Free Cell Phone Service for a Year and ‘Travel’ as an Actual Diagnosable Addiction

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About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. 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.

  2. 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.”

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