By Robert McGarvey

Is camping the new luxury? So says Travel + Leisure, a publication that I can’t say I turn to as a mainstay source but in this instance it won my attention. That’s because, as regular readers know, for the past six months I have had a monthly habit of spending a couple or three nights tent camping, something I had no history of doing but suddenly – inexplicably – I was seized by the desire to sleep on dirt.

Maybe T + L has insight into what motivated me.

“We see travelers seeking out activities that require more mental and physical exertion,” Misty Belles, vice president of global public relations for Virtuoso, a network of luxury travel advisors, told T + L. “C-suite clients in particular want experiences that go beyond their comfort zone. Executives at the highest levels are willing to push boundaries, and they like to test themselves.”

I am no c-suiter but I’ve spent my life working with my brain and a keyboard and, as I age, I am attracted to wholly different kinds of activities. Admittedly I do not fit the tent camping demographic. Just 10% of tent campers are Baby Boomers and older.  (57.7% of RV owners, by contrast, are Boomers.  That just holds no appeal for me right now.  A few years from now, who knows.)

But I find myself attracted to pushing my personal boundaries.

What I like about tent camping is its utter strangeness for me.  It’s way out of my comfort zone.

Each camping trip brings me new challenges. Last month in Joshua Tree CA, it was wind that threatened to blow away the tent. And then I remembered I’d read something, somewhere about guy lines, strings that make a tent set up taut.  I was sure I didn’t have any so I drove to a nearby town bought some strings – not exactly guy lines but a workable substitution – and an hour later I had the tent secure.

Of course I also found when I was taking the tent down that, amid the stakes provided with my fancy tent, there already was a small packet of genuine guy lines. That’s ok. Tomorrow I am heading to a campsite in Sedona where there likely will be wind and rain so this will involve all my guy lines to keep the tent taut and the inside dry.

It may seem as though I simply did a 180 and there I was camping.  But arguably the 150 miles I walked in Spain on the Camino in 2021 and the 150 I walked in Portugal and Spain in 2022 helped to reset my mind regarding the outdoors.  Incidentally there is little camping available along the Camino – but I did spend hundreds of hours outside in nature and in the process grew to enjoy it.

What do you need to do similar? You don’t have to spend the $2000 or so I’ve plunked down to make my camping somewhat comfortable. REI offers rental gear and a camping kit costs $151 for the first night and $36 per additional night.  It has all the basics.  I’d recommend using the rental stuff for the first couple trips.  You may like it, you may hate it.

Where to do your first camping? I did mine at Bryce Canyon in Utah, a beautiful park that’s neglected by campers as most seek out nearby Zion and Moab.  

I also highly recommend Organ Pipe National Monument in southern Arizona (on the Mexican border) and Joshua Tree, 150 miles west of Los Angeles.

The marquee national parks – the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Zion – have complex reservation systems and it can take patience to get a booking. The lesser known national parks are easier to book into and that works for me.

First impressions are that the national parks and monuments are better serviced and equipped than campgrounds in national forests.  But national forest campgrounds often have more availability and, personally, I like Manzanita a few miles outside Sedona.

I have only used federal campsites.  In some states there are very good state campsites but I can’t comment specifically.

What you can’t rent from REI is the right mental attitude and you will need it.

Go into camping with utter humility. You know nothing. At least I didn’t. Be prepared to figure out everything. And keep adapting and evolving. Every trip I bring some new gear as new needs arise. Every trip I see things a little differently.

Will I ever get this figured out? I’m not betting that I will but that’s part of the excitement. It’s just fun to embrace one’s ignorance,  And that is what nature lets us do.

by Robert McGarvey

My personal experience with travel agents has been little and miserable.  A classic example — booked by a large publisher’s outside travel agency – was a room in a far off Strip hotel when I was going to Las Vegas for an event in the convention center which admittedly is not on the Strip but is nearby.  The hotel was 10 miles from the Strip and as I pointed out the cost savings in room nights would be obliterated by the taxi fares.  I was booked into the Strip hotel I’d wanted in the first place.

Just about every time a travel agent has been involved in my travels something was wrong.  I admit that is unquestionably a deviant history.  But it sets me up as keenly curious about ChatGPT’s argument that travel is an ideal use case for AI.  The initial proof of concept is an Ireland trip planner that, said ChatGPT,  “will showcase how bespoke travel recommendations can make Dublin’s rich cultural heritage and vibrant city life more accessible to visitors. This prototype has been designed to show the potential of generative AI to support unique, bespoke experiences for visitors instead of generic to-do lists.”

In a first take the Irish Times curled its lip in distaste: “The itinerary – produced by the chatbot on Wednesday when The Irish Times asked for travel advice – is not entirely imaginative or necessarily appealing to locals. But it is a programme that will resonate with the millions of people who visit the city from overseas each year searching for the craic and stout costing the guts of a tenner for a pint.”

ChatGPT’s Dublin IRA

My experiments with ChatGPT are a bit more encouraging.  For instance, I asked ChatGPT to give me a three day itinerary for exploring the history of the Irish Republican Army in Dublin.  It came up with this:

Day 1: General Overview of Irish Independence

Morning:

• GPO Witness History Museum:
  • Start your day with a visit to the General Post Office (GPO) Witness History Museum. The GPO played a significant role in the Easter Rising of 1916, a key event in Irish history.

Afternoon:

2. Kilmainham Gaol:

• Explore Kilmainham Gaol, where many leaders of the 1916 Rising were imprisoned and executed. The guided tour provides insights into Ireland’s struggle for independence.
• Collins Barracks:
  • Visit the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts and History at Collins Barracks. This museum covers a wide range of Irish history, including the War of Independence and the Civil War.

Day 2: The War of Independence

Morning:

• Dublin Castle:
  • Start at Dublin Castle, which played a role in both the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations and the establishment of the Irish Free State. [Note: Dublin Castle was the seat of British power until Irish independence.}

Afternoon:

2. War Memorial Gardens:

• Visit the Irish National War Memorial Gardens, dedicated to the memory of Irish soldiers who died in World War I. This provides context for the complex relationships during the War of Independence.
• Custom House:
  • Walk along the River Liffey to the Custom House, a symbol of British authority that was targeted during the War of Independence.

Day 3: The Troubles and Contemporary Ireland

Morning:

• Dublin City Hall:
  • Explore Dublin City Hall, which features an exhibition on the history of Dublin, including the impact of the Troubles.

Afternoon:

2. Arbour Hill Cemetery:

• Visit Arbour Hill Cemetery, the burial place of many leaders of the 1916 Rising. It includes a memorial to those who died in the struggle for Irish independence.
• National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology:
  • Conclude your trip with a visit to the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology, which covers Ireland’s history from prehistoric times to the present day.

McGarvey’s Dublin Additions

As it happens I have been to the GPO, Dublin Castle, Kilmainham Gaol, the Custom House and I should visit Arbor Hill Cemetery and Collins Barracks. My verdict: I find the ChatGPT itinerary a decent start and if a tourist did only the ChatGPT itinerary it wouldn’t be a bad three days.

I would make them better however. To the itinerary I would add Croke Park, where the British Army murdered 30 people at a Gaelic football match in 1920, the first Bloody Sunday. Glasnevin Cemetery  belongs on the list too.  

I would also stop at the spot where Nelson’s Pillar once stood until a 1966 IRA bomb blew it up. This is central Dublin (O’Connell Street). The Spire of Dublin now occupies that space.

This being Dublin I also would visit a few pubs frequented by the legendary Michael Collins – definitely Davy Byrnes which also ticks an important Ulysses box.  Besides, a tourist has to eat and drink so go for pubs with important history or literary connections.

Gemini’s Counter-Offensive

No assessment of AI is complete without a look at Google’s Gemini (nee Bard).

Here is its pass:

“Dublin boasts a rich and complex history, and the Irish Republican Army (IRA) played a significant role in shaping the city’s landscape. This 3-day itinerary delves into the key events and locations associated with the IRA, offering a deeper understanding of Ireland’s fight for independence.

Day 1: Setting the Stage

• Morning: Start your day at the National Museum of Ireland – Collins Barracks ( ). This impressive building houses a vast collection of artifacts related to Irish history, including a dedicated section to the Easter Rising and the IRA.Opens in a new windowwww.museum.ieNational Museum of Ireland Collins Barracks Dublin
• Afternoon: Take a guided walking tour focused on the 1916 Easter Rising. These tours, offered by companies like Dublin Historical Walking Tours ( ), bring history to life as you walk past iconic landmarks like the GPO (General Post Office) ( ) and Kilmainham Gaol ( ), both of which played crucial roles in the rebellion.Opens in a new windowchevron_rightwanderyourway.comDublin Historical Walking Tours
• Evening: Enjoy a traditional Irish dinner at The Brazen Head ( ), a historic pub established in 1754. This pub is rumored to have been a meeting point for IRA members throughout history.Opens in a new windowen.wikipedia.orgBrazen Head Dublin

Day 2: Kilmainham Gaol and Beyond

• Morning: Dedicate the morning to a guided tour of Kilmainham Gaol. This former prison played a pivotal role in the aftermath of the Easter Rising, where many leaders were imprisoned and executed. The tour offers a chilling yet poignant look into this significant location.
• Afternoon: Head to the National Library of Ireland ( ) to delve deeper into the history of the IRA. The library archives house a wealth of primary sources, including newspapers, pamphlets, and documents related to the organization.Opens in a new windowwww.nli.ieNational Library of Ireland Dublin
• Evening: Catch a performance at the Abbey Theatre ( ). Founded by W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory, the Abbey Theatre has a long history of staging plays that explore Irish history and identity, including themes related to the IRA.Opens in a new windowwww.abbeytheatre.ieAbbey Theatre Dublin

Day 3: Reflecting on the Legacy

• Morning: Visit the Glasnevin Cemetery Museum ( ). This cemetery is the final resting place for many prominent Irish figures, including several IRA leaders. The museum offers guided tours that explore the complex history of Irish nationalism and the role of the IRA.Opens in a new windowwww.atlasobscura.comGlasnevin Cemetery Museum Dublin
• Afternoon: Spend some time at the Irish National War Memorial Gardens located at Islandbridge. This peaceful park commemorates Irish soldiers who died in various wars, including the fight for independence.
• Evening: For your final dinner, head to The Winding Stair ( ), a pub located in Dublin Castle. This historic pub offers a warm atmosphere to reflect on your exploration of Dublin’s IRA history and enjoy some live traditional music.Opens in a new windowwww.cntraveler.comWinding Stair Dublin

Additional Tips:

• Consider purchasing a Dublin Pass to save on entrance fees to many of the attractions mentioned in this itinerary.
• For a deeper understanding of the IRA’s motivations and actions, it’s helpful to research the historical context of Ireland’s fight for independence before your trip.
• If you’re interested in a more comprehensive experience, consider extending your stay in Dublin to explore other historical sites and museums.

This itinerary provides a starting point for your exploration of Dublin’s IRA history. Remember, history is a complex subject, and there are multiple perspectives on the IRA’s legacy. Embrace the opportunity to learn, reflect, and form your own conclusions.”

Gemini Wins the Jar of Jameson

Note: Gemini includes Glasnevin and my suggested pub crawl. It also, rather smartly, tossed in the Abbey Theater, a place I always go to when I visit Ireland.

For my money (although I’m using free versions of both), Gemini’s is the tour I’d recommend

Personally I plan to make extensive use of ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini (nee Bard) in planning a long stay in Madrid and now I am also going to use it to plan my monthly visits to camp grounds, particularly in identifying the best hiking trails.

Give AI a try on your next trip. You just may like what you get.

by Robert McGarvey

The Phocuswire headline caught my eye: “WHAT HAPPENS WHEN TRAVELERS FIND TOURS TOO AUTHENTIC?”  For some months I’d been monitoring a surging American traveler insistence that what they want is travel experiences that are authentic – and part of me well knew there are limits to the “authenticity” we want to experience on holiday.

In the particular case mentioned in the Phocuswire story a traveler complained loudly when during a tour of a local food market in Hanoi he came upon a whole fried dog.

What would you say and do?

As I picture this scene in my head, I am taken back 30 years to a trip I made to Sweden, sponsored by Absolut, where lunch one day was at the beach at an eel shack where the edible was eel paired with scrambled eggs and bread slices that resembled Wonderbread. Oh, and vast quantities of vodka.  

Do understand there is a long tradition of eel fishing in Sweden.  It’s now under attack but 30 years ago it was a shining example of traditional Sweden which my Absolut hosts wanted to expose me to.  On the same trip I spent a night in an historic hunting lodge where wealthy city Swedes would go, 100 years ago and probably today too, to hunt deer which would show up on the dinner table. 

I ate the venison and enjoyed it.

The eel was a different matter.

I had never eaten eel before and indeed my only experience of eel as an edible was from the scene in The Tin Drum (viewer discretion advised).  There was no way I intended to eat that thing and I didn’t. But I did eat some scrambled eggs – fluffy and tasty – and even had a few bites of the bland white bread.  Of course I swallowed my share of vodka, probably more as I contemplated the horrors of this lunch, and I don’t believe the host was aggrieved about my eel abstinence.

What I did not do is rant about eel eating. Others in my small group seemed to enjoy their bites of house smoked eel and indeed even I got that the very scene and the meal represented hundreds of years of Swedish culinary history.  

Back to Hanoi and the crispy dog – my view (which departs from that of many experts quoted in the Phocuswire piece – is that the problem is entirely the sensitive traveler’s, most certainly not the tour organizer who, in my view, had no responsibility to prepare travelers for the possibility of seeing food items that would disturb then.

Heavens, what bubble of ignorance do these people live in?  The Humane Society plainly says: “An estimated 30 million dogs are killed for human consumption each year across Asia in a brutal trade that involves terrible cruelty to animals and often, criminal activity. From 10-20 million dogs are slaughtered in China, up to 1 million in South Korea, 1 million in Indonesia, and around 5 million in Viet Nam.”

Please, don’t tell me you are surprised – indeed horrified – by cooked dog in a Vietnam market.

The world does not share our US food peculiarities.

I still remember, with a shiver, a years ago trip with a chef to an authentic (that is, for locals) food market in Bali – yes, that idyllic island – where a half dozen adorable little piglets were putting up a shriek as they awaited purchase (and one hopes swift delivery from this mortal coil). They knew their fate and they weren’t going without a howl. As for me, I shrugged and attempted to avert my eyes (and ears).

But I did not tell the Balinese to go vegan and repent for their sins. But I suppose I might have suggested they see Babe.

In France many eat horse meat which in the US we view as verboten, although how we justify chowing down on Elsie but refuse to eat Trigger is beyond me.  

In Mexico there’s rampant consumption of insects and, no, I wouldn’t personally crunch on a beetle, I also certainly wouldn’t complain about a tour that involved a stop at a bug emporium.  

We eat differently than people in much of the world do.

But the real question is how much “authenticity” do we want?

My guess is not a helluva lot.

That’s ok but, please, stop whining about it.  If you sign up for an”authentic” tour, stay quiet on the ride.

Or just stay home in the first place.

By Robert McGarvey

Effective May 1, if you want to earn frequent flier miles with American AIrlines, you must purchase tickets via the airline directly or from “preferred” third party travel agencies and websites which have yet to be named, presumably because American is trying to hammer out deals that benefit it the most. The list, supposedly, will be revealed in late April.

Miles will be awarded on Basic Economy fares only when booked via American or partner operators. No third party agency bookings qualify.

Travel agents predictably are a -flutter. “This latest development doubles down on American Airlines’ clear disregard for the travel agencies that distribute its service,” wrote American Society of Travel Advisors CEO Zane Kerby.

What about passengers? Are you applauding these changes? American believes you should.  “We want to make it more convenient for customers to enjoy the value and magic of travel,” American Airlines’ chief commercial officer Vasu Raja said in a statement. “Not only does booking directly with American provide the best possible experience, it’s also where we offer the best fares and it’s most rewarding for our AAdvantage members.”

I can’t speak for you but I don’t experience the “magic of travel” when making a few clicks on an airline website. I have no idea what Raja is saying here and rather doubt he does either.

Strange American’s explanation for the changes may be, they still may stick. American is unconcerned with travel agent ire, no matter how loud it gets. Assuming American can weather the passenger pushback against these changes (and I believe it can), Delta and United will quickly do likewise because the carriers are in a monkey see, monkey do business.  The other two surely like American’s gambit and if the water looks safe they’ll jump in.

Should we be rushing to man the barricades against these changes?

I am a North Jersey guy, a good brawl is always an appealing idea – but I don’t like to engage in sure loser fights and that’s what this is.

Little by little, airlines have been tweaking frequent flier programs to benefit them (and in a zero sum game that means we are losers).  

So too are travel agents and the first salvo in the airline war on them goes back almost 30 years, to 1995, when Delta sliced its commission payments from 10% to 5.  Now some airlines pay exactly zero and just about all have reduced or even eliminated any support services for travel agents.  That’s why some travel agents will book air only if paid a fee by the customer and it’s hard to blame them.

Hotels, meantime, have been at war over travel agent commissions for years – some simply refuse to deal with OTAs, online travel agents such as Expedia.  The hotels want to keep the money in their pockets.

Which brings us back to frequent flier miles which of course airlines see as a cash equivalent and therefore they want to maximize their control of it. So American is waving a cudgel, insisting that if we want miles (and they know we do), we’ll book with American or a “preferred” third party and those who play the miles game will go along with this rule change.

Some very occasional fliers may not, simply because they don’t know about it.

But most of us will shrug, grumble and play by the airlines’ new rules. That’s what we’ve done in the past when, for instance, we accepted the much more monumental shift of rewards flights to “dynamic pricing,” meaning what the market will bear.

We’ll do it again with this attempt by American to direct bookings into its own channels and those that benefit it the most.

Personally, I don’t much care.  For some years most of my flight bookings have been direct with the carrier anyway (except for a handful booked via Amex).  It’s just been more convenient for me to center every detail of a flight in the carrier’s mobile app.

Meantime, I’ll be bracing myself for still more erosion in the value of miles.

But, hey, at least we’ll get to experience that “magic of travel.” That’s what Raja said.

By Robert McGarvey

At 5:30p on Valentine’s Day I summoned an Uber to transport me 3.7 miles to Mora Italian, Scott Conant’s restaurant in Phoenix.  It took maybe 10 minutes to arrive, the ride also took around 10 minutes, uneventful. The trip fare was $21.67, Uber added a $4.25 booking fee, and I tipped $5.18.

That totals $31.10.  I paid $16.10 because I get a monthly $15 credit on Uber via Amex Plat.

At approximately 8:00p I summoned a Waymo driverless car.  It took around 20 minutes to arrive – “busy night,” said Google – but much of that time was spent finishing a coffee at my table in Mora.

The ride itself also took around 10 minutes.  The robot took exactly the route I would have driven.  There was nothing unusual about the ride, except that the driver’s seat was empty.  Oh – and that gave us much to comment on because for both of us this was a first time in a driverless car.  The fare totaled $18.70. No tip and please don’t tell me that in our current era of tip mania that it’s become necessary to tip to keep the robots placated.  

Which is the better ride?

My conclusion: I only get one $15 Uber credit a month ($35 in December to round the credit up to $200 for the year) and whenever I have already used that credit Waymo will get the business. It’s cheaper and more fun and also a gateway into tomorrow where robots do a lot of stuff for us.

Waymo operates in San Francisco and Phoenix and says it’s “ramping up” in Austin TX and Los Angeles County. I’m glad I live in phoenix and get to use it.

If you’re in San Francisco or Phoenix, use Waymo. It’s a ride into the future.

Mora Is Lessa

I have eaten a half dozen times at Mora since it opened in 2017 and I have been something of a fan. Early on I even had a pleasant chat with Scott Conant who was often in the house in those years.

I did not see him in Mora last night. He was missed.

I’d settled into a menu of my making: Little Gems Lettuce Caesar salad; pasta pomodoro (a Conant specialty – note the generous heap of butter); and a half roast chicken.  That was an option on Valentine’s Day and with a dessert, the tab was $190 for two.

Add in a couple negronis (lovely) and a $95 Super Tuscan (a solid buy) and the tab, inclusive of tax and a service charge, hit $425.

The meal wasn’t worth that much. 

Maybe the kitchen was simply hammered by the torrent of diners on Valentine’s Day but even the pomodoro seemed, well, mediocre and that’s the dish that propelled Conant to culinary stardom. This wasn’t a bad meal, don’t misunderstand, but it did not rise above the ho-hum.

One Open Table reviewer wrote this about the Valentine’s 2024 service: “All in all it wasn’t a great experience, food was overpriced and the quality was subpar.”  I agree and that reviewer had a problem with cold meatballs.  In our case it was the chicken that was cold and, somehow, that seemed only appropriate given the mediocrity of the first two dishes. We didn’t send ours back because there was no reason to believe there’d be improvement.

I gave the meal just two stars on Open Table. That was mainly for the outstanding negroni and the Super Tuscan which was good and fairly priced.

Sure, I understand that Valentine’s Day is not a good day at most restaurants.  It rings the cash register but the food usually reflects the hurried, harried atmosphere in the kitchen. As Delicious Magazine noted, “Even decent restaurants underperform on Valentine’s Day.”

I know all that but it’s just that I have experienced better at Mora in the past, even on very busy nights. Something was very off at Mora on Valentine’s Day 2024.

My hope is that last night simply was a miscue. I’ll give it another chance.

But if you are an out of towner who happens to be in Phoenix with a craving for Italian, my advice now is to go to Chris Bianco’s Tratto. It’s never failed me, always surprises me.

By Robert McGarvey

When I signed up for the Delta SkyMiles Gold card, mainly to get the welcome bonus cache of miles, the fee was $99. Now it’s been bumped up to $150.  Do I keep it or cut it up?

Know that in the past year or so I’ve cut up a United Explorer card and a Barclays AA card.  I live in Phoenix where the United presence is slender so it went. Delta doesn’t have many more flights but it does have a swank new Phoenix terminal and club and it also is an airline with a real relationship with Amex and its Platinum card (club access, yes, that will be capped in 2025 but it’s better than the bupkis at United).

As for American, I’d gotten a  Southwest card for the welcome bonus and it flies to pretty much all the useful AA domestic locations and I saw no point in carrying both cards. So AA went through the shredder.

Is it now the turn of the Delta card?

I’ve already used the welcome bonus – it plus existing miles bought two coach tickets to Madrid in the summer and that wiped out my stash of around 300,000 miles.  Pricey? You bet. But in the era of devalued air miles, if you have ‘em, burn ‘em.

As for my verdict on the pricier Delta SkyMiles Gold, I just transferred it from a tertiary wallet into the wallet I carry every day.  I have decided to keep it.

Amex raised the fee but also threw in a new perk: Spend $10,000 in the calendar year and get a $200 Delta credit. That’s up from $100, which hadn’t been enough to entice me but the $200 does.

The $10,000 spend also earns 10,000 SkyMiles, worth around $120 at a valuation of 1.2 cents per mile. Yes, I could put the spend on Amex Plat and get putatively richer miles…but, honestly, in my redemptions I am probably only getting around 1.2 cents per mile anyway.  Sure, I could play the redemption game more cleverly but I know me and my appetite for that kind of gaming.  

Other perks with the Delta card include a free bag check, priority boarding in the main cabin, and a 15% discount on awards travel. There’s also a $100 credit on a hotel stay booked through Delta and paid in advance.  I especially value the 15% discount awards – which saved me upwards of 40,000 miles on my Madrid tickets.

Perks I won’t use include a discount on inflight purchases and secondary insurance on rental cars. I don’t recall the last time I did either.

Aren’t these calculations tedious? They are. But they have emerged as essential in today’s credit card world.  Used to be, most of us could get by using a few mainstay cards for just about all purchases but nowadays as we pursue welcome bonuses, cashback, and in my case a Bitcoin reward (via a Venmo card and, thank you for asking, I’m up 73.5% on my holdings), cards are in a state of continuous churn.

As cards approach their renewal data, instead of just letting them renew, I find myself doing a quick and dirty cost benefit analysis. I also find myself weighing adding a new card with a rich welcome bonus instead of keeping a veteran card.

That means, in 2025, when the SkyMiles Gold card comes up for renewal, again I will do a fast calculation: keep it or cut it.  

That decision all comes down to how much value I have gotten from the card and timeframe is the past year and a forecast for the coming year.  What happened long ago no longer figures in the decision.

Does card shuffling hurt one’s credit score? I’ve seen a tiny dent, a loss of a few FICO points, mainly due to a loss of some credit capacity.  The two cards I recently cut had huge credit lines and no utilization.

But I don’t see any meaningful consequences of a loss of a couple points. Your mileage might vary.

It’s up to us to get the most value out of our credit cards.

By Robert McGarvey

I come not to praise Dan Buttner’s Blue Zones but to bury it – or, rather, the New York Times did the execution and I am here to lament the fading of an idea I have admired and recommended for 15 years.  

The essence of the original Blue Zones story is that Buettner found five discrete communities where the inhabitants live a lot longer than the rest of us.  They are Ikaria (a remote Greek island). Sardinia (the villages up in the mountains), Okinawa, Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula, and Loma Linda CA, a town around 60 miles east of Los Angeles that is distinguished by the fact that 9000 of the 25,000 residents are 7th Day Adventists who are vegetarians and don’t smoke or drink alcohol.

The kicker is that in these communities people are 10 times more likely to reach 100 than the rest of us and they also are generally healthier.

Sadly, the Nicoya Peninsula and Okinawa are fading out of Blue Zones status as the traditional lifestyles are replaced by a 21st century convenience and fast food culture.  But Singapore recently was added and it, interestingly, is not a product of a traditional lifestyle so much as it has been created by a society that seeks to control pretty much everything.

What do residents of the Blue Zones have in common? They eat little meat (maybe once a week), they eat nuts, they drink alcohol in moderation (or not at all), and they get a lot of exercise, not typically in a gym but more commonly as an ordinary part of their lives (walking, gardening, etc).

What they don’t do is follow health fads on TikTok, consume “super foods,” frequent expensive “wellness” spas or, really, do much of anything except live the kind of life people in their communities have lived for a very long time.

For me, all this is practical, reasonably easy to follow and it makes good commonsense. So for a decade I’ve tried to live something of a Blue Zones life and it’s not terribly hard to do.  It also has much in common with a traditional Mediterranean Diet so cooking ideas are easy to come by and not expensive to implement.

Where did all this go wrong?  The New York Times story’s subhead points us in a direction: “Communities certified as ‘blue zones,’ a concept that promotes healthy living and longevity, are multiplying, but some wonder if the movement is just another gimmick.”

Some 70 communities in the US have worked with the Blue Zones company to create better, healthier lifestyles for their residents. 

Along the way, a Blue Zones tag has also found its way on cans of beans, bottled teas and frozen burrito bowls.  

Meantime, too, some real estate developers have determined it’s a selling point to be a Blue Zones and so they are claiming.  Noted the New York Times: “in some cases, it appears to be more a marketing strategy than anything else, joining a flurry of real estate certification programs and having little to do with the modest way of life that Blue Zones is meant to reflect.”

Not every community even wants to be a Blue Zone. In South Phoenix, a lower income neighborhood with a majority Hispanic population, there has been a push to implement Blue Zones lifestyles – but that has been met by vocal opposition.  

Said one group of opponents: “The Collaborative for Black & Indigenous Land Restoration and Reparations, is choosing to push against this project that does not share the decision making power with the community it intends to help.”

Here’s my bottomline: I still like and recommend the original Blue Zones concept that the traditional lifestyles of various communities foster longevity.  We can adopt what pieces we want and likely will see some benefits.

But I for one have no intention of buying products that are slapped with a Blue Zones seal of approval, and neither do I want my community (midtown Phoenix) to go all in on a Blue Zones project. And I definitely have no interest in buying a home in a “certified” Blue Zones. If I did I’d probably move to Loma Linda.  But I don’t.

As far as the six Blue Zones, I’m interested in visiting Ikaria but can’t say I’m keen on any of the others.

And I’ll still mainly eat a Blue Zones diet that’s veg forward with sparing intake of meats.

I was walking 5 or 6 miles a day before I stumbled on the Blue Zones and still do.  That won’t stop.

But I won’t try to tell you what to do.

It’s your life, live it your way. 

By Robert McGarvey

We’ve heard about it for at least a decade but now the warnings are getting louder: the robots are coming to hotels and restaurants near you.

Probably the loudest gong was rung at this year’s CES in early January.  Headlined AP: “Robot baristas and AI chefs caused a stir at CES 2024 as casino union workers fear for their jobs.”

Tech Times headlined likewise: “Robot Bartenders: CES 2024 Showcases Future of Hospitality, Sparking Job Security Worries.”

CNET got in the trenches with the robots: “I Tried Ice Cream, Stir Fry, Beer and Cocktails, all Made by Machines at CES ’24.”

Understand two facts: even though I am all for helping workers keep good jobs, I also am not opposed to replacing humans in many hospitality positions with robots.  

Will that in fact happen?

Headlines aside, no time soon.

The Hotel Tech Report has a summary that seeks to separate fact from fiction. It is a year old but much of what it reports remains true. Robots are coming our way but they aren’t here yet.

Case in point: housekeeping jobs are not presently threatened, although truth to tell most hotel managers would love to put a stake in housekeepers if in fact affordable machines could replace them.  It’s simply the case that we are far removed from being able to create a robot that can make a bed and that would have a clue between what’s trash on the floor of a hotel room and what needs to be preserved for the guest.  Is that dirty, torn white sock on the bathroom floor trash?

Yes, robots can deliver towels and probably can do a better job operating the slick window coverings I find in many hotels (and that I struggle to use properly).  But it will be some years before housekeeping jobs are endangered. I can see big hotels deploying robots to do some of a housekeeper’s work – vacuuming is another case in point.

But much of the present housekeeper’s job is beyond a robot’s current ken.

Another case in point: robot bartenders are real, they actually do work – see Royal Carribean’s Bionic Bar.  There’s also a plus to a robot bartender: it’s unlikely to steal from the establishment, either cash or booze.  But devices such as RCL’s robots are costly – prices are upwards of $100,000 for one device and humans would still be needed to replenish the bottles and do a clean up of the place.  A robot’s useful life expectancy is also unknown. So far, robot bartenders are deployed as conversation starters more than as replacements for people.

Can I think of jobs that actually are in jeopardy in hospitality? I can.  At least some dealers at casinos are not long for the world.  Robots already are in use at some Macau casinos, with apparently good results.

Aren’t humans needed to spot cheaters?  I’m not persuaded that dealers are good at that except in the case of the clumsiest cheats.  Eyes in the sky at casinos watch every move at the tables and there also are many casino workers whose jobs are to monitor action at tables. Dealers aren’t essential in this security and if casino management believe robots are better for the bottomline, bet on the demise of dealers.

How about front desk personnel at hotels?  The experts say yes – but, you know, I’d say it has largely already happened but it’s not robots who are replacing front desk staff but guests.  I can’t remember the last time I checked out at the front desk – it’s accomplished with a few clicks on my phone.  I’ve also used self check in at hotels and have no complaints. Hotel management has cleverly outsourced many front desk tasks to us.

The conclusion: the robots are coming to hospitality but so far it’s more talk than actual job loss by humans.  It’s taken a good decade for bots to adequately replace humans, most of the time, in providing customer service via phone – and there still are times when the bots completely strike out.

I expect to see human bartenders and waiters and cooks and housekeepers for some years to come. Whether we’d rather interact with machines or not.

By Robert McGarvey

Just how long should a vacation be?

I ponder this because in the past three years I have enjoyed month long vacations in Spain twice – but I also very much am enjoying two night camping trips around the Southwest. Is one length better than another?

Note: I am pretty sure I am not ready for a month-long camping outing.  Would the back hold up doing 30 nights on hardback dirt?

But I’m intrigued by this question, as is WaPo which just ran a piece that explored exactly this question.  

Reporter Andrea Sachs pointed to research that claimed “H&W [health and well-being] increased quickly during vacation, peaked on the eighth vacation day and had rapidly returned to baseline level within the first week of work resumption.”

Your mileage may vary. 

Sachs added: “‘Overall, my conclusions are that the optimal vacation duration is (almost) impossible to investigate because you cannot assign people randomly to vacation durations,’” Jessica de Bloom, one of the study’s researchers, told The Washington Post by email.”

That’s the rub.  

And it gets more complicated still.  It may vary in one individual, at least I know it does in me.  I have done many cruises and, honestly, around about the 8th day  I am counting down to the voyage’s end.  I have enjoyed the first week but then I simply get bored with the routine on the ship and I want to escape regimentation.  Pronto.

But then there are my month long trips to Spain where I’ve walked hundreds of miles along the Camino de Santiago and, yeah, around about the time I’ve entered Santiago I am plotting my way home – but that’s after a month on the path.

There is one point on which vacation researchers agree: vacations increase life satisfaction.  Hard to argue with that, even if it seems a rather nebulous claim. 

I also will admit to going 10+ years without a vacation as such, in the years right after moving to Los Angeles. I had been I had been a northeast corridor guy – Boston to DC – my entire life until the move and LA and the nearby environs all seemed so different I kept myself busy locally. I also traveled a lot for business in that era and that alone filled my travel quota.

So do we know anything about the proper vacation length? Sachs added this from the research: “We should take several shorter vacations throughout the year instead of blowing all of our leave on one epic trip.”

Hmm. You must know multiple Europeans – Germans in particular – who every year take a month long vacation. The ones I’ve talked to, swear by the recuperative value of a long absence from work.  

My guess is that the answer to the what’s the ideal vacation length question is entirely individual – and, in my case at least, the ideal length varies with what I am doing on holiday.  In some cases a couple days is about right, just as in other cases I’m all in for a month.

Another, important variable – noted by Sachs – is how long it takes to get where you’re going.  If it’s a two hour drive to Sedona, as it is for me, two or three days on the ground (in my case, literally) is about right.

If it’s a full day going to Lisbon or Madrid, as it is for me, a lot longer on the ground is required before I begin to feel the trip has had an impact on me.

As I pull on this string I increasingly begin to believe that this is a case where research is done because it is done.

What can we positively conclude from the many threads of research:

Vacations are good for us

Vacation leave us refreshed.

But not all of us need a vacation every year and, as for the right length, it all depends on how long it took to get there, what we are doing, and what we will be returning to.

If it feels right to you, well, it is.

By Robert McGarvey

Maybe it’s just whom I know but I am encountering more people who have set what I view as genuinely stupid travel goals.

I don’t mean goals such as spending at least a week abroad every year or seeing the big 5 animals on an African safari. Such goals are of course personal and they may be enriching. I’ve had such goals myself (e.g., doing two Caminos in two years or traveling to northern Ireland frequently enough to have some understanding of the Troubles).

What gets my blood pressure boiling is a goal such as visiting all 50 US states and this week that goal roared in front of my eyes because the Financial Times – an otherwise very credible British newspaper – ran a piece entitled “From Alabama to Wyoming: how I joined America’s 50-state club.”

The author, an FT staffer, noted: “though it is a strange, and admittedly arbitrary, endeavour, it is one that growing numbers of travellers are undertaking. The All Fifty Club was founded in 2006 to help ‘track, share, and celebrate the accomplishment of visiting all 50 states.’ It now counts more than 10,500 members, about 85 per cent of whom have completed the quest, with the remainder closing in on it.”

The author further noted that this is part of a trend called “completist travel.” Other such goals are visiting all 193 countries recognized by the UN – which would mean trips to North Korea, Somalia, Haiti, Russia, Burkina Faso and other, shall we say, off the beaten path destinations with little to commend them to visitors. I assure you my life would not be richer if I traveled to Burkina Faso and I doubt yours would be either.

And of course there is to my mind the lunatic obsession with going to Antarctica to be able to claim to have visited 7 continents.  I admit I know a lot of people who have done this or who insist they want to. If I still sent Christmas cards I’d cross them off the list but since I don’t anymore I will have to content myself with knowing I’ve crossed them off an imaginary list.

Who cares about going to all 7 continents? I don’t.  I’ve been to four, would gladly go to Africa and Australia if need or opportunity arose, but I wouldn’t go to Antarctica if an all expenses paid cruise landed in my inbox.  I couldn’t reconcile my damage to the planet in going to that ice cube at the bottom of the planet with whatever pleasure I might experience and, frankly, if I get a craving to go there I throw some ice cubes on my kitchen floor, put on heavy hiking shoes and walk on them for a while. I could complete the simulation of the experience by watching a few YouTube videos of penguins, although they now apparently are disappearing from Antarctica.  

But to my mind the most pointless completist mission is visiting all 50 states – and I see many acquaintances on Facebook celebrating their closing in on the magic number.

Not me. I have been to around 30 (I don’t count driving as fast as I could across Indiana as being there) and, you know, I am comfy with that number. I plain don’t want to visit most of the states I have never been in. Sorry about that North and South Dakota, but I don’t care. Ditto Mississippi. I find it unimaginable that I will ever visit them and I find it inexplicable that somebody would want to visit them just to get a few more notches on an imaginary belt.

OK, I get it. A harcore Elvis fan would want to go to Tupelo Miss.

And I know a motorcycle fan who loves the annual Sturgis ND event and that’s fine for him.  But I have never ridden a motorcycle and have no intention of picking it up now,

I am not opposed to going to states I haven’t been to, it’s just that I have never had a reason to go and doubt that will change.

And I’m flatly opposed to contributing to global pollution by traveling to places just to check a box to achieve a pointless “goal.”

Good goals are where we grow – emotionally, intellectually, somehow. A pointless completist goal is, well, pointless. Just don’t go.