, and the soles of my feet and the palms of my hands really hurt. I was just sitting there in a daze, when someone said, “Cathy, your HAIR!” and brought a mirror over. My long hair was standing on end. I kept twitching.
The other person in the tent doorway was the minister who was officiating. Throughout the service he and I kept twitching, and our hair slowly flopped down.
Something must have earthed me or I’d have died.
I have not done much traveling for vacation in my life since I grew up undocumented in the US so I haven’t been able to leave the country. I did a couple of trips with choir or band to Disney and in my 20s I visited my partner in another state when he was getting his graduate degree but that’s about it. In my 30s I’ve traveled a lot more for small work trips like conferences, but that feels so different than a relaxing trip. I’m really looking forward to finally visiting family in Mexico once I get my residency, but it will probably be tricky since I will have an infant and a toddler by the time I am able to travel internationally. I definitely dream of traveling one day but honestly it’s not in our budget between the mortgage and daycare for 2 kids 🥲. Maybe when the youngest is in elementary school it will be more financially possible.