Let’s Avoid Travel Snobbery

As everyone knows, or ought to know, GoNOMAD.com has a lot of stories about exotic destinations from yachting in Antarctica to yurt-stays in Kyrgystan. Many of our writers are intrepid explorers who seek out places most tourists don’t get a chance to visit.

We also emphasize trips that allow visitors to experience the local culture and form friendships and promote international understanding. That’s a big part of why we’re here.

But we also get stories from some writers who are very disparaging about more popular destinations like “The Gringo Trail” in South America or the Taj Mahal or the Eiffel Tower, and who suggest that anyone who takes a guided tour instead of finding their own activities and accomodations is not having an ‘authentic’ experience.

Some people like to forge ahead on their own and get off the beaten track, but there’s something to be said for the beaten track. There’s a reason it’s so well traveled. Machu Picchu and Chichen Itza might seem like old hat to travel afficionados, but they are also really cool places.

And some people really like to have all their arrangements made ahead of time by people who really know the best activities, hotels and restaurants.

Then there are the people who always seem to be saying, “This was a beautiful, unspoiled destination last year, but this year YOU showed up.”

There are all kinds of trips and all kinds of travelers, and we try to cover them all. They’re all learning about new places and different cultures, and in the long run that makes the world a better place.

I will say, though, that we don’t cover Disney World and we don’t cover Vegas. I guess there’s a little bit of travel snobbery in everyone.