What is the point of travel?

Most of us would say it’s about meeting new people, chasing fresh experiences, and soaking in those unfamiliar smells and tastes

I’m sure you have your own list, but I’ve often wondered: what happens when travel becomes an unintentional exercise in the redistribution of wealth?

I remember a trip to Barbados back in 1997

I know the date exactly because I was away for the election on 1st May, the day Tony Blair won his landslide victory

We were staying at a decent enough hotel with its own "private" beach, though, in reality, you had to cross a stretch of public sand just to reach the water

On our first day, we attended the inevitable "welcome meeting," which is essentially a curated list of all the ways the resort would like you to spend your money

One of the excursions involved renting a Mini Moke to drive yourself around the island

The highlight was a trip to North Point, where the wild, cold North Atlantic crashes against the coast, a stark contrast to the calm Caribbean Sea on the west side where the hotels sit

The rental was pricey

A younger couple sitting next to us clearly wanted to go but were balking at the cost

I leaned over and said, “If you can put up with us for a day, we’re happy to go halves with you.”

They agreed, and it turned out to be a fantastic day

They were great company, and we got a real feel for the island, the people, the local atmosphere, and the markets

The markets were particularly eye-opening; it didn't take long to see exactly how much of a markup the hotels were adding to everything

Fast forward to later in the holiday

I was lounging on that public stretch of beach to be closer to the waves

Being public, it was dotted with vendors selling the usual suspects: Coca-Cola, Fanta, and in this case, a guy selling fresh coconuts

He approached me with the pitch

I knew the market price by now, and his was five times higher. I declined. Whether it was the rejection or just a bad day, things turned tense quickly:

Seller: “Maybe you buy tomorrow?” Me: “Maybe?” Seller: “But you won’t. What you don’t understand is that you have money and I don’t. You are on holiday to give me your money.”

He said it with a level of aggression that made me think I was about to be robbed

Fortunately, he got distracted by another tourist further down the beach, and I took the opportunity to make a sharp exit, stage left

I never went back to that public beach

Now, whenever I book a resort, the very first thing I check is whether the beach is truly private or if I’ll be expected to play my part in a localized wealth redistribution scheme just to get to the sea

Conclusion

Ultimately, travel is supposed to broaden the mind, but sometimes it just sharpens your defenses

Travel is about redistribution of wealth as long at cultures are not ruined by the dependency on this redistribution.  

While I still believe in the value of exploring new cultures, that experience taught me that the "point" of travel looks very different depending on which side of the coconut you're standing on