'Not a box-ticking exercise': Checklist travel trend expert wants you to stop doing
OPINION - I heard someone say on a TV quiz show last week say "my dream is to visit all seven continents" and I've heard other people say things like "I've visited 42 countries and my goal is 50".
Why? Why is the number of countries more important to some of us than which countries?
I get it. There's a sense of achievement about it - like bagging Oasis or Taylor Swift tickets - but I don't believe travel should be transactional like that. It's not a body count.
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Ticking off countries for the sake of it isn't how you should travel. Fujiyoshida Tourism Association
You shouldn't be notching countries on your belt for bragging rights.
We need to assess travel experiences by quality not quantity. And don't forget the journey, the journey is half the fun.
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You may be thinking that's easy for you to say as a travel writer and to some extent that's true.
I've been very fortunate to have some wonderful experiences here and overseas.
But I couldn't tell you how many countries I've been to or how many stamps there are in my passport.
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Sometimes the journey is just as important. Getty
I can tell you about the ice cream I had on a beach in Mykonos, or the amazing pie I had at a truck-stop on the Stuart Highway outside Katherine.
I used the word experience and that to me is at the heart of travelling.
Seeing new places, meeting new people, experiencing different cultures. Immerse yourself in a new destination, don't just dip your toe in the water.
Like the places you go, don't go to places for Likes.
So, I suppose the point of this article is just to remind everyone, myself included, to stop and smell the cherry blossoms, not just take a selfie and get back on the bus.
Tours are good to get a taste of somewhere you might want to revisit. Getty
Look, I'm not totally against the 20 countries in 20 days European bus tour.
Not so you can check 20 countries off your list, but it can give you a Whitman's Sampler of a variety of different places and help you make an informed decision on where you'd like to go back to and spend some quality time.
I'm also not against bucket-lists by the way, that's an entirely different thing. They are destinations you dream of visiting one day, not a box-ticking exercise on your annual holiday.
My big issue with checklist travel is swapping out the joy for accomplishment. And joy is where you want to be at.
I have nothing against a bucket-list holiday. Supplied
I worked for many years on Getaway with Catriona Rowntree who would leave us all in the shade with the number of kilometres she's clocked up.
She's visited more countries and had more experiences than we've all had economy class dinners. But Catriona has never lost the wonder of travel.
If you sent her on assignment today to cover a new dumpling bar in Chinatown she would come back raving like she'd just returned from a week at an overwater bungalow in the Maldives. Her enthusiasm is genuine.
She looks to extract whatever’s new or interesting or fun about the destination. And if you’re prepared to take the time, those things are always there in some form or other.
My good friend Catriona Rowntree is the most seasoned traveller. Supplied/John Walsh
So, as I probably say too often, the juice is worth the squeeze.
How does all this help? The juice, the box of chocolates, Catriona Rowntree?
Well, it's pretty simple. Bring some genuine purpose to your travel. Like the places you go, don't go to places for Likes.
By all means post a picture of your Nasi Goreng next time you're in Bali, I probably will, but sit a while and take in the surroundings.
Remind yourself of where you are and the privilege it is to be there.
Those long-tailed macaques in the Ubud Monkey Forest will be happy to wait for you and your selfie.
John Walsh was Executive Producer of the TV travel series Getaway from 1999-2024. You can follow John on Instagram @thegetawayexpert.
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