Too many darn tourists

Holy Cow, RR! That cruise ship is unbelievable. I have never been on a cruise, but it's on my bucket list, so it will probably happen soon. I just don't know where my wife wants to go to. It's just unbelievable how something that large stays afloat. I guess it's like a B-787 or an Airbus A-380, which has a gross take off weight of about one and a quarter million pounds (625 ton).
 
oldman said:
Holy Cow, RR! That cruise ship is unbelievable. I have never been on a cruise, but it's on my bucket list, so it will probably happen soon. I just don't know where my wife wants to go to. It's just unbelievable how something that large stays afloat. I guess it's like a B-787 or an Airbus A-380, which has a gross take off weight of about one and a quarter million pounds (625 ton).
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It does look overly huge, I agree. But they are gigantic.
 

This morning we are heading for the Gaspe part of Quebec. Funny thing is that once you are out of the old part of Montreal & old part of Quebec City, there really are no tourists around except the locals. I think the trouble is that there are too many guide books telling everyone where to go. If you go where the guide books tell you to go, then you will meet all the other tourists who have also read guide books. By the way, I heard that on the Alaskan Cruises there may be 3 huge cruise ships in the port of some small little community. It must be terrible!
 
I think my wife wants to go visit the Columbus Zoo in another week or so. I have looked at it online and I am also excited about going. I love the animals, although I wish that they could all be in their natural environment, even though some are better off in the zoo. My wish is that someday I could travel to Africa and go on a picture taking safari.
 
My wife & I backpacked for 5 month when I was in my late 50s & she was in her 60s. It's a trip we will never forget. We went overland from Kenya to South Africa. It was a trip of a lifetime & well worth it. Just go before it's too late.
 
The Shetland Islands (north of Scotland) has beep water harbours and can accommodate large cruise ships. This confuses some tourists because it's nearer to Norway than Great Britain. When the ships arrive, the population of the island doubles. This doesn't help everyone, as all meals are provided on board, so few people dine on the island. The only people who seem to benefit crafts people who sell designer knitwear etc..

The western isles of Scotland are also overloaded with tourists and athave called for a tourist tax in places.
 
When we retired, people kept asking us if we planned to travel a lot - specifically meaning trips abroad. We said no, for right now we're going to spend time in surrounding local areas we never had the chance to explore before.

When you're working and commuting, you live for those 3-day weekends. So does everyone else, and so traffic is as bad as weekday rush hour commutes. Everybody's trying to ski in Tahoe or wine-taste in Napa at the same time as you.

This was our chance to visit weekdays, avoid rush hours both morning and evening, and leisurely explore the area for 3-5 days without crowds.

We do make longer trips elsewhere, but we still enjoy our local trips. We have yet to run out of new things to do and new places to go! We have friends in Sonoma County who are astonished when we tell them about the many things they haven't discovered yet, even though they've been there almost 20 yrs and love to drive/bike around their gorgeous county.

I tell folks since we live in an area where people come from all over the world to spend a few precious vacation days here, only getting to see and do a few highlights, it only makes sense for DH and I to explore our state as we never had time to do, before.

Mendocino Coast, Northern CA
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I've lived in Los Angeles for nearly 50 years and in Hollywood for a good part of that time. Tourists are part of the landscape. Most of us embrace them and relish their delight at our city, and love their enjoyment of seeing things in person that they've known from movies or TV. I've guided more than one foreign tourist up the back way so they could get a great view and spectacular pictures of the city and the Hollywood sign. I treasure being able to do so and am sure they hold the experience equally dear.

I can only imagine how they tell the story: "And Fran - this woman saw us standing in the middle of Beachwood Drive trying to get a shot of the sign. She said, 'Get out of the street, put your kids into your rental car and follow me if you want a great photo!' Frannie, no lie, she took us up these windy roads and brought us into her BACK YARD where we shot these pictures. I even used her bathroom! Here's a photo of her with our kids and the sign right behind them, big as life!"

My take: I see people standing in the middle of a very busy road, dodging traffic while trying to get a shot of the Hollywood sign. I pull over and tell them that if they want to invest 20 minutes they will get a view few professionals can access. I have them follow me and when I lived there I took them into my yard, but nowadays I bring them to a vantage point that only people in the neighborhood know about. They are thrilled and I have gotten to spend some time with charming, grateful tourists. I tell them a very easy route to take to get back to Hollywood proper and we say our goodbyes. It costs me nothing to be a good host for my fair city.

When traveling we have encountered amazing people who have quite literally gone out of their way to walk us to a train station, have translated for us, paid our subway fare when we didn't have any Euros, showed us their favorite local restaurants, and so forth. In turn, we are generous tippers (even in non-tipping countries), sample local cuisine at small eateries, praise their cities and countries, and respectfully avoid their commute times.

When traveling on a cruise ship we go to (non-chain) port restaurants and small pubs despite having paid for all meals on board. We generally travel during low and shoulder seasons. Europe is chilly in November but a whole lot less crowded.

Los Angeles locals know better than to hit Disneyland during summer, weekends, or school vacations. We use beaches other than Malibu, Venice and Santa Monica during prime summer season. Coexisting with tourists requires patience, planning and an attitude of gratitude that people are interested (and spending money) in your city.

My grandmother used to tell me, "If you can't be a sport when you go out, stay home." Words to live by whether in your own town or traveling afar.
 
SS, This is such a nice post, I loved reading how kind and helpful you are to tourists in Hollywood! You certainly are a good tourist yourself and it's nice to be reminded how nice other people can be to us when we're traveling. Thanks for sharing.
 
Thanks for the kind words, RR. We have had very good experiences with tourists visiting our country and likewise have been treated well in various locales, whether within or outside of the US.
 
Read yesterday that if you plan to visit "The Isle of Skye" in Scotland, you have to reserve a hotel room at least 6 month ahead of your visit & if you want a meal in a restaurant there you had better make an advanced reservation or you go hungry. Then there is the story about a certain beach in Thailand where they filmed a movie called "The Beach". Well, it has been over run by massive tourists that the local authorities have had to put if off limits due to the environmental damage. Go figure!
 

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