---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What an odd thing tourism is. You fly off…"
description: "\"What an odd thing tourism is. You fly off to a strange land, eagerly abandoning all the comforts of home, and then expend vast quantities of time and m..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/bill-bryson-340_first-place_what-an-odd-thing-tourism-is-you-fly-off_679925.png"
---

#  What an odd thing tourism is. You fly off to a strange…

![“What an odd thing tourism is. You fly off to a strange land, eagerly abandoning all the comforts of home, and then expend vast quantities of time and money in a largely futile attempt to recapture the comforts that you wouldn't have lost if you hadn't left home in the first place.” quote by Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/bill-bryson-340_first-place_what-an-odd-thing-tourism-is-you-fly-off_679925.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/bill-bryson-340_first-place_what-an-odd-thing-tourism-is-you-fly-off_679925.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/bill-bryson-340_first-place_what-an-odd-thing-tourism-is-you-fly-off_679925.png)

> “What an odd thing tourism is. You fly off to a strange land, eagerly abandoning all the comforts of home, and then expend vast quantities of time and money in a largely futile attempt to recapture the comforts that you wouldn't have lost if you hadn't left home in the first place.”

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Travel often involves leaving home comforts, only to chase them abroad, highlighting paradoxes of seeking novelty while missing home.

**In simple terms:** Travel can be a futile search for familiar comforts.

Key Takeaway

Recognize what truly matters at home.

Themes

travel paradox comfort

Mood

reflective humorous

Type

observational philosophical

When to use this quote

- vacation planning
- budget travel
- cultural immersion
- homecoming

Key Concepts

nostalgia consumerism

Questions to Reflect On

- What comforts do you truly need?
- How can you find fulfillment without leaving home?

A Different Perspective

Chasing comfort elsewhere can waste resources and time.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[First place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-place/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Time and money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-and-money/) [Tourism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tourism/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/)

## Related quotes

> [I sat on a toilet watching the water run thinking what an odd thing tourism is. You fly off to a strange land, eagerly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/i-sat-on-a-toilet-watching-the-water-run-thinking-what-an-odd-thing/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [The thing about tourism is just that it's incredibly powerful. It's like a gun and it's incredibly easy to be irresponsible with it. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-garland/the-thing-about-tourism-is-just-that-it-s-incredibly-powerful-it-s/)

[Alex Garland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-garland/)

> [The thing about tourism is that the reality of a place is quite different from the mythology of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-parr/the-thing-about-tourism-is-that-the-reality-of-a-place-is-quite/)

[Martin Parr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-parr/)

> [I can't think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/i-can-t-think-of-anything-that-excites-a-greater-sense-of-childlike-2/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [Older fatherhood isn't all bad: testosterone rates drop about 1% per year as men age, making them less reactive and more patient, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/older-fatherhood-isn-t-all-bad-testosterone-rates-drop-about-1-per/)

[Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/)

> [I'm not anti-middle-class in the slightest. Look at me! I am very pro people putting time and money and effort into trying to improve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-m-not-anti-middle-class-in-the-slightest-look-at-me-i-am-very-pro/)

[J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/)

> [Whatever vocation you decide on, track down the best people in the world at doing it and surround yourself with them. Aim high and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-weiss/whatever-vocation-you-decide-on-track-down-the-best-people-in-the/)

[Scott Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-weiss/)

> [Being popular is the most important thing in the world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/being-popular-is-the-most-important-thing-in-the-world/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [“Two departments of the PLA—the General Staff Department’s Third and Fourth Departments, respectively—are organized to systematically penetrate communications and computer systems, extract information, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-chang/two-departments-of-the-pla-the-general-staff-department-s-third-and/)

[Gordon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-chang/)

> [To avoid ignorance and bullying, I've had to hide the fact that I'm a troll. You have no idea how much time and money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-cryer/to-avoid-ignorance-and-bullying-i-ve-had-to-hide-the-fact-that-i-m-a/)

[Jon Cryer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-cryer/)

> [You might think of consumption as a fairly passive activity, but buying new products and services is actually pretty risky, at least if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/you-might-think-of-consumption-as-a-fairly-passive-activity-but/)

[James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/)

> [There is no better investment of time and money than in the life of a child. They are the future...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alma-powell/there-is-no-better-investment-of-time-and-money-than-in-the-life-of-a/)

Alma Powell

> [“Ironically, the best litmus test for measuring your vagabonding gumption is found not in travel but in the process of earning your freedom to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rolf-potts/ironically-the-best-litmus-test-for-measuring-your-vagabonding/)

[Rolf Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rolf-potts/)

> [Probably the greatest single obstacle to the progress and happiness of the American people lies in the willingness of so many men to invest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/probably-the-greatest-single-obstacle-to-the-progress-and-happiness/)

[John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/)

> [“always put off writing by reorganizing my entire house and spending way too much time and money buying office supplies and organizing systems. Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/always-put-off-writing-by-reorganizing-my-entire-house-and-spending/)

[Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/)

## More by Bill Bryson

> [Most big companies don't like you very much, except hotels, airlines and Microsoft, which don't like you at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/most-big-companies-don-t-like-you-very-much-except-hotels-airlines/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [“But Welsh spellings are as nothing compared with Irish Gaelic, a language in which spelling and pronunciation give the impression of having been devised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/but-welsh-spellings-are-as-nothing-compared-with-irish-gaelic-a/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [“Pantaloons were often worn tight as paint and were not a great deal less revealing, particularly as they were worn without underwear. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/pantaloons-were-often-worn-tight-as-paint-and-were-not-a-great-deal/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [If you go out on the Appalachian Trail, you have to bring so much more equipment - a tent, sleeping bag - but if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/if-you-go-out-on-the-appalachian-trail-you-have-to-bring-so-much-more/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [“The dining table was a plain board called by that name. It was hung on the wall when not in use, and was perched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/the-dining-table-was-a-plain-board-called-by-that-name-it-was-hung-on/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [“From almost nothing, France in four years built up an aircraft industry that employed nearly 200,000 people and produced some 70,000 planes. Britain built…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/from-almost-nothing-france-in-four-years-built-up-an-aircraft/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [“Every twenty minutes on the Appalachian Trail, Katz and I walked farther than the average American walks in a week. For 93 percent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/every-twenty-minutes-on-the-appalachian-trail-katz-and-i-walked/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [“A diarist named George Templeton Strong recorded in the winter of 1866 that even with two furnaces alight and all the fireplaces blazing, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/a-diarist-named-george-templeton-strong-recorded-in-the-winter-of/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [Tune your television to any channel it doesn't receive and about 1 percent of the dancing static you see is accounted for by this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/tune-your-television-to-any-channel-it-doesn-t-receive-and-about-1/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [As a rule of thumb, I would submit that if you need to call your floss provider, for any reason, you are probably not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/as-a-rule-of-thumb-i-would-submit-that-if-you-need-to-call-your-floss/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [Nobody gets excited about the future at all, ever. The future is something we find depressing and worrisome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/nobody-gets-excited-about-the-future-at-all-ever-the-future-is/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [“What made this particularly interesting is that John Howard is by far the dullest man in Australia. Imagine a very committed funeral home director…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/what-made-this-particularly-interesting-is-that-john-howard-is-by-far/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [I would make a genuinely terrible guide. I can't remember things. I would get half way through telling a story or explaining something and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/i-would-make-a-genuinely-terrible-guide-i-can-t-remember-things-i/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [“In the mystifying world that was Victorian parenthood, obedience took precedence over all considerations of affection and happiness, and that odd, painful conviction remained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/in-the-mystifying-world-that-was-victorian-parenthood-obedience-took/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [If this book has a lesson, it is that we are awfully lucky to be here-and by 'we' I mean every living thing. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/if-this-book-has-a-lesson-it-is-that-we-are-awfully-lucky-to-be-here/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

[Explore all 656 Bill Bryson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

## More First place quotes

> [“But the process should not be confused with science. When tests are used as selections devices, they're not a neutral tool; they become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-whyte/but-the-process-should-not-be-confused-with-science-when-tests-are/)

[William H. Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-whyte/)

> [The whole concept of stage fright is fascinating. Actors get stage fright, but they wouldn't be on the stage in the first place if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/the-whole-concept-of-stage-fright-is-fascinating-actors-get-stage/)

[Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/)

> [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [The politician attempts to remedy the evil by increasing the very thing that caused the evil in the first place: legal plunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-politician-attempts-to-remedy-the-evil-by-increasing-the-very/)

[Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/)

> [At times you are going to miss people. When that happens, others have to come to the front and show the calibre that brought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-phelan/at-times-you-are-going-to-miss-people-when-that-happens-others-have/)

[Mike Phelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-phelan/)

> [Im never shocked when people let me down nowadays. I just hate the fact that I put myself in a position to be let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-never-shocked-when-people-let-me-down-nowadays-i-just-hate-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Had a 90's music party with my Glee family tonight. Helped remind me why I got into music in the first place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-salling/had-a-90-s-music-party-with-my-glee-family-tonight-helped-remind-me/)

[Mark Salling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-salling/)

> [“We heard about people who go back to their roots. That is good, but don't get stuck in the root. There is the branch,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/we-heard-about-people-who-go-back-to-their-roots-that-is-good-but-don/)

[Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/)

> [Don't be afraid of failure, be afraid of not trying in the first place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-forleo/don-t-be-afraid-of-failure-be-afraid-of-not-trying-in-the-first-place/)

[Marie Forleo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-forleo/)

> [“If you have the ability and the opportunity to help someone, but you don't do anything just because you're scared or it's inconvenient or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bree-despain/if-you-have-the-ability-and-the-opportunity-to-help-someone-but-you/)

[Bree Despain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bree-despain/)

> [Every penny we spend comes from the taxpayer. We thus owe it to the taxpayer to work as hard managing that money wisely as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-mulvaney/every-penny-we-spend-comes-from-the-taxpayer-we-thus-owe-it-to-the/)

[Mick Mulvaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-mulvaney/)

> [“The traumatized soul finds no rest in conditions of peace. It’s forever questing for violence, for action, for the same combination of factors which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-s-williams/the-traumatized-soul-finds-no-rest-in-conditions-of-peace-it-s/)

[Matthew S. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-s-williams/)

> [When you're 20 you care what everyone thinks, when you're 40 you stop caring what everyone thinks, when you're 60 you realize no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/when-you-re-20-you-care-what-everyone-thinks-when-you-re-40-you-stop/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [Because I'm not, in fact, depressed, Prozac makes me manic and numb - one of the reasons I slice my arm in the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-hornbacher/because-i-m-not-in-fact-depressed-prozac-makes-me-manic-and-numb-one/)

[Marya Hornbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-hornbacher/)

> [“The greatest faith is the willingness to ask in the first place, all evidence to the contrary. Faith not just in God, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-cronin/the-greatest-faith-is-the-willingness-to-ask-in-the-first-place-all/)

[Justin Cronin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-cronin/)

[Browse all 2,907 First place quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-place/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What an odd thing tourism is. You fly off to a strange land, eagerly abandoning all the comforts of home, and then expend vast quantities of time and money in a largely futile attempt to recapture the comforts that you wouldn't have lost if you hadn't left home in the first place.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bill Bryson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/what-an-odd-thing-tourism-is-you-fly-off-to-a-strange-land-eagerly/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "First place"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/what-an-odd-thing-tourism-is-you-fly-off-to-a-strange-land-eagerly/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/bill-bryson-340_first-place_what-an-odd-thing-tourism-is-you-fly-off_679925.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/bill-bryson-340_first-place_what-an-odd-thing-tourism-is-you-fly-off_679925.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/bill-bryson-340_first-place_what-an-odd-thing-tourism-is-you-fly-off_679925.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What an odd thing tourism is. You fly off to a strange land, eagerly abandoning all the comforts of home…” — Bill Bryson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Bill Bryson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What an odd thing tourism is....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/what-an-odd-thing-tourism-is-you-fly-off-to-a-strange-land-eagerly/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/what-an-odd-thing-tourism-is-you-fly-off-to-a-strange-land-eagerly/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
