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TwoQuestions posted:What value did any of you get from traveling? Being exposed to other cultures, points of view and beliefs, which means not ending up incredibly ignorant of the world like you. That sort of mindset is precisely what leads freepers to be freepers and perpetuates all kinds of segregation and hate in the world. The costs associated with travel far outweigh the costs of spending your life as a shut-in afraid of the world like you seem to be. Travelling opens your mind by exposing you to the ways others live. This lets you appreciate your place in the world far better and gives you more perspective when dealing with other people. You discover new interests you never knew you liked and expand your character by doing so. It makes you a more interesting person which in turn makes it more interesting for others to interact with you. Honestly it sounds like you have some pretty deep-seated mental issues going on. You seem incredibly apathetic to the world and have no interest outside your laptop screen and find no interest in exploring new experiences, which speaks volumes about your mindset. You should probably get that checked out before you travel because it will make travel become more obviously interesting and completely alter the value proposition you place on it.
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Apr 28, 2016 01:05
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Yes but you can get all of that from the World of Warcraft too, so
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Apr 28, 2016 01:52
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The idea that traveling opens your eyes to the world and blah blah blah is such a tired old chestnut. Every single day assholes travel to Bali to stay in nice resorts and ignore local culture and people. Every single day racists go to Europe and eat rich food and still harbor the same animosity toward their different language and traditions. There are types of travel and types of people who 'grow' from these experiences and there are many people and types of travel that don't facilitate that at all. The worst or at least most annoying are people who go overseas for work or school and feel 'cultured' for their experiences, when in fact their visit was entirely superficial. "Global health experts" who still lack a fundamental grasp of medical care and the complex cultural forces leading people to certain health related behaviors. People who go for charitable purposes and lack a basic understanding of why grassroots industry continues to fail and workers are exploited. These people tend to not only lack an understanding of this new culture but also lack a basic understanding of their 'home' culture, economy, social structure, history and politics. Shammypants fucked around with this message at 02:01 on Apr 28, 2016 |
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Apr 28, 2016 01:59
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Travelling to Bali or Phuket and ensconcing yourself in a Westernised resort hardly counts as travelling imo, just like doing a 10-day cruise to Vanuatu and back and spending your entire time on the ship. But I know what you mean; different people will take different learnings away from the same experience. I don't know if you watched that show on SBS called Go Back Where You Came From, but it was really interesting in that they took Australians with varying perspectives on immigration and gave them a reverse refugee journey - starting in new migrant communities in Sydney, through Christmas island detention, a leaky boat journey across the Torres Strait, refugee communities in Indonesia and Malaysia and ultimately to the horrific camps in east Africa. At the end of it, some people had the take-out that "wow this situation really sucks, we should be helping and I consider myself lucky to be born in a Western country" to "these loving savages should stay over there and fix their own drat problems, not bring them over to us". That said, I still believe strongly that travel breeds empathy in the majority of people, and that's definitely a positive thing.
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Apr 28, 2016 02:56
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There's also definitely selection bias. People who go to places to experience different things with the explicit goal of learning and engaging critically are already open to different ideas and are less generally racist to begin with.
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Apr 28, 2016 04:04
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To be fair, my ideal of travelling is relocating to a place for a period and immersing myself in the culture.
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Apr 28, 2016 07:38
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I have the chance to go on a trip to southern india (it's not confirmed yet) at the end of the year on a school scholarship for 3 weeks, where I will be teaching in a school for 2 weeks with another week for doing touristy things. What are some reasons why I should risk going there?
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Apr 28, 2016 11:46
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Raphisonfire posted:What are some reasons why I should risk going there? You're looking towards a lot of great possibilities. Obviously everyone has their own thing they would like to learn about other cultures (and about themselves!) but here are some potential highlights: • You've always wondered what it would be like to poo poo diarrhea and vomit at the same time. • You're a white man who grew up in the West, and you've always wondered what it would be like to be constantly harassed while walking down the street. • You are a scat voyeur who always wished more people would just stop and take shits in the middle of the street so you could watch. • You have never seen a bloated human corpse floating down the river except in movies, and you feel like that is a major part of your character building you have missed out on. • You have a huge heart and like helping out the poor and downtrodden, but you want to cure this condition by having an overwhelming number of needy children swarm you to get a single cracker. • You have always wondered what it would be like to get every tropical disease at the same time. (If you're not shitposting, then you might want to ask in a different thread)
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Apr 28, 2016 13:09
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The southern parts of India are more chilled out than the northern parts (depending on where you go I guess). Kerala and the Goa region in particular are pretty well known for being laid-back beachy places and far removed from the intensity of Delhi or Mumbai.
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Apr 29, 2016 00:29
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TwoQuestions posted:Why would you spend hard-earned money on getting some nerdy hick out of Ohio? I mean, I'd throw $10-20 at this. TwoQuestions posted:What value did any of you get from traveling? For me, some of the neat parts about seeing a new place is that it's different from my daily life. People live differently in different parts of the world (and also the US!). Watching this first hand has made it easier for me to talk and converse with other people back here. It's interesting to go around and see the things i've seen on tv in person and the things that surround them. Lots of places have museums with nice things to look at. Stumbling through a language is a challenge for me... but I got through. Traveling has informed the way that I watch the news and comprehend foreign events. Its a lot easier to take things at face value if you've never seen them or heard people talk about these things before. It's also fun as hell to eat things I wouldn't have thought to make at home / are only available in some areas. I think people mention drinking a lot because (at least in my experience) bars are places that it's easier to start a conversation with strangers than say.. well, many places. You can overhear bits of conversation with the barkeep and as long as the other person isn't terribly busy then you can ask them what they like about what they live, then check that out too. I've gotten a laundry list of things to check out in us and foreign cities this way. Sometimes its been a bust, but that's okay. It certainly does help if you have cash that you can spend on traveling. I am fortunate enough that I can do that. If you've got other financial things going on that makes saving up for such a thing difficult, then I think that makes it a bit harder to make the jump because if you dont like it, that can be a lot of money with a feeling of regret. Anyways, I hope you give it a full-blown honest shot (or really a few shots) sometime. It sounds like you kind of want to, because you came to a place where people do this often and asked about it! A few folks in the thread suggest that maybe talking to a therapist would be helpful. I dont know if that's for you, but I can say that once upon a time (and sometimes still) I got caught up in not doing things because i couldn't answer 100% of the what-if questions floating around my head (worrying about where your other travelers were often & the degree of your trust in others made me think of this) and it really held me back from enjoying a whole lot of experiences including in my day-to-day life. This made me default to not seeing the point of a whole lot of things, and I kinda missed out on a ton as a result. I can't do anything about that, but I can try to fix it now. Anyways, good luck OP. Lookin' forward to the trip report.
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May 1, 2016 04:37
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Traveling exposed me to new things to enjoy. Different food that I'd never tried on my own, activities to try that I wouldn't have in my home town. Meeting people or experiencing different cultures is alright, but I'd be lying if I said that's the exclusive reason I travel. I've found activities like hundred+ miles of trekking are meditative experiences. I rarely find it fun, but I appreciate the experience of seeing different landscapes in a very grounded way. It forced me out of my comfort zone, was good exercise, and led me to have experiences I wouldn't otherwise have. It's led me to do a homestay with a family in Turkey when I couldn't find lodging. I've had bad experiences of getting extremely dehydrated and strangers showing extreme kindness to help (and learned not to put myself in such a stupid spot again). Experience the crappy feelings associated with altitude sickness (but what a view!) Make friends quickly and travel around a country with people I just met, and join up later in other countries if our plans intersected. And hey, if I'm in the mountains, why not try paragliding? Or if I'm by the sea, maybe try scuba diving? Some of it was scary, but a lot of that is what I brought with me. I'm a little less guarded now, because you know what? Bad things can happen, but it doesn't mean the world is out to get you.
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May 1, 2016 05:12
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People travel to get away from the things they hate about home and every day life. You won't feel this urge if you're perfectly satisfied or horribly depressed.
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May 2, 2016 23:59
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Sometimes I feel this way too. Then I remind myself I live in Los Angeles, where our gang violence and ghettos are literally world famous. Gangs in Rio are definitely more vicious, do they have brand recognition like the Crips? I mean, we live in a country where there's a mass shooting every 2 minutes and all the cops are heavily armed and seemingly operate on the honor system. If you lived in Surrey, England you'd probably fear going to America.
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May 12, 2016 21:50
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TwoQuestions posted:We all know most people will rip you apart if you show the slightest weakness (and if they can get away with it), so why would you willingly make yourself so vulnerable? I know what you mean by this but it doesn't really apply. You are nothing but a foreigner in this situation. You are safer traveling in any decent country than you are getting caught on the wrong side of town in the US.
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May 13, 2016 08:25
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noctambulous nebab posted:I know what you mean by this but it doesn't really apply. You are nothing but a foreigner in this situation. Not only is it not true, it's the "we all know that" part of the sentence that makes it so hilarious
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May 13, 2016 13:02
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I just realized that for most of the people around here, the only time anyone goes overseas is in the military, and the majority of communication they have with the locals is in the form of gunfire. That may contribute to the firm belief that the entire world is filled with psychotic monsters who want nothing more than to kill Americans, or anyone else they can. So kind of like Warhammer 40k, but real.
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May 15, 2016 01:52
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Lucky they didn't have anything to do with that whole COIN mission then 
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May 15, 2016 08:10
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TwoQuestions posted:I just realized that for most of the people around here, the only time anyone goes overseas is in the military, and the majority of communication they have with the locals is in the form of gunfire. That may contribute to the firm belief that the entire world is filled with psychotic monsters who want nothing more than to kill Americans, or anyone else they can. So really the core of "why risk traveling?" is summed up by the Mark Twain quote: quote:“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” You seem to be on the right track realizing that your neighbors might be full of poo poo. Travel is a great way to confirm that.
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May 16, 2016 01:50
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I'm so glad that you decided to try traveling, OP.  I somewhat relate to your anxiety. The first time I booked a solo trip to Italy, everyone around me told me that as a solo woman traveler, I would get attacked/kidnapped etc. I was so scared in the days leading up to the trip, because literally everyone around me was telling me that these awful things would happen. It was one of the most sublime experiences of my life. I got to see the architecture and monuments that I had read about in art history classes, I spoke French with some other tourists, and the landscapes looked so beautiful from the window of my train. I think a lot of the posters here have really great advice and I'm glad to see that you're opening up. Even if you can't afford to visit New Zealand/Tokyo/another country, maybe you could try visiting a major U.S. city?
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May 17, 2016 18:44
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TwoQuestions posted:I just realized that for most of the people around here, the only time anyone goes overseas is in the military, and the majority of communication they have with the locals is in the form of gunfire. That may contribute to the firm belief that the entire world is filled with psychotic monsters who want nothing more than to kill Americans, or anyone else they can. unironically op i think you should go to iran
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May 24, 2016 14:15
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Whorelord posted:unironically op i think you should go to iran The Middle East is the new frontier right now. I encourage all goons to proceed to fight evil and earn their stripes.
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May 25, 2016 16:07
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TwoQuestions posted:I just realized that for most of the people around here, the only time anyone goes overseas is in the military, and the majority of communication they have with the locals is in the form of gunfire. That may contribute to the firm belief that the entire world is filled with psychotic monsters who want nothing more than to kill Americans, or anyone else they can. Even for people who are stationed in safe places (Japan and Korea at least...I presume Europe is similar but I dunno) a substantial fraction of people never leave base, those who do usually never go past the bars near the gate unless they're on a tour; only a tiny fraction make any effort to get into the local culture. It's sad watching people getting a free year-long trip to an exotic locale spend all of their time there playing video games and drinking cheap booze in their rooms. More pathetic still is when you get someone who never leaves base, but still pretends they're having a grand foreign adventure. The biggest danger you will face as a tourist anywhere I've been is scams. Also pickpockets do exist, but of the countries I've been to, they're only a serious problem in mainland China. Either of these can be countered by being aware of how they operate. VideoTapir fucked around with this message at 08:11 on May 30, 2016 |
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May 30, 2016 08:09
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I spent a night in Ft. Lauderdale on my way back from costa rica. Felt WAAAAY more unsafe in florida than CR.
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Jun 2, 2016 20:51
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skooma512 posted:Sometimes I feel this way too. Then I remind myself I live in Los Angeles, where our gang violence and ghettos are literally world famous. Gangs in Rio are definitely more vicious, do they have brand recognition like the Crips? Went to Rio as a huge 6'4" blond white gringo and wasn't murdered nor robbed. Saw lots of nice butts though. 10/10 would caipirinha again!
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Jun 15, 2016 18:59
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r0ck0 posted:Felt WAAAAY more unsafe in florida than CR. Boy, you ain't kiddin
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Jun 15, 2016 20:32
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Riptor posted:Boy, you ain't kiddin  
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Jun 16, 2016 18:01
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Riptor posted:Boy, you ain't kiddin  Thank you.
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Jun 16, 2016 23:15
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Just got reminded of this thread! Update us OP - which countries have you visited or booked?
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Sep 6, 2016 06:33
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Traveling is good for losing weight from 1) Illness, 2) Food Poisoning, 3) Sweating, 4) Locked up in an exotic prison and not being fed enough and worrying all the weight off your bones. If anyone is morbidly obese, I recommend a two-month trip to every street food vendor possible in any Indian city. Make sure to pick the guys who handle the food and money with the same unwashed hands.
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Sep 6, 2016 06:55
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TwoQuestions, what do you enjoy most in life? Do you really like food or music? Do you like movies or plays? Are you into science or history or culture? Do you like books or graphic novels or video games? What gets you super excited? What are you really interested in? What would be your idea of the perfect day? If you give us a list of the stuff you're into and enjoy we can find some cool places for you to visit. I hope you come back.
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Sep 10, 2016 17:39
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I like traveling because I enjoy getting pissed up with other foreigners in foreign countries and annoying the locals.
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Oct 11, 2016 08:22
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Anyway, most people, including me, poo poo their pants at the prospect of being completely solo in a foreign country where they have literally zero idea of the scams or the dangers to watch out for. I think if you, the OP, made the effort to face that fear headfirst instead of trolling an internet forum, you might be one more step on the way to fixing whatever failbrain disease it is you have. Good luck, OP!
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Oct 11, 2016 08:29
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Christ Almighty.
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Oct 11, 2016 10:54
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kru posted:Christ Almighty.
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Oct 11, 2016 14:34
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This is from way back on page 1, but I can confirm Ohioans have vast fear of venturing too far from home. I've always wanted to see St.Petersburg and Moscow, but just mentioning this to my mom would be no different than telling her I was going to Mosul. Hell, any trip I take to a large city.. or even Columbus gets a "BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS" from my dad. As far as I can tell the only two safe destinations to Ohio people are Myrtle Beach and Florida. I really would like to see Russia though. I ain't scared. Dr.Caligari fucked around with this message at 04:00 on Oct 12, 2016 |
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Oct 12, 2016 03:56
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Being scared of soloing a foreign country you have no experience of is, in fact, normal. That is why you go traveling.
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Oct 12, 2016 04:10
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qhat posted:Being scared of soloing a foreign country you have no experience of is, in fact, normal. That is why you go traveling. And, to be fair, a lot of people who travel regularly still look at me like I have three heads when I tell them I'm travelling alone to a foreign country (even one like Cuba, which is basically as tourist-safe as you can possibly get, because commies love tourist money and over-policing). Yeah, sometimes you get scammed, and sometimes you're lost and confused in a foreign land. gently caress it, poo poo happens, and you get a funny story out of it. Getting out of your comfort zone is fun and good.
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Oct 12, 2016 04:45
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Currently travelling solo in America and my most harrowing moment thus far has been when my waitress in Philadelphia admonished me for ordering too much Thai food (two appetisers and a main). I thought she was going to hit me. I downgraded to one appetiser and a main so it's all cool, but it's Thai food, you always order too much!
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Oct 14, 2016 23:34
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I have also just finished my traveling of America and in some places I was legit way more worried for my personal safety than I was in loving Thailand and Cambodia.
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Oct 15, 2016 03:02
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qhat posted:I have also just finished my traveling of America and in some places I was legit way more worried for my personal safety than I was in loving Thailand and Cambodia. Which places?
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Oct 15, 2016 10:38
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