Substance vs Style: A Traveler's Dilemma

Perhaps the name of this blog is a little misleading. The term "jet set" gives the reader an impression that the traveler is not only flying off to thrilling locations, but doing so at a level of style and luxury that most do not experience. That impression, I must confess, may be a little disingenuous. On my most recent trip in Japan, approximately 50% of my lodgings were in hostels. We're talking bunk beds on thread bare "pads" in lieu of mattresses with shared bathrooms and a shower that only provides hot water in 30 second spurts. At one point at one of our accommodations, a cockroach literally climbed up the side of my bed and nonchalantly diving into my toiletries bag. Juxtaposed with my last post about Japan, you'd think perhaps I was lying about the greatness of Japan. Despite all this, the hostels were still a great value and overall very comfortable and clean. But, needless to say, my travels aren't always first class.

The reason I am writing about all this is that I ran across a posting on a travel forum I frequent regularly that stated the following: I can either go see the Taj Mahal, or stay at a 5 star hotel, and I'm picking the 5 star hotel.

This, ladies and gentlemen, made my jaw drop.

This boggles my mind on multiple levels, so let's examine it for a minute. This wasn't exactly an either/or proposition for the writer. He did not have to choose between seeing the Taj Mahal and not having a hotel for the night, or not seeing the Taj Mahal and having a hotel for the night. There are plenty of hotel accommodations, plenty of them luxurious in their own right, in the vicinity of the Taj Mahal. The writer on this forum was stating that the 5 star hotel he was interested in staying at was in a location that made seeing the Taj Mahal that day impossible, and therefore he was going to give up seeing one of the most iconic monuments to love and architecture known to man in order to stay here.

Where are our priorities?! I've never stayed at an Aman resort, but I can see the allure. Luxurious tents in the countryside of India. Plush cushions, gourmet food, spa accommodations, a pool to dive into and wash away the heat, and what I'm told is some of the most amazing service a resort can offer. Yet I'd be hard pressed to see any reason on the website, or from the word of mouth I've heard of Aman Resorts, to fork over almost $1000/night in exchange for missing out on seeing something as epic and amazing as the Taj Mahal. Especially when you can go "slumming" at a hotel property like the Oberoi Amarvilas that is essentially right next to the Taj Mahal. Being voted the 2nd best hotel property in Asia by Travel + Leisure magazine in 2010 apparently isn't good enough to give up eating tandoori lamb in a linen tent. Seriously, is this not a nice enough hotel:

Which isn't to say I haven't splurged on a few hotels in my travels. When I stayed in Bangkok my hotel of choice was the Lebua at State Tower, which is a pretty nice hotel. Sure, I could have stayed in a hotel with a lot fewer bells and whistles and saved myself a boat load of money, but I wanted to treat myself a little bit. When I was in Hong Kong earlier this year, I stayed a night at the Shangri-La property in Kowloon. While it wasn't at the top of the food chain in terms of Hong Kong hotels, it wasn't anything to bat your eyes at either. At the of the day though, when I was in Bangkok and Hong Kong, the reason I was there was to see Bangkok and Hong Kong.

Not to get a massage. Not to eat a Michelin rated meal. Not for a door man.

Bangkok is the Chao Phraya river, the Temple of Dawn, pad thai from a street vendor, stray dogs who beg you for food, lady boys on mopeds, and mind boggling humidity. Hong Kong is the Star Ferry, sneaking away to a sandy forgotten beach, the Temple Street night market, being shoved on the sidewalk during rush hour in Central, and a hazy view of the harbor from Victoria Peak. They are not Hiltons, Four Seasons, Hyatts, or Aman Resorts.

And I'm willing to bet northern India is more about the Taj Mahal then it is about the Aman-i-Khas resort.

We all have our own personal travel philosophies, but this is my blog so I'm allowed on my soap box. What has our consumption come to when we jet set across the globe only to experience what money can buy us, and choose to ignore what history and culture can give us? What ever happened to going to India to see India? I encourage everyone to travel, but to travel for the right reasons. You can get a massage, a good meal, or a comfortable bed in your home town. It's not every day can see the Taj Mahal, the Serengeti, Iguazu Falls, or Mount Rushmore.

Enjoy the luxury of a 5 star hotel on all your trips if it's within your means, but do it at night when you can lay on those 1000 thread count sheets in sheer exhaustion and ponder the wonders of the world.

Safe Travels,


Leo