BATE - Why Do People Travel?

[Senexx]

As an aspiring Brown, this must be the least Brown aspect of me. I’m not remotely interested in traveling & I don’t foresee the reason others need to or are obsessed with it.

 

From my own personal point of view it takes a hefty wad of cash to travel practically anywhere within the Western world. If you’re traveling to an Asian country, by comparison you’re practically a millionaire all ready with the exchange rates. So I guess I can understand that on one level. On the other I don’t know how any of you afford it unless you’re prepared to live perpetually broke. That’s just an odd way of life for me.

 

The reasons I see for travel are plain old tourist reasons – look there’s the Eiffel tower, there’s the Statue of Liberty. There is also to experience a country’s culture but I doubt many of us do that as you truly have to immerse yourself in a country’s culture as if you are one of them to truly be able to comprehend it, to understand its jokes and commentary on life.

 

Travel for work-related reasons I can understand. There’s a conference on, a new innovative product is only on display at the Coliseum & even then it is tax deductible.

 

I really can't get over the cost of travel being so heavy & I maintain it is even if you can get cheap flights for international travel (very rare in my opinion but then again I’m unique) but then you have to pay all the costs for accommodation, the costs of goods and services and then there is the horrible custom of tipping in some countries regardless of how good the service is.

 

There are many other reasons to travel but what do you think? Do you like to travel? If so, why do you like to travel?

[Rasheta Ardashir]

There are many other reasons to travel but what do you think? Do you like to travel? If so, why do you like to travel?

 

I don't just like to travel I LOVE to travel. I have been all up and down the West coast of the US, around my own state, up to Canada and down to Mexico multiple times. I'm off to Europe for the first time in a few days I cannot wait. My dream job is one where they send me places. Why do I like to travel? Mostly because I LOVE seeing new places and meeting new people. Sometimes there is a bit of culture shock, but if you keep an open mind about where you are going and have little to no expectations it should be easy to get over and continue enjoying your trip. I don't like traveling alone, I need friends with me. I think its just more fun to get lost in a bit city with people you know. *laughs*

[Ithillian Turambar]

I travel because I like to experience new things. I like to actually see places rather than just see them in books or on the television. I would class myself as a tourist rather than a traveller though, because I like a nice hotel and lots of trips out.

 

Because of this, most of the places I visit have historical or cultural attractions. So places I have visited include Israel -which had a lot of historical and religious things to see, as well as the Dead Sea which was just bizarre. I have also been to Tunisia, for the Star Wars connections and Roman and islamic architecture, plus the desert and camel riding which was just awesome. Malta had amazing fortifications. Carcasonne in France has the most complete medieval castle, even though a lot of it was rebuilt quite recently so its more of a pastiche than a genuine castle. Australia had all of its great landmarks, crazy wildlife and tha amazing Barrier Reef. Rome is thousands of years old and it just full of history, beauty and culture. In Lanzarote I was able to visit an active volcano and see beautiful architecture that had been built inside lava bubbles. Even when I visited my own capital city London, I hot tailed it round all of the tourist sights.

 

So for me, travelling is about seeing new places, experiencing new things and also making new memories to bring home with me.

[Elgee]

Why do people travel ... well, as many reasons as there are people, I suppose. If you discard the "so I can brag to my neighbours" group, then I think it comes down to this:

 

We experience things with more than one sense. Smell, sound, feel as well as see. I've put some pictures up of Cape Town and Mauritius in 2 of the other threads. You can look at them as much as you want, but you will never get the FULL experience from that.

 

You cannot imagine what it feels like to lie on a beach in Mauritius (in winter!) with the air temperature at 24 degrees celsius (75F) till you start feeling a bit chilly, then slipping into the warm, silky water that's at 27 degrees celsius (80F). I can tell you about the people, but you can't really KNOW what it feels like when 2 cops walk up to you and ask if you're ok, is there anything you need, where are you from, are you enjoying your stay, have you seen the 7 coloured sands or done the underwater walk. I can tell you about the Holy Lake, but only if you go there can you feel the power of Grand Basin.

 

You can look at a herd of elephants on National Geographic or even see one in a zoo, but nothing can prepare you for the power and majesty of these huge animals when they surround your car. I can tell you of the emptiness of the Karoo, but you have to stand in the middle of nowhere late at night, with the only sound you hear being the call of a jackal from MILES away, and the stars shining so brightly you think you can reach out and touch them to know you're in AFRICA now.

 

You could read the whole history of Rome, study it for years, but you will never understand the weight of history, of LIVES, until you stand in the middle of the Colosseum.

 

The best advice I can give to a traveller is: put away your camera, and EXPERIENCE it.

[Senexx]

Rasheta, if I travelled, I couldn't travel alone either. I don't have any sense of direction - especially when it comes to cities.

 

There's a question for all you travellers, do you travel beyond the tourist attractions, beyond the cities, into regional and rural areas and as Elgee suggests "experience" the country?

 

To summarise Rashi likes historical and cultural attractions and meeting new people, Ithi likes tourist attractions & Elgee wants the experience.

 

My other question is do you think both Rashi & Ithi's reasons are tourist reasons or is there so much more to it? If so help me out.

[Senexx]

And of course Ithi touched on another important one I was going to mention - Architecture. It was one I thought of whilst watching the movie The International. I missed the start so didn't see the whole thing.

 

In my original write-up for this I wrote I didn't know what it means when people travel just for the experience but I think Mother may have clarified that for us. Put the camera down and experience it. This seems to come back to cultural immersion that I mentioned in the original post, what do you think?

 

Besides, I'm Brown, I would need a camera so I can remember it. Way back when I delivered carpet around Australia, I think it was carpet or maybe it was odds and ends, I don't really remember but the cargo is not the point, the point is I got to travel & I didn't get to do tourist things - we were working after all - but I did take a camera to take a few snapshots so I could say I had been there. In this case all around Adelaide in South Australia except the city of Adelaide. I stood on the pier at Semaphore, Port Adelaide and took photos. That pier in the last few years has collapsed into the ocean but I stood on it. I like that.

[Jeannaisais]

Like Elgee mentioned, I travel to experience the culture and dive in to what happens in the country or city. Looking back at all of the places I visited while I was in Spain, I'm realizing how few pictures I actually took! I actually took the most pictures while I was traveling with mom, which turned out to me being more of a nuissance by taking pictures of her taking pictures

 

Overall, I travel so I can see the world. I never knew just how much I enjoyed traveling until I spent a semester in Spain and got to visit tons of places! I can say I got to experience a lot of the Spanish culture and would only bring out the camera at main monuments I visited or something I found particularly interesting.

[Rasheta Ardashir]

You could read the whole history of Rome, study it for years, but you will never understand the weight of history, of LIVES, until you stand in the middle of the Colosseum.

 

OMG that is so true! I haven't been to Rome just yet, but the collection of Roman artifacts were at the Seattle Art Museum and I went and saw it. Walking into the room was almost stifling you could feel the weight of the years, it was like a connection across time. I think if I ever get to Rome it will be much like that.

[Raena]

I think Elgee put it quite well.

 

Another reason for travelling: you want to flee the cold and dark and spend time somewhere warm and sunny. A very touristy reason, that.

[Ithillian Turambar]

Oh yes, we often time of holidays to extend our summertime and good weather. We normally go in April or September/october - basically spring or summer.

 

Another reason for travelling is to visit friends or family. My bro in law lives near Carcassonne in France and also has an apartment in Barcelona and we travel to visit them. The most epic verson of this was when we drove for 18 hours accross the continent, instead of flying, just so they could use my red Mini Cooper as their wedding car. But hey, its family and that's what you do lol. And my car looked the business on the day

[Senexx]

Just a quick one this morning.

 

Another reason some people may travel is for the food. There is certainly a difference between Western Chinese food and Chinese Chinese food for example. I'm sure some of you have tales about something like that.

[Wildfire Sedai]

The only foreign travel I did was to Russia and the Ukraine when I was 17. Back then it was still known as the Soviet Union. I visited Moscow, Kiev, Rostov-on-don, Sochi, and Leningrad/St. Petersburg (depending on who you talk to). Anyway we went as student ambassadors but it was more like a tourist thing except we got to experience a little bit of real life there also.

 

The first thing that happened that opened my eyes was: We were walking down "main" street in Moscow when we decided to stop for lunch at a food stand. They adverstised steak grinders. I only had enough money on me for a grinder so I bought one. Little did I realize that they like their food spicy or this particular food stand made it spicy. Anyway I couldn't eat it cause it was so spicy so I just threw it away and walked along. I just happened to look behind me and saw about a four y/o girl take the grinder out of the trash and start eating it. She was dressed all in white. That really hit home.

 

Then in Rostov-on-don we were paired up with Russian teenagers and went to their homes for supper. That was the best meal I have ever had....(sorry MOM). It was chicken, eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots (I think) and russian tea. Russian tea is the best. Anyway there was the Russian Teenager (whose name I forgot, we were sending each other letters afterwords but then they all of the sudden stopped), his parents, his grandparents, and I think one or two others. All in this small apartment. The grandparents gave me his older sisters primer reader that she learned her alphabet on, a book, a russian paul mcCartney record and a couple of other things which I forgot. The thing that struck me the most was the granddaughters primer. That had some sentimental value to it and yet they gave it to me a complete stranger.

 

Thats probably the only traveling I will do outside the USA. I am not good with directions either and I also can't walk that far to check out historical sites plus of course the money issue.

[Liitha]

The fact i have such interest in nature in and for itself as such a great thing is one factor that draw me, see different landscapes, different animals, different oddities, museums and so on, another is people meeting family and friends.

 

I love going around looking at things, be it in the bushes or in a city, structures natural or man made, i always been hooked on dokumentaries about life and so on, be it animal planet, or discovery planet like, i even find scientific man made machines of some kinds facinating...basic gist science and math was my best subjects in school, though i also like history outside history books as part of culture and culture as part of life and nature.

[Raena]

I don't think I've traveled anywhere just for the food. It's a part of the entire experience to try the food in whatever place I'm visiting.

 

When I went to London I tried a full English breakfast. I wasn't really a fan of that, to be honest.

[Senexx]

I didn't exactly mean travel just for the food, but as part of the broad experience of travelling and notice the difference in food.

 

I imagine that would be much easier in Europe than in other countries.

 

As long as you didn't get the poached eggs or black pudding and it was all fried, I can't possibly imagine what was wrong with the Full English Breakfast. I'm hungry now (it's bedtime!)

[Senexx]

Backing up a fair bit. Why Do People Travel? Certainly not to put up with the ridiculous tipping customs (my view, no offence anyone).

 

However, I stumbled across this great infographic that explains most countries cultural customs about tipping.

 

[keyholder21]

That is a fantastic and fascinating sheet Senexx *g*.

 

I guess I travel for three reasons:

 

1. I feel driven to see the things that I read about, that I view on movies because I want to see it for myself. I don't want to take whoever's word for it, I want my own words for it.

 

2. Specifically in older parts of the world, I want to see these things that existed in x AD or x BC. How amazing is it that these things still exist? It's literally seeing a piece of history, feeling like I'm part of the story.

 

3. I don't want to be ignorant of the world around me.

[Senexx]

As I write this thread and think about travel, no matter what your reason for traveling you do get a taste of culture – the tube, metro, subway – you mean trains, say trains. Some are underground though so they’re distinguished by these names. Or perhaps you mean cable cars, they’re called trams.

 

It is little things like these which seem so simple to those in whose culture they’re commonplace but they can open up a whole can of worms in communication with people from other cultures; Even if it is someone from a similar Western or Eastern culture.

 

I won’t pretend to know about Eastern or Asian cultures because I don’t. I’ve included them to be inclusive.

 

We can even experience culture shock within our own countries, the different names for things – I’m thinking mainly of the US here with its soda, soda pop, fizzy drinks, soft drink names or Australia, devon (the meat product) is called fritz in South Australia which was founded mostly by Germans. Personally I think the German accent lingers there but the broader Australian accent is supposed to be Cockney straight from England. Or the support for Rugby League in the North Eastern Aussie states compared to the support for Australian Rules in the rest of the country.

 

To study these things (as a Brown would I guess) is another reason to travel, whether within one’s own country or without.

 

There are only two possible reasons I can foresee myself traveling is if I got a job where I was forced to which in itself is unlikely or to go to Ireland, Northern Ireland to find out more about my direct lineage. I guess that’s another reason to travel, to meet relatives.

[Basel Gill]

Generally, I travel to visit relatives or friends, or just to recharge my energy from dealing with reality.

[Senexx]

I am sure I have bored you all enough with the reasons I’m not remotely interested in travel, even though my cognitive dissonance is showing. That's the end of the BATE - Why Do People Travel thread.

 

I would like to thank everyone that participated and the Brown Ajah, especially Raena, for making this event possible.

 

I’m sure I must have missed a few reasons, so if you wish to continue the discussion please do so. If not, that's all she wrote folks.

 

And to those in the relevant parts of the world, Happy 4th of July!!

[Elgee]

Thank you for a very interesting discussion, Senexx! It made me truly think about things. I wish I'd had more time to post my thoughts, but alas work was keeping me too busy :(

[Aiel Heart]

I travel because it's fun to see stuff and see how cool our big wide world is. I've traveled a lot in my time, and think it's very relaxing to just be in the car listening to music and looking at the world passing by.

I haven't been to many cool places yet, but I hope to go all over someday