And what it looks like is frightening enough. Consider the tour bus, incarcerating its passengers in air-conditioned luxury behind a wall of tinted glass. Those bored, listless faces show what happens when we sacrifice the sensation of movement to the sovereignty of the gaze. Journeys that demand more, well, participation than the guided tour offer more than mere spectacle. When we direct ourselves, choose the road less traveled, movement becomes an important part of the travel experience.
Transportation is transformation.
We end up eating in a train station at two in the morning and sleeping all afternoon on a park bench. It is at these times, made more aware of our needs through the struggle to satisfy them, that we become preoccupied with our bodies and cease to be mere watchers. We've all experienced those moments when the touristic gaze dissolves in physical discomfort. Industry has cashed in on the link between travel and discomfort. These marketing ploys are effective because there's something behind them.