I’ve been to 14 different countries out of the 30 or so developed countries in the world. From my superficial tourist perspective, I’ve noticed that in all of these countries, people make money in day jobs, spend it on things, and generally live predictable lives. The difference between countries is much smaller than the difference between individuals. From this I concluded that traveling is not worth it, at least when it comes to going to other developed countries.
I’ve lived in three different countries, all of them some of the richest in the world. This has allowed me to gain a certain outside perspective on certain cultures, at least the rich ones, and traditions that cannot be gained from tourism. Cultures are a little different. Some are reserved. Some are civilized. Some are ethical. Some are friendly. Some are lazy. Some of them are fists. Some are hard working. Just like people.
However, on the whole, national cultures are much more similar than people. If you are a carpenter, you will find that you have more in common with other carpenters regardless of their nationality than you do with their neighbor. There, I saved you a lot of travel time 
– However, perhaps this should be tried in order to be fully realized. I still meet people who must be smart enough to realize that their nation is not the best because its people are chosen in some way.
If you want to learn something about people, I suggest you talk to your neighbor instead of someone from another country.
Perhaps my view is confused by the focus on developed countries. However, this is where most tourism anywhere goes, so why do people go?
I know people who buy tour guides and plan out their must-sees. I notice most of the locals never go to those sights. This suggests to me that landmarks are not relevant to the culture even though they are promoted as an essential part of culture. Why do people go to see the scenery if they don’t care about the scenery where they live?
Sometimes it’s about shopping, but seriously. Global trade means that you can now buy the same limited number of goods all over the world. Why go to Paris when you can buy the same things at the corner store. Likewise, sometimes, it has to do with food. But really, you don’t need to go to Greece to eat in a Greek restaurant. Yeah, maybe it’s not the same thing, but it’s pretty close.
Sometimes people travel to get away from it all? My question then is what are you running away from? Why are you running? I’ve never felt the need to deviate from my normal life which could be remedied by a week’s vacation.
It used to be that travel meant something. Like the Expedition, you’re going to get somewhere. Nowadays, you only need to get on a plane and 12 hours in another country on the other side of the world is almost identical to your own. I suspect this is just a “consumption of places” similar to consumption of food or objects. Is modern tourism just another consumer experience?
Have you thought about traveling slowly? Do you move from one city to another until you reach your destination? I think cruising is a fun way to travel slowly. Acknowledge that you don’t really know a place unless you’ve worked a job there, opened a bank account, and lived like a native instead of just passing by briefly while taking pictures. Living abroad brings more personal growth than flying in the Tenkan as a tourist. If you have some useful skills, you can even travel for free and get paid for it. (Until I left my career, I had never paid for a plane ticket with my own money.)
That’s how I see it. I realize I may be missing some genes, so please tell me why is travel so popular?
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Originally Posted 2009-07-03 04:26:31.
