Thoughtful Traveling ~ July 3 (Paul Fussell)
Channel: Stan McGahey
Date: 2017-07-26

Greetings Thoughtful Travelers!  Welcome to today’s thought for 
July 3rd!

It’s by Paul Fussell, an American author and cultural and literary historian.  He lived from 1924-2012. 

“That gregarious passion, ‘the traveler Patrick Leigh Fermor calls it, ‘which destroys the object of its love.  Not self-directed, but externally enticed, as a tourist you go not where your curiosity beckons but where the industry decrees you shall go.”

So what are your thoughts on today’s quote? Here’s mine.

“Paul Fussell regularly criticized the tourism industry for narrowly shaping the options available to travelers in a manner that was in the best interests of the industry, rather than those they were serving.  He observed the tendency of the tourism industry to drive ‘tourists’ to certain destinations in such large numbers they eventually lost much of their appeal.  This was mass tourism at its worst, and Fussell vehemently disliked it.  He thought real travelers should discover the world on their own rather than being led astray by self-serving tourism promotions and all-inclusive tour packages.”

Now…here’s the list of all the sources quoted in July. I hope you’ll stop by each day to enjoy all the interesting and insightful things they have to say.  Thanks, and see you tomorrow!