Wanderlust: romanticizing the traveler.
Tattoos, fashion, graphics, social media: the term wanderlust is a real trend these days. It’s a German word which means restlessness, a strong impulse to wander or travel and explore the world. This photo was taken on the 24th of March in Kitsilano, Vancouver. It pictures a store that defines itself as “The traveller’s store”. It is not the first time I see a store like this. In fact, according to Fürsich and Robins the travel industry has become one of the leading industries in the world, with steady and exponential growth rates since World War II (Fürsich and Robins, 2004). My generation grew up in the globalization era. We use and abuse of products and commodities coming from all around the world, take flights as a routine (at least in the privileged West) and have contact on Skype with friends in totally different time zones. There is nothing surprising in this lifestyle.
It is important for the purpose of my reflections to note that the store in Kitsilano is not named the tourist’s store; it is preferred to use the term traveler. In fact, the latter is supposed to be the positive, conscious and morally superior version of the tourist. As Mahrose explains, socially responsible tourism, which is connected to the idea of the traveler, is rapidly on the rise. (Mahrose, 2011) Interestingly, as stated by McLaren, this is linked to the fact that while conventional tourism is known today to perpetuate global inequalities, responsible forms of tourism are thought to be less invasive, but also means through which global inequalities can be overturned. (McLaren, 2003)
What I found inside the store (beside luggage and guides) were books about how to be a “real traveler”. What I understood from a superficial look to their texts was that a real traveler is a person who enjoy adventures and wants to experience the local culture when travelling. I would summarize the character with two key concepts: ethics and authenticity. MacCannell writes that “the term “tourist” is increasingly used as a derisive label for someone who seems content with his obviously inauthentic experiences.” (MacCannell, 1973). The real traveler is therefore portrayed as the opposite. According to Lozanski “authenticity is designated by a lack of mediation of encounters with cultural Others” (Lozanski, 2010), where the cultural other is the meaning to the travel. The contradiction lies in the fact that authenticity is unmediated while tourism is mediated and this is what makes alternative way of travelling impossible.
Finally, the idea that is being sold is that ethical tourism or travelling can be used as a mean of social justice. What is not told is for example that the idea of travel as mean of social justice is promoted and supported as encounter with the Other through racialized discourses and practices. We basically understand ourselves in relation to the people and places we visit. Most importantly, the right to be a tourist is never questioned.
As an African Studies student I spent some time within the “Africa section”. The guides were packaging African populations into stereotypical representations of underdeveloped, fascinating cultures waiting for the West to arrive and enjoy an authentic experience. Colonial rhetoric for Western gaze is an obvious component of these texts. Fürsich and Robins describe the same dynamics within websites directed to western travelers. “Countries that were artificially created under colonial rule and that have undergone decades of often problematic attempts at nation building now have to present them- selves as cohesive and concordant entities, but also as distinguishable entities: as brands for consumption in a global market.” (Fürsich and Robins, 2004). As travelling become an attractive profitable industry, the destinations become brands.
To conclude, this store that was supposed to be for “morally superior” travelers was disappointing inside. My picture represents a time in which is more important than ever to challenge the travel trend and the romanticized idea of the traveler. Praising the travel experience as vitally important and as a way of understanding ourselves temporarily hides our discomfort about global inequalities and the fact that we are participating in them while reproducing boundaries and emphasizing social differentiations rather than overriding them.
Works cited:
- Lozanski, K. (2010). Defining ‘real india’: Representations of authenticity in independent travel.Social Identities, 16(6), 741-762
- Mahrouse, G. Feel-good Tourism? An Ethical Option for Socially-conscious Westerners. N.p., 2011. Web. 23 Mar. 2017.
- MacCannell, D. (1973). Staged authenticity: Arrangements of social space in tourist settings.American Journal of Sociology, 79(3), 589-603.
- McLaren, D. 2003. Rethinking Tourism and Ecotravel, 2nd edition. Bloomfield, CT: Kumarian Press Inc.
- Robins, M. B., & Fürisch, E. (2004). Visiting Africa: Constructions of nation and identity on travel websites.Journal of Asian and African Studies, 39(1-2), 133-152.