Is Travel Overrated?
Agnes Callard’s article, “The Case Against Travel” flips the gospel of my travel heroes
“The Case Against Travel.” That headline stopped me mid-scroll one quiet morning toward the end of our Grand Tour of Ireland. I was so annoyed, I had to read it several times before the message could sink in.
It was a New Yorker article by Agnes Callard, and she challenges the idea that travel is inherently enriching. Instead, she argues, it often turns us into superficial consumers of experience, chasing the photo opportunities while missing the connection with the place and culture. Rather than transforming us, she suggests, travel merely distracts us from life’s monotony.
My head was spinning; doesn’t this directly contradict the views of the travel guru, Rick Steves, who claims that travel changes people? Didn’t Anthony Bourdain preach that getting off the beaten path, seeking authentic experiences, leads to real, transformative moments?
In short, Agnes flips the gospel of my travel heroes. She contends it's not a moral virtue, and furthermore, travel is not for everyone.
Agnes touches on something rarely said out loud: not everyone is wired for travel, and that’s okay. Some people thrive in the chaos of unfamiliar streets, eating new foods, and getting lost on tiny “L” roads. (More about this soon!) Others, those with low tolerance for ambiguity or high sensitivity to new environments, might find travel more exhausting than exhilarating.
My early morning scrolling before coffee was supposed to wake me up slowly, not send me into an existential crisis.
I love traveling. I love the puzzle of getting from point A to point B, the adventure of ordering a dish I can’t pronounce, the laughter that follows when I don’t like it. I love the swirl of different languages on a busy street. I love asking a local for directions and getting directions that I only sort of understand because their accent is so thick. I love figuring out how the appliances in the Airbnb’s kitchens work.
Okay, I don’t love lumpy beds or jet lag.
Maybe Agnes is right: travel isn’t always life-changing. But it doesn’t have to be. Sometimes, breaking the monotony is enough. Our trip to Ireland didn’t change my life, but it deepened my appreciation for the culture and gave me a new perspective.
And some of that perspective came from simply being there, seeing with my own eyes what I’d only ever seen in pictures. Take the Giant’s Causeway, for instance. Named a World Heritage Site in 1986, it’s undeniably a photo magnet.
Rick Steves suggested that we should arrive when the park opens, before the tour buses, and purchase our tickets online. While booking those tickets, Chuck saw we could also book tickets for a cliff walk with “Away A Wee Walking Tours.”
The views were stunning, but it was Paul, our tour guide and gifted storyteller, who truly brought the coastline’s history to life. I wouldn’t call it a life-changing experience, but it was unquestionably one of the highlights of the trip.
The Dark Hedges landed squarely in the photo-op category. I’m not a ‘Thronie’ (also known as a die-hard Game of Thrones fan), but I was still glad to see it in person. Over 200 years ago, the Stuart family planted 150 beech trees along the avenue to their estate, probably not realizing they were creating a future Instagram pilgrimage site for fantasy nerds and tree lovers.
Perhaps the “L” roads changed my life. They are the “Local Roads” in Ireland. These were often narrow, curvy farm lanes, which in the U.S. we might call a two-track. Meeting an oncoming car or large farm tractor on one of these lanes will shave years off your life.
We got a bit turned around after leaving the Poulnabrone Dolmen in the Burren National Park.
I didn’t have the presence of mind to video or even breathe normally as I clutched the car door, silently praying we wouldn’t die. We were like panicked hamsters in a Habitrail, trapped on a one-lane road from hell, flanked by Jurassic-sized rhododendrons that looked ready to swallow the car whole.
Another memorable “L” road took us over the Gap of Mamore, a mountain pass in County Donegal’s Inishowen Peninsula. The view was absolutely breathtaking, and since we weren’t actively fearing for our lives this time, we even managed to take a video.
Agnes says, “Travel is a boomerang. It drops you right where you started.” I’d say it’s a kaleidoscope. You may not come home a new person, but you return with new colors added to the mix. And that, to me, is more than enough.
If you missed our other Sunday Sips featuring our Ireland trip, please check them out.
Life In Michigan Updates
The latest Life Michigan Podcast episode is out!
Camping, Community, and Rock ‘n’ Roll with Terris Ahrens
This week, we chat with Terris Ahrens, Executive Director of the Chelsea Area Chamber of Commerce and frontman of the alt-rock band Sometimes Pretty. Terris shares what it’s like growing up in Michigan—hanging out on the River Raisin, exploring forgotten cement ruins, and camping in hidden corners of the state.
If you have an idea for a guest, email me (info@lifeinmichigan.com). We are looking for anyone who is creative, passionate, and has a story to share about their Life In Michigan. Don’t be shy.
The latest episode of Fans with Bands just dropped!
If you are a Sunday Sip regular, you know Chuck loves curating an events listing.
We’ve created a public Google Events calendar you can subscribe to and have the coolest events in Michigan land right in the palm of your hand. Too high-tech? No worries—you can scroll through the full list of events Chuck has curated on our website, old-school style.
https://lifeinmichigan.com/events/
After you click “Click here,” the Google Calendar will open. Just hit “Add to Google Calendar” and voilà!—the Life In Michigan Events calendar is synced up and ready to roll right alongside yours.
We are still working out the kinks, but please poke around and let us know what you think.
Be safe, my friends!
Wonderful Sunday Sip!!! I feel that travel is what you make of it. It can (and does) enrich your life in ways that can't be done at home. You could read all you want about a place, but until you go there you won't really understand certain aspects of life there. Sure, it is a tiny sliver of what life really is for the people that call your travel destination home, but it is a sliver of light that I believe can't be found in your own home.
I break down travel into two categories for me: quick hits vs in depth. Quick hits are things like cruises with packaged tours. Usually good for checking off bucket list items. Also useful reconnaissance for a planned more in depth trip. The in depth trips offer more opportunities to actually meet people and see things not in the guide book. After my wife passed away I was able to spend a month hiking through Ireland. Lots of “L” roads, local pubs, getting lost and asking directions. Got to walk the streets of the town my maternal grandmother was born in. Since then I’ve done similar hikes through the north of England and Iceland. I really feel like I came away with a good understanding of the places and people on those trips. I was thinking about doing The Camino de Santiago at some point but, having remarried, priorities have changed.