Off the Beaten Path

„If there must be tourists, I want them in a bus, not in my backyard or on my favourite picnic spot. Heck I can even name a few places near my house I hope tourists never find.“ Photo by Aron Ingi Guðmundsson.

Text: Ellen Wild

Ah mid-tourist-season. That time of year where I don't know what time it is anymore (the fact it doesn't get dark doesn't help), where my winter-intention of dropping coffee sounds like a hilarious memory and where I start remembering my mood of last autumn.

The perfect moment to put people in boxes. Not only is that a completely inaccurate thing to do, it is also really fun. And it causes reaction. Now isn't that the most interesting of all. 

There are 3 types of tourists: 

1. The tourist tourist: A species somehow degraded from your fellow human, who treats real worlds and it's people like a sort of Disneyland and gets treated with the same kind of energy in return. 

1. The off the beaten path tourist: The ones seeking the untouched and the uncharted, drawn to the thrill of stepping where few have trodden. They dream of pristine landscapes. And desperately hoping not to be lumped in with the common tourists. They are for sure smarter and leave the facilitated areas behind them to stomp around someone’s backcountry (and peace). 

1. The actual of the beaten path traveller: these are the souls who fully immerse themselves in a place and its people. They come for working holidays, retreats and learning experiences, seeking to fill an undefined void with cultural/natural immersion. 

Did you notice the progression from bad to good? Or did I just write it like that on purpose?

I think we need to ask ourselves why we see the things that we see. And we react upon situations and thus, people (even the degraded subspecies of tourists). Did you know that people are actually dumber when they are on holiday? Because they finally let their brain relax, after who-knows-how-long of I-need-money-to-survive-stress.

Why do we treat them the way we do? They are welcome, because we can milk them. They are welcome, but let’s keep them fenced, before they tramp down whole fragile piece of land and fall of cliffsides. They are welcome, sure, let's just complain about them, because that separates them from us. Makes 'us' feel closer as a people. 

„Ultimately, much of what we do, even in our quest for solitude and uniqueness, is a cry for connection, a desire to be seen and understood.“ Photo by Aron Ingi Guðmundsson.

Everything for connection. And maybe those who want to travel off the beaten path are even worse right? They can't be fenced, who knows what land they are tramping on, just for the sakes of secludedness and adventure. If there must be tourists, I want them in a bus, not in my backyard or on my favourite picnic spot. Heck I can even name a few places near my house I hope tourists never find. Those places are ours! Are they though? Are we threatened?

Tourists often pride themselves on finding those hidden gems, believing they are experiencing the "real" North. Yet, their very presence can sometimes dilute the authenticity they seek. What is their perspective? Is it to find peace, or to boast of our unique experiences? Is it truly a noble pursuit, or simply a way to stand apart, to feel superior in our seclusion?

Are we even nicer to the actual off the beaten path folk? That weird French writer hanging out at our coffeehouse for 3 weeks now. Those students helping on a remote farm. That couple that actually moved here but don't yet speak the language, so their fancy master’s degrees are absolutely useless here.

But can you image that personal growth MAGIC to them who found themselves doing it authentically? Image never leaving where you come from... 

Yet even those who chose this path, must reflect on their motives. Did they come to integrate, or to isolate? Is their desire to preserve the land genuine, or merely a reflection of their own need to keep their newfound paradise exclusive?

So maybe we should venture a bit off the beaten path here. Start seeing tourists as people. What magic could come from treating them as such? Look deeper into why we ourselves, travel and the way we do that. Are we better? Do we like to think we are better? Remember 99% off people thinks they are above average. And lastly, look deep into the subconscious intentions hidden deep behind our reactions, and then have a little laugh with ourselves.

Ultimately, much of what we do, even in our quest for solitude and uniqueness, is a cry for connection, a desire to be seen and understood. This realization holds a golden lining: it is a reminder of our shared humanity, and our endless search for meaning and belonging.

Happy travelling.

#Tourism #EllenWild