Reservations: The Pleasures and Perils of Travel

by Steve Burgess

A personal investigation into the real price of our holidays.

"So persuasive in promoting the innate value of travel that it’s easy to imagine him single-handedly —à la Elizabeth Gilbert in 'Eat, Pray, Love' — causing an uptick in travel."--Toronto Star

"Reservations is an eloquent, literate, and masterfully researched book about travel. But, at base, it’s about much much more. And it’s the more that makes it singular."--Winnipeg Free Press

Travel was once a marker of sophistication. Now the tourist is just as likely to be viewed as one locust in an annihilating swarm. Tourists face tough When does economic opportunity become exploitation? How do we justify the use of climate-changing jet fuel? And can we be sure our tourist dollars aren’t propping up corrupt and brutal regimes? Now, as the world returns to travel, Steve Burgess Is satisfying our own wanderlust worth the trouble it causes everyone else? Or is the tourist guilty of the charges—from voyeurism to desecration—levelled against them by everyone from environmentalists to exhausted locals to superior-feeling fellow tourists who have traded in the tour bus for “authentic experiences”? In this smart and sharply funny interrogation of our right to roam, Burgess looks into the traveller’s soul, sharing the stories of some of his most personally-significant travels, from Rome to Tana Toraja, and looking to studies and experts around the world for insight into why we travel and how we could do it better. And throughout, he tells the story of a month in Japan—his first trip outside North America—and the whirlwind cross-cultural romance that brought him there, and took him on a journey around the country in search of wonder and maybe even love.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

312 pages, Paperback

First published April 27, 2024

Reviews

[Dave Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

The further I got into this philosophical and moral exercise the more I appreciated it.

I think it's necessary to begin where the author ends in order to reflect on this books content. In the second to last chapter the author writes,
"Whether or not tourism ultimately helps or harms a location, there is no doubt that the conditions allowing for tourism are precious. They are worth fighting for."

This is an important place to start because of what the author is wrestling with, which is why he ultimately wrote this book. He loves travel. He makes a living writing and talking about travel. Traveling brings him fulfillment and happiness,

And yet he also knows the very real world harms of travel and tourism. Thus, this creates a tension. A conundrum. It leaves him feeling the weight of a seeming hypocrisy, noting that he still chooses to invest in travel even knowing these truths.

Which, in some ways, makes this book a therapeutic exercise. A way of airing what he feels is a dirty little secret about himself. To reduce it to this however would be to sell it, and him, short. It is probably therapeutic, but it is also an honest inquiry into how to make sense of this tension and to perhaps lighten the demands for clear, black and white solutions. Is there a way to acknowledge rhe truth of what travel gives us while also pushing ourselves not to stay stagnant or silent on issues that deserve our thought and attention? Where he concludes suggests that yes, there is worth in fighting for travel and tourism, even while we work through its complications.

It might be sobering and feel somewhat defeatist to hear and to know, as the author asserts, we can make all manners of changes to how we live and function in this world in more eco-conscious ways, but it won't actually make much of a difference to the bigger picture. That's just the facts. It is meant to be empowering however, even in its uncertainty.

As it relates specifically to travel, one example would be the fact that one of the biggest contributors to environmental impact is long haul flights (sorry to those European countries trying to restrict and discourage short distance flights- they aren't the real problem). We take this fact and measure it against statistics. Statistically, the number of people who take long haul flights represents an extremely small minority of the world's population. Whittle those numbers down and that minority represents an even smaller number of world elites whom represent the 1 percent and stand as the most frequent flyers.

Which simply means, unless you change the system the average person forgoing that long distance flight, which might represent a significant trip once every 5 or 10 years for example, will not make a difference.

Or take cruise ships for example. Reducing the speed of cruise ships by a marginal amount can reduce their impact on the environment by 60 percent. Economically speaking though this is not going to happen apart from policy, and policies are bound to economics.

Speaking of economics, this is the second most prominent subject relating to the impact of tourism. This is a simplification and reduction of what the book says, but economics can boil down to this simple equation: Let's say we acknowledge that tourism creates all kinds of problems from overtourism, appropriation, colonization, environmental impact, spread of viruses and diseases, ect ect. And let's say that we are either in a position where we run out of resources and ban travel, or do it proactively, or shut it down for a pandemic. What happens when one of the single greatest global economic engines is shut off? What do the vast majority of countries which depend on tourism do? Where do the people go? How do they eat? Live?

Thus goes the conundrum. It is made even worse when travel and tourism is seen as a privilege and an excess, or entertainment. And yet it is far more complicated than this. Do people not equate lack of freedom to the inability to come and go? To being trapped behind walls? Is the simple freedom to travel necessary to the well being and health of a given society? Is it really worth less than what are deemed basic necessities like food, clothing and housing, especially when we consider the things that depend on it?

There are no easy answers, and the author never pretends to offer such. There are only quandaries to wrestle with and to respond to in some manner or another, and always with empathy for all sides of the picture, and with creativity.

And this also becomes a window into more personal questions. Why do we travel? Must it look the same for everyone? Is it greater or lesser travel for a person to engage in ecotravel, or conscious travel, or for someone to travel to explore the outdoors, or to learn about history, or to relax in a resort, go to Disneylsnd or to see roadside attractions. And what if conscious travel does more to appease our conscious then making any actual change, or what if ecotravel is based on an illusion as well. What if cruise ships do more damage to their designations than help? The complications go on and on to the point of exasperation. Until one is able to stop and acknowledge this simple fact- whatever travel is to different people, it means something and is important. More than this, it appears vital and precious as a facet of our existence.

Acknowledging the pleasures can afford us the freedom to see the perils, just as acknowledging the power of systems and policies can afford us the freedom to align our modes of participation even when we know they don't make a difference. We need to afford this grace however rather than placing high demands and messues of responsibility on our shoulders for the expected outcomes. The simple truth is, travel is likely never to stop. It is unlikely that technological changes or enforcements on localized levels would or could ever address the problem in a way that fixes the problem, even as this remains the primary force of action in many cases. And yet good can come from naming the temsion and aligning ourselves with it in practice. That means embracing both the pleasure and peril. It means keeping our eyes open for possibilities while allowing ourselves to enjoy the journey.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has spent nearly a decade working in the travel industry and admittedly being the "anti-tourist tourist" this book was an amazing and personal read. It offers so many view points to an industry that is continuously under scrutiny and judged (often by those in the industry themselves). It shone a light on what it means to be a traveler vs a tourist and made me realize at the end of the day we are all tourists regardless of destination or how hard you try to assimilate and fit in. Overall, an important and relevant read for any traveler no matter the distance or destination.

[Janet Hutchinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pleasures and perils of travel are not always personal, but rather, about the increasing tourism, the travel influencers who drive up traffic to once hidden travel gems, the ecological damage that some travel perpetuates, and the increasing cost of travelling to new places. Burgess interlaces these thoughts, with his personal experiences. An interesting and thoughtful read - it kind of makes me ask myself - am I tourist or traveller?

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have so many thoughts about this book. Overall, the title should be called A White Man Travels the World, because that was more so the premise and plot of the book rather than deep, thoughtful and insightful discussions and solutions regarding the negative impact and philosophical repercussions of travel. I went into it perhaps misguidedly thinking it would delve into the philosophy of why we travel, the inequality and role of colonialism and privilege in travel (would recommend Habib's Airplane Mode for that), and how we can all travel better, more sustainably, more ethically, reconciling the guilt with the pleasure.

To be fair, he does discuss that periodically but in small, selective, and ultimately superficial sections of the book. My main complaint is the disjointed, unclear message the author is trying to send and how there is no throughline or thread that connects everything. I still can't say if he plans to continue travelling the world despite the environmental issues and disappointments he experienced, or if he is making amendments to his lifestyle to travel more sustainably. Upon finishing the book, I can't tell you what he was trying to convey, except "here is a list of wonderful travel experiences and moments I've had and how it's opened up my horizons for cultural understanding."

As an Asian woman, chapters regarding his uncomfortable fanaticism with geishas (including an almost-teenager one who flirted with him), rubbed me the wrong way. Even suspending judgment that it could be fetishism, I didn't understand why he had a whole highly detailed (and irrelevant) chapter on watching their show, including sexual remarks about pink flesh showing where the white makeup didn't reach. Moreover, I wasn't really interested in reading a grown white man discuss his experience of interacting with exotic traditional non-English-speaking Japanese women; if it were from the woman's perspective, it might have been more interesting (but alas, he could not get their narrative or life story or even thoughts).

The general tenuous drawn-out thread that holds this novel together is his romance with Kyoko, which is truly unremarkable and borderline depressing. Throughout each chapter, despite Kyoko giving him fantastic VIP-level experiences of her home country and communicating a strong desire to be together, Burgess mentions frequently he does not see a future with her and wanted to escape the relationship. Given this romance is the beating heart of the plot (a majority of the chapters are about his experience with her in Japan), it comes off as he didn't want to commit, he couldn't explain himself, he didn't reflect upon why that is, he continually led her on and didn't vocalize how half-hearted he was about it. The complete lack of awareness as to why, after reading a whole book about their relationship, is unsatsifying.

You could potentially read these chapters in any order, because there isn't much connection or consequence to each one. They flow chaotically from one to the other, discussing different travel experiences he's had. Though he is a very riveting, compelling, and humorous writer who can describe the setting, feeling, and imagery of his destinations rather well, it fell through without a meaningful result. What was the overall point of his travels? How has he grown from it? Will he continue to travel at the same pace? Is the mere reason of "because of novelty" enough to justify it? How does one reconcile their privilege (of being white, rich) with the global inequality of tourism?

Burgess is pretty adamant that travel will continue to happen regardless of the environmental harm. He says we need to fight for travel because it provides truly spectacular experiences and novelty. But ultimately, he comes up with no solution, no technology for it in the whole book. This begs the question of, are we just going to continue status quo and do nothing until things get bad enough? Why did I read a whole book for that?

[Andy Wilkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed Burgess' musings on travel and he covered a number of themes I have pondered myself. His connection with both Vancouver and Japan were both aspects that I could connect with and I envy the opportunities afforded to him while living in Japan (though the section on geisha was overblown and I couldn't help but to think it was wasted on him as someone barely familiar with Japanese culture). The book made me think about the complicated questions travel and tourism present these days as opposed to a more ignorant past for people of privileged backgrounds where the question was simple "where do you want to go?". I thought it was interesting the point he made about rationalization of travel based on our own individual circumstances ("well, I need to travel because my family lives in Europe, so it's more justified").

I was fascinated by the sections on cruise ships (discourages me further) and overtourism caused by media (movies such as "The Beach" and instagramming) which have stiffened my resolve to avoid such places. I also liked to section on why we travel and the concept of novelty. We both transplanted ourselves to Vancouver by choice but yet it's offerings are not enough and we have wanderlust to see other places, with the intention of making that unfamiliar familiar but never reaching it. Also, the idea of the disappointment that can be connected to returning to places you have been before. I haven't experienced that too much in my life by lack of opportunity but I have experienced the discombobulation of returning to my home city and being completely disoriented.

[Kim Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Pleasures and Perils of Travel
I enjoyed this quick read. Not literature by any means and a little too much about his romance with the Japanese girl, but lots of interesting tidbits about travel in general and stats around covid and travel.
Global travel contributes more than 5% of greenhouse gas emissions.
My favorite fact was about the Bill Reid sculpture, the Jade Canoe at YVR. “ it depicts a vessel packed tight with contentious travelers. The original casting of the sculpture, commissioned for the Canadian embassy in Washington, DC, came in $1.25 million over budget and arrived two years late. No better choice for an airport.
The book nicely speaks to general human wanderlust as in our genes. We travel through life, and even when we are not actively on the move, our brains travel constantly in both sleep and wake. But, the physical act of travel is not always helpful for the planet itself and the people we seek to visit. Let’s just say, I’m not hopping on a cruise ship anytime soon.

Quote:

point.

���We take travel for granted. You know, it’s like, ‘Let’s go to a beach and have a Mai Tai’ or ‘Let’s go to Paris and shop,'” he said.
“I hope that the book will just make people stop and think about travel itself, rather than just the trip that you happen to be taking, but thinking about travel itself, and the travel industry, and that maybe that will have an impact overall on the choices that people make.”

[Genesee Rickel]

"Canadian writer and broadcaster Burgess unabashedly counts himself among the 1.3 billion international travelers caught in the ethical dilemma -- the "guilt trip" -- of contemporary tourism. In 33 shortish chapters, Reservations digs into trends and phenomena contributing to climate change, overcrowded destinations, degradation of local communities, and damage to natural and cultural treasures. Topics range from affordable airfare and cruises to influencers, Airbnb, and ecotourism. As an avid traveler himself, Burgess understands why people travel and acknowledges the global economic stakes of a ten-trillion-dollar industry. He is a skilled storyteller, writing in a conversational tone with a sharp sense of humor. Each chapter is an engaging sampler of history, expert opinion, and anecdotes from his travels sprinkled with quirky examples, e.g., extraterrestrials in Japan. Some might with for deeper analysis or more compelling conclusions. While Burgess quips that "the road to hell is paved with recommendations from Tripadvisor," overall, he stops well short of moral imperative. Yet tackling this urgent topic in such an affable read may prompt some soul-searching among his fellow globetrotters." - Anne Foley, Booklist

[Patricia L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been looking forward to this book as I am an intrepid traveller who celebrated my luck with having travelled so far before Covid. But now I am questioning the activity. Does it broaden my thinking or just practice my internal swearing and test my patience? Or is this a guilt trip- hurting the people and footpaths I boldly hike?

The book is evenly divided between perils and pleasures.

After reading it : I do not stroll down the street with a debonair swagger that says, Look at me, on my way to save seventy cents on a can of minestrone.


I am left with Fernweh a longing for distant places:
The literal English translation of "Fernweh" is "far-sore" or, more colloquially, "farsickness." Fernweh is often described as a longing for distant places, a yearning for travel. It is the opposite of homesickness, which is the longing for home while away.

[Virginia Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

A literate look at the author's thoughts as a he tries to balance his desire to travel with his desire not to be a "tourist" , an economic exploiter, a voyeur and a consumer of large amounts of climate-changing jet fuel. Is satisfying our own wanderlust worth the trouble it causes everyone else? He combines his sharp, insightful and funny musings with stories of some of his own travels in Italy, Canada and particularly in Japan to which he was pulled by a whirlwind cross-cultural romance.

While a pleasure to read, Burgess' switching back and forth between his travels and his editorial views made for an uneven flow and some of his views on the moral problems of travel became a bit repetitive.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Burgess travels the world and takes us alone for the ride. In doing so he examines what it is to be a tourist. He discusses the many negatives, such as so many popular destinations being overwhelmed. The impact of travel influencers. The affect of long distance travel on global warming and yes, a few positive aspects of travellers as well. Some of the author's destinations were interesting and some were not. Some were overly drawn out such as the horse race in Italy and travels with his girlfriend in Japan. The writing style was not quite to my taste. It was often too wordy and could have been written more simply without so many obscure words.

[Abraham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t really travel, but after reading this book, I vowed to myself to travel even less.

It was an interesting lighthearted read however the relationship between the protagonist and his Japanese companion was a bit confusing. At times it felt as though she was not a real person. It had a quixotic element that left me feeling a bit unsettled. Was she a real person? Did the protagonist even go to Japan? What’s the nature of the relationship? Am I reading a novel or a work of nonfiction? Is travelling even real? Are we even going anywhere when we travel? Am I travelling by reading this book?

If I ever do decide to travel again, I feel like this would be a fun book to read while traveling.

[Steven S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me from the first page, truly. I'm not a particular fan of travel writing, the allure of this book is it's simply a really grand romp of a ride -- you know, a GOOD READ! :) In that sense, at least, Reservations had me think of the other travel writer I love, not particularly for the subject matter, but the writing, and that's Billy Bryson. Burgess entertains (and raises some real questions) with this book. What more could I ask of a book than to be smart and entertaining. Buy it, read it.

[Elle Spandier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never expected to find myself laughing while reading a book about such a serious topic. The author manages to combine personal stories, some of them very funny and self-deprecating, with a critical analysis of the real costs of tourism. You get the impression he has no plans to stop travelling and doesn’t suggest you do either, but it definitely makes you think about the way you’ll do it.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

His painful jokes keep popping up and it is jolting and annoying. He totally lost me when he needed to let readers know that his girlfriend had no sexual experience before and could still feel him inside her after they had sex. Why on earth is this in a book like this. Ugh. DNF

[Holly]

This needed sensitivity readers before publishing.

[Meagan Gebers · Rating 5 out of 5]

All self proclaimed travelers should read

[Mike Heenan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the philosophical and environmental discussions more than the historical elements. Not travelling much anymore, I’m glad I did it while the world was a much saner, less crowded place.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book makes you look at travel in a different way.