On holiday : a history of vacationing / Orvar Löfgren.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 307-310) and index.

"When it comes to holidays, some talk about "seeing the world," others about "getting away from it all." These two basic philosophies of travel are elaborated delightfully in Orvar Lofgren's investigation of "elsewhereness" as a human pursuit. Whether we set out in search of a mountainscape that will take our breath away, artifacts of the past to enrich our minds, the purest sand on the most unspoiled beach, or a summer place to know and cherish, we follow inner itineraries as time-honored and various as the routes we take." "Beginning his cultural journey among some eighteenth-century pioneers of tourism, Lofgren takes us on a tour of the Western holiday world and shows how two centuries of "learning to be a tourist" have shaped our own ways of vacationing. From country walks in search of the picturesque to wilderness trekking for more grandiose views, from seasonal campsites and communities on the coasts of New England and Sweden to Mediterranean resorts and rearranged ruins, from Continental spas to Las Vegas megahotels, we see how fashions in destinations have changed through the years, with popular images (written, drawn, painted, and later photographed) teaching the tourist what to look for and how to experience it."

"The means of travel have bred their own expectations and rewards. Faster and more affordable transportation, besides permitting more than a small elite to go "on holiday," has led to the package tour and the globalization of tourism. In one of his most entertaining chapters, Lofgren talks about the ongoing battle that results from travelers' differing values: what is "authentic," and does it matter? What constitutes too much or too little, good or bad, the wrong or the right kind of travel? This battle, he says, is often fought in the ways we relate to other tourists--we mock, admire, emulate, or distance ourselves from them. "In the history of modern tourism one element is striking. The main tourist attraction tends to be ... other tourists."" "Travelers present and future will never see their cruises, treks, resort interludes, ecotours, round-the-world journeys, or trips to the vacation cottage or condo in quite the same way again. All our land-, sea-, and mindscapes will be the richer for Lofgren's insights. Book jacket."--Jacket.

Landscapes and mindscapes -- Looking for sights -- On the move -- Telling stories -- Getaways -- Cottage cultures -- The Mediterranean in the age of the package tour -- Between the local and the global -- The global beach -- Resort ruins -- Looking for tourists.

Print version record.

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