To All The Back-packers Who Mock Luxury Travellers, This One Is For You!

Tripoto
Photo of To All The Back-packers Who Mock Luxury Travellers, This One Is For You! 1/1 by Kirti Panchal

I have been an avid traveler since childhood, so from school trips to family vacations and from business trips to leisure holidays with the husband - I have done all of it in a luxurious but affordable way! With 'Travel' being more of a profession than an indulgent activity these days, one can experience different kinds and ways to travel. And with all due respect to travelers of any kind and any place, I guess the ones that are most likely to be shamed are the travelers that choose to add a luxury element to their trips. Having personally being critiqued by quite a few people (from our circle itself) on the way I choose to travel or how I should be using my funds in a better or more experiential way is what I hear most of the time. Thus, in a response to all those of you who do not understand why I choose to travel with an unconstrained budget, here it is!

Hostels & AirBnb's are great! But I still love the feeling of Hotels.

I have personally experienced stays in AirBnb and they have been fantastic. However, there is nothing that replaces the feeling and comfort of hotels. With clean sheets, a welcoming hot shower, a great TV to play and most importantly - a morning buffet or breakfast in bed is something I look forward to on my vacations. Unlike, other accommodation facilities where one has to helter-skelter for basic amenities like figuring out the wood-fire to heat up a space in winter or waking up early to make your own breakfast and so on, holidays for me are when I can enjoy a peace of mind and not do anything. (Because I am anyways doing all of the above at home, which is why I have taken a holiday!).

Local travel is fun! But my motto lies in reaching my destination quicker.

There are many travelers who prefer to travel by local transport like buses or trams or even shared travels that are pocket-friendly or as they say, experiential. It definitely is a great way to travel as one gets in touch with the locals and could check routes and ways like no other. However, I would opt for a flight to reach from A to B because it is faster, gets you to your destination quicker and you get more time at your place of stay. Considering that flights are comparatively cheaper than from years ago, this mode of travel tops my list. Also, I have made the best of friends from various of my flight journeys, so yeah - there you go with local experience!

Getting lost is exciting. But knowing the itinerary is my discipline.

It is absolutely fine to get lost while figuring out a map. But to get lost knowingly sounds a little too much to me. I am someone who knows my trip's itinerary at the back of my head, would have my excel sheets in place and have my activities and free days planned out well in advance. I also have days when I would do nothing over a vacation (but that is planned too!). And while many of you may think that over-planning could ruin the fun of a holiday, to me it's called being organised and being able to make the most of my trip and the money that I am spending.

Shopping may be a waste of time for you. But it is indulgent for me.

Shopping doesn't always mean extravagant products. It can involve local goodies, souvenirs, specialties and branded stuff that you probably do not get in your home country. With a lot of people vouching to give up materialistic products over experiences which is an excellent idea, they should try to not be so critical of people who choose to invest in luxury products. It is important to understand that everyone's lifestyle is different and so are their opinions and choices.

It is my money. Let me spend it the way I want to.

In the end, it is crucial for most of us to try and keep our opinions and views to ourselves. Shaming someone for things that you personally do not like, shouldn't be their problem. It is yours. And while most of you can be critical about my article, I am just trying to be honest (which is always difficult to hear!).

This post isn't intended to back-packers or any other travel community. It is merely a personal opinion and to those that think that it is okay to send someone on a guilt-trip for no reason. Also, I have personally done travels that aren't luxurious and they were definitely fun! But I have just realized that it isn't my type or kind of travel. So, let's cheers to 'each to his own'!

Happy Travels!