Even travel snobs like all inclusive resorts sometimes

Adam and I have visited 4 different all inclusive (AI) resorts in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (DR) since December 2010.  We thought that would be our AI go-to location for years to come with easy flights from Boston, and a good balance of price and quality.  We even were pretty well dedicated to a specific resort brand having had two very comfortable experiences with them.  Then the early 2019 wave of news stories hit suggesting an ominous uptick in suspicious incidents and deaths involving US tourists in the DR.

It is easy for my data hungry brain to rationalize that with millions of visitors a year moving through Punta Cana, some are bound to die there.  Eventually articles began to focus on practicality to downplay the conspiracy theories.  There is truth to the "ignorance is bliss" adage though and despite my healthy level of skepticism, the sheer number of sensationalized incidents had me spooked.

This is what launched me into research mode in hopes of finding a suitable AI alternative - in a historically safer tropical locale.  It didn't take long to notice that there seemed to be two opposing AI factions online.  The dedicated fans and the "I would never" crowd.  Most of the latter spoke of AIs with disdain like they were describing dog shit on their new shoes.  It is no surprise that most of the folks who found AIs so distasteful A) pretentiously self identify as "traveler not tourist" and B) have never actually stayed at one.  I imagine these irksome forum posts were all made by people named something like Muffy, Bitsy, Chad, or Todd.

"Why would anyone stay at an AI when there is so much to explore and so many great restaurants and bars blah blah blah..."  I think a better question would be why this vein of commentary grates me so much?  I guess that is really more of a rhetorical question because I know full well what the answer is:  I am a travel snob myself.

And maybe even more of one than the Bitsy and Chads of the world in one particular respect.  I believe that if you are only ever taking the same style of trip, then you are actually the one with woefully narrow view of the world and how travel experiences can enrich your life

Our family has done Disney vacations, we've slept in tents, we've tromped around cities, we road tripped in Iceland, we rented a house in Bermuda, we roamed the countryside and seaside in Portugal.  And yes, we've also sat on our butts, on a gorgeous beach eating and drinking in peace without an agenda or single where we needed to be or when we needed to be there.  We've been travelers, tourists, and everywhere in between.

I think Muffy and Todd misunderstand the lure of an AI to people who are also well travelled.  Those of us who are bound to a defined work schedule, and often feel brain dead by the time we get home, but still have to keep a house running on budget and keep track of kids and family members... sometimes, we just need a break from all of the thinking.

It is not that we don't enjoy local culture, interesting restaurants, and a unique sense of place.  It's just that sometimes, the priority is to simply recharge and spend as little energy and effort as possible to do it.  So while I am sure there are plenty of people who frequent AIs because they are either too dumb, lazy, or scared to truly venture out into the world, there are also those of us who keep AIs in the travel rotation simply because it meets a particular desire.

As for the Dominican Republic, I'm guessing we'll be back again once the media frenzy quiets down. In the meantime, our next round of all inclusive comforts and ease will have us with our toes in the water and sand of Barbados!