Since the Titan submersible’s disappearance and the profile of its passengers were announced, many have wondered why people with high spending power who paid $250,000 for the excursion embark on perilous voyages like this.
Harvard psychologist Ellen Larger, who specializes in social cognition and decisionmaking, told Insider that it’s about escaping the boredom of routine and “breaking the ordinariness of your everyday life.”
Read more about the missing submersible
According to Larger, many people are trapped in an unfulfilling life and are inattentive most of the time. In this sense, doing something dangerous can alleviate the feeling of emptiness as it requires attention and awareness from the individual. “Unfortunately, many of these people don’t realize that it’s easy to be aware without risking your life,” she added.
In addition to exploring the depths of the ocean, according to the insider, space travel — which is estimated to be around 10,000 times more dangerous than commercial flights — and cruise expeditions to places like Antarctica are among the risky travel experiences trending among wealthy people.
Billionaire Hamish Harding, who was aboard the Titan submersible, flew into space in a Blue Origin plane owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos last year.
Peter Anderson, chief executive of luxury travel agency Knightsbridge Circle, told the New York Times about the recent case of a client wanting to visit South Sudan one of 19 countries the US State Department has classified as unsafe to travel to. The planning process for this trip even included consulting with safety experts to determine how best to mitigate potential hazards.
Anderson told the Times that this type of tourist has become so used to more ordinary destinations that they see as “typical vacations” that they are starting to look for more unique experiences, many of which involve some level of risk.