I have often wondered about visitors to
Paris making a list of the things they
SHOULD see and then rushing around to try
and fit them all in.
Do they WANT to see what they feel they should
see ?
Does it come out of a belief that they or
friends or family will be let down if they
don%26#39;t %26quot;see it all%26quot; ?
Does it come from the belief that this will
be their only visit to Paris so it is
crucial that they pack as much in as is
humanly possible ?
What do you think ?
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Or from the fact that having only 3 weeks holidays as is the case for most of my US family, as opposed to my 9 weeks, means that you may not get another chance to visit Paris again for many years?
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ptegan, that is what most will say, but I lived in the US for a decade and I still prefered staying in one place and really getting to know an area well, as opposed to running around and trying to see it all. It is almost like trophy collecting for some people. They talk about %26quot;doing%26quot; a certain location, as opposed to visiting or exploring. Frankly, I believe people don%26#39;t think about why they travel and what they want to get from the experience, so they just do what everyone else does.
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True.....maybe Paris just has too much to offer to smeone who only has a week. If it was Prague we were talking about then Id say, IMHO, that 3 days would be enough to %26quot;do%26quot; it.
I%26#39;ve been to NY city 3 times now and have yet to venture up the Empire State building though have strolled about Staten Island and shared a romantic sunset on Coney Beach, so maybe some people do look at it differently.
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Randy--
In planning my trip to France next Spring, many people have given me there %26quot;ideas%26quot; of a perfect trip to Paris and the S. of France. Most of their suggestions are like those you listed: %26quot;You may never get there again, so you MUST see EVERYTHING.%26quot;
%26quot;What will people think if you don%26#39;t go to the Louvre?%26quot;
And my personal favorite (facetiously) - %26quot;It%26#39;s SOOO expensive, so you better see EVERYTHING to get your money%26#39;s worth.%26quot;
I had a friend who went to Europe last year with her sister. They were gone about 12 days and went to London, Paris, Venice %26amp; Florence, and somewhere else (I think Spain). That%26#39;s WAY too much for me. But, different strokes for different folks. They felt they may NEVER get there again, so they had to go EVERYWHERE.
I like to be someplace and stay several days. I have a list of about 5 things I have to do or see; otherwise, I%26#39;m just soaking in the surroundings.
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Or maybe, it%26#39;s the realization that there is so much to see in the world, %26quot;You%26#39;ve gotta see it all now%26quot;, before the kids start having their own lives, or while you%26#39;re still healthy, etc.
Sometimes, we are guilty of trying to cram everything into one week. When we think it%26#39;s worth the trip, we go back for a second or third more leisurely visit.
We do realize one week is definitely not enough to see %26quot;all%26quot; of Paris, hence the 2-week vacation. (For us Americans, that%26#39;s 2/3 of our total vacation days for the year!) I%26#39;m sure this would just be one of the many visits yet to come.
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Randy - great topic!
I simply don%26#39;t get that particular travel philosophy - never did and never will.
Is it that people think they will never get the chance again, by maybe dying?
Or is it akin to the Western brand of gross consumerism taking over the world, where quantity far outweighs quality. This seems driven more by %26quot;how can I impress my neighbors%26quot; than by any real desire to get deeper into a culture and it%26#39;s history.
I swear, I get exhausted reading some tavel itineraries on TA especially for Paris, London and NYC.
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Livetotravel--
I totally agree.
I%26#39;ve seen some where the people are going on a 10 day trip and go to about 5-7 different places; literally staying only overnight at each place.
Too much for me!
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I%26#39;ve always wanted to see Southeast Asia. It is a huge area and how do you choose what to see, where do you start? I%26#39;m finally getting to go to Thailand but only have one week. I know that the chances are slim that I will ever return to the region so I am trying to pack in as much as I can. As I get older, I feel I am running out of time to see and do all that I have dreamed of. Just a short time is better than nothing but it will still leave me frustrated as I know I haven%26#39;t really %26quot;seen%26quot; Thailand.
I do tours with people in Paris and we have to pack as much as we can into one day. I think it is the feeling that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and that they don%26#39;t want to miss anything. Not everyone has the leisure to fully explore a region or city. There is so much to see in Paris and, usually, so little time. But, as people often say, sometimes the moments they remember are the unplanned ones--the time you got lost and had a pastry that you still dream of.
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Randy,
IMO, the American visitors are the kings of this rat-race mentality.
It%26#39;s the same pacing mentality that they inject into their daily lives in the US. It%26#39;s manifested in their mad-rush eating and driving habits. Never mind that you%26#39;ve had your 2000 calories for the day, your restaurant serving is much bigger than that so buff it. Dine %26amp; dash. Never mind that the speed limit is 65 mph and your exit is just 0.25 miles away, you must drive 80 mph to pass the guy doing 55 mph. And you must talk on your cell phone at the same time because you have to rush. Never mind that you%26#39;re completely vain and are worstening your own demise.
Japanese visitors have a different variation on the same theme. Shuffle along, take those photographs and onto the next sight...
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In my case, the first time I went to Paris I figured it would be a once in a lifetime visit and so we had to see everything we could in a week. So I wonder if this is the case with most first timers. Also, most people get guide books and tend to follow the them.
Our first visit was a wirlwind visit. We were completely exhausted and really did not have a very good time.
I am so glad we we have been back several times. Unfortunately, we never get more than week at a time. There always seems to be new things to see and do in Paris and we just can%26#39;t get enough.Of course we have a totally different perspective now and take more time to just enjoy the city.
I just talked to someone who went to Spain, portugal and Italy all in one week. That%26#39;s not for me but they seemed to enjoy it.
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