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Travel Hit Lists
16.Feb
Great Wall of China
Maybe because I have a to-do list in front of me almost all the time, I can’t say I’m a big fan of lists, and it is around this time of year we’re bombarded with them – even the New York Times recently ran a list of “The 45 Places to go in 2012”. Really, 45! Nice of them to give us five weeks off, though I’ve blown a few already by visiting destinations not on the list – I’m so five-minutes-ago.
But what is it that makes a place worth visiting this year and not next? How is it that destinations have become disposable like fashion?
I will admit, at least on the NYT list there are a lot of recommendations based on something new or changed – a trip to Burma seems like a much better idea now that Aung San Suu Kyi’s been allowed to participate in the political process. I’m not entirely convinced that I’m sold on Lhasa for much the same reason, though at least they were sensitive enough to mention that it may be a controversial destination.
I’d like to say it was a good enough list that they didn’t resort to the old travel writers’ saw: “Get there before the crowds arrive,” but they did. Four times.
Angkor Wat
By the time a destination has made it onto these lists, the crowds are already there – get over it. You’re not Marco Polo, and the opportunity to come in contact with people who have never seen outsiders is phenomenally rare, though we did, unbelievably, see the first images of an as-yet uncontacted Amazonian tribe in February. I bet the backpackers are on their way – at least as long as Lonely Planet has the cheap hostels covered.
There are plenty of other places in the world that the crowds haven’t made it to, and quite possibly for good reason too. Tuas springs to mind. I overheard an argument between a luxury travel aficionado and a person keen on off-road driving and camping, and I thought the luxury argument was put well: “If a place is worth going to, somebody will build a road to get there, and if it is really worth going to, then they’ll build a resort at the end of the road.”
Plus, I can’t help feeling that these lists are designed to hit an emotional button – you’re either supposed to feel good that you’ve been to the destinations on the list (cue the superior ‘get there before the crowds’ comment), or inadequate because you haven’t. And lists like this are genuinely flawed because they’re made by people, and are bound to reflect their prejudices.
In a social media travel list challenge last year I was pretty pleased with myself for having visited 43 of the 100 destinations, but it was an American list, stacked with American destinations, and I did live there for a while. Plus, it included the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. That’s one of the top 100 things in the world? Really? Tuas is starting to look good. Just be sure to get there before the crowds.
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Biography
Tony has been based in Singapore for 15 years, contributing to a range of lifestyle titles around the world. From family road trips as a youngster to living and studying in Sydney, Melbourne and San Francisco, travel has always been a part of Tony’s life. He has written two guides to luxury hotels in South-East Asia, and when he is not travelling he shares his time between Singapore and a secluded beach in Thailand.
