Take the Plunge: Moving From the Solitude of Solo Take-Out to the Warmth of Group Travel
In January, The Atlantic published a cover story by Derek Thompson titled, “The Anti-Social Century.” Thompson wrote that in the last 20 years, all Americans (covering all demographics — all ages, ethnicities and genders) are spending less time socializing, and are spending more time alone than during any other period of time.
He gives a startling anecdote at the start of the piece. Thompson and his wife and infant daughter go to a Mexican restaurant in Chapel Hill, NC, and discover the restaurant’s bar is closed. The bar – a place traditionally for people to talk with friends or with the bartender – instead is used for take-away pick up. Nine paper bags are lined up on the bar, to be picked up and meals eaten at home. Not a word is spoken when the pick-ups are made. In an interview with Walter Isaacson about the story, Thompson said, according to the National Restaurant Association, 74 percent of restaurant business is takeaway. This isn’t just a post-COVID phenomenon. It’s a 60-year trend, perhaps accelerated by COVID.
The causes of solitude are not surprising. Explained by Thompson, cars privatized our lives in the 1950s and 1960s, and TV privatized our leisure. Now, we have more social interactions through our screens.
The solution to less solitude, he says, is easy: be with other people. But he also counters this by saying the opposite: it is very hard.
As an antidote to solitude, there are plenty of options, including but not limited to cutting screen time, making plans to meet others, and making a call instead of a text. I’m offering here that travel is a wonderful way to be with people, and in particular, group travel with a purpose is easy and fulfilling.
While I’ve written more than once about the benefits of travel, group travel is a special way of traveling. In a time of increased solitude, there is something so life-giving about being part of the rich tapestry of community. The convivial travelers that Oldways bring together make the experiences, meals, and memories richer than they could possibly be when traveling solo, and elevate the travel experience in meaningful ways big and small.
Before traveling with Oldways, I don’t think I would have considered traveling with a group. By its very nature, group travel means being with people, bending to the plan for the group, not the individual.
Rick Steves, the travel writer and TV travel host, has recently written a book, On The Hippie Trail, a compilation of notes from his 1978 trip from Istanbul to Katmandu, that the Washington Post said, “set him down the path of becoming a travel-writing magnate.” Like Oldways, his business today focuses on European travel, and also like Oldways, it is (in his words) transformational travel that he loves. Steves says transformational travel is travel that broadens one’s perspective, celebrates different cultures and brings appreciation that the world is full of joy.
This is also our belief at Oldways, and Oldways Culinarias are part of our mission to inspire people to embrace the healthy, sustainable joys of the “old ways” of eating and our ultimate vision of a healthier, happier life through cultural food traditions. Culinarias are trips that feed the soul, planned with our belief that the heart of any culture can be understood by exploring its food, wine and culinary traditions. We take you to local farms, home kitchens, vineyards and artisans you might not find on your own. We plan each trip with the goal that you’ll return home with new knowledge of the “old ways,” and with new friends (or time spent reconnecting with old friends).
The connection among people on the Culinarias is a highlight all on its own. In Oldways’ early days in the 1990s, we brought large groups of food writers, chefs, cookbook authors, food retailers and scientists to different regions of the Mediterranean as a way of introducing extra virgin olive oil and the Mediterranean Diet to Americans. We learned (as did all the chefs and food writers and other experts who attended) that the friendships and connections were just as important as the knowledge they gained. Today’s Culinarias are the same. Many attendees are repeat attendees, and they want to be traveling with Oldways and others they have connected with.
Are you ready to experience new people, experiences and places? Transformational Oldways travel with a group is full of “pinch-me” moments: when you can’t believe you’re so lucky to be where you are. And they are even better because you are sharing them with others.
As Oldways founder, K. Dun Gifford, always said about our travels… “it’s a trip of a lifetime.”
Sara Baer-Sinnott
Miss so much traveling with you!