Travel Trends
What kind of get-aways do you most enjoy?
Have you ever felt like you needed a vacation from your vacation? In my “hare” days, I used to try to pack so much into every day of a trip that I inevitably returned home feeling utterly spent rather than rejuvenated, and I was often up half the night doing laundry, packing, and tending to a zillion last minute things the night before we left, so I started with a sleep deficit even before day one.
I haven’t entirely conquered the second part of that little recipe for exhaustion, but my husband and I do at least try to build in some decompression time when we make travel plans these days. As I’ve written about in past essays, I’m not one to get bored, so I definitely don’t require a GO GO GO vacation to have a good time.
I do, however, appreciate having time to relax, be with my thoughts, and enjoy a change of pace, without all the usual daily pressures and responsibilities, even as I realize that not everyone is able to arrange for that kind of break very often (if at all), so I’m thankful when we can.
In 1997, Bill and I took our first week-long cruise. We were on a Holland America ship called the Westerdam that left for the Caribbean on my birthday. I could hardly believe it. Like much of America, I had seen my share of Love Boat episodes between 1977 and 1986, but I never expected to actually take a real cruise.
Not everything lived up to the expectations created by that TV show. Our cabin was smaller than I had imagined, and the buffet was modest by comparison, but unpacking your bags only once and having your room follow you from place to place was amazing, and enjoying a live hour-long show every night after dinner with no parking hassles was pretty great, too. I loved walking around the teak promenade deck every day and watching the sun set at sea. I distinctly remember trying to memorize how it felt because I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to do something like that again.
Remarkably, I did get to do it again. Bill and I were fortunate enough to take several cruises over the years on various cruise lines and were even able to take my parents on one (back on Holland America), for which I’m especially grateful. Some of these trips were even better than others, but we never met a cruise we didn’t like. We learned when and where to get the best value and watched for particularly good deals to take advantage of.
Most of the cruises we took were about 7 days long, which is the most popular cruise length, but our friends Allen and Donna went on a longer cruise through the Panamá Canal and highly recommended it. Allen even suggested that if at all possible it was worth splurging on a cabin with a balcony for this particular itinerary. That sort of cruise wasn’t something we could easily arrange at the time, but the seed was planted. Meanwhile, life happened, and our focus shifted with the circumstances, such as caring for aging parents with serious health concerns.
Then, over a decade ago, Bill and I were able to fulfill a long-time dream and purchase a little vacation condo with a mountain view in Asheville, North Carolina. At the time, we were still living in metro-Atlanta, Georgia. It was a leap of faith for us as well as a big decision because it would mean choosing to spend time in Asheville over other vacation options, including cruises. But we really loved Asheville and still do. It worked out well for us, and we eventually sold our Georgia house.
I thought our cruising days might be behind us, but we were able to celebrate our silver anniversary with a wonderful Caribbean cruise. Some five years (and a pandemic) later, we celebrated our 30th last month by cruising the Panamá Canal on yet another Holland America ship—the Eurodam—with a balcony cabin! To say that I’m feeling blessed would be an understatement.
It’s fascinating to have lived long enough to be able to reflect first-hand on trends and developments in travel across the years. The experience of air travel, for example, was so different prior to the World Trade Center attacks in New York on 9-11 of 2001. The whole airline industry was overhauled, with many new policies put in place.
The cruise industry, more or less as we know it today, was created back when newly available air travel meant that the public (especially the wealthy) would no longer need to rely on ocean liners to slowly get back and forth from, say, Europe to the Americas. Cruise lines needed to come up with new reasons for people to sail on their ships and also to make cruising a positive and more affordable experience for more than just the very rich. I was not yet born during this period, but we saw a nice presentation about the history of Holland America Cruise Lines on our cruise in April.
The global pandemic in 2019 again threatened to sink—so to speak—the entire cruise industry, but some cruise lines found ways to retool for a new era. I had a lovely time cruising last month, and the ships are in many ways as nice or nicer than ever, but we missed some of the special touches that Holland America was known for, like gorgeous fresh flowers throughout the ship and classical music performances.
The extras that are available increasingly come at an extra price. I confess that I miss the days when cruising was essentially an all-inclusive experience. You did pay separately for any shore excursions, tips, professional photos, and alcoholic beverages, but otherwise, pretty much everything was included in your initial price, adding to the carefree feeling of cruising while aboard the ship. You could choose any item on the menu at any meal and not worry about your budget because you had already paid for everything!
These days, there are “upcharges” everywhere you look and people trying to talk you into them. It’s still possible to take a cruise without indulging in any of the extras, but it requires more vigilance and willpower because the included options are a bit more limited than they used to be, and FOMO is real. Not only are you put in the position of having to say, “no, thank you” more than I prefer, but it can occasionally be awkward to even figure out which things cost extra and how much. There are different gym and drink packages to compare (with lots of fine print to sort through) and premium restaurants with surcharges. Even the regular dining room offers a number of premium selections for an extra fee.
I realize this trend isn’t limited to cruise ships. Vacation planning has become so much more complicated than it used to be! I decided to take a look at the Disney website a while back and was shocked at the number of options to sort through and how expensive everything has become! Early in my life, I witnessed the welcome simplification of Disneyland tickets in Southern California (where my mom’s family lived), moving from the original booklets of lettered coupons corresponding to different categories of rides that you had to keep track of— “E-rides” being the most coveted—to a simple single-entrance ticket allowing you to ride whatever you wanted as many times as you had time for. We thought it was the way of the future and so convenient!
Today, it’s anything but simple to arrange a theme park vacation. There are multiple related parks, lodging, and parking options in a multitude of configurations, each with their own advantages. Perks like flexibility in what date(s) to use your tickets on come at a price. Staying at a Disney property offers early entry to particular parks on certain days. I have no idea how so many families manage to afford all of this—or even figure it out (especially if visiting from another country).
Even smaller theme parks like Bush Gardens or Sea World now offer a dizzying array of options, including dining packages, photo packages, express passes to bypass long lines on the most popular rides, and shuttle service. I remember when a season pass at Six Flags Over Georgia was less than $25 (only slightly more than the price of two regular all-day admissions at the time). When The Great American Scream Machine was added as the park’s second coaster in 1973, it was the largest roller coaster in the world, and the triple-loop Mind Bender, added in ‘78, is still ranked among the top steel roller coasters today, so Six Flags was a big deal even in the 1970s, yet mostly affordable for middle or working class families. The concept of season passes was still new, and amusement parks were trying to get people interested in them and thinking of the parks as places to return to for multiple days during the same season season or even year-round, if the climate allowed. I was able to afford a Six Flags season pass even as a college student whose summer job didn’t pay much in the early 80s.
Today, an annual pass (for one person!) to Disney World in Florida costs about $1500, and you still have to make reservations for the specific days you want to go to the park. Of course, that doesn’t include transportation or any of your overpriced park meals, beverages, balloons, Mickey caps, or other souvenirs. (Florida residents have access to passes at lower price-points, but those do have blackout dates.) I can’t help noticing that you could go on a really nice cruise for that kind of money—meals included! I guess Disney noticed too, since they decided to create their own cruise line.
Last week, I actually joined a Facebook group just to help me figure out the Dollywood website! We hadn’t been to Dolly Parton’s theme park in the Smoky Mountains since our son (now married and living in NYC) was little, but it’s only a two-hour drive from Asheville to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, so I thought it might be fun to go back sometime. The park’s smaller size and vibe made it a good choice for families with younger children. I remembered the tickets being quite reasonably priced, and if you went after 3pm, you could come back the next day for free!
Well, they don’t do that anymore…
Now, there are (pricey) one, two, and three-day tickets that have to be used within 5 days, and the park isn’t necessarily open every day of the week, so there’s a calendar to consult in advance. There are “any day” and specific day single tickets. There are also multiple festivals throughout the year with associated tasting passes available for purchase. Dollywood offers Silver, Gold, and Diamond season passes. As best I can figure out, there used to also be Platinum season passes, which some Dollywood aficionados still seem to have, so maybe they were grandfathered in, somehow? General parking is $25 a day (unless you have a gold or diamond pass), and preferred parking is $40, but there are ways to park in a city lot outside Dollywood and take the town trolley to the park for a lower cost if you don’t mind a longer wait.
Are we having fun yet???
Yes, there are also more rides and shows and beautiful displays than there used to be, including multiple popular roller coasters, and the food is better than it was. But no wonder we come home from vacations exhausted! I get worn out just trying to plan one. It can be worth it in the end, and I do have loads of vacation-related memories from over the years that I treasure, but the process is so much more complex than it seemed when I was a kid. It’s not hard to understand why “staycations” have become a thing (when you take a break from work but stay close to home), and of course visiting relatives remains a meaningful—and often more affordable—vacation choice, as well.
How about you? What kinds of get-aways do you most enjoy? What was your most memorable? What’s your idea of a dream vacation?
Next week, I’ll tell you a little more about our experience at the Panamá Canal because it made quite an impression on me. In the meantime, I’d love to hear about trips you have enjoyed or would enjoy. What time of year do you prefer to travel? Do you consider yourself more of a beach person or a mountain person? What’s a place you have always wanted to visit and why?
It’s good to be back, and I can’t wait to hear from you!
"I have no idea how so many families manage to afford all of this—or even figure it out (especially if visiting from another country"
I remember a friend of my sister's family visited Disney about five years back. I think they've got three children. I don't remember how much the total was that she said they spent but we were talking about how the amount could buy them a home here.