"Go while you can." This slogan was used by travel agencies to attract students in the 1990s. You were encouraged to see the world before work and family tied you down. Travel was seen as inherently positive: it offered new perspectives and improved language skills.
These days, the slogan has a more ominous ring. Overtourism poses a threat to the climate and to popular destinations. Last year, around 1.4 billion international trips were registered worldwide. Travel accounts for 8 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions.
Travel is on the rise, because more and more people have the time and money for it. Living standards have improved in China and India. The citizens of developing countries want to enjoy the same luxuries as the Western world has been enjoying for decades.
However, the status of travel is changing. Some years ago, travel was only talked about in a promotional, idealising tone. Now, contradicting ideas are gaining momentum. The drawbacks of travel are discussed more frequently year by year.
The reality of climate change is getting under tourists' skins. When destinations are suffocated by heatwaves and scorched by wildfires, they quickly lose their attraction. On a blazing hot day, turbulence is more intense, which can make flying uncomfortable.
However, thus far climate concern does not seem to apply outside a small group of environmentally conscious people. On a global scale, air travel continues to increase, postdoctoral researcher Salla Jokela notes. Jokela works at the Department of Geosciences and Geography at the University of Helsinki.
"Nevertheless, avoiding flying may be a significant trend that continues to grow in the future," Jokela says.
To this day, market economy has dictated how travel should be developed. Jokela believes that we should also discuss how jobs are distributed, and who benefits financially from tourism. We should also assess the management of travel destinations, in order to ensure that tourism does not harm locals or cause environmental degradation.
What can travel teach us?
The economic significance of tourism should not be understated. The industry employs a significant number of people. Last year alone, $1.7 trillion were spent worldwide on international travel.
Soile Veijola, professor of cultural studies of tourism at the University of Lapland, compares tourism to alcohol. Both are pleasures that can have severe consequences when enjoyed in excess. We impose restrictions on alcohol sales, so why not do the same for tourism?
The number of tourists is already regulated in sensitive nature destinations. Overcrowded cities have imposed limits on hotel construction and Airbnb rentals. Sweden has adopted an aviation tax. Air travel emissions could be combatted with renewable fuels, which are already technically feasible. However, the airlines argue that they are too expensive.
According to Soile Veijola, climate anxiety and travel angst are connected. Researchers do not wish to increase anxiety but instead strive to offer better, more responsible travel options.
The benefits of travel are still there. Cross-cultural connections help us understand that our way is not the only alternative. People may learn to understand one another. Sometimes they even fall in love.
Travel can make us recognise what is missing in our lives. It can also teach us to appreciate things that we otherwise take for granted.
"Sometimes, we see our lives more clearly after being away for a while," says Veijola.
The good life
We have always been on the move, whether for business or for pleasure. In ancient Egypt, people cruised along the Nile. Trade trips, pilgrimages and spa visits date back millennia.
But why do people want to travel for their vacation?
"We want to experience the good life for a short while," Veijola explains.
