Having fun yet?

The joy of travelIn “The Phenomenology of Tourist Experiences”, an important point is raised about traveling. Sometimes the most basic aspect of traveling is the one which we truly forget about. We must remember, “tourism is a recreational activity”, this is the initial point that Cohen makes. Many travelers in the most recent novels we’ve read have forgotten that aspect of travel, Port- from The Sheltering Sky- searches desperately for meaning in his travels, all the stress that he creates surrounding travel begs the question, are you having any fun? While the secondary effect of travel can mean learning things about others or ourselves on our trips, the point is to enjoy ourselves. It “only remains functional so long as it does not become central to the individual’s life-plan and aspirations”, (“A Phenomenology of Tourist Experiences, Cohen), a lesson we all too quickly forget. Herein this quote we can see Port’s downfall. He centered his entire life on travel and waited in each place expecting inspiration to come to him instead of just enjoying where he was for the time he was there.

For all the criticism she may receive, Daisy Miller- in Daisy Miller- took advantage of tourism as a recreational activity. Putting aside the “types of tourists” that Cohen describes, simply having the recreational aspect of tourism as a given, Daisy Miller truly takes advantage of it. It is made clear by the context of the Grand tour that this trip isn’t forever, but just a visit. Therefore, the idea of travel is not central to her whole life. For Daisy Miller, the desire to travel was still “functional”, and had not yet become her sole mission in life. There was still the idea of transience the idea that she wouldn’t be staying in Europe forever.

The similar fates of Daisy Miller and Port prove that there is not just one type of tourist. Cohen tempers both Boorstin and MacCannell by claiming that there is not just one type of tourist. Instead of only the superficial tourist, like Daisy Miller, or only the tourist on the search for authenticity- who would most likely call himself a traveler- they both exist. This can be further seen in the fact that both characters die in the end of their respective novels. We can then see the similarities between two characters with very different travel styles that share the same unfortunate fate. Neither is immune to disease and both perish at the hands of a country they were merely visiting. Cohen argues that MacCannell and Boorstin are stuck in their sole perception of the tourist and are unable to see the other idea as a possibility. We’ve encountered many different types of tourists in our texts, which fit the 5 categories that Cohen discusses, but no characters are more opposite than Daisy Miller and Port. Daisy pursues all that is fleeting, love with a local, fun, and could not care less for fitting in or convention. Port is desperate to fit in every place he goes, although he continually misses the mark. Both, however, are tourists.