Skip to main content"I can wish the traveller no better fortune," wrote Henry James, "than to stroll forth in the early evening with a large reserve of ignorance as my own." Obviously, James was advocating complete openmindedmess and a lack of preconceptions in one's wanderings, but in the age of a metastasized tourism industry, can we afford to "stroll forth," en masse, with our native "ignorance"? Guidebooks and brochures lure millions on a yearly march over the world's beaches, mountains and cultural sites in search of fulfillment or fun, but at what cost to the environment and to the indigenous populace? The tourism economy is so large and powerful that it is nearly impossible to hear the serious criticism being leveled against mass travel that has been taking place over the last decade. That is why a new travel magazine being published in Portland is so refreshing.
Motionsickness: The Other Side of Travel takes as its mission to explore the ramifications of travel--financial, legal and environmental, as well as the religious and psychological motivations for leaving town. The magazine is also interested in sex tourism (which accounts for too many visits to Thailand), the corporate travel media and more human-powered alternatives to travel than in the rolling coffins of tour buses.
In this its premiere issue, publisher and editor Steve Wilson writes, "If we step away from a consumer's point of view and look at travel and tourism from a broader perspective, we can see an infinite number of other points of view that are rarely presented." Indeed, the first issue features interviews with tourism workers, migrant workers (those who are forced economically to travel), Belizians striving to define and establish eco-tourism to save their country's habitats, and Havana pimps. There are also frightening reports of depleted water tables around the Mediterranean (tourists being the prime water squanderers) and of plans to build a World Wrestling Federation Disneyland at Niagara Falls, as well as a very humorous "condensed version" of Paul Theroux's The Old Patagonian Express.
Perhaps the strongest piece in this issue is Patricia Goldstone's Talking with Ismail: One Visitor's View of Whores, Pimps and Race in Cuba. Goldstone's exploration of racism in the Cuban tourism industry is quite shocking, as are some of the facts that she cleverly slips into her narrative (there are 4,000 Santeria priests in Cuba vs. 305 Catholic priests, Castro was anointed as "chosen" by the priests of the Orisha gods). Daniel Rothenberg's conversations with migrant workers are also highly recommended, as he puts a haunting human face on all of the poor, besieged immigrants who brave myriad dangers to seek shelter and safety and to earn livings.
Larry Krotz's piece on Belize and its dedication to ecologically sound tourism is excellent, though it was taken from Krotz's 1996 book, Tourists. An update on the Belizians and their struggle would have been helpful. Also, though unsigned, a piece of fiction that seems to be by Wilson (he has a tendency to use the word "buffet") is the one disappointing feature. This rather slapped-together "humorous" piece threatens further episodes, which would be unfortunate if the first installment is any indication of the quality. The piece also highlights the need for a proofreader. Colombia is rendered as "Columbia," while action that takes place in Portland mysteriously occurs under "the Washington cloud cover."
Yet Wilson's brainchild is well worth seeking out as, at its best, it has some very important things to say. Thomas Fuller is quoted in this issue as saying, "If an ass goes traveling, he'll not come home a horse." Perhaps with a more mindful approach to travel as is advocated by Motionsickness, we will cease going forth, ignorantly trampling about on other people's grass.
Motionsickness
Edited by Steve Wilson, $4.
www.motionsickness.com
"Thanks to the interstate highway system, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything."
--Charles Kuralt
WWeek 2015