I'd have to admit, my first reaction is to shudder. Whenever I see those red, open-topped tourist buses driving around my city, I tend to think to myself: boy am I glad I'm not on there.
Those buses seem like the epitome of touristy tack, a service designed purely for visitors, a lazy, easy way to see the sights without having to interact with any locals or do any research of your own. Just sit down and be led around the city while expending no energy and making no effort. They're cruise ships on wheels.
I don't use city-tour buses when I travel, because I like the unpredictability of striking out on my own and finding attractions that will only appeal to me. And obviously I don't use them in my own city, because why would I? I already know the places tourists go.
Turns out the places tourists go are the same as many of the places that I go, because I seem to see those buses around Sydney a lot. I see them in Pyrmont and Dawes Point, in Potts Point and Chinatown. I spot them in Rose Bay and Bondi, in Paddington and Centennial Park. And that's not really a surprise – those are all beautiful spots.
My first reaction whenever I see one of those buses, however, is to shudder. Tourists. Local residents are programmed to dislike the sight of them, clogging up the streets, packing into the shops and restaurants, standing around on bike paths and walking tracks and getting in the way. They're a hassle.
But that's only a first reaction. My second thought, now, is to appreciate what those tourists are doing here, why they're all packed into those buses and are driving around town gawking at the places I get to call my own.
They're doing that because those places are truly amazing. All of those tourists have spent a huge amount of money on the privilege of visiting the city that I get to call home. This is bucket list stuff for them. They're living out a dream. And for me, and many of the rest of us, it's just normal.
That's something I try to bear in mind every time I see an open-topped bus cruising through town: people have paid to come and see the place that I live in. That means it's OK to be jealous of those who live in Paris, or New York, or London, or Rome – because the people who live there are also jealous of me.
It's worth remembering that fact as summer rolls around in Australia, particularly for those of us staring down the barrel of no holidays booked in, of no overseas adventures to look forward to. You don't really need them. The place we call home is a holiday in itself.
I've never been much of a fan of the idea of a "staycation", of choosing to spend your holidays at home. It sounds like a cop-out, like something you just tell yourself you're doing to make up for the fact that you're not going on a proper trip away.
But maybe there's something to this. Maybe it's worth treating your own city like you're a tourist, and appreciating what it has to offer.
I'm probably not going to ride the Explorer Bus, but I am going to check out more of the city this summer, and do the things that tourists do. I'm going to ride on the Manly Ferry and hang out at Bondi Beach. I'm going to walk through some of the North Shore national parks, and go fill a few shopping bags with seafood at the Fish Market.
This idea isn't limited to people who live in Sydney either. If you're in Melbourne, get out and do as the tourists would. Visit the NGV or ACME. Hang out in the Botanic Gardens. Book yourself into that amazing restaurant you've always wanted to go to.
Same goes for people in Brisbane, or Adelaide, or Perth, or anywhere around the country. Wherever you call home, be a tourist there this summer. Appreciate the reason all those foreign travellers have paid huge amounts of money just to check out your backyard and take photos and boast to their friends. They're doing that because the places we live are truly great.
And if you aren't sure what tourists do in your city, if you can't appreciate which sights seem particularly amazing to those from overseas, there's an easy way to find out. I'll give you a clue: it's red, and it doesn't have a roof.
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