| Travel these days has become increasingly easy and | | | | religious and spiritual retreats, health and wellness spas, |
| fast. You can hop on a plane to virtually any | | | | business traveler and corporate meeting destinations, |
| destination in the world. With a wide variety of | | | | and much more. Ads for numerous sight-seeing tours |
| airplanes, daily flights, and bargain deals, travelers can | | | | and travel packages offering deals on transportation |
| often find travel deals to destinations once considered | | | | and accommodations, fill all the back pages of these |
| remote and only accessible to the very hardy | | | | books. Traveling the 'world in 80 days' as suggested |
| adventurous traveler or the privileged elite. In fact, with | | | | by writer Jules Verne, is no longer a distant dream, but |
| the bargain deals offered by different airlines, many of | | | | a viable option these days. |
| which overbook their flights, travelers scouring for | | | | Smaller, more remote destinations such as the |
| cheap deals, will often discover that it is cheaper to fly | | | | mountain kingdom of Bhutan in the Himalayas, once the |
| to another country than visit their own. With such | | | | destination of only locals and royal families, have now |
| bargain deals, it is no wonder that the tourist industry is | | | | become more accessible to the general public. This |
| booming in every sector. | | | | and places such as the steppes of Mongolia and the |
| What does this increased travel worldwide signify for | | | | islands of Vancouver, British Columbia, are areas of |
| cultural exchange, assimilation, and national identities? | | | | exquisite beauty, pristinely left intact by local inhabitants |
| This question remains to be answered. For many, | | | | and low human impact. As these areas open up, |
| travel opens up unexpected vistas, broadens the mind, | | | | heavily marketed and advertised by the eco-tourism |
| tests one's endurance, and expands compassion and | | | | industry, promoting health, wellness, and travel |
| awareness of other people and their lifestyles. | | | | adventures to 'pristine, untouched areas', they become |
| Countries that are well known for being popular travel | | | | in danger of losing these qualities of pristine beauty and |
| destinations, thrive on this expanded tourist industry, | | | | remoteness very rapidly. |
| boasting new hotels, resorts, outdoor pursuits, theater, | | | | Large real-estate developers looking to buy land in |
| nightlife, and arts and entertainment, all aimed at | | | | scenic destinations, have lobbied for the open |
| increasing and maintaining their status quo as top travel | | | | expansion of these areas, which environmentalists and |
| destinations. | | | | locals fear greatly will result in depleting the area of its |
| A plethora of travel magazines have sprung up to | | | | resources very rapidly as well as destroying natural |
| support this industry, ranging from beach and resort | | | | habitat that has existed peacefully for thousands of |
| guides, to targeted audiences such as family vacations, | | | | years. |
| hunting or sport vacations, adventure destinations, | | | | |