Why You Will Never See A Trip Report To The Maldives From Me

@ Mark

Please don’t be sorry. You don’t owe anyone an apology. I just have my opinion and you and others have theirs.

I just feel your article does attack people that don’t have a voice or are scared to voice their opinions:

Namely, those that travel to the Maldives for supposed “shallow reasons”

We’re all adults here. No one wants to be told that they are traveling for the wrong reasons or their reasons are “shallow”

That comes off as travel snobbery or travel shaming.

I don’t think there are massive traveling “sheeps” out there who blindly follow blogs. I don’t think bloggers have that much power.

I’ve listed 24 commenters on here, 25 including me and none come off as “sheep”

I think people know why they are traveling, why they choose to go where they go.

So it’s cool that you and George want to look out for those you guys feel are making irrational decisions, but honestly when it comes to the Maldives, I think people know what they’re getting into and they’re happy with what they are getting.

I’ll tell you what, the bloggers can try as hard as they want, they won’t be able to push off Detroit as a travel destination.

Give your readers more credit Mark. More information is a good thing, not a bad thing.

Bloggers can push Maldives all they want. But those who do go I feel are making informed decisions. Just like those who choose not to go and have commented on here. They all seem like informed decisions to me.

I’ve never seen anyone return from any leisure trip unhappy, to be honest. Everyone just seems happy to get away. Maybe it’s ’cause I’m on the East Coast?

That’s beside the point, though. The article is not making the claim that:
– any specific person is being influenced
– most people are being influenced
– the Maldives are not for you, or me, or any one person in particular
– the Maldives are not for most people

What it’s claiming is that the Maldives have come to represent something other than what they used to, or maybe other than what they ought to. And that you should check both your logic and your motives before embarking on such an expensive trip. Got miles or cash to burn? Go. Want to make people jealous? Go. Trying to make the most of your cash/miles, and/or seeking a fulfilling trip? Make sure your calculations (including true cost, true value, and opportunity costs) are correct, and consider whether your motivations have been skewed. That’s it.

“there are more people unhappy with the travelers going to the Maldives (for silly reasons)”

What silly reasons? Certain comments are silly indeed, while others bring up important points about environmental and social effects. But the article is focused on figuring out if it’s right for you, not saying it’s absolutely wrong to go.

I, too, wanted to go after seeing pictures from 2 friends’ honeymoons. It wasn’t because I was jealous, but because it was the most beautiful place I’d ever seen. I’ve since reconsidered, mainly because through later travels, I’ve realized I simply can’t stay put. The Maldives don’t let me escape from my “home base” the way I often do in other places. Had I discovered the points game way back when, my first order of business would’ve definitely been to hoard points and get my butt to the Maldives. Yes, I would’ve regretted it now. I may eventually go, but I’m too much of a wanderer at the moment.

Someone fresh to the points game risks disappointment and a big expense by blindly following the pack, and the increasingly illogical advice some writers churn out.

Feeding the egos of egotists ain’t exactly a worthy cause, either, but you seem to think that additional focus on an enviable destination has no effect on them.

Well said George

@ George

“What it’s claiming is that the Maldives have come to represent something other than what they used to, or maybe other than what they ought to.”

This is an extremely deep philosophical question for a “leisure” trip. Again, why is it that only the people who choose not to go approach the Maldives in such a philosophical way? And why so philosophical towards Maldives but not Moorea?

“Trying to make the most of your cash/miles, and/or seeking a fulfilling trip? Make sure your calculations (including true cost, true value, and opportunity costs) are correct, and consider whether your motivations have been skewed. That’s it.“

Again, I’d agree with this point if there were some examples of people coming back from the Maldives feeling “unfullfilled” or “regretting” their decision. There were none in the article. I’ve not read any bad trip reports where anyone felt regret. The article is from the point of view of someone who has not gone and chooses not to go. No examples of anyone regretting their decision to actually go; yet provides such a serious social commentary that includes: social media sickness. And now, you’re also including opportunity costs and unfullfilment. Most of these reasons just seems like your own values placed upon others.

If you can’t provide examples of people filling regret or unfullfilled, then why the warning to be so cautious?

Never forget, this is all just a hobby. It’s all for fun. Has it gotten so serious that we need to warn people of going to the Maldives for fear of social media sickness? Or burning through their miles recklessly?

It seems that you don’t burn through your miles recklessly. It seems Mark doesn’t. Why do you guys assume that people that go to the Maldives are mere mindless sheep that haven’t thought it through?

Isn’t that just a form of travel snobbery? Thinking your reasons to not go is better than people’s reasons to actually go?

“there are more people unhappy with the travelers going to the Maldives (for silly reasons)”

“What silly reasons?“

These silly reasons: “ He just making the point that going to a place just to social media brag is silly.“

“Someone fresh to the points game risks disappointment and a big expense by blindly following the pack, and the increasingly illogical advice some writers churn out.”

Again, this is extremely fatherly of you. Nice of you and Mark to be so worried about other people’s well being. But, I’d like some examples of people who’ve actually went to the Maldives and came back disappointed. If there aren’t any examples, then what’s this big risk you speak of? It’s just a hobby. People come back feeling happy. I don’t get these serious warnings like they’re about to pick up smoking or something.

I just think I give people more benefit of the doubt that they know what they’re doing than you and Mark do.

I don’t know why you feel you can make good travel decisions but others can’t. Why do you feel that way?

First of all, the philosophizing is a consequence of the article being sort of “meta.” I’m not philosophizing about a specific decision of mine or yours, but rather about the nature of a medium and the current trends within it. This has nothing to do with the Maldives, and everything to do with the effects of irrationality when there’s an implied promise of rationality.

In this medium, past experiences have to be put into the proper context and not trump rationality. When your favorite travel blogger, who you trust to give you rational advice on credit cards, earnings, redemptions, destinations, etc. says “go to the Maldives, it’s worth it,” you assume they’re being as rational as they’ve always been. You and I and Mark and thousands of others may indeed be rational and consider all the variables, but what about those who aren’t – aren’t they potentially missing out? And what of the destination – what if it gets overrun like Bali? And in general, isn’t it a bit unbecoming of these bloggers to be irrational in their advice, or even to follow rather than lead?

On the “new to the points game” crowd – there is indeed the possibility of a big opportunity cost. Combine the implication that you MUST go with (1) advice like “these 3 sign up bonuses will get you halfway there”, (2) the reality that it’ll take 5 years of spending to get you the rest of the way, and (3) the potential credit report implications, and it’s a recipe for disappointment. Not in the trip itself, of course, but in the journey. It’s like video game “grinding” (look it up). And just think, they may have gotten so much value out of 2 less exotic trips, or yearly modest trip…

It’s not that I know better, it’s that the bloggers do. Bad advice should be called out.

@ George

“Bad advice should be called out.”

Cool. So who determines the advice is bad advice? You? Mark?

Or the traveler actually getting the advice?

I’d like to hear more from people that actually went and regretted it. So far, they’ve been silent.

The most vocal have been those that don’t want to go and decreeing that it’s “bad advice”

I’d really like to hear more from those folks that took this “bad advice” and now regret their decision. Any out there?

Seems like their should be many the way this discussion is trending.

If there’s “bad advice” out there pertaining to going to the Maldives, then there must be casualties and victims.

I hope we can agree on this sentiment?

@ George

Just looking at the comments, here’s what I tally:

Comments from people that have never gone to the Maldives (19)

1) Mark Ostermann
2) George
3) Becky
4) Emily
5) Rick
6) Eden
7) Ian
8) Pam
9) Kim
10) Marilyn B
11) Jacob
12) Alvin
13) WR2
14) Bill Dwyer
15) DaninMCI
16) Nancy
17) Parts Unknown
18) Mike Saint
19) Michael

Comments from people who have gone (5)

1) Andy – went 10x, loved it
2) John – went, loved it
3) EyesOnThePoints – went, like it a lot
4) RTW Rob – went, loved it
5) Kate – went, glad to have gone

The most vocal are the group that have never gone. They tell us all these negatives about going to the Maldives.

Mark Ostermann compares it to “the Fyre Festival mess and I think the Maldives may be falling into that category some is all”

George thinks people will regret burning all their miles and points.

We’ve yet to hear from any victims. Not one comment of someone saying they’ve been, they hated/regretted their decision to go. They feel lied to by the bloggers.

Mark Ostermann compares it to the Fyre Festival. Yet, it’s not hard to find victims of that scam. Here, I find no victims. Not one victim has commented.

Why is that? Why is George and Mark Ostermann telling us how bad it is, yet no one is willing to come out and testify that they’ve been victimized.

Are there any bad examples out there? Who are these anonymous victims of going to the Maldives? Who are these depressed souls living fake lives?

Any other social commentary, you can find victims. If a stock market website was giving out bad stock advice, you’d be able to find victims.

If bloggers are giving bad advice on going to the Maldives, you should be able to find some victims right?

Is this a victimless social commentary?

@TNT:

This will be my last comment on this article.

The lack of “victims” or unhappy travelers is a moot point. The idea in these travel advice blogs is to maximize relative value, not find experiences above a threshold. For the latter, you go to the “plain” travel blogs, or social media, or… comment sections. You can’t call yourself an expert in maximizing earning and redemption values and then completely let your guard down and be uncritical when it comes to a destination you “must” cover as a blogger or that you think others “must” visit as players in the points game or that you legitimately see as the best place you’ve ever been.

We go to frequent traveler blogs to sort it all out – we expect them to be a bit more skeptical and a bit more rational than the rest. We also expect them to be less affected by the fads and trends to which other travel blogs and social media succumb (or the lack of criticality, the logical fallacies, and the psychological biases that plague the social media crowd and laypeople in general). A points/miles blog hopping on the hype train, being uncritical, and not putting things in perspective shows a lack of both originality and journalistic integrity.

No one is attacking you, no one is criticizing the act of going to the Maldives, and no one is saying you can’t find outsized value there. All I’m saying is that seemingly every blogger has gone there, reported on it uncritically, used faulty logic for valuations, and given few alternatives. They’re acting exactly like the commenters you trust so much, like the run-of-the-mill travel blogs we tend to avoid, and like the IG crowd.

In the end, there’s nothing wrong with the Maldives. There’s nothing wrong with going there. No one’s saying you will be unhappy. No one’s saying it’s bad in any way. No one’s claiming that you’ve fallen into a trap if you go there. What I take issue with specifically is:
– Lack of originality – when it comes to what destinations to cover.
– Implied expectations – this sometimes stems from unoriginality (i.e. you see it everywhere), but is often explicitly stated.
– Lack of comparisons – it’s no longer “one of the top”; it’s miles above the rest, it’s heaven on earth, it’s Shangri-La.
– Irrationality in currency valuation – ignoring additional expenses, inflated prices, opportunity costs.
– Focusing on questionable ethics – only in a few articles. Ideas like making people jealous, taking IG-worthy pictures, etc. on the same blogs that also offer good frequent travel strategies.
…all on THIS TYPE OF BLOG. All the criticism is aimed squarely at the trend we see in this teeny tiny part of the blogosphere. Nothing to do with the Maldives, they’re just today’s example. An unfortunate scapegoat, I guess.

I, too, find it hard to believe anyone’s been “tricked” into going to the Maldives and has come back disappointed. That’s not the point. By bad advice, I didn’t mean only that which leads to bad outcomes. Advice that is irrational with little ill effect is also bad in my book – especially if it doesn’t fit your MO, because you’re stepping on the trust and/or expectations of your readers. Yeah yeah, caveat emptor, but shouldn’t we be free to criticize advisers in general, especially when they’re being inconsistent or “unlike themselves”?

Say a financial columnist has been overly optimistic lately about certain minor financial moves, in a way inconsistent with their usual rationality and levelheadedness. If someone else writes a letter to the editor, will you be compelled to say, “Well, people should always follow their financial advisor’s recommendation” or “It worked for me and everyone I know”? Or will you consider whether someone in that position ought to know better?

@ George

I don’t know if you’ve been consistent in your arguments.

In your above post, you say: “In the end, there’s nothing wrong with the Maldives. There’s nothing wrong with going there. No one’s saying you will be unhappy.”

Well, before, here’s what you had to say about that:

“Had I discovered the points game way back when, my first order of business would’ve definitely been to hoard points and get my butt to the Maldives. Yes, I would’ve regretted it now.”

“Someone fresh to the points game risks disappointment and a big expense by blindly following the pack, and the increasingly illogical advice some writers churn out.”

“On the “new to the points game” crowd – there is indeed the possibility of a big opportunity cost.”

“the potential credit report implications, and it’s a recipe for disappointment.”

So on the one hand, you’re claiming that NO ONE is saying you will be unhappy. Then on the other hand, you give examples of how people CAN be disappointed:

1) You say you will regret the decision if you go
2) You say those who blindly follow the pack risks disappointment and a big expense by blindly following the pack
3) You say there are potential credit report implications, and it’s a recipe for disappointment.
4) You say there is indeed the possibility of a big opportunity cost.

George, these are all coming from you. You are painting this picture. It’s all coming from you. So, I’m asking you, who are all these unhappy, disappointed people?

Give me some EXAMPLES!

To that you reply: “The lack of “victims” or unhappy travelers is a moot point.”

If there are no victims, then where the heck are you getting all your DATA POINTS from? Are you just making them up? If there are real issues here, then show me some examples of unhappy travelers.

Any issue must have victims. There are no such things as victimless issues. You can’t paint a picture of POSSIBLE issues/problems and not have any DATA POINTS to back them up.

If this is actually a victimless issue, then what the heck is bothering you so much George?

That’s what I don’t get. If you haven’t been affected, and you’re saying no one else has been affected (the lack of victims), then I have no idea what’s got you soooo worked up about?

The blogs recommend going to the Maldives.
You choose NOT to go. That makes you happy.
Some other people choose to go. They seem happy.

What exactly is the issue George?

I have a hard time understanding what bothers you SOOO MUCH.

I think I’ve figured it out. I think I know why all the people that seemed to be the most bothered are the ones that choose not to go to the Maldives.

They’ve done the cost calculations, and they’ve made up their minds that it’s not worth it to them. But then, everytime they see a blog pushing the Maldives, it irritates them because to them, it’s not worth it. And the more they see blogs pushing the Maldives, the more they become bothered.

And since they’ve done the cost calculations and concluded that it’s not worth it, they think whoever chooses to go must be stupid or naive to take the advice.

So, I think this is where it’s all stemming from.

@ George

Yeah, so many things in life can be looked at as shallow. Flying first class is shallow to those who fly economy.

The article compares Maldives to Moorea. Ok. You can also compare Moorea to Key West and Moorea would come out as “shallow.”

Cars are shallow. Houses are shallow. Restaurants are shallow. There’s an aspect of functionality in everything and there’s an aspect of status symbol in everything as well.

The point I’m making is – why does it matter? It’s just options. Different options for different people.

Who went to the underwater restaurant at Conrad Maldives? No one goes for the food. It’s all status symbol.

And my response is – who cares? There’s no right or wrong way to travel. There’s no right or wrong way to spend your money or your points and miles.

Some would rather be practical/rational/functional. And others would rather be impractical/irractional/and superfluous.

And it’s a choice. No one’s right and no one’s wrong. It’s your money, it’s your miles, it’s your points. Go where you want to go. Do what you want to do. Do you.

And for those that want to judge how others spend their money, their points and their miles – my suggestion is – if it doesn’t affect your own life, don’t worry about it.

Go to Moorea if it suits you better.

You won’t see people going to the Maldives writing an article how it’s “wrong” to go to Moorea instead. You know why?

Because they don’t care if you choose to go to Moorea.

George I think it hit it pretty much nail on the head.

If you have watched the Fyre Festival doc you should get where I am coming from TNT.

You don’t like the article and I get it I didn’t expect everyone to agree or enjoy it. That is never the case. Others seem to like it or enjoy discussing it at least. Different strokes for different folks – right? 🙂

@ Mark

“Different strokes for different folks”

For sure. And I wasn’t coming at the angle that I’m trying to get other people to not enjoy the article.

I was trying to defend a traveler’s rights to be “shallow” or travel for the “wrong reasons”

Traveling is such a personal experience/decision. I couldn’t see telling another traveler that they are traveling for the “wrong reasons”

I do agree with you 100% – people should travel however and to wherever they want if it makes them happy.

This was more talking about the effect social media has had on people’s decision making process and how much it influences people these days.

@ Mark

“He just making the point that going to a place just to social media brag is silly.”

This is exactly my point. I’m trying to defend a traveler’s rights to go to a place just to social media brag even if it seems “silly” to you.

How does it affect your travels in ANY way if another person decides to travel in a silly way?

That’s why I don’t get this whole social commentary. Is there an epidemic of “silly” traveling? Who cares? Do you care?

How does “silly” traveling affect any other person? It’s their money, it’s their points, it’s their miles. It’s their life. It’s their travel reasons.

What’s silly to you is a legit reason to them. Who’s opinion matters more, yours or theirs?

I think your opinion only matters to your travels. It’s not relevant to any other person’s travel decisions. So it doesn’t matter if you think another person’s travel reasons are “silly”

So why even provide social commentary on the matter? Does it make the world a better place if we cut out “silly” traveling?

TNT if they are going somewhere they want to because they want to (no matter the reason) that is great I don’t have a problem with that.

My point is don’t go somewhere because someone else says you should or because you feel like you need to for credibility. Travel where you want to because of the reasons you want to. Whatever those may be is fine and everyone should set their own criteria. I am encouraging people to use their own process and make their own decisions.

@ Mark Ostermann,

I get that. But the people that you are appealing to, that’s who they are. They are into status symbols and into bragging. It’s not simply a travel choice, it’s a lifestyle choice.

They buy status symbol houses, status symbol sunglasses, status symbol purses, status symbol cars, eat at status symbol restaurants.

And there’s no social commentary on status symbol houses, or cars, or any other thing. It’s just who they are. They are into that kind of stuff.

The person that simply goes to the Maldives just for an IG pic, is the same person that would buy an expensive car just for an IG pic. It’s the same person that would buy an LV bag just for in IG pic.

You say you’re encouraging them to make their own decisions, but they’ve already made their own decisions. Their happiness is based on being able to “brag.” So, when the bloggers write about the Maldives being a “bragging” destination, that appeals to them. So why would you think they aren’t making their own decisions?

I know people who travel to brag. It’s not just a travel decision. It’s a lifestyle decision. They brag about everything. Their car, their clothes, their education, etc.

And it’s their right. They worked hard for it. If they want to brag, let them. It seems to make them happy.

Basically you’re appealing to people that like to brag. You want them to think about why traveling to brag is not a good thing. But, there are people that live to brag. It makes them happy. Those people travel to brag. And it’s ok to me.

Social media is fake, it isn’t real. It is the best possible image of something. People tend to only post things that put them in a positive light. It is a false narrative that is filtered both figuratively and literally. There are scores and scores of reports of how it leads to depression, low self worth and it shows that the more people spend time on it the more depressed they get. It is in fact a sickness or issue in our current culture that goes mostly overlooked and I believe that the Maldives has become a symbol or symptom of that.

I work in an industry that directly feeds into this issue so I wanted to call it out for that. If you don’t agree that it is an issue then that is fine but it has been scientifically proven to be one. People that base their self worth on bragging or social media likes are in fact less happy. I am simply pointing out the fact that people that do the same thing I do have fed into that. Peer pressure has been created. Our site probably has from time to time as well even though unintentionally. I don’t know what the answer is but I thought the discussion should be started…that was the purpose of the post. And I think that has happened. Hopefully it goes on from there.

@ Mark Ostermann

If social media leads people to depression, then that’s a more serious topic than the choice between going to the Maldives vs going to Moorea.

If social media is a sickness, then choosing to go to Moorea instead of the Maldives is not going to cure anyone.

If social media is a sickness that leads people to depression, then choosing to go to the Maldives for an IG pic is just one of thousands of choices they make in their lives.

If you really want to tackle the social media is a sickness angle, then choosing to focus on the Maldives is just too narrow. You should be writing on psychological piece social media instead of a travel piece on the Maldives.

This is a travel blog so I am taking the travel part of the discussion. How it relates to my industry/our readers. Simple as that.

@ Mark Ostermann,

Yes, it’s a travel blog. But what you’re aiming to tackle (social media sickness) with this article (Maldives) is like trying to plug one hole on a ship with 100 holes.

If social media is fake that leads to depression, then the person that has this sickness posts hundreds of IG pics every day trying to create a “positive” image of their life. They brag about everything in their life.

If you are successful in convincing these types of people to go to Moorea instead of the Maldives, what does that accomplish in your goals of bringing light to “social media sickness.”

They’ll be in Moorea but they’ll still be posting IG pics of Moorea, and it’ll still lead to “social media sickness”

If people have social media sickness, does it matter if they go to Hawaii, or Florida, or Moorea, or the Maldives?

Is there more social media sickness in the Maldives vs. Moorea vs. Hawaii?

Seems like no matter where they go, they’ll still post IG pics and they’ll still have this sickness.

So, I still don’t understand the angle. If social media sickness is your focus, then why is it better to be in Moorea than the Maldives?

You seem stuck on Mo’orea. I brought up Mo’orea because it is a much simpler place to get to, cheaper, and very similar but people are skipping over it (and many others) to go to the Maldives because of influencers, social media, bloggers etc.

@Mark Ostermann

Ok, forget about Moorea. If social media is a real sickness that leads to depression, and that’s your main concern…

What makes the Maldives more of a social media sickness than any other place?

These quotes right here:

“There are scores and scores of reports of how it leads to depression, low self worth and it shows that the more people spend time on it the more depressed they get. It is in fact a sickness or issue in our current culture that goes mostly overlooked and I believe that the Maldives has become a symbol or symptom of that.”

“If you don’t agree that it is an issue then that is fine but it has been scientifically proven to be one. People that base their self worth on bragging or social media likes are in fact less happy. I am simply pointing out the fact that people that do the same thing I do have fed into that.”

Here are my questions:

1) You say it’s been scientifically proven. How many people in the study actually went to the Maldives? I’d say if they studied 1,000 people, maybe 1 went to the Maldives if that?

2) If you are concerned that “people that base their self worth on bragging or social media likes are in fact less happy” how does convincing them to not go to the Maldives help them? Shouldn’t you be trying to convince them to not brag period? Isn’t the problem that they live their life to brag, not that they choose to go to the Maldives to brag? Because, these people will brag no matter where they go, whether it be the Maldives, or Hawaii, or the Grand Canyon or wherever.

The problem has nothing to do with the Maldives, as you’ve identified. It’s not a Maldives issue. The issue is that these people live their lives simply to brag and that’s an issue that you say has been “scientifically proven” and “leads to depression.”

Didn’t mean to sound snarky. Just wondering if someplace remains unseen in my Michigan bucket list.

Bob – no worries just wanted to be clear I haven’t found anything in Michigan that is Maldives like.

The area I was talking about was East Tawas. I went there often as a kid and even lived there a few years so I have a lot of fond memories of the place and love sharing the same experiences with my kids.

A few pictures of it in here
https://milestomemories.boardingarea.com/5-reasons-why-staycations-may-be-my-favorite-vacation/

I also love the Traverse City area which everyone knows about but I think Old Misson and Suttons Bay right there is often overlooked. And Torch Lake is probably the most beautiful water I have seen outside of an island.

https://www.google.com/search?q=torch+lake&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS819US819&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=JOWFTzNDIN-zNM%253A%252CqhrT9KMNEvnJGM%252C%252Fm%252F0dwlmq&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kQI8AkSDuZvF5tLDOS6Fdlo4d5rSg&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiavsSa-evgAhUQ0IMKHS8TAcMQ_B0wE3oECAMQBg#imgrc=JOWFTzNDIN-zNM: