News and notes from around the interweb:
- Fairmont Visa customers are being product-changed to Chase Sapphire Preferred (HT: @IadisGr8)
- Free Sprint cell service for a year
- Worse than American’s new Boeing 737 MAX: 5 tortuous economy seat designs we hope never become real
- Parking in Hong Kong sets a new record (HT: Marginal Revolution)
A 188-square-foot space on Hong Kong island sold for HK$5.18 million ($664,300), or HK$27,500 a square foot, last month, newspaper Ming Pao reported Wednesday, citing land registration records.
The car park cost more than some Hong Kong homes…
- British Airways LEVEL has higher checked bag fees than you think
- Irony watch: Air India is currently receiving subsidies from the Indian government. Star Alliance is expressing concern over the government’s intention to privatize the carrier. United Airlines is a founding member of Star Alliance, and has been lobbying the US government to limit consumer flight choices and raise prices by cracking down on Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar arguing that those airlines receive subsidies.
Of course United offloaded pensions onto the federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation in bankruptcy. United’s rights to fly to Asian destinations from Tokyo derives from the spoils of World War II. Their Dulles hub receives protection from the ‘perimeter rule’ limiting most flights to 1250 miles or less as nearby Washington National airport.
- Three reasons sex is better on a plane (HT: Alan H.)
- ‘Travel’ is an actual addiction how many of you are suffering from it in silence?
Nope. I have to call BS on “Dromomania” being a “diagnosable condition.” Sounds like fun, but it’s not in my DSM. Current or past. I think the author pulled it out of his “exhaust port.” Yes, someone made the term up at some point, but just because it’s in Wikipedia doesn’t make it true. The description would be more of a dissociative fugue, but if, while traveling, you know who you are and where and why you’re there, it’s not a fugue. I’d be happy to be wrong, I’d be delighted to “diagnose” myself with it, but I can’t legitimately find the diagnosis anywhere.
Two recent stories recently published in CNT contradict each other. A June 13th’s headline says, Travel Addiction Is Real. (http://www.cntraveler.com/story/travel-addiction-is-real) The next day, the headline is, Why Travel May Be the Secret to a Longer Life (http://www.cntraveler.com/story/why-travel-may-be-the-secret-to-a-longer-life) So will counting countries and traveling prolong your life or should you enter Rehab?
The first article made broad and sweeping generalizations. It is over-reaching to compare Dadas to every person who counts countries. As a someone who has visited 100+ countries, potentially classifying me as having Dromomania is nothing more than junk science. If I had read the article on Goop, I would have dismissed it but CNT has always prided itself in, “Truth in Travel” which is why I loved the publication. But this article, gives the appearance, that CNT is no longer fact checking its articles. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/59209876e4b0e8f558bb2716)
In fact, the woman who is heralded in the second article would fall into the Dromomania category since she also counts countries. Unlike Dada, my travels were not done at rapid pace but were done over a lifetime. Yes, some visits have melded together like the whirlwind trip through Petworth, England but so have some aspects of my children’s childhoods.:)
The first author jumps from point to point and arrives at a conclusion that actually contradicts the second article which is based on real science from actual studies. Counting countries or keeping “score” is no different then any collector or person who tries to achieve success and uses data as a tool of measurement. A runner who notates the number of races they ran or a stamp collector who tries to fill their albums would according to that article, have a variation of Dromomania.
Many of the “elite travelers” I know are not traveling beyond their means. In fact, quite the opposite, they are debt free. They scour the Internet for deals, monitor currencies for opportunistic deals and/or use mileage/points. In my opinion, mileage and points has been a game changer for many people who previously may have been limited in their travels. But to conclude that we are spendthrifts is not factually accurate. Financial issues likely cut across the board. I would be curious to know how many of Vogue’s readers are in debt purchasing clothing they could ill afford or have closets stuffed to the gills with clothes that still bear the tag on it from two prior seasons? My FICO score is in the Excellent range and I am debt free. Many Americans cannot say the same.
Many of us have prioritized our spending, pared down our “stuff” and eliminated wasteful purchases to realize our dreams. Some people have made the personal choice not to have children. Is the magazine judging them?
While the person Lee Abbamonte is referring to may have lost their fortune, spouse and home, the economic turndown was likely the cause. Lee may now find travel less exciting because he has turned his pleasure into a business. Travel is no longer a hobby but work since he is busy securing sponsors while simultaneously traveling which can be exhausting. But Lee doesn’t appear to be slowing down nor does he appear to have a disease.
Judging what is “normal” is never a great idea since who gets to decide? It sounds like someone who doesn’t travel is trying to justify why they don’t. I would rather not be “normal” and live. I belong to a think tank which is an entire group of people who always felt, they weren’t “normal.” “Different” people are interesting since they don’t follow the “norm” by definition. Is the magazine saying, we should all act like the Stepford Wives?
Yes, I have I forgone some opportunities but I have gained different ones instead. Life is about choices and we make them on a daily basis when we decide should we live in the suburbs or the city or should we work for a corporation versus be self-employed? Democracy is about the freedom to decide what works best for each of us and not feeling judged by other people. To do otherwise, is not “Truth in Travel.”