Armchair Travel Is Springing Back to Life
Since the dawn of travel, aspiring globetrotters have been exploring the world by embarking on (day)dream vacations. But what does the future hold?
As a phrase, “armchair travel” hasn’t been part of the lexicon for all that long. As a concept, however, it has existed for centuries: A way to envision ourselves in far-flung destinations without having to really go anywhere. It was initially fueled by art, namely books, theater, paintings, and music. Today, it lies more within the purview of technology, especially now that products like Apple Vision Pro can be strapped to your face as you stand in line at the local coffee shop.
Whatever form armchair travel assumes, it’s not something I personally have much experience with. As a professional travel writer who spends the majority of my time physically on the road, it rarely comes into play. But that’s not to say I don’t see the value in it. Wanderlust is an almost universal human trait—I’m not sure travel journalism would even exist without it—and the need to scratch that itch comes with a pronounced set of challenges.
First and foremost, there are the financial hurdles. Beyond that, it’s almost always a veritable pain in the ass to get from A to B, and that goes double for anyone dealing with limited mobility or other circumstances that might make flying less accessible. Considering that travelers filed 1,693 disability-related complaints against US airlines in 2022 alone—triple the number filed in 2020—this issue is growing increasingly relevant as post-pandemic travel continues to surge.
Even without mobility limitations, relying on planes is a frustrating affair. I say this as someone who just spent four whole hours on hold with United Airlines after a battery of flights were delayed with no prior warning. During that exceedingly frustrating downtime, I began to seriously question my life decisions. Is travel overrated? Ralph Waldo Emerson famously called it a “fool’s paradise,” and the list of notable philosophers throughout history who have ridiculed the pursuit runs long. And while I’ve always assumed they were sour grapes-ing the fact they hadn’t earned Delta Diamond status, maybe there’s more to it than that.
According to one expert, while my movement might be a mandatory work hazard, I’ve been journeying in the wrong direction.
“Traveling inward to explore the vastness of one’s own consciousness is an adventure few people have yet to embark upon,” says Dan Marko, senior spiritual wellness provider at the famed Canyon Ranch retreat and spa in Lenox, Massachusetts. “Traditionally mystics and shamans intentionally move into a non-ordinary state of awareness through adapting the breath rhythm and adding the vibratory sound of an instrument or a sound found in nature to travel into the vastness of the three worlds—upper, middle, lower—[of] what in modern conversation might be called the multiverse.”
He takes his patients—or passengers, if you will—on a “soul journey,” utilizing meditative practices to open intuitive awareness. In other words, he issues a business class ticket to a deeply spiritual encounter.
"This type of travel should be considered a pilgrimage,” he adds. “You are traveling to the sacred within and returning with a renewed or refreshed reverence for life.”
This concept hits particularly hard considering we know for certain that physical movement across long distances can negatively affect the very environment we’re seeking to explore. Simon Ford, for one, is pointedly aware of this fact. As co-founder of Fords Gin, he’s had to trek to bars and restaurants across the globe to promote his product. When he’s not in the air, however, he uses armchair travel as a way to help him ultimately be more intentional with his travel plans.
“The travel industry certainly has an impact on climate change, and as more and more people travel this will only worsen,” he points out. “Armchair travel gives us an opportunity to research and be selective, which is a good thing. For example, after reading Eric Newby's The Big Red Train Ride, I found myself booking a trip to take the Trans Siberian Railway across six time zones. Most of my bucket list travel comes from great books.”
And Simon’s hardly alone. Dr. Melissa Boudin, a clinical psychologist from Santa Barbara, California, classifies this method as “travel-based daydreaming.” Most of us do it from time to time, she suggests, as if we’re crafting an internal vision board that keeps us relaxed and open to new possibilities while also reinforcing goal-oriented behavior.
“Daydreaming about travel, in particular, lets you be fully creative and in control of where you are, allowing you to escape briefly from your physical point of being,” she says. “This can be useful for taking a breather during a workday or whenever a mental break is needed—people who ‘travel’ during their breaks are often more likely to feel refreshed, happy, and optimistic.”
But armchair travel doesn’t just make you feel better, it can actually make you physiologically better, too, she contends. “Daydreaming in general produces alpha brain waves, which are linked to decreases in anxiety and depression, as well as increases in creativity.”
Those specific benefits are becoming more obvious to a broader range of travel industry professionals. As a result, armchair travel is forging some unlikely allies, including tourism boards in popular international destinations like Thailand.
“Armchair tourism allows tourists globally to experience Thailand in a very meaningful way,” says Chompu Marusachot, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s New York office. “We encourage people to explore our country through virtual tours, cultural workshops such as cooking classes and Muay Thai lessons, and of course film—one of Thailand’s greatest pillars in sharing the stories of our amazing country and its people.”
Through a combination of robust online portals and roving activations in big cities across the world, the TAT brings a taste of Thai culture to people all over the world, no matter when or even if they might be able to visit in person. And they won’t even need a passport—sometimes, all it takes is a hearty appetite. (Nothing brings me back to this part of the world like a well-composed serving of Pad See Ew.)
Of course, there are plenty of people who would love to explore the beauty of Southeast Asia, but as mentioned, issues like limited mobility mean that a fulls day's worth of continuous air travel might not be in the cards. Physical movement requires physical exertion, and for that reason, it tends to favor those who are young and particularly mobile. Indeed, many of the books written in service of armchair travel are aimed entirely at older generations, including one that goes so far as to subtitle itself, “A Sensory Experience for Seniors.”
The cruel irony is that this exact demographic contains the highest percentage of retirees, a population presumably flush with ample time to actually get out there and explore. Of course, many have found a middle ground between the ability to travel the world in search of in-your-face adventure and traveling from home via a vacation slideshow by opting for less hectic and demanding transport options like cruises and sleeper trains. Which, in all honesty, sounds pretty good to me.
Of course, a person doesn’t even need to wait for old age to see the merits of slow travel. Over the past several years, I’ve come face to face with incredible parts of the world along train tracks and atop coastal liners. Most recently, I traversed nearly the entirety of New Zealand on a series of scenic rails as part of Great Journeys New Zealand’s weeklong adventure package. The experience allowed me the space to contemplate the breadth of the nation’s inconceivably varied landscape—all while seated on a remarkably comfy armchair, I might add.
“For me, the appeal is also largely about nostalgia,” says Steven Bowden, a tour guide for the kiwi-based company. “Rail travel was integral to New Zealand's development, and was the primary mode of interregional travel for over 50 years—everyone traveled by train, to work, to school, to visit family and friends, and it was the primary promoter and facilitator of tourism. Building the rail network was an incredible achievement in itself given the topography.”
For Gen-Xers, Millenials, and the rest of us whipper-snappers, though, our sunset years are paved with the promise of traversing a simulated topography via virtual reality travel and similar technological advances. And while that might make a certain forms of travel much more accessible, it does come at a cost.
“Armchair travel can provide valuable insights, but it can’t replicate the experience of being in a new place, meeting new people, and feeling their culture,” says Stanislav Harciník, co-host of the tourism industry-focused Mirror Hospitality Expo in Bratislava, Slovakia. “The sights, sounds, and smells of a new destination are impossible to capture through books and movies alone—it’s the same as trying a dish in its place of origin versus trying to recreate it back home.”
Despite the warning signs, our meta-future is inevitable. Today, I can easily venture into lands unseen from the confines of a cozy armchair with an LED snorkel tethered to my face, or maybe even devote a more concerted effort to journeying inward, as proscribed by Mr. Marko. The fact that it sure sounds a lot easier on my back is one advantage I’m considering while typing away on a hotel patio overlooking Lake Wakatipu, a view I traveled some 8000 miles to make my own. Perhaps it is a fool’s paradise I pursue. But to me, it’s a paradise just the same.