In Beijing: Olympic Travel Junkies

My companions at the hotel here vary by age, gender, nationality and sport of choice—but as we’ve chatted over breakfast or on the shuttle to the subway, I’ve learned that there’s one thing many of them have in common: this isn’t their first Olympic Games. “Calgary, Barcelona, Atlanta ... Sydney, Nagano,” one man rattled off during a subway ride. His wife added: “Don’t forget Salt Lake!” Another man scratched his head thoughtfully when I asked how many Games he’d attended. “I guess I got started back in ‘76,” he said, “in Montreal.”

 

Considering the ongoing decline in vacation time taken these days, a trip to the Olympics every two years—or even every four—probably represents a hefty percentage of my companions’ overall holiday total. So what drives them to keep coming back again and again?

After just a few days here, I can already see the appeal. The exotic, exciting locale, the sheer athletic ability on display, the emotional highs and lows lived vicariously through the athletes—together, it all packs a pretty powerful punch. In fact, I’ve already caught myself looking ahead to 2010. I haven’t been out to Canada’s west coast in a few years.

Isn’t it about time I made it back to Vancouver?

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