61–70 of 161 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> For example, places in Italy and Portugal are becoming inhabitable for locals. So tourists make the place for to live in for the locals?
I guess Venice is the prime example: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/apr/30/sinking-city-...
This is a very enjoyable and well-written article, and it makes a good point - The nature of travel, and everything you do while you're travelling, is so ephemeral that it really does nothing for establishing or communicating your identity. The people you spend your time with, the sights you see, the food you eat... you are doing all of it because of novelty, not because you've made a deliberate choice. Doing somethi…
tl;dr Woman went on holiday to the UAE (a Disneyland for the rich) and declared travel to not be a meaningful.... because too many people do it now and the experiences became a commodity. I think it's an indirect commentary on how travel no longer confers status: the plebians ruined it.
Overall, I tend to find that travel provides a lot of perspective and context. One notable figure which helped me come to this realization was Anthony Bourdain. He used food as a baseline connection and when we as humans share a meal with people, we tend to be more open. He would then progress into talking about more sensitive topics which provided a deeper insight about a place.
The takeaway that I have gotten from most of my travels has been that we are all really the same people. We need a place to sleep, something to eat, some fun and the feeling of safety. Understanding this has allowed me to make deeper connections with people that I've encountered and I'm thankful that experience.
I want to leave my life with as little interference as possible from any moralizing types telling me how to do it. So my basic answer for "well wishers" - fuck off and leave me alone. You do what you want with your life (and I respect it) and let me do whatever I want with mine.
You generate externalities. You rely on society. You are part of society, you thus have obligations to that society.
Or as Frank McCourt once said, when asked "Why do we have to read this?" by one of his students: “You will read it for the same reason your parents waste their money on your piano lessons. So you won't be a boring little shite the rest of your life.” It's very hard to learn how people in other cultures live without going there and experiencing it. Also, your low-stakes fumbles and challenges will make you a little mo…
Except people rarely ever do get a real insight into other people's lives and culture from just travelling, do they? You're not sharing your life with the locals, you're not friends, you're just walking around the city centre looking at sights and eating in restaurants. You're not going to work, commuting, having coffee with friends, going to house parties, etc
I don’t like to travel. I often say that I only want to travel when I have a purpose (study something, visit someone, etc). It does shock some people when I say I don’t like to travel, even when I complement that I don’t dislike either. The accepted answer is that everyone “love” to travel. But I didn’t feel represented in this article. I didn’t feel connected with any of the arguments. I think the author carefully w…
But the article was a bit more of a thoughtful rant than a capturing the essence of the travel and its trade offs.
Two thoughts it doesn’t capture:
Travel in almost all cases broadens your perspective of what life is (or was) like for others, or could be like for you. The broadening of perspective you get from, say, books, is similar in a way but just… different.
The type and degree of broadening you get can be different depending on duration, how and why you travel (vacation, visiting friends, volunteer work serving others, business) and what you do (touristy, backcountry, live with locals, museum focus, food focus, nightlife focus, outdoor focus, bucketlist focus) etc. Are all those of equal value? Are none of those of any value and they are all just vanity on the way to death?
Second, there is also an aspect of “adventure” to travel. The traveler goes into the unknown in hopes of something and returns. Is adventure good or pointless? Is it true “the journey is the reward” (Steve Jobs quote) or is it all about outcomes as the article author implies?
Anyway it was a good rant but something better could be written on the subject.
I think it gave a better appreciation for my hometown and country. It taught me that wherever I go there I am and I cannot fix my problems just by leaving (it’s not therapy). It allowed me to make friends. It taught me that this planet is freaking huge and wherever you go there is so much diversity of cultures, languages, and people. It’s exhilarating-if you’re into it.
Could I have achieved the same without shelling thousands of euros? Could I have just read about other people’s experiences? Could I have just admired pictures of national parks, museums and cathedrals instead of visiting them by myself? Sure, but it would not have been the same. You live and learn.
I don’t think travelling makes you better than people who don’t, nor does it necessarily makes you better than your past self.
You gotta have the right expectations. I had the most fun when I was genuinely interested in visiting a place and I didn’t care about a checklist. I was the most miserable when I travelled to escape issues at home or because I was plain bored.
I don't think you really get any of that. In contrast I've lived, as in picked up my life, moved my things, etc, in different countries (and states) and I feel like that actually has affected me. Just one or two weeks has never been enough for me to settle in, to make life long meaningful connections and friends, and to truly live in a culture.
I can't see why so many people look down on traveling. I do not tell people unless asked (it is not part of my identity) but I traveled my fair share and it changed me a lot. The food I eat (the better half of my diet), the way I drive, my values for a fulfilled life, my willingnes to accept risks in life, appreciation and compassion for regions and many things more. Traveling is what you make out of it. If they walk…
Do you really need to travel to China to get an appreciation for Chinese food? That’s kinda the point the author makes.
But I didn’t love Vietnamese food until visiting Vietnam. Having been there, I now seek it out here.
Even though I had it on quite a few occasions as a kid.
I can't see why so many people look down on traveling. I do not tell people unless asked (it is not part of my identity) but I traveled my fair share and it changed me a lot. The food I eat (the better half of my diet), the way I drive, my values for a fulfilled life, my willingnes to accept risks in life, appreciation and compassion for regions and many things more. Traveling is what you make out of it. If they walk…
Do you really need to travel to China to get an appreciation for Chinese food? That’s kinda the point the author makes.