Dark tourism is a scary type of travel that has increased in popularity over the years. This type of tourism is relating to traveling to places that are often associated with death and suffering amongst people. I believe that people get a sense of thrill when visiting these places. It is just like watching a horror film right as you get to the scary part… you get really scared, but for some reason you want to keep watching. It is the same for visiting real places of dark tourism. You get really scared, but are also extremely fascinated and want to keep looking around. Some people may believe they live for that type of feeling, so they travel to places they believe they can receive that such feeling.

If I could visit any movie location, I would visit Hollywood, where the movie Clueless was filmed. This is a film created in 1995, but I have always loved it. I know most people probably would pick extravagant places to visit around the world, but I would stay in the United States and visit California. I have never been to the West Coast, and it is something that I have always wanted to do. It always appears sunny with really nice weather. I would probably never choose to live in a place such as Hollywood, first because I will probably never have the money, and second because it is too much of a city for me. But it would be nice to travel there for a few days.

When travelling to new places, guidebooks are a great source that can come in handy. Thinking back to all the times that I have stayed in different hotels, there have always been different guidebooks for activities and restaurants. Guidebooks can be very beneficial if you are in a new place and want to know the most popular activities and restaurants in the area. Guidebooks are definitely a useful tool to visit the most popular attractions. But, what guidebooks lack is the fact that many visitors want to visit areas that are not overcrowded and tacky. When I travel I look at guidebooks as an idea for places to go, but will do further research on my phone. When I travel, I like to have many restaurant options due to my food allergies, in addition to when my family travels, we have our puppy with us. So, it is very important to be able to find a dog friendly restaurant, and most of the time guidebooks lack information on places that allow dogs. I also believe that as years go on and technology continues to advance, the need for guidebooks will continue to decrease. In all aspects of life, people would rather look at their phones than find a physical copy. So, in these current days I do not believe that there is a desperate need to create new guidebooks when there are so many online websites that find exactly what a visitor is looking for.

While reading about the effects of “Sex Tourism” and prostitution, it is rather difficult to decide whether it should be outlawed or legalized everywhere in the world. While doing some research on places where prostitution is legal, I came across the red light district of Amsterdam. In Amsterdam, prostitution is seen as being a job. Such prostitution in Amsterdam has become well known around the world, and is completely legal. Many americans who visit this particular district are taken aback that no one gets in trouble. On one side of things, I do think that prostitution is a way of life for many struggling individuals who struggle to find work elsewhere. But on the other side of things, these individuals are struggling from physical abuse as well as drug abuse. Here in America, prostitution is an illegal, behind the scenes activity that struggling women find themselves locked into. In my opinion, if prostitution became illegal everywhere, it would still take place, but secretly. Putting a ban on prostitution would not make it disappear at all. Even though “Sex Tourism” is an awful thing to think about, it brings in lots of money. This money goes to the city where it takes place for food and hotels, as well as bringing in money for the prostitutes. If prostitutes did not receive money for their job, they would have no other source of income. Being involved in prostitution is their way of life, and sex tourists help.

While thinking of all the times I have been a tourist, or have been to the city of Atlanta, I have noticed how annoying tourists can really be. As tourism starts to grow, the nuisance becomes more and more prevalent, to the point where I do not wish to travel much anymore. These tourists stop in the middle of the street or sidewalks for pictures all while making it impossible to get around them. While tourism can be a pain in the butt for everyone involved, I think that a bigger cause of concern is the security risk. With the increase in the number of tourists to a certain location, brings along a greater risk for things to go wrong. With this increase of people to a certain area requires much more security than before. Tourists crowds are becoming bigger than ever and police officers and other security workers must be prepared for the unexpected that these crowds bring along. You never know a stranger’s intentions, so I believe that tourist crowds become more of a safety risk rather than just a simple nuisance. I also believe that people in the world these days focus on any inconvenience that has to do with themselves, but fail to realize the bigger picture. In addition, people are often in their own world, so many people like this in one area could be very dangerous.

While going through Chapter three, the case study that stuck out to me was “Ecotourism in Belize”. I have never been out of the country before, so I often thoroughly enjoy reading about places outside of the United States. I hate to admit it, but once I started reading about Belize I had to pull up a world map, just so that I could get my bearings about where Belize is located. A few years back a friend of mine and her family took a trip to Belize over the summer. They came back with many pictures and it appeared to be beautiful. I enjoyed reading the book as it gave more insight of the development in tourism and how the numbers of tourists dramatically increased from the 1960s up until now. Ecotourism in Belize seems to be very popular due to the variety of scenery that is present throughout. Anywhere from marine facilities to jungle preserves, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Like many places in the United States, it appears as though Belize continues to develop. In the end of the chapter, it states that many of the travelers enjoy the really nice hotels and many other things in luxury. I have always wanted to travel to some place new, and after doing some further research outside of the assigned reading, I think it would be an interesting, new place to go. While going through pictures I found online, I see that the water is really clear and blue, and I love that. I am used to the oceans that are dark blue and you can’t see anything, so maybe one day I’ll get to go to Belize. 

While completing the reading about Pedal Pubs and doing some further research on the growing interest that comes along with them, I have some concerns about the popularity of them on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. A few years back I took a trip to Nashville, Tennessee where I experienced my first Pedal Pub. This particular bike has gained popularity for different parties, such as birthday parties or bachelorette parties. It has gained so much popularity in Nashville that in an episode of Saturday Night Live, they appeared on a pedal bike that was a bar with a bachelorette party. In my opinion, I believe that this pedal bike has taken over Nashville because of the amount of bars that are located downtown. If these bikes were started in Atlantic City, I do not believe they would have as much success. I am not positive, but I do not think as many people go to Atlantic City for parties such as bachelorette parties as they do in places such as Nashville. These bikes are also a way to explore the city, and I do not believe there is as much to explore in Atlantic City as there is in Nashville. I have never been to Atlantic City, so I can not speak about the atmosphere, but knowing Nashille, I know that drinking is very popular, and that is why it is so successful. I do believe though that if it was a pub bike in Atlantic City, tourists like to try new things, and that is the most likely way for the bikes to be successful.

After reading both the introduction and Chapter One in the Chambers textbook, Native Tours, I have come to the conclusion that the introduction had more of an influence than the first chapter did. The introduction of Native Tours starts off talking about the history of traveling and the increase in popularity. Before reading the introduction and before the start of Tourism Around the World, I did not ever consider the fact that there are many different types of tourists, as well as reasons for travel. The introduction to this book plays a very important role, as it serves as an overview of travel and the impact it has on the people in the communities and the tourists. The introduction to this book is written in first person, while giving the author’s viewpoints on popular topics within tourism. It is very interesting to read the introduction, as the author argues with many popular beliefs regarding the popularity of tourism. The introduction also forced me to think deeper and to think about topics I generally would not. I never thought that tourism would be a topic that anthropologists would care to study, but after reading the introduction, I was wrong. 

While trying to decide whether I would engage in becoming a begpacker or voluntourism, I realized the decision is rather difficult. Both types of tourism bring along many negative factors that I am not a fan of. I can safely say that I would never become a begpacker due to the fact that I am always worried about how much money I have. I will not even go to simple places near my home without money, so why would I ever travel to a different country with no money? It makes no sense to me that people think that it is morally okay to travel to foreign places with no money at all. I feel as though if they weren’t to have any money, they shouldn’t be taking such trips anyway. So, I guess if I had to choose I would engage in voluntourism. I would love to be able to go somewhere in the world and help a community in need, but only if that community is asking for help. I feel as though often time’s groups travel to places that do not even wish to have their help. Scrolling through Instagram, I feel as though often times people engage in voluntourism and feel as though the whole Instagram community needs to acknowledge it and congratulate them for how awesome of a person they are. If it were me I would not post anything besides sending pictures to my family of how I helped and the experiences I had.

If I could pick anywhere in the world to travel, I would go to Greece. I have never been able to travel out of the country before, and I believe that Greece would be a great spot to start off. But I am aware that in order to be able to travel, I must have money to pay for it. I would have to start off my trip in Athens, but I would definitely want to travel around to different parts. After Athens, I would continue my travels to Santorini. Although I admit that I do not know a lot about Santorini, from what I’ve seen online it is beautiful. Even if I Did not end up in Santorini, there are other cities that are just as beautiful. When I travel I like to feel relaxed and like I do not have to feel pressured to do anything. If I were to be able to go to an island like Santorini I would definitely be okay with enjoying the scenery for a few days. While reading online, I have noticed that many people complain that these such spots have been overridden with tourists. Sometimes when I travel I do not want to seem like a tourist, but I feel as though I would be okay with being a tourist in Greece. Even though I would want to do the things tourists are known to do in Greece, I would definitely want to be able to immerse myself in the Greek culture.