You want to be a sophisticated person of the world when you travel, right? Well, then you need to get your vocabulary right.
It’s time to update and educate yourself on the latest travel buzzwords so you don’t come off looking like the only shut-in on the plane.
Strap yourself in, and away we go:
Bleisure: no, not the sound you make when suppressing a sneeze. It’s the art of combining a business trip with a holiday. Always a good idea, and it’s even better if you can claim it on tax. Wink, wink. Also known as Lisness.
Brocation or mancation: the holiday a bunch of men take to indulge in man activities. Golf, beer, casinos and stupidly dangerous water sports will probably be on the itinerary. Coming back with an injury and/or tattoo will be a mark of pride. If you see them in the wild, back away and avoid eye contact.
Flashpacking: in theory you are a backpacker, but in reality you are living pretty high on the hog. You are probably staying at motels and have a good food budget instead of sharing with 17 strangers in a hostel and eating two-minute noodles or hot chips for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Greenwashing: not just a travel term, but it still applies. Big and small companies and businesses will exaggerate – or, in some cases, invent – their ‘green’ credentials to make themselves look good. That’s called greenwashing. Mining companies love this one. If travelling green is important to you, check out this article as a guide.
Free babysitting
Gramping: no, not glamping. Gramping describes the act of taking your parents on a holiday so they can look after your kids. Actually, it’s supposed to be for ‘creating stronger generational relationships’. Lol, no. It’s all about free babysitting. From experience, five adults to two children is the perfect ratio.
Last Chance Travel: see the world before it all comes crashing down. Last Chance Travel aims to visit locations that may not be possible in the future due to climate change such as glaciers or low-lying islands. I’m guilty of this one with a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. Worth it.
Painmoon: the trip you take to cheer yourself up. Bad relationship breakdown? You hate your life? Midlife crisis? Then reward yourself with a painmoon.
Thirst trips: yeah, not for the actually thirsty. The holiday you have when it’s been too long since your last holiday. Although consult with the young people in your life before throwing this one around. Describing someone as ‘thirsty’ has changed since we were of an age. It now means the feeling you have when a person is enthusiastically attracted to another. Saying you are going on a ‘thirst trip’ could be uncomfortable for everyone involved.
Untourism: seems a contradiction in terms but it describes visiting destinations that would benefit from your visit. So maybe a country or town that could use some tourism dollars or foreign currency such as Turkey after the earthquakes. Doesn’t even have to be overseas. Plenty of country towns in Australia would love a bit of love in the form of out-of-town business.
Would you use any of these terms? Have you been on a holiday that would be described by these terms? Why not share your experience in the comments section below?
