No matter how unique we all think we are, realistically, we are still just a number. In fact, I am one of the 79,691,134,498 human-being on this planet, according to the UN population statistics:
- 4.8 billion were still alive before me.
- 3.5 billion have since been born after me.
- 1.4 billion have died since I was born.
The reason I know this is that the UN has a very cool website where you can input the day and location you were born, and it will give you all the statistics on who has lived before you and after you. It outlines where people are being delivered and where they are moving to.
Since 1968, the population of our world has doubled. Doubled! That’s 3.5 billion people extra in just 40 years.
The majority of this rapid population growth is occurring in less developed countries. Countries that the majority of us like to travel to.
So with the population due to reach 7 BILLION PEOPLE today, it raises several worrying questions for me.
What does this mean for travel?
Well, one of the benefits of population growth is that every day our world gets smaller, and it becomes easier to travel. New planes and routes to connect the growth areas mean that places previously inaccessible can now be reached by any Joe Blogs with any tour company. You can even pay a considerable sum of cash and basically be carried up Mount Everest!
However, Population Growth does raise several issues. The greatest one which I have noticed is that I feel that every location I travel to becomes more Westernised. For every kind of traveler, this creates a problem. Although we may not know all about bethe perpetual travelers trying to “find” ourselves, most of us DO travel to explore new areas and cultures that we don’t get at home.
So these unique and new destinations will no longer be authentic in 20, 10, or even 1 year. What will travelers do? Will we just travel for rest and relaxation? I know some people travel to the same destination year on year and absolutely love it.
Personally, I don’t see the appeal of visiting an English pub in a warm and sunny climate such as Ibiza. Who wants to just hang out with the same food, drinks, and people that you get at home?
How will this growing population affect my future travel plans?
Unfortunately, I find myself with more questions than answers.