In today’s world, traveling has become more popular than ever before.
With social media growing exponentially, showcasing aesthetic pictures of the beach or a roaring mountain in the background of the AirBnb of whoever posted the picture, people are left with the question; Is traveling about exploring the wonders of the planet we live on along with new cultures and living life to the fullest, or has “traveling” now become an award to show to others to portray a certain lifestyle?
The ability to travel has often been linked to status, wealth, and social standing. For example, first-class flights, luxury accommodations, 5 star hotels or Airbnbs, are really only made for people with a disposable income that has to be sustainable as well. The places people travel are now also reflecting their social standing. Private islands, high-end resorts, places known for being hard to get booked or how expensive they are, they all say something about where someone stands on the pyramid of wealth.
Social media has also reinforced the connection between itself and travel. Users can show off the money they’re spending to others on the platform by posting their locations, tours or events that cost a fortune for someone in a lower class, expensive restaurants, and other experiences during their trip. Because of this, the ability to travel is often seen as financial success or a higher placing on the social pyramid. But are we mixing up traveling and vacationing?
(submitted by Sean Liston)
Sean Liston is a special education teacher at Liberty who spends his free time traveling and has visited 33 countries in total. Liston provides his opinion on what traveling is to him. He says he likes traveling way more than vacationing because “there’s a lot of world to see with different viewpoints and different cultures.” He likes being outside in nature exploring his travel locations to the fullest. His favorite thing about traveling is the people he meets while traveling.
This isn’t as common when you vacation because people who live in the area you’re visiting aren’t usually found in luxury resorts or hotels.
“It’s just an American experience in a different place, a better view,” Liston said. Liston also says there is a “cultural algorithm just like an algorithm on TikTok” in different places and it’s interesting to experience them.
In an interview with Amanda Williams, who often travels back-and-forth between Jamaica, Belize, and Puerto Rico, she counteracts Liston’s opinion.
“I like traveling because I get a break from everything and get to enjoy myself in super nice resorts or on cruises that I can’t experience in Missouri,” Williams said. She likes “The Riu,” chain resorts with one located in Jamaica, for their cleanliness and comfy chairs on the beach that are perfect for tanning.
“Even though it costs more than some other locations, it’s worth it because I get to take nice pictures with my friends and family and I don’t even think about reality or work until my trip is over,” Williams said. She specifically doesn’t like Hopkins Bay in Belize, but regularly visits it when she goes.
“There aren’t many better resorts in that area but this one’s really pretty and on the beach,” Williams said. “The quality of it isn’t that good though. I don’t like the beach there because it’s very rocky and most resorts I’ve been to don’t use real sand.”
She also mentions that she likes to post aesthetically pleasing pictures on social media platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp for others to see. Even though the quality of somewhere she’s paying a lot of money to go to isn’t that good, it looks good enough to post, but is it really worth it?
Overall, I think the link between traveling and social status or standing isn’t there for people like Mr. Liston, who really enjoys meeting people during his trips and enjoying nature, but is it evident for people who find sharing their trips with others important?
“Sharing fun parts of my life is fun for me, I wouldn’t really link it to social status and wealth because by all means, I’m not rich,” Williams said. “I just favor aesthetics over hiking and stuff like that.”
The question is really up to each individual themselves. What do you think? Has society broken the link between the two, or do people still travel for the soul reason of showing others their wealth and status?
