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Today's post is by guest blogger, photographer, and frequent traveler Steven Barber, who reviews an unusual travel guide.
"Travel can be one of the most rewarding forms of introspection." (Lawrence Durrell)
At first glance the new book The Happy Traveler: Unpacking the Secrets of Better Vacations, by associate professor of psychology Jaime Kurtz (Oxford Press, 2017), looks misleadingly innocent.
It promises to unlock the secrets of better vacations, for one. That's an admirable goal and certainly worth a page turn or two. And below that the cover says that Dr. Kurtz is a Happiness Researcher, and will share the science behind meaningful travel.
All very gentle and, in a way, purple dinosaur-esque. It suggests this is yet another of the travel books which give you basic ideas, recounted for the umpteenth time, on how to go on a better vacation, how to make the most out of the trip, etc.
But the author is off on a different and much richer tangent than that. That the book was written by a psychologist rather than an armchair travel enthusiast should be the first indication that it's not quite as innocent as the cover would suggest.
The Happy Traveler is actually far more a research-based self-help guide to understanding your own psychology so you can create and enjoy vacations tailored to your psychological needs rather than simply taking off and hoping you have a good time.
If that sounds a bit dry, it's my fault, not the author's. Dr. Kurtz does an excellent job of keeping the language lively and understandable even as she throws in some less common psychological terminology. You may find yourself digging through a drawer for a highlighting pen to make sure those important concepts don't get lost before you close the cover at the end of the book.
Early on the author takes on a psychologist's tone as she reviews individual personality traits and how they impact the planning of a terrific trip. The reader learns new scientific terms such as allocentrism and psychocentrism, words which even my spellcheck doesn't recognize.
WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
Such terms are important to Dr. Kurtz' thesis. Allocentric people prefer adventurous travel. Novelty. Psychocentrics prefer familiarity and structure. They just want to get away and relax. The key here is understanding which of these two types you are, or where you may fall on the spectrum between them.
The book reviews these and other concepts, and uses a series of chapters and useful lists of things and ideas, to enable people to figure out who they are as travelers. It provides tools and explanations for readers to determine which approach best suits their own wants and needs, whether at an extreme or in-between. With such tools, you can better identify and plan vacations which will appeal to you.
Throughout the book the author makes effective use of quotes and ideas both from her own travels and research, as well as from well-known travelers and celebrities. There are dozens of personal anecdotes used to illustrate an idea, as well as descriptions of the expected benefits of truly figuring out who you are before embarking on your next trip. Kurtz creates, chapter by chapter, a sequential set of guidelines for taking full advantage of our time off and our travel dollars. And that, in anyone's book, is useful information.
WHY BOTHER PLANNING?
I will admit that at first—entirely due to my expectations—I was a little put off by the researcher aspect of the book. But as my own expectations began to change, I realized what she was onto and how useful the information could be. Whether you've gone on a half dozen frustrating trips, or are a seasoned traveler who nonetheless knows vacations can be more meaningful than they have been, it's worth taking the time to understand your own needs. And for that you need something a good deal more informative than a light travel guide to help you sort it out.
As a tool for truly planning a more effective and rewarding trip this book excels. It's a self-help guide that will help you understand the nature of what you want to do, not just the options once you're there.
It's a unique approach and one which does take a moment to internalize. But as the author notes in the opening paragraphs to chapter two, one of the biggest surprises on a poorly planned trip may be the realization that you've "inadvertently brought myself with me to the island". In other words, use The Happy Traveler to plan for yourself and not what you think you ought to enjoy.
GUEST AUTHOR BIO: Steven Barber is a photographer/writer who has been documenting his travel for more than 20 years. His work has appeared in Destinations Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, various publications and websites, and in promotional materials for the SXSW Film Festival. He is currently marketing the manuscript to his travel-focused cocktail book Chasing Martinis. Barber also maintains a daily travel blog, Thumbnail Traveler.
Copyright (c) 2017 by Susan K. Perry and Steven Barber.
