February 9 2014,Sunday
Travels
Hong Kong people like travelling overseas when they have holidays.
Some like package tours so that they will be worry free. Others take their trips as projects and
plan their own itinerary. Trips are to satisfy different desires. The
prime objective would be to have a few days of relaxation. Lately, more and
more holiday-makers target at shopping either for bargain goods or exotic
finds. And for frequent travellers, they have more sophisticated wants to
pander to! They might be looking for thrills, gastronomic satisfaction,
religious fulfillment, photo-perfect shots etc.
I have known people who travel
just to be able to brag about their exposure and yet they get so confused about
the cities they have visited that all they can remember would be “oh, the
usual, churches and museums”. Some retirees sign up for a series of trips as
soon as they step down from their post. They get themselves more exhausted than
when they are at work.
Do people really feel relaxed
during and after these overseas trips? Unfortunately, not all the time! In the
case of package holiday, the services of the tour guide and the coach driver as
well as the behaviour of group members determine whether it is a dream holiday
or just a nightmare! We all love to have attentive tour guide, cautious driver
and punctual group members but we are not always this lucky. As for those who
plan their own trips, accidents either with the reservation of the hotels or
transportation or even arguments among the travel companions may happen and
upset the apple cart.
The kind of mentality we carry
with us when we travel is one other factor that matters. Some cannot forget
Hong Kong when they travel in the sense that they can’t stop comparing the city
they are in with their beloved Hong Kong complaining that the food is not good
and that the people are too slow etc.
In fact, to really enjoy a
holiday, we just have to open up our mind and heart and welcome whatever we
see, hear and eat as new experiences!
