Travel As A Symbol Of Status And Not Of Freedom

One of the changes that the 21st century has brought with it is an unbridled eagerness to travel massively.  Traveling has become a brand, a status symbol. It has been given a meaning similar to that of owning the fashionable mobile phone or the latest generation car. It seems that a selfie , next to a recognized monument, is the maximum for many.

But is it really the best? Or perhaps, does it correspond to those “obligations” that are imposed by tendency and to which many end up adding because it constitutes a status symbol? It is very likely that it is so.

Traveling makes you happier, or wiser, or freer only if it is not associated with the need to show yourself, but with a genuine interest in discovering another context.

Today, the world of travel is highly standardized and stratified. The tourism industry is one of the few that exerts open socio-economic discrimination . If you go to a supermarket, they don’t give you a different treatment for spending more or less money. On the other hand, in the tourist world you do receive very defined limitations or privileges, according to your purchasing power.

Travel and go on vacation

There is a big difference between going on vacation and traveling as such. Holidays are a time for rest . In theory, you rest when you develop a minimum of activity. Much better if you have the opportunity to display that laziness in a heavenly place, full of entertainment and fun options.

Thus, the central objective of a vacation is rest. A cut with the routine, in every way. Being a traveler, on the other hand, what you get the least is rest. It involves traveling to many places, doing great planning, facing many eventualities, etc. Now, it does allow you to get away from the routine, although not exactly to rest.

Vacation trips have a very objective reason for being. Traveling as a way of life, partial or total, is something else. It implies betting on nomadism and going around the world in an attitude of search. You want to know yourself better, get to know a certain culture better or delve into certain uses and customs that arouse your curiosity.

Travel as a status symbol

Today, a new matrix of travelers has emerged. They are not the vacationers , nor the curious adventurers. It is a kind of hybrid, manufactured by the market. Their main objective is not to travel, but to show that they travel. And do it, particularly, on social networks. For those who think this way, a trip without a network gallery is not a trip.

One of the most revealing aspects is the destinations they choose. These are generally the “fashionable” or, in some way, emblematic places. They may not care about the architecture, but they need to go to the Eiffel Tower or the Sagrada Familia monument and take a picture there. They probably won’t realize why it is important to do it, but they feel a strong need to do it.

Sometimes they spend a quarter or more of their annual income, all to go to the Philippines, because it is a “must” destination, according to thousands of blogs. Or as it happened recently, they feel that Bali is the place of their dreams as long as they have a personal narrative of the place.

Travel as an act of freedom

That travel has become a status symbol is unquestionable. One of the consequences is that it fuels a gigantic industry that makes impressive profits from that conditioned way of thinking. It also nurtures weak egos. In return, many times, he leaves dull experiences and gigantic debts. Also a desire to repeat the cycle in another trendy destination.

The unfortunate thing that this happens is that perhaps many people are depriving themselves of living true experiences of rest, or learning, which could greatly enrich their existence. Traveling is wonderful when you make it a personal experience and not blind obedience to market mandates.

Traveling for bragging is not a smart option, especially if your income does not give you for it and you do not know how to answer why you do it. Ultimately, if you undertake a trip in that way, it also leaves you many gaps. You may get a lot of likes and little hearts, but at the end of the day this counts for little. Better that you value your time, your money and the genuine experiences of life.