If you’ve ever experienced it, you’re probably among those of us classified as homebodies, bookworms, or hermits. I threw in that last one to get the other 80%ish of you on board (yes, we know what you call us). As we scroll through our Instagram feed that’s filled with Toyota-jumps and sun-blinded selfies from everyone’s third Contiki Tour, we often wonder: what’s the big deal?
Australian University culture seems to be notorious for inducing travel-shame in its hostages. When the day comes for you to arrive at a sprawling Toto-we’re-not-in-high-school-anymore University campus for O Week, it’s almost a given that you’ll be victim to a greasy backpacker’s verbal PowerPoint presentation of his recent escapade to Bali. While Bali certainly boasts some worthwhile cultural sites, do twenty-somethings really pay all the $$$ for cultural Bali? Sadly, it’s usually the sun-kissed, sand-whipped, cheap-drinks Bali. So why are we being sucked into this ‘you must travel for experience’ vortex when most University students frequent the same beachy destinations?
For the past four years, I’ve lived and worked in one of the top tourism locations in Australia. While a historical and beautiful place by itself, wine just so happens to be the biggest incentive for people to visit Pokolbin. You brave the Sydney rush-hour traffic on a Friday, visit a few boutiques Saturday morning, drink yourself into a coma starting at 1pm, rinse and repeat on Sunday. Throw in a few groupie pics and a boomerang of you sipping that Shiraz, and you’re good to go. Life changing.
So, is travel just a glorified hobby? I’m yet to see one of my friends post a selfie in front of the Great Wall of China or Machu Picchu. Instead, they all seem to blur into a Tumblr-worthy sand and blue sky backdrop. But in a world where Instagram rules the youth travel market, is this really a surprise? Furthermore, money is a major factor; we’re poor college kids, so of course Thailand is where it’s at. And if you haven’t suffered through the April humidity at Bangkok airport, then who are you to talk about what you did on mid-semester break?
If, by now, you’re thinking that I’m a sad, bed-ridden cynic who has never experienced the rush of foreign water over my pinkie toes, I do have one point in my favour. I had the (genuine) privilege of visiting Thailand and Vietnam courtesy of a Year 10 school trip. I often thank my teachers for saving me many an awkward moment with my travel-savvy friends. Cue, “Yes, I totally get that! That happened to me in…”. However unlike so many of my peers, upon returning home to oxygenated Australia, I felt no need for a return trip within the next six months. In fact, the travel bug seemed to bypass me completely. Or maybe I’m just immune.
As for those walking-talking travel advertisements at O Week, I would like to scream and shout that I’d rather save for a quality trip than have a few jaunts to Bali under my belt. But of course, I don’t.
That would be quite rude.