To lux, or not to lux: that is the question
I2Q October 2015 editorial
www.ink2quill.com

Many people say that traveling, just for the sake of traveling is a lot of fun. Visiting some of the many beautiful and exotic places in the world with their many different foods and customs is just exciting. What you face as a traveler depends on things like where you go, how you get there and what kind of person you are. Not everybody has a good time in Paris or Milan or the Far East and we all know that these are beautiful places. So I have to wonder whether it´s better to travel in style and stay in the top hotels or scrape by on as little money as possible?  I´ve done both. So my question is a variation of a famous soliloquy. “To lux, or not to lux: that is the question. ”  (I think you know the rest of this soliloquy. )

First off, this is a question all travelers should ask themselves before they set out. Either budget can be a fun way to see and experience the world just as either way of travel can be dangerous. So here are some things to consider.

Are you going on business or vacation travel? For business travel and if your company is footing the bill, then by all means, lux away!! That is travel in style and comfort. Enjoy the luxurious air conditioned rooms, restaurants and everything that that experience has to offer. Chances are you´re at a conference so you´ll meet other conference attendees and you stand a good chance of enjoying yourself.

If you´re on vacation travel then you have to consider who your with and what aspects of a culture you wanted to see? By aspects of culture I mean the sights and sounds that might or might not be on the beaten path of the tourist. Did you want see different neighborhoods, country borders, dangerous caves and forests of the place you´re visiting? Or did you want to be Mr. Joe Tourist? The fact is that you can do either while staying at a nice hotel or a hovel. It all depends on who you know that can show you around.

As an example, I read the blog of someone who travelled to the far east. In his blog he described how he scraped by on very little money sometimes even sleeping in train stations and airports. He gave his readers pointers on how to travel on the cheap, some of which were needlessly risky. In his last posts he cursed the countries he was traveling in because he had run into trouble with the border customs and caught Malaria. I hope things are better for him. So my point is that traveling on the cheap should not mean taking dangerous risks.

I travelled to the same country the cheapskate blogger did and saw so much more of the country without any problems. I was in a very nice hotel and had a very reliable guide. It turned out to be one of the best trips I had ever taken. I saw all kinds of beautiful places off the beaten path thanks to my guide.

So remember the next time you travel to ponder the thought: To lux, or not to lux: that is the question?

(Commentary by  www.ink2quill.com )
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