[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/to-hell-with-hedonism\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/to-hell-with-hedonism\/","headline":"To Hell with Hedonism: Plan a Purpose-Driven Getaway","name":"To Hell with Hedonism: Plan a Purpose-Driven Getaway","description":"With a bit of conscious travel planning and intent, you and your partner will flourish in far-flung places As we engage our quest for adventure\u2014and...","datePublished":"2010-10-06","dateModified":"2021-06-21","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/admin\/#Person","name":"Equally Wed","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/admin\/","identifier":787,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?s=96&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Equally Wed","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","url":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","width":218,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/emo-intel-travel-will-pollock.jpg","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/emo-intel-travel-will-pollock.jpg","height":1004,"width":1500},"url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/to-hell-with-hedonism\/","video":[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wHvza4C2iO8#VideoObject","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wHvza4C2iO8","name":"M*A*S*H's Alan Alda Recalls Brush with Death in Chile","description":"Complete Premium video at: http:\/\/fora.tv\/conference\/chautauqua_video_sampler_2010\r\n\r\nRenowned actor Alan Alda recalls his brush with death while filming a special on a mountaintop in Chile. Surprisingly, his experience playing a doctor on M*A*S*H came in handy at the Chilean hospital where he was treated.\r\n\r\nTo view more highlights from the Chautauqua 2010 Video Sampler series, visit http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/view_play_list?p=CBFA7A4D0DCD0CF1\r\n\r\n-----\r\n\r\nThis lecture features Alan Alda in conversation with Roger Rosenblatt. Alan Alda has the distinction of being nominated for an Oscar, a Tony and an Emmy -- as well as publishing a bestselling book -- all in the same year (2005). His Emmy nomination was for his role on NBC's \"The West Wing.\" His Tony nomination that year was for his role in the Broadway revival of David Mamet's \"Glengarry Glen Ross.\"\r\n\r\nOn film that year, Alda appeared in Martin Scorsese's \"The Aviator,\" for which he received an Academy Award nomination and for which he was also nominated for a British Academy Award. - Chautauqua Institution\r\n\r\nAlan Alda has earned international recognition as an actor, writer and director. He has recently had the distinction of being nominated for an Oscar, a Tony, and an EMMY - as well as publishing a bestselling book - all in the same year. \r\n\r\nHe has won the Director's Guild Award three times for his work on television, and has received six Golden Globes from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and seven People's Choice Awards, and has been nominated for two Writer's Guild Awards.\r\n\r\nHe played Hawkeye Pierce on the classic television series \"M*A*S*H,\" and also wrote and directed many of the episodes. Alda is the only person to be honored by the TV Academy as top performer, writer and director. His 32 Emmy nominations include one in 1999 for his performance on \"ER.\" In 1994 he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.\r\n\r\nHis memoir, entitled Never Have Your Dog Stuffed, and Other Things I've Learned, became a New York Times bestseller.","thumbnailUrl":["https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/wHvza4C2iO8\/default.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/wHvza4C2iO8\/mqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/wHvza4C2iO8\/hqdefault.jpg"],"uploadDate":"2010-07-07T20:20:57+00:00","duration":"PT3M38S","embedUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wHvza4C2iO8","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCnzItcpd7WGVn80TRRb8RcQ#Organization","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCnzItcpd7WGVn80TRRb8RcQ","name":"FORA.tv","description":"Brilliant ideas are shared everyday, everywhere, and we don't want you to miss them! FORA.tv makes live streaming easy for conferences and events. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and watch engaging videos from partners like WIRED,  The Atlantic, Intelligence Squared, Carnegie Institution for Science and more.","logo":{"url":"https:\/\/yt3.ggpht.com\/ytc\/AIdro_mwP6738qEgP7uUrLxAtp02lKJEoCL30PFmmtDMkDgUfww=s800-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj","width":800,"height":800,"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wHvza4C2iO8#VideoObject_publisher_logo_ImageObject"}},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wHvza4C2iO8#VideoObject_potentialAction","target":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wHvza4C2iO8&t={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"},"interactionStatistic":[[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wHvza4C2iO8#VideoObject_interactionStatistic_WatchAction","interactionType":{"@type":"WatchAction"},"userInteractionCount":21335}],{"@type":"InteractionCounter","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wHvza4C2iO8#VideoObject_interactionStatistic_LikeAction","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":207}]},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=vfBw8_QODYg#VideoObject","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=vfBw8_QODYg","name":"Jason sings in the Chautauqua Institution Choir","description":" ","thumbnailUrl":["https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/vfBw8_QODYg\/default.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/vfBw8_QODYg\/mqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/vfBw8_QODYg\/hqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/vfBw8_QODYg\/sddefault.jpg"],"uploadDate":"2010-08-31T16:47:29+00:00","duration":"PT3M4S","embedUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vfBw8_QODYg","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC_q1pUab5jY0nXF32oRNeeQ#Organization","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC_q1pUab5jY0nXF32oRNeeQ","name":"Will Pollock","description":"\nWatch, learn... and don't eat my cookie.\n\nCapturing life one idiot moment at a time. Many clips are in support of my book, \"Pizza for Good\" and the website, http:\/\/www.pizzaforgood.net. \n\nI'm also guilty of posting clips of my Rat Terrier Triscuit doing nutty things\u2014ball chasing, mail grabbing, snow-nosediving type stuff.\n\nHope you enjoy, and please support indie authors by buying a book today: http:\/\/www.pizzaforgood.net\/buy-now R2Mdff\n\n","logo":{"url":"https:\/\/yt3.ggpht.com\/ytc\/AIdro_kpyNMncoMgDHmdS2OLBjY18YsRteE-LltkGv7txdOfXWw=s800-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj","width":800,"height":800,"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=vfBw8_QODYg#VideoObject_publisher_logo_ImageObject"}},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=vfBw8_QODYg#VideoObject_potentialAction","target":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=vfBw8_QODYg&t={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"},"interactionStatistic":[[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=vfBw8_QODYg#VideoObject_interactionStatistic_WatchAction","interactionType":{"@type":"WatchAction"},"userInteractionCount":207}],{"@type":"InteractionCounter","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=vfBw8_QODYg#VideoObject_interactionStatistic_LikeAction","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":1}]}],"about":["Marriage + More"],"wordCount":1106,"keywords":["relationships","travel"],"articleBody":"With a bit of conscious travel planning and intent, you and your partner will flourish in far-flung placesAs we engage our quest for adventure\u2014and with our \u201cgetaway\u201d mindset sometimes driving our decision-making, upwardly mobile couples face an important question: As we travel the country and the world, do we hunt for new stimuli and information about our destinations\u2014or do we take more of a passive-traveler approach? Are we so stressed out that we seek to turn off and tune out when we leave home? The answer depends on your priorities and approach to travel\u2014if you even make it on your vacation to begin with. It\u2019s my job to help you fire up your emotional intelligence, and as such, couples take note: There are deep secrets and cultural treasures hidden, waiting to be dug up, in your traveling pursuits. Adventure\u2014and learning\u2014await. \u201cShared experience and histories are important to forming strong social bonds,\u201d says Samuel Parker, Ph.D., associate professor of graduate studies at University of Washington, Tacoma. Parker gave an address in Charlottesville, Va., last year on \u201cThe Art of Ancient India in an Age of Cultural Tourism\u201d that I attended, setting off a light above my head (yes, it does happen) that seeking meaning in our travel could give off tremendous benefits. \u201cCulture learning introduces an element of challenge and stress to our experiencing that provides opportunities for us to grow intellectually and emotionally,\u201d Parker tells Equally Wed. In order to go deeper, though, we have to actually execute our travel plans; even though we have these opportunities, statistics show we\u2019re neither seizing our vacation chances nor reaping their potential rewards. Recent studies show that we are a respite-challenged, stress-weary nation. Some quick stats:  More than 50 percent of respondents in a Westin Hotels \u201cWellness in Travel\u201d study of 1,500 Americans do not take allotted vacation days from their place of work.Men who take vacations are 32 percent less likely to die of heart attacks, according to Boston University\u2019s Framingham Heart Study.Women who take vacations became more satisfied with their marriages, according to Arizona Department of Health and Human Services as cited by Westin on its wellness website. A recent summer article from The Boston Globe corroborates this theory, adding that shorter vacations with higher experiential intensity can make a huge difference in enjoyment. \u201cIf you have to sacrifice how long your vacation is versus how intense it is, you want shorter and more intense,\u201d says Thomas Gilovich, who was a source for the Globe piece and is professor and chair of Cornell University\u2019s department of psychology. Gilovich has long been a champion of consumers seeking experiences rather than consumption. The article adds: \u201cPeople take vacations for all sorts of reasons beyond pure hedonism \u2014 to learn about new places, to test themselves, to placate their children, to bask in the envy of their friends and co-workers.\u201d  A more conscious, culture-centric approach isn\u2019t for all, but can be a fruitful endeavor, says Parker. \u201cAn unstable or volatile relationship is likely to become even more so under the stress of culture shock, but a solid social bond is likely to be enriched by it. We are traveling the world in great numbers these days, but that doesn’t mean that our experiences automatically result in any kind of intellectual, emotional or spiritual growth.\u201d Enrichment begins with an educated traveler, and gay couples are no exception. So why not expand your search even further to journeys that pose an opportunity for greater personal engagement? Shifting your priorities even slightly can deepen the value of your travel and greatly enhance the memory of it. In July, I visited Chautauqua Institution in New York for the first time with Jason, my squeeze, who spent time there in his younger years and was influenced and shaped by its four pillars: knowledge, education, arts and religion. With a decided slant toward Christianity, the institution\u2019s program in 2010 presented lively discussions from folks like Jim Lehrer, Alan Alda and Sandra Day O\u2019Connor. Alda\u2019s M*A*S*H anecdote was as touching as it was funny:Throughout the summer, bold speakers like retired bishop John Shelby Spong addressed the Prop 8 issue and gay civil rights; Jared Jacobsen, the Institution\u2019s longtime organist, choir director (Jason sang with them) and coordinator of worship and sacred music, played the Massey Memorial Organ. The instrument, dedicated in 1907, is an imposing work of visual art as much as an audio marvel, and is the largest pipe organ in the world.  After our first visit, I was smitten with the location and its provocative lectures, music and proximity to great bodies of water. (We returned a second time last month to conduct a photo shoot on Chautauqua Lake for another publication, Sea Ray Living, for which I\u2019m also a contributor.) Regardless of your religious affiliation, Chautauqua will cause you to think and you\u2019ll leave the better for it. I was truly enriched by this historic place, and it gave Jason and me a shared experience I\u2019ll always remember. All of your destinations can offer the same benefits if you look for them. Challenging ourselves to dig deeper and toss out preconceived ideas is precisely the point, says Rob O\u2019Connor, CEO of Atlanta-based TravelScream.com. \u201cForget \u2018What\u2019s Hot, What\u2019s Not\u2019 lists,\u201d he says. \u201cThink about what makes both of you stop and take notice. If tales of your family history rivet you, make an ancestral pilgrimage. If wildlife encounters leave you bursting with joy, go on a safari or take a jungle tour. A culinary boot-camp trip may be the ticket if you\u2019re determined to throw a killer party without hiring a caterer. The possibilities are truly endless, and many travel providers now categorize their offerings in terms of lifestyle and interests, rather than just location, making it easy to find a vacation that\u2019s enriching as well as relaxing.\u201d Next trip, move yourselves out of your comfort zone and into new territory. An \u201cunplug\u201d vacation need not be an \u201cunconscious\u201d one\u2014and your wellness may very well depend on it. Discover, seek and get curious. Investigate, plan and prepare for your trip\u2014and bring back treasures that enrich your soul.Will Pollock is a freelance journalist and artist based in Midtown Atlanta. He is working on his first book on emotional intelligence for men and blogs frequently about this and other pop-culture nonsense at willpollock.com. He encourages you to watch the book\u2019s progress on Facebook and follow him on Twitter, as he urges men to mine their emotional intellect."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"To Hell with Hedonism: Plan a Purpose-Driven Getaway","item":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/to-hell-with-hedonism\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]