In the Mall of the Emirates in the desert city of Dubai, there’s a snow ski slope. On Royal Caribbean’s newest cruise ships, there are “FlowRider” wave machines that simulate surfing in the ocean.
There are ice rinks all over the place, in towns and cities where the temperature never drops below freezing point, and there are water parks in places that rarely experience rainfall. China is building a theme park devoted, in part, to the English writer Shakespeare and the Spanish novelist Cervantes.
And one day, perhaps soon, virtual reality technology will mean that we can “go” anywhere without leaving home.
As someone who believes, essentially, that travel is about having an authentic experience, I have to admit that a lot of what’s on offer, and much of what I have experienced, is entirely fabricated.
Granted, there are some experiences that can no longer be had, so perhaps near enough is close enough. And there’s probably no harm in snow skiing in the desert.
Travel is mostly about enjoyment (although it’s also about education and awareness), so why should we care?
Well, because if we accept an “close enough” experience, then there’s a risk that the real thing might no longer be available because the simulated experience is more economically viable and accessible.
The scary thing is thar there are those among us who wouldn’t care if that happened, as long as there was a dollar to be made.
