While some like to adventure on vacation, others go away for rest and relaxation, choosing to stay at lavish accommodation.
If being pampered by attentive service, luxurious spa treatments, and top-notch dining is what you’re seeking, there might not be much motivation to leave your hotel or resort during your trip.
One individual took to the internet to ask if it’s wrong not to leave your resort during vacation, saying, “Do you leave the 5-star resort when you travel to a tropical destination?” After all, why travel so far and not go sightseeing or experience local culture?
Frequent travelers weighed in:
Backstory
The individual asking the question, or the original poster (OP), was excited to catch up with friends who had just returned from their first trip to Asia. OP’s friends spent over 40 hours reaching Bali from Jamestown, North Dakota.
They arrived after dark and took a taxi straight to their resort. OP was shocked to find out that after arriving, their friends didn’t leave the resort once during their 10-day trip, despite their lengthy travel time.
See also: 10 Tropical Islands To Add to Your Travel Bucket List
Was OP’s friends’ resort all-inclusive?
It’s common for travelers to spend a lot of time at resorts that are all-inclusive. Dining and drinking at an all-inclusive resort can save a lot of money.
Yet, OP’s friends’ resort was not all-inclusive. They had to pay retail rates at the property’s restaurant, bar, and shops.
Claims OP, “If they walked out of the hotel into town, the prices would be half as much.”
See also: Paradise Found: Discover The 5 Best All-Inclusive Resorts in The Caribbean for Vacation Bliss
What did OP’s friends do during their trip?
If OP’s friends weren’t going sightseeing, how were they filling their time at the resort?
According to OP, “They ate, drank lots of beer and wine, and chatted with people at the pool. In the evenings, they partied at the bars at the hotel. Basically, they hung out in their room and at the pool, ate lots of food, drank lots of booze, and relaxed. They said it was a perfect vacation.”
Why didn’t OP’s friends leave the resort?
Confused, OP asked why their friends refused to explore Bali after traveling such a long distance.
“Why would we when the resort was so nice?” OP’s friends responded. Apparently, many of the people at the resort also never left.
This made OP wonder if their friends weren’t alone in their preference to stay at the resort. OP asked, “Would you fly all the way from the USA to Bali to stay inside the resort for 100% of your vacation?”
Here is what frequent travelers had to say:
There are two types of vacations
“There are two types of vacations. Relaxation and exploration. Sometimes you want one, sometimes the other.”
Asia is amazing for budget-conscious luxury
“Cost in Asia is cheaper, so some of these 5-star resorts are living like a king for a week in beautiful weather and stunning food. All you can eat, order to your room, unlimited drinks, beautiful pool, and massage.
“I moved to Asia. Charging hard, traveling, eating street food, and getting into the culture is great but can leave you not so relaxed on a short trip. Yet alone a long one. I could sure use a 5-star right about now.”
Everyone’s idea of a perfect vacation is different
“If they said it was perfect, it was—for them.”
Traveling is about balance
“I’m an explorer. My wife is an explorer.
“But I just finished five grueling years of medical training, and my wife has basically been a single mother to our two-year-old for the past two years.
“We are going to an all-inclusive for seven days, and we are not leaving the resort. We are relaxing and having someone else cook and clean and make our drinks. We are going to do a lot of sitting around and getting massages.
“It is going to be glorious. We’ll go exploring next year.”
See also: Basking in Elegance: The World of Luxury Resorts and Hotels in America
OP’s friends lack curiosity
“I absolutely agree that OP’s friends didn’t do anything unethical. They didn’t do anything illegal. There’s nothing wrong with what they did in any sort of objective sense.
“It does, I think, show a deep lack of curiosity on their part. Like, I get that some people like resorts—not everyone travels like I do. I can also absolutely wrap my head around the desire to just chill for a few days, especially if you’re taking a vacation from a stressful job, especially if you just traveled 40 hours.
“But to never leave the resort? To never even once venture into town? Aren’t they even a little bit curious about what the country they flew to is actually like, once not designed around their consumption experience? Even just to take 30 minutes in between beers to swing over to a supermarket to peruse and see what local snacks are around?
“It’s like if someone proudly states that they haven’t read a book since high school. Their life is their life, and everyone has different hobbies, but at that extreme, would I judge them a little? Sure.”
Traveling and vacationing are two different things
“To me, vacation and travel are two different things. I live to travel. I want to bounce from city to city, experiencing different cultures and places.
“I constantly work towards having these kinds of trips. But sometimes I just need a break from life and just want to go hang out at the Shangri La in Fiji snorkeling, laying on the beach and drinking for a week, not having to make a decision other than ‘Which bar are we going to next?’
“Would I travel 40 hours to do it? Probably not.”
This article was written and syndicated by What the Fab.
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Elise Armitage is an entrepreneur and founder of What The Fab, a travel + lifestyle blog based in California. At the beginning of 2019, Elise left her corporate job at Google to chase her dreams: being an entrepreneur and helping women find fabulous in the everyday. Since then, she’s launched her SEO course Six-Figure SEO, where she teaches bloggers how to create a passive revenue stream from their website using SEO. Featured in publications like Forbes, Elle, HerMoney, and Real Simple, Elise is a firm believer that you can be of both substance and style.
