Going places with Kofi Akpabli: Things people do when they travel (4)
Analysis of travel behaviours show that observation is one of the key activities that tourists engage in. Whether they are actively checking out how a town feels like or just gazing at the fields from their window, travellers are engrossed in observation.
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But observation is not just a pastime. On the leisure trip, it is the instrument through which the traveller logs in his or her experience.
Observation is also the process that allows a comparison between what obtains at one place and what obtains at another. At times, it is to establish what isn’t available at all. For some, the purpose of the trip is to observe the place or phenomenon in question.
On the road, the object of observation varies from tourist to tourist. While to observe is an act of entertainment for some, for others, they observe what’s on the road so that they can learn.
Inspirational is the reason why some people hit the road. Others travel not quite for inspiration but still end up finding the Big ‘I.’
Travelling for leisure offers the space and fodder for difference as well as newness. This relates not only to the environment but to the people and novelty of experiences.
And for the artist, designer, scientist, researcher, writer, preacher, or thinker who is out there on a tour, such a scenario could easily yield oodles of ideas and insight.
Yes, travel could bring out that wow solution you have been racking your brain for all these times. No wonder, some folks bring out their recorders and note pads as soon as the journey starts.
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Living ‘la vie de’ queer. We all know by now that people do get crazy out there on tour. Whether they become their own vintage self (as they have always wished to live with the normal folks around them) or they become completely someone else, people are bound to show the other side. Travel has a funny way of guaranteeing that.
So eventually, the traveller arrives at their destination and checks into a hotel. As soon as he turns that key in the lock he has the rare opportunity to be himself while away from home.
So is he or she someone who would rather go topless or completely naked? Chances are all clothing items could go off as he or she goes about business in the room.
One sweet thing about travel is that it affords you the opportunity to be yourself and live your fantasies. And so in staying at a place such as a hotel, people feel free and less inhibited. Besides, there is nothing like a house chore.
Hotel house-keepers report seeing guests in all manner of appearances or activities during their stay. Imagine someone who spends three days at a hotel and is always seen in pyjamas?
Some of these scenarios could make hotel staff scared or amused. Is it a marathon sleeper who has just checked in?
Hotel staffs have been scared by guests who display the ‘Don’t Disturb’ sign and then snooze off for nearly 24 hours!
Other unusual habits include, turning the TV or stereo loud, singing aloud and dancing alone. Some spend hours in the bath tub.
Other tourists engage in wasteful acts such as leaving all lights on or turning on the AC and going off to town.
Again, these are not habits that would be displayed back at home. Blame it all on good old travel!
It must also be added that some people become more outspoken and friendlier when they are out travelling. Others draw in, are suspicious and less warm to meeting others.
‘Everywhere you go always take the weather with you’ is the chorus of a song by the pop group, Crowded House. When they are out on a tour, people tend to be very interested in the weather of the places where they are staying.
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Suddenly, the weather report section of the local news becomes a matter of importance. While they need to know how each day will turn out, it is also believed that following the weather allows us to actually get to know a new place better.
To Be Continued
kofiakpabli@yahoo.com
The writer is a Communication and Tourism Specialist. Books he has authored include ‘Romancing Ghanaland- the Beauty of Ten Regions’, Tickling the Ghanaian-Encounters with Contemporary Culture & ‘Harmattan- a Cultural Profile of Northern Ghana.’