Traveling in Hannibal

“I have found out there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.”  - Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer Abroad

A tour group from West Tennessee had booked the Planters Barn Theater yesterday.  They came through the door like a breath of fresh air.  They entered the theater smiling, and they left laughing.  A very responsive audience, their laughter crackled in the stage lights, and it was clear they enjoyed themselves completely.  I would be happy to travel with that group from Brantley Tours any day.

On the other hand,  I have encountered a mystery during my time in the Hannibal tourism business.  Some people on vacation are miserable.  Over the years I have seen those frowning tourists looking for some reason to complain.  When I met a couple on Main Street last summer, the husband immediately complained, "This is false advertising.  We came here expecting great things, but there's nothing to do."  I pulled out a Hannibal brochure and pointed out all the things to do, and I asked, "Did you go to the Convention & Visitors Bureau?"  They had not.  I asked, "Did you look through the brochures?"  They had not.  I inquired if they had made any plans before leaving home.  They had not.  This couple was standing on Main Street in America's Home Town with museums, two caves, a riverboat, the Mark Twain Himself stage show, shopping, numerous restaurants and antiquing opportunities.   Sadly, they had absolutely nothing to do.

Unhappy travelers might even turn gold nuggets into dirt clods.  This husband and wife were snapping at each other and complaining about everything.  Walking away from a dark cloud of unhappiness, I wondered why they left home.  Mr. and Mrs. Brown had traveled three hundred miles, had spent money to get here, had invested in lodging, had done lots of right things, but it was all wrong.  They hoped to enjoy Missouri, but instead they found themselves in the state of Misery.

Some travelers do it all with style.  Last week, a mother with teenagers in tow explained, "We are here for only three days, and I don't know if we will get to do everything.  We are having so much fun. This is just great!"  The five faces were all smiles.  What a difference attitude makes!

Monday to Friday, I  meet with tourists at the Mark Twain Museum for a Q&A session with Mark Twain Himself.  This is lots of fun for me and the guests who come.  I meet visitors from all over the world.  One day this week I met a group of about 25 Japanese students.  Just this week I have had folks from England, Germany, Australia, India, New Zealand, and Finland.  

I walk down Main Street to the museum each afternoon about 2 o'clock.  Again, the difference in attitude is striking.  Some folks enjoy the experience of running into "Mark Twain".  They laugh and take photos and interact.  One day a man saw me coming and snapped, "Come on Ethel, let's go over to the other side of the street.  He may want money."  I was shocked.  Here we are in Hannibal, Missouri, Mark Twain's boyhood home, and some do not want to interact with an actor playing Mark Twain.  I receive emails saying the meeting was one of the great experiences of their vacation, others cross the street and frown.

Perhaps we should all be reminded from time to time of Helen Keller's observation, "Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional."  I will continue to travel a good deal in Hannibal.  Happy trails to you wherever you travel.  At least I hope you travel with a smile.