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A couple of tourist experiences left me feeling that I am the problem when I visit a popular destination nowadays. It puts a damper on the enjoyment. That and a
by analog31 3y ago
A couple of tourist experiences left me feeling that I am the problem when I visit a popular destination nowadays. It puts a damper on the enjoyment. That and air travel.
I've found some alternatives. My family attends a week of playing folk music in a small town in the North Woods every summer. The people are the destination. I'm pretty sure we're outnumbered by the seasonal workers (lumber, construction, etc).
I'm perfectly contented to take some days off from work and knock around the countryside on my bike. Activities that require physical effort are still somewhat insulated from overcrowding. Anywhere that's more than 1/4 hour walk from the tour buses becomes a different world.
- OfSanguineFire 3y ago> I'm perfectly contented to take some days off from work and knock around the countryside on my bike. For the last decade-plus, I have spent about half of every year traveling around the world on my bike. A lot of routes are starting to feel very crowded, and seemingly every cyclist is posting on social media, which in turn attracts more people to cycle there. Even some grueling bikepacking routes that are feasible only for those who are fit, can afford quality gear, and can be on the road for weeks at a time, now draw so many cyclists that local people’s attitudes to foreigners are changing.
- analog31 3y agoI've seen that while hiking. It's better when you get 1/4 hour away from buses, but is definitely getting more crowded. I hiked to the top of some "fourteeners" in the Rockies, and you had to wait your turn to stand at the summit. The earth has too many people. I'm willing to do my part by not being fit enough for those grueling routes. ;-)