[parliament32]

You're not wrong, but isn't "consumption" the entire point of every vacation ever? Do you do anything other than consume when you, say, go for a cruise? Road trip across the country? Go be a tourist in a city abroad? What could you possibly get out of a vacation other than "consuming"?

[stevekemp]

> What could you possibly get out of a vacation other than "consuming"?

I sleep in a cabin next to a lake, or on a hammock in the woods. I drink beer, fish, and go to sauna every day.

There's no "consumption" above and beyond the food/drinks.

[lux-lux-lux]

You drive the truck, you rent the cabin, you drink the overpriced beer, you buy the fishing gear, you pay for the fitness club membership.

Lifestyle tat for the outdoorsy set is an absolutely massive market that dwarfs the entire Disney empire.

[brailsafe]

Depends how far you want to go with reducing things down to consumption. Does going somewhere to hike, climb, or camp count as just consumption? I can't stand going somewhere to only look at things or eat things, it gets very boring very quickly, but I like meeting people and going on adventures, exploring nature in as physical way as possible regardless of viewpoint availability.

[parl_match]

You can be reductionist about the word consume, but I think there's a far difference between exploring and engaging in the world around you. Engaging people, meeting them on mutual terms (and not just on your terms, as a "customer"), and engaging the world.

Versus multiple yearly curated luxury theme park vacations where you eat prepared fried food and go on prepared boat rides and take photos with people in mascot outfits and you're paying everyone to be nice and predictable to you.

[snickerbockers]

I think a better question is how much people consume in general. There are plenty of people who replace their car every 2-3 years but that doesn't get nearly as much scorn and mockery.

[parl_match]

> What could you possibly get out of a vacation other than "consuming"?

Oof.

[fuzzfactor]

Instant corrective upvote.

Yes, consuming is an experience, and experience is one of the ideal things to do on vacation in particular.

Surely it's still legal to have just as many new and rewarding experiences, in a new or familiar environment for the same duration of time, and none of them are actual consumer activities.

It can be as fantastic as possible without doing any more significant or out-of-the ordinary consumption than otherwise.

If you can't get the most out of both plain experiences and dedicated consumption, any travel might not be as worthwhile as it could be.