Many people like to take a break by exploring somewhere new, whether it's with just a backpack or with a fleet of luggage. But there is more to a holiday that visiting "attractions," sampling local foods, and napping in a hammock. Being a tourist is easy—tourism is complex.

In this No-Nonsense Guide, Pamela Nowicka explores the third largest industry in the world (after oil and narcotics) and its profound economic, social, and environmental impacts. Taking the reader on a trip from the early days of travel to the first package tours and on to today's mass tourism, she argues that without a greater commitment to equitable and sustainable practices, tourists of all stripes will continue to be part of the problem, not the solution.