The case against traveling

[armchairtraveler]

It might seem weird to share this article on a travel forum, but I know reading it only affirms my interest.

What are your thoughts?

The single most important fact about tourism is this: we already know what we will be like when we return. A vacation is not like immigrating to a foreign country, or matriculating at a university, or starting a new job, or falling in love. We embark on those pursuits with the trepidation of one who enters a tunnel not knowing who she will be when she walks out. The traveller departs confident that she will come back with the same basic interests, political beliefs, and living arrangements. Travel is a boomerang. It drops you right where you started.

The Case Against Travel

It turns us into the worst version of ourselves while convincing us that we’re at our best.

www.newyorker.com

 

[K__]

The author is certainly right in some aspects. But if you like travelling to see other places and meet other people, is there anything wrong with that? It may be that people who think of themselves as travellers, much more often should think of themselves as tourists.
Probably correct too, that you shouldn't let your travel experiences dominate your self image (I have that tendency).
Perhaps travelling is best viewed as a hobby. Much as you don't really expect stamp collecting, cooking, or archery to change your life, but gives you something to do, look forward to, and enjoy talking about.

 

[Dutch_Uncle4]

I dissent. Travel forces reevaluation of streotypes, recalibration from past experiences, and integration of new expereiences. Example: I recently visited Bali and was taken aback to see corn-maize growing alongside the rice fields, indeed to see entire plots with corn. "Toto, I think that we are back in Kansas again" Questioning of locals estblished that it was sweet corn from Monsanto modified seed. I also saw packets of frozen sweet corn from Australia on sale at a Singapore Marks and Spencer.

I was also surpised to see the abundance of up-market shopping centers in Singapore. The ancient Buddhist and Moslem temples of Asia have been joined by shopping centers, the 21st century temples which will doubtless puzzle archeologists of the future.

My souveniers inclde a T-shirt marked "Singapore the fine city" with an ilustrated list of nine actions which will result in a fine:
-smoking in prohibited area
-urinating in a lift
-feeding birds
-eating/drinking on public transportation
-not flushing a public toilet
-possession of firecrakers (also cane administration)
-possession of +20 grams of narcotics by death
--vandalism jail and cane

Not illustrated are chewing gum and jaywalking.