Opinion: Travel – A word that has many definitions. Travel to you might be a lazy weekend on a sunny beach or an adventurous walk through a dense forest… There are various types of travelling you can do. From thrilling adventures to escapism to travelling for a cause to voluntourism, each has its own magic.
According to me, one of the best parts about travel is trying a little bit of everything and something new. I am sure all of us can relate to the feeling of being happy and excited by something new. Scientists have revealed that people travel more often to discover happiness. But what’s linked with all this is money. You cannot deny the fact that money is an important factor in travelling. We can arguably say that money is at the root of all happiness.
But money hasn’t stopped the wanderlust in us, has it? People have begun to find ways to travel with less money. From visiting lesser known destinations to avoiding overpriced touristy spots to using technology to book cheaper deals, we have tried it all. It’s safe to say our secret sauce in our happiness recipe is spending on the experience rather than on materialistic things.
But how much are you willing to spend to live that experience? Have you ever asked yourselves that? If you haven’t, then my traveller friends, you better do. Because, the next big thing is not far away – Space Tourism!
What is Space Tourism?
For those who know what Space Tourism is, this is a recap, and for our newbies read on…
Well, our billionaire friends have gone all out and have nosedived themselves in building spaceships that will take us to Space. Let alone experiencing various destinations across the world, we will soon get to travel to space. Wow!
However, this experience is far from being called cheap. What’s the cost of travelling to space you ask me? – Ahem Ahem, it ranges from $250,000 to tens of millions of dollars! My eyes just popped seeing the figure. Imagine the things you could do with that money…
Here’s a list of Aerospace aka Space Tourism companies that are zeroing in on taking you to space
- Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin
- Elon Musk owned SpaceX
- Virgin Galactic owned by British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson
- Reserve your seat at Orion Span, owned by Frank Bunger
- U.S based space tourism company Space Adventures, owned by Eric C. Anderson – (They have already sent a number of tourists to the International Space Station [ISS] including businessman Dennis Tito)
With so many competitors, the question is when will Space tourism become a reality? What’s interesting to see is not just the idea of going to the edge of space and beyond, but the effect it will have on the travellers.
I would definitely give anything to have a joy ride around the planet – would you? (Psst! news has it that people have already begun booking their seats!)
“Exploration really is the essence of the human spirit, and to pause, to falter, to turn our back on the quest for knowledge is to perish.”
– Frank Borman
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