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I recently had the realization that traveling is going to get more competitive over time. There is a relatively finite number of places that people want to tra

I recently had the realization that traveling is going to get more competitive over time. There is a relatively finite number of places that people want to travel to. Places like Venice and Yosemite evolved over long time scales to be world-famous destinations. People are getting the economic opportunity to travel faster than top-tier destinations can accommodate them. New destinations may emerge over time, but tourism supply simply can't keep up with demand: you can't just go make a new Venice or a new Yosemite. As supply outstrips demand, constraints emerge. Financial constraints are unpopular: they're perceived as classist, and its inappropriate to charge high rates to access public resources like parks. Therefore, temporal constraints like reservation systems become commonplace. I'm concerned that the planners are going to take over travel: that if you're not the kind of person who commits to things ahead of time, there simply won't be space for you in the travel marketplace. As someone who tends to wing things, this makes me sad for myself. It also makes me sad for the human experience more generally that there will be one more nudge into order and away from freedom.

prepend 3y ago
> As someone who tends to wing things I’ve found that just starting off in any great city and rambling about to be very rewarding. I mean if you want to see the Sistine Chapel, you need to plan. But Rome is full of amazing architecture and not many people want to climb every Spanish Step. That and you can always go very early in the morning before the first tour bus.
CPLX 3y ago
You’re just older. We all are, everyone gets older. My parents generation could like work half a summer buy a used station wagon and drive out to California and live in a shack by the beach. My generation could graduate college and easily find a crappy downtown apartment in the middle of basically any major city we wanted. Or since we’re talking about travel I remember flying down to Tulum for New Years Eve without a hotel reservation or anything and just driving down the strip until I found an ocean front cabana for $25 a night. It’s the “Riviera Maya” now. And I’m not even that old. And so on. The world is just getting more filled up. You don’t have to go that many generations back before people would go off and claim whole countries just by showing up with a flag. Time is directional. It’ll just progress like this forever.
haswell 3y ago
I spent a little over a month on the road last year just winging it. It's the best. While I agree that the big destinations are harder and harder to visit due to the crowds, there's a lot to see out there that isn't "on the map", and some of my favorite stops were the unexpected trailheads, lesser known national parks without as many facilities, and smaller state parks I encountered along the way. With a different kind of planning (i.e. vehicle/supplies/camping gear), winging it will still be possible, but "book a trip to X major park on a whim", not so much.
jareklupinski 3y ago
can't wait for space billboards on the Solar Highway advertising "Visit Historic Earth!"

prepend 3y ago

> As someone who tends to wing things I’ve found that just starting off in any great city and rambling about to be very rewarding. I mean if you want to see the Sistine Chapel, you need to plan. But Rome is full of amazing architecture and not many people want to climb every Spanish Step. That and you can always go very early in the morning before the first tour bus.

CPLX 3y ago

You’re just older. We all are, everyone gets older. My parents generation could like work half a summer buy a used station wagon and drive out to California and live in a shack by the beach. My generation could graduate college and easily find a crappy downtown apartment in the middle of basically any major city we wanted. Or since we’re talking about travel I remember flying down to Tulum for New Years Eve without a hotel reservation or anything and just driving down the strip until I found an ocean front cabana for $25 a night. It’s the “Riviera Maya” now. And I’m not even that old. And so on. The world is just getting more filled up. You don’t have to go that many generations back before people would go off and claim whole countries just by showing up with a flag. Time is directional. It’ll just progress like this forever.

haswell 3y ago

I spent a little over a month on the road last year just winging it. It's the best. While I agree that the big destinations are harder and harder to visit due to the crowds, there's a lot to see out there that isn't "on the map", and some of my favorite stops were the unexpected trailheads, lesser known national parks without as many facilities, and smaller state parks I encountered along the way. With a different kind of planning (i.e. vehicle/supplies/camping gear), winging it will still be possible, but "book a trip to X major park on a whim", not so much.

jareklupinski 3y ago

can't wait for space billboards on the Solar Highway advertising "Visit Historic Earth!"