Ayesha Fazlur Rahman
The new generation is choosing to spend more on experiences rather than on acquisitions. Blog after blog tells us it is better to pour our resources in travel rather than in buying stuff. It’s the new mantra that you don’t dare question: authentic people get visas, pretentious people buy art or gadgets.
Since I am afraid to take on this debate with the visa collectors in person, I am doing it here. Firstly, one claim in favour of travel is that it is no fun keeping up with the Joneses by collecting stuff. My concern with the travel mania is exactly that: Are people travelling to gather experiences or to keep up with the Joneses? How much of travel is really about opening ourselves to new experience and how much of the motivation to go country-hopping comes from the promise of fancy Facebook check-ins? Pretty scenes at holiday hotspots are now being described as ‘insta-worthy’ for a reason: how shareable something is on social media is a prime consideration while choosing a location.
My second bone to pick (or axe to grind, or hornet in my nest, whichever you like) with this comparison is: how do you draw the line between acquisition and experience. If I buy a book or a Kindle, is it just an object or an experience that I have purchased and brought home? Isn’t a good book opening the world to me in its own way, as travel does? What if I put up a home theater in my basement and have friends over to watch a favourite film or a cricket match together. Isn’t that helping create memories and live a unique experience? If I spend money upending my lawn to cultivate tomatoes and cucumbers in it this summer, is it not an experience, right here in my backyard, no travel involved? I can go on with the list, but you get the idea. Just like travel, purchased goods can also provide unique and memorable experiences that can be shared, talked about and enjoyed. Similarly, like people once used to collect objects like watches and bags for the sake of one-uppance, now we are led by the travel bug for the same addiction to people-pleasing and competing with the herd.
It is often assumed that travel makes people interesting. On the contrary, according to a Forbes article, your travel tales are of little interest to those who haven’t been to those places as they don’t know the context of your stories. It’s not like they are jealous, just that your experiences are not relatable to them. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanlookjr/2019/05/23/why-no-one-cares-about-your-travels/#26d7d0e616f6.Thus that home theatre can contribute more to your social relationships than a trip to the Bahamas. Even a barbeque grill can do wonders.
I am a keen traveler myself, so why am I trashing travel, you might wonder. Travel is great and it does wonders for the heart and soul, but so do plenty of other activities right here, right now. If all you have to show for your overseas trips is frequent flier miles and insta-worthy shots, then the travel was really to the land of acquisition. I have a problem with the disproportionate priority assigned to travel by everyone, especially millennials and all the ‘shoulding’ supporting it as a good use of resources is problematic. Travel is an expensive hobby and must be indulged in responsibly. Pooh-poohing making savings to buy a home or for a rainy day is like preaching irresponsibility. We teach ‘delaying gratification’ to young children so they can be more successful in their relationships, health, careers and in managing their finances as adults.
Sure, instant gratification through travel may lead to happiness but not to long term success.
Done right, travel can be a source of inspiration, experience and learning. Yet, it is not the only choice that can help achieve these intangible goals. Time off work, for example, can be dedicated to the pursuit of new hobbies, learning wood work or pottery, for example, and buying the necessary paraphernalia without being shamed by those who label buying stuff as ‘stuffocation.’ As Paulo Cohelo beautifully says in the Alchemist, “Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.” It could be in your backyard, or in Timbuktu.
