Tourism Is Beginning to Resemble Mass Hysteria

The time has come to put 5000-thousand-year-old rocks into perspective and ask: It is worth dying for?

I sat yesterday and watched a woman who was clearly suffering from the early signs of heatstroke; she was pale, barely sweating, weak, and had just vomited, but as she told the CNN reporter, “I have wanted to see the Parthenon since I was a little girl. I am going to see it.”

The temperature fluctuated between 100 and 110 depending on whether you were in the shade or the sun. Her husband was cheerful, and they seemed relieved to be on camera. It would become part of their big trip to Greece if this woman didn’t die before returning home to the U.S. I asked, “What the hell is this woman thinking about? Are those goddamn rocks worth it?”

Don’t get me wrong. I am a traveler. I know how to travel and have explored many of the main cities in the world. That said, I have never been to India, any part of Africa, or South America, and as much as I would like to go to those places, given all that is going on with climate change, I probably won’t make those journeys.

I know what it is like to dream about a part of the world, plan a trip to that spot, and finally see it in real life. It is indeed magical. Having always wanted to go to St. Michel du Mont in Normandy, when my brother and I arrived, we lucked upon one of the handful of small hotel rooms on the tidal island. Later that evening, when the city seemed asleep and the tourists had emptied due to the incoming tide, my brother and I climbed on top of the ancient walls with a bottle of Calvados and whispered to eternity. It was one of the many unforgettable memories I have crafted over the past 40 years of traveling and exploring.

Nonetheless, I can also say that I have never been to Rome’s Forum on a hot day. It is easily one of the hottest spots in Rome, and so if the temperature approached 90 and I happened to be in Rome, I stayed away or passed by on a scooter at night. Because of the over-tourism in Venice, I refused to go to the city even though, more than once; I had been just a bus ride across the main bridge from the enchanting city empire. I finally went with my wife and son in 2022, shortly after it reopened and before the Chinese returned.

Things are different this summer, though. Every day is bringing tales of heat deaths. Sure, the media is all over these deaths the way it was all over shark attacks in the summer of 2001. Remember, Americans were all abuzz about the number of attacks, and suddenly, the towers came down. We forgot all about sharks fast. We won’t and even can’t forget about the heat, though. You stayed out of the water if you wanted to avoid the sharks. Avoiding the heat isn’t that easy.

But too many of us seem to be seeking it out. Look at what is happening on the island of Rhodes in Greece. Sixteen thousand people, mostly tourists, have been evacuated to avoid one of Greece’s largest fires. The temperature was 113 (45) degrees the other day. The world is baking, and people mindlessly board planes and fly off on dream vacations.

It is almost like just because we are tourists, the damage being done is okay because it is our right after years of dreaming, saving, and working hard for the joy of seeing some old rocks. We somehow disregard the effect collective effect of our carbon footprint. I saw a picture on CNN where sweltering and slow-moving tourists were dumping bottle after bottle of cold water down. The camera panned the water drinkers, and you could see a mountain of empty plastic bottles in the background. I am sure no one there thinks, “So, what happens to these bottles?” Everyone thinks, “I need to get more water so I can climb up there and get a selfie with those rocks in the background.”

People are either losing their minds because of the heat, or they were long ago lost, which is why the heat is now so intense and debilitating. It’s like religious hysteria; end of times hysteria. I must see the rocks, the bridge, the clock, the fountain, the painting, even if it kills me — even all of us.

My climate change rants are not well-read. I can only assume that people are just bored with my take on this topic. Maybe because I am a travel sinner also, but I am getting better. I am making an effort. My family is pretty good in terms of decreasing our carbon footprint. We are now figuring out how to attach a solar panel to our roof. There is a lot of sun in Portugal.

I will leave this here. I can’t believe what I am seeing going on around us. How can people seriously be still so voraciously making traveling plans given all that is happening? I just don’t get it.

My best friend from home wrote me yesterday and said she and her family plan to visit us in Portugal, Spain, and France next year — a three-week trip. I will be more than happy to see them, but really, I wish they would do us all a favor and stay home.