Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Travel Is Not Education

fi-le.net

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 70 posts

Re: Travel Is Not Education

#61

Post by queenkjuul »

yostrovs wrote: post #48
the_af wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. To be honest, this kind of justification (TFA) is often written by people who don't enjoy travelling. I have a family member like this, they claim they don't need to go abroad (or anywhere outside their city, really) because "everything is there in Google and Wikipedia". I find it very sad.

Some time ago, about 25 years ago, I realized that travel had become a status symbol. Wearing gold bracelets and flashy clothes, driving a fancy car, and doing other showy things was no longer cool. Telling someone that you went to Budapest last month was now the thing. And those that didn't go to Budapest were very sad that they didn't. Maybe that's why you're also sad for those that didn't travel?

I traveled a lot around the US when i was young and poor, staying in hostels and on friend's couches.

It rocked, and I'm sad for people who didn't get to have that kind of fun exploring new places.

Re: Travel Is Not Education

#62

Post by dguest »

the_af wrote: post #38
Havoc wrote: post #21

At risk of offend that genuinely reads like a post by someone who has never left their home country. Wikipedia and streetview is in no shape or form comparable to experiencing something first hand. Nor is the assumption that people do one or the other correct. Ideally you first do the online research to plan travel and then go.

I agree. To be honest, this kind of justification (TFA) is often written by people who don't enjoy travelling. I have a family member like this, they claim they don't need to go abroad (or anywhere outside their city, really) because "everything is there in Google and Wikipedia". I find it very sad.

I find it sad if they never have the opportunity.

If they don't like to travel I put them in the same category as people who don't like fancy coffee, playing sports, wine, video games, or science. I like a lot of those things but not everyone needs to [although I really wish more people understood science]. All these things cost resources and so far resources aren't infinite.

Re: Travel Is Not Education

#63

Post by queenkjuul »

mcny wrote: post #17

I'll give you one example -- Bali, Indonesia. If you visit Bali for a week or even a month, you likely won't notice that Bali is in a strange little island in a massive country. You'll likely fly in and out of Bali and never visit the rest of Indonesia. What is the relation between Bali and the rest of the country? No idea. Even a question as simple as what do the locals eat is a difficult question as a tourist. Who…

I may not give a comprehensive answer but i can give a much better answer about day to day life in my neighborhood than Wikipedia can

Re: Travel Is Not Education

#64

Post by the_af »

yostrovs wrote: post #48
the_af wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. To be honest, this kind of justification (TFA) is often written by people who don't enjoy travelling. I have a family member like this, they claim they don't need to go abroad (or anywhere outside their city, really) because "everything is there in Google and Wikipedia". I find it very sad.

Some time ago, about 25 years ago, I realized that travel had become a status symbol. Wearing gold bracelets and flashy clothes, driving a fancy car, and doing other showy things was no longer cool. Telling someone that you went to Budapest last month was now the thing. And those that didn't go to Budapest were very sad that they didn't. Maybe that's why you're also sad for those that didn't travel?

That's reading too much into my comment. No, it's not about bragging, wearing gold bracelets or driving expensive cars.

It's about not being a shut-in and understanding there's more to life than what you can see on your computer screen. Google and Wikipedia are just excuses for this kind of people, anyway.

I cannot go into details because I don't want to overshare.

Re: Travel Is Not Education

#65

Post by the_af »

geoduck14 wrote: post #47
asciii wrote: post #33

> To test this theory, try the following experiment. Ask someone who just spent 10 minutes on the Wikipedia article for Turkey for an interesting fact about the country, then ask someone who just came back from a 10 day vacation to Istanbul. Probably both will tell you something equally interesting, with the former being more generally relevant and the latter being more charming or topical. Of course this is wildly u…

Interestingly enough, I've been to Turkey twice. I know the taste of the food, the gentleness of the people, their hospitality. I got a haircut both times - I lived their style. I had lunch with some of them. I sat and listened to them talk. I toured their houses and walked their streets. I know a couple of interesting facts about Turkey, but I know things that I can't describe in a Wikipedia article, too. 10/10 woul…

I think the article, even though the author protests it's not that, looks at knowledge and experience as merely an accumulation of things.

With this mindset, seeing a photo on the internet and seeing the real thing with your eyes, after a walk to the location, is "the same". You've seen the thing, you can mark it in your checklist. Google, Wikipedia, and the real physical experience are all the same, you've "gained" the same. Reading about a sports match in Wikipedia is the same as having experienced it live, petting a dog is the same as looking at a photo of a dog, etc.

The author protests this is not what they mean, but ultimately, it seems that's exactly what they mean.

I couldn't disagree more with this mindset.

Re: Travel Is Not Education

#66

Post by lucyjojo »

queenkjuul wrote: post #61
yostrovs wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some time ago, about 25 years ago, I realized that travel had become a status symbol. Wearing gold bracelets and flashy clothes, driving a fancy car, and doing other showy things was no longer cool. Telling someone that you went to Budapest last month was now the thing. And those that didn't go to Budapest were very sad that they didn't. Maybe that's why you're also sad for those that didn't travel?

I traveled a lot around the US when i was young and poor, staying in hostels and on friend's couches. It rocked, and I'm sad for people who didn't get to have that kind of fun exploring new places.

i traveled here and there around the world and hated it.

now i mostly stay at home or close to home. to each his own.

Re: Travel Is Not Education

#67

Post by lucyjojo »

yostrovs wrote: post #42
kayo_20211030 wrote: post #37

I can't but feel that there's a second, complementary point here. Will you learn something about the place you visit? Probably. But, sure, not always. It's possible that reading the web might be as effective. However, there's also the other side. To travel is to become educated about you . This experience cannot be replicated by reading the web. There's nothing quite as instructive as being blown away by the foreignn…

It seems like these days most places in Earth have become simply different versions of each other. How people dress, what they eat, what they know, their interests, and other such things are very similar almost wherever you go. Maybe traveling to central Africa or North Korea, or other very remote areas, would be radically different, but most travelers go to places where cell phones work and a portion of the public s…

i am sorry but no... this is not even remotely close to true.

even for very central cities. LA is very different from Paris which is very different from Tokyo.

Re: Travel Is Not Education

#68

Post by lucyjojo »

doodaddy wrote: post #27

I wouldn’t suggest anyone take this piece serious; you would be doing yourself a disservice. A strange thing I’ve noticed about street view. Whenever I show up to a new place that I’ve viewed on street view I remark on how different it feels from what I expected. Maybe I recognize the konbini on the corner and know that it marks the left turn I need to make. But never have I felt like street view was even close to ac…

travel makes me feel close to nothing (there are very rare exceptions, half negative) and gets me tired. nowadays i stay at home.

Re: Travel Is Not Education

#69

Post by lucyjojo »

xutopia wrote: post #9

Having travelled the world I can say without a doubt that this person misses the point of travel. It isn’t about winning a trivia night. It’s about connecting deeply on a level that a Wikipedia article just cannot offer.

you are not connecting deeply with anyone or anything in 10 days

Re: Travel Is Not Education

#70

Post by the_af »

lucyjojo wrote: post #66
queenkjuul wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I traveled a lot around the US when i was young and poor, staying in hostels and on friend's couches. It rocked, and I'm sad for people who didn't get to have that kind of fun exploring new places.

i traveled here and there around the world and hated it. now i mostly stay at home or close to home. to each his own.

What did you hate, the act of traveling or the rest of the world?

I'm not being facetious: I really enjoy being other places, but the physical act of traveling, preparing luggage, etc, feels stressful to me. I hate airplane travel, as many people do.

But being there, when I'm not carrying heavy luggage... I love it.

Post reply on HN