As my wife and I have started the process of recovering from our holiday, I have also begun to reflect on the tourist experience. What was good about it and what was less good?* I am coming round to the view that the conventional view of a holiday is probably wrong, and has little to do with “tourism”.
If I want a rest, reflection and relaxation (a holiday) then my chances of getting these are much better served by spending time in self-catering accommodation not far from home. Certainly travel time should be measured in hours rather than days.
If, on the other hand, I want to see a big exhibition then this should be treated as a business trip rather than as a holiday. The event should be brief, purposeful and focussed. We did this recently with success and satisfaction when we went to Amsterdam to see the Hockney/Van Gogh exhibition. Our periodic “raids” on London have this character also.
The classic “package holiday” or tourism venture seems to me to have all the disadvantages of both types of travel, and none of the advantages. I shall think about this further. I have not tried the classic “painting holiday”, advertised so regularly in the art press. In the light of my new reasoning I ask myself why I should carry half of my studio contents to Italy in order to paint?
*In case you are wondering, the worst bit was crossing Paris in the rush hour by public transport. As my wife said: “We won’t do that again! Possibly the best bit was watching a large water snake in Lake Garda.