OVERVIEW

CONFESSIONS OF AN ARMCHAIR TOURIST

Armchair Tourism means taking a trip to anywhere in the world in the comfort of your own arm chair! It’s otherwise called Virtual Tourism.  It can be done by press of your remote button, click of your mouse or flipping pages. Here there is no physical movement from your usual place still you can call it tourism coz you are after all taking a break from routine!     

          

I am a self declared Armchair tourism enthusiast. As someone rightly said, "Sometimes the best travel adventures are the ones experienced from home, in your chair, with a nice cuppa steaming tableside and a plump pillow propping up your feet." 

Not that I detest the real travel & tourism, but in armchair tourism, you can overcome certain Barriers to Tourism like physical efforts of travel, touts, safety & security etc.

In Armchair tourism the service providers are Books, Travel Literature, Television, Movies & other Audio Visual media, and Internet. 

Tourism they say is an intangible product; it’s all about the experience.

As in real tourism the presenter of service has key role in armchair tourism too. So choose your co-traveler (read anchor / host of show or author of the column/blog) wisely and he or she can give you insight into different parts of the world, different aspects of culture, society, ideas, festivals, events, food habits, entertainments(be it sports, dance, music ), and what not.  

Each presenter or author gives you a different view. Also each time you watch or read about a place, your mood and companions would affect your experience. Isn’t that heterogeneity of tourism products? 

 Armchair tourism too is perishable like real ones. If you miss a chance during a particular scheduled slot, the unused service goes waste! 

Armchair tourism services are seasonal. There are demand fluctuations during different time of the year, week or day!   

Like any tourism this too happens only if you have some time and money to spare. After all, books like Lonely Planet or Frommers Travel Guides or Outlook Traveler are not the ones you buy offhand!)

I take Package Tour that my Tour Operator (local cable television operator) gives and customize the itinerary.  My Travel Agent at the Book Stall or Library is Not Your Average Travel Agent!

Basically by being an Arm Chair Tourist I’ve crossed the seven seas and visited the seven wonders. I’ve been transported in Airforce One, Titanic & Royal Rajasthan on Wheels. I’ve travelled on Fast Track in Fifth Gear in Ultimate Cars.

I often Take A Break for Romantic Get Aways to some Amazing Vacation Homes. These Inntimate Escapes to Dream Hotels have given me Amazing Moments. I’ve made Royal Reservations at the World’s Most Luxurious Hotel and got personal tour of The Taj, Mumbai. Thank you friends for letting me in to your ‘Veedu’ While You Were Out!

As a The Foodie, having No Reservations about World Cafe Asia, I’ve have gone Around World in 85 Plates and tasted Best Food Ever. I surely have learned a lot about food and beverage. That too without having consumed a single grain or drop!

What if I don’t get chef’s table at ‘Claridges’, I can always watch Chef Gordan Ramsay in action in Hell’s Kitchen! While ‘My China’ (Kylie Kwang) gives inside peek of China, Italian Khana (Ritu Dalmia) takes one right inside Italy. Flavours of India presented by Madhur Jaffery or Dr.Lakshmi Nair have given me more than just food on the platter.  Having known the Taste of Kerala and Taste of Arabia I was ready to have ‘Highway on My Plate’ with Mayur & Rocky Singh. So it doesn’t matter whether you are on Food Path or Foodistan or Planet Food, following Master Chef in Australia, USA, and India can give extra tips on cuisine of world or region.  Still I’ve wished more than once that I too could get a ‘Take Home Chef’ like Curtis Stone!

While Ian showed me the Wright way to America, |Trinny & Susannah tells me What not to wear. Samantha Brown has given me ‘Passport to Great Weekends ‘&‘Passport to Europe’? While Justine Shapiro, Megan McCormick etc have acted as guides to me, ‘Travelers’ have escorted me to celebrate Boat Race in Alapuzha; Rio Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Tomatina fest in Valencia, Spain; Octoberfest in Munich, Germany. 

 

While Jackie Chan familiarized me with his Hong Kong and Big B gave me FAM tour of Gujarat. Aamir Khan says it’s Incredible India!

 When VIPs like PM of New Zealand or King of Jordan is there to give you a personal tour of their country how can you resist? When Stars like Julia Roberts speaks or Mohanlal or writes about their personal experience, who would not wish to join them?

I’m happy that my Wild Encounters were not Up Close and Dangerous! I surely consider myself lucky as an armchair tourist when I don’t actually have to be there, but still can get a ringside view of ‘Snake Master’ Austin Stevens or ‘Crocodile Hunter’ Steve & Terri Irwin. What better place than your own comfortable couch to peep Into The Pride and enjoy Big Cats Diary? I have heard Call of the Wild and once or twice I’ve been Caught in The Act when I went Most Extreme with Dangerous Encounters.

   

In my Package Tour I’ve been spoiled for choice of Entertainment. The Stars, Super Stars & Idols have mesmerized me with their Music and Dance. The hypnotic effect of the Mind Freak got me as confused as to ‘What’s Magic?’ that I enrolled into MagicSkool. Circus cannot be far behind when talking of entertainments during Armchair Tourism. While giant Oscar spread red carpet for me at National Academy; I went country hopping with stars during IIFA! Roland Garros, Lords, Liverpool etc. has always been game about me visiting there often!

Arm Chair Tourism has taken me on a pilgrimage of Temples, Churches, Mosques, Gurudwaras, Vihara, Jain Mandirs, Synagogues or Fire Temples…  Monasteries, Convents, Ashrams etc have acted as resting place for my ego. During Melas, Fairs, Festivals, Carnivals, Id etc. I get special enriched packages. At different times I’ve witnessed performances from Mahabharat and Ramayan & Bible.

When in good spirits how can adventure tourism be far behind? I’ve had Journey of a Lifetime as Extreme Tourist .Like Nomads I’ve taken Roads Less Travelled. By Any Means the Destination Extreme is Long Way Down and A World Apart.

How can tourism be complete without Shopping?  . So I’ve learned as where to shop, when to shop and how to shop at many destinations. I’ve even learned about customized shopping from ‘Custom Made for Vir Sanghvi’- where he buys made-to-order paintings to exclusive meals to a tune composed especially for him to royal suit stitched by king’s own men. What better way to learn about our cultural products and its richness!

 Armchair tourism too has certain Security Concerns and is not free of catastrophes. I’ve got stuck in The Terminal and escaped Burning Train.. When I crossed the Vertical Limit I plunged into the Abyss. I’m Survivor of Volcano, was calm during Earthquake and did not get frozen in Avalanche. I felt Deep Impact of Flood and Twister when I was Cast Away. To avoid Wipe Out, I dared not go In too Deep or else I’d have been Fooled by Nature. I’ve known about Alien Invasion from Unknown Universe. But since I don’t want to be Destroyed in Seconds, I stick to Planet Earth. 

Languages Constraints makes me limit the Tour to certain territories!

 

Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Kahan, Saif Ali Khan, Abhishek Bachchan etc have tried marketing packages they endorse. I’m yet to try any of them!

 

Yes Armchair tourism can be ‘Kaleidoscope’ of ‘Live Wire’ ‘Yathra’! . I keep hoping my Sancharam would take me to space…

Over all Armchair Tourism for me has been an Amazing Race which took me on a Journey to the End of the Earth

Has arm chair tourism left me lazy and lethargic? No! I do take real physical trips when I can! 
All said and done  “Muzaafir Hoon Yaaron.’!!!