I have to second
Mithalwen. Brilliant ,
alatar!
I think your question of whether you or any of us would have to pay points to the global economy of Middle-earth. Travel depends upon either abject poverty, which forces one to travel to seek economic means, or disposable income and time, which lures one to seek out play. It also depends upon a balance of ease and effort. Some will travel only if guides make it easy. Others will rough it in the bush for the challenge of it. Still more, travel depends upon curiosity.
Hobbits by and large didn't experience great poverty, at least in the Third Age and it appears they have enough satisfaction of their play desire in The Shire. Most hobbits also seem a tad too prone to couch tater hood. They also seem not to be terribly curious creatures. Definitely not cats.
Dwarves on the other hand do know poverty and it appears they did develop an extensive system of trade routes to alieviate their economic condition. Their play instinct is, I think, largely dormant (although of course Peter Jackson did attempt to elaborate upon this, much to the consternment of the Bookites--myself being one). This dormancy may in fact have much to do with the apparent dearth of female dwarves and consequentl lack of dwarven progeny. Children do a great deal to encourage adult modes of play. Thus, I don't think that dwarves would harken after Rivendell as they might not know what to do with all that playtime available. They might want to start teaching elves how to do serious metal work.
The men of Middle earth faced variable conditions. Those of Rohan had bad experience with Dunlenders and I think this caused them to consider closing off borders and limiting contact with other cultures, even though it appears their society was struggling with incursions of others who were seeking economic advantage. Bad kharma lessens one's curiosity I think. As for play, warrior cultures tended to elevate war to a high level of game, so perhaps for them their play instincts were largely subsumed by their war games.
Gondor of course was terribly self-centred and self-satisfied and as such really lacked the truly sophisticated urge to seek out new lands, whether class M or not. There seems to be little economic motivation for Gondorians to travel to Rivendell, although Far Harad probably offerred a range of goods and services not to be found in the Last Homely Home. Better weather likely as well.
What this says about our changes of a spa-like excursion to Rivendell I'm not sure. I do know that when I visited the money changers yesterday the only currency I was able to buy was pound sterling. Neither mithril nor gold nor simaril were available for exchange despite the fact that I am attempting a journey myself to The Shire or at least attempting to replicate a Middle earth experience of some sort.
