I am happy we were assigned to read this article, because it has given me yet another new way of looking at tourism. I have been researching eco-tourism and other similar types of tourism and the mind-blowing amount of limbs and levels of this traveling “culture” has been a pretty intense discovery for me. I am a bit disenchanted: I’ve always loved traveling to new places, near or far, to learn about different ways of life, the natural world and to have new experiences. While I believe my intentions were for education and adventure, and often times a little bit of relaxation, this article made me wonder how much of it was a deeply ingrained need for a certain “social status.” I have certainly become more aware of the environments I have traveled to lately, and have made a conscious effort to be as respectful of the people, plants, animals etc. native to these areas, but in my past I can think of times in which this might not have been not the case. It's important that we become aware of the myths and dangers of tourism, so that we can begin to make better choices in our travels.
Chrissy
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