Travel Lightly

I’d never thought much about tourists before I moved to a vacation destination spot. I’ve lived in cities that are destinations, sure — Paris, Montréal, and Boston come immediately to mind — but somehow cities are able to absorb extra people, be they long-term or short-term immigrants, in ways that small towns cannot.

I’ve even written for magazines and other publications aimed at the tourism/vacation trade; but, again, didn’t experience the results of my dazzling prose that encouraged people to come, to go, to visit, to experience. It was all pretty academic, and if I thought about it at all I was pleased I could help people find a nice place for a well-deserved rest.

Then I moved to Cape Cod, and all that changed.

If you live in a small-town vacation destination, there’s rarely a moment when you’re not thinking about tourists. You probably make your living, or part of your living, from tourism: waiting on tables, renting out rooms, opening souvenir shops, starring in shows. Even if you don’t, though, the Summer People are unavoidable, when the traffic congestion makes driving anywhere nearly impossible, when the checkout lines at the grocery store ensure you’re going to be late, when the people in…