Have you ever watched someone watching TV? I used to do it when I was a kid because my dad was nearly as entertaining as whatever he was watching. As a devoted fan of science fiction novels, he loved Star Trek like it was part of the family. He’d lean forward in his chair for each new episode, eager for what would happen next. He loved Spock’s infallible logic and Captain Kirk’s steely determination to “boldly go where no man has gone before.”
But for the characters on Star Trek, going places was easy because they had something called a “transporter room.” I desperately wish transporter rooms would become a reality — impossible as that may be. On Star Trek, when crew members wanted to visit a planet, they’d simply pop into the transporter room and stand on what looked like bright circles of light. Then one of them would tell Scottie, the ship’s chief engineer, to “Energize.” Their bodies would then fade into sparkly, shimmery pieces of light before rematerializing on the nearby planet only a moment later.
Every time Tom and I talk about possible vacation plans, I wish for that transporter room. When you’re a homebody like me, you have to be really excited about a place to put up with the hassle of getting there. There’s the planning. The packing. The expensive tickets. The crowds. The delays. Endless hours in the car. Gas station bathrooms. The hotel room prices. Long lines. And did I mention the crowds? Let’s count those twice.
But Captain Kirk and his buddy Spock never once packed a bag and worried that the luggage wouldn’t fit into the overhead compartment. They never felt like touristy cattle being herded into long, winding lines. They probably never even smelled a public bathroom in their whole fictional lives.
There’s research that shows I’m not the only homebody who’s more likely to stay put these days. In 2024, a study published by a Princeton sociologist named Patrick Sharkey revealed that adults in the United States are spending more time at home. And no, the numbers aren’t just skewed by the pandemic. The increase in time spent at home has been trending since 2003. The pandemic simply accelerated what was already happening.
The study found that, between 2003 and 2022, the average time we spend at home has gone up by an hour and 39 minutes per day.
What explains the increase? I’ll let the research experts figure that one out, but I bet we could all make a few educated guesses. For me, home is where my nervous system finally gets to relax. It’s where I can hear myself think. Things at home are calm and predictable, which is such a welcome relief when world events seem chaotic or even threatening.
Perhaps fellow writer and homebody Huma Altaf described it best when she put it this way: “Crowded environments can feel like eight radio stations playing at once. At home, I get one clear signal.”
With that being said, there’s no denying that our country and the world are home to some incredibly interesting (often gorgeous) places. Experiencing those sights, sounds, food, and the people who live there — that carries a special magic all its own. Even when the trips don’t go as planned, we make memories there and all along the way.
National Geographic writer Eric Weiner said travel is in our genes. Why else would we do it? In a 2020 article, he wrote, “Travel is not a rational activity. It makes no sense to squeeze yourself into an alleged seat only to be hurled at frightening speed to a distant place where you don’t speak the language or know the customs. All at great expense. If we stopped to do the cost-benefit analysis, we’d never go anywhere. Yet we do.”
Yes, we do. And the anticipation of an exciting trip with people you love is often reason enough to do it. But I still say the whole thing would be infinitely better if we had a transporter room.
Why aren’t the artificial intelligence robots figuring this out for us? I’d love to see Paris by day and sleep on my own pillow at night. The best parts of travel paired with the best parts of home? Now that’s a ticket I’d buy.
Gwen Rockwood is a syndicated freelance columnist. Email her at gwenrockwood5@gmail.com. Her books are available on Amazon.