Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What is with this attitude I keep seeing where people think that others who travel in a different manner or prefer seeing different things aren't really traveling correctly or are somehow not having as good a time?
travel ˈtrav(ə)l/verb
1.make a journey, typically of some length.
If you go to the big cities instead of small towns you aren't seeing the "real" country xyz. That is absurd, if most of the population live in the big cities then yeah that is indeed the real country and their day to day lives reflect it. You might be after more small town traditions or other aspects of rural or regional life, but that doesn't make the large city any less real.
I see people saying people in tour groups are missing out and not getting as good an experience. Personally I have no interest in tour groups, if anything they look pretty funny all in a gaggle following their guide through the market, but they are probably in that group because that is how they are comfortable traveling. They might not be happy worrying about how to handle the plans of the trip, or horrified at the thought of finding their own local transportation, etc. so the assumption that they would have a better time if they did it another way is flawed.
You have to go more native to really appreciate the country, if you're not staying with local families and eating every meal as local fare you aren't really traveling. This particular brand of snobbery cracks me up because there is always someone who goes more native than you, they can point at you and say the same thing. There is someone who has lived there longer, is more fluent in the language, has rented more guest rooms, etc.
The food thing. Some seem to think if you dare stray from eating authentic local dishes you aren't really visiting the country properly. My wife and I travel a ton and I love trying everything (sometimes to my regret the next morning) but sometimes dammit that McDonalds/KFC/Pizza Hut/Subway looks really appealing. It doesn't mean I'm not trying local dishes too, it just means I missed some foods I'm familiar with from back home.
You have to pick this country or that country, why would anyone go that other one that ain't really traveling. Everyone's interests are different, and liking different things is entirely subjective. We didn't like Amsterdam that much, but we really loved Dresden. That doesn't mean Amsterdam sucks and I don't have to sit here wondering why others go, it just means my wife and I find different things to be fun.
Live and let live, travel and let others travel how/where/why they want without judging.
I agree. Everybody has to define his own way of travelling. The only thing that I have to add is that people sometimes judge about certain countries, areas or cultures with just having a very limited view of a country. If someone tells me he knows America because he has been to NYC, Boston and Chicago I have to say nope, you do not know anything.
I am not missing any home food, but sometimes go to fast-food outlets for practical reasons, e.g. if it is the only affordable and quick option at an airport, station or whatever. Nothing wrong with that. I even knew an American guy bringing his Heinz Ketchup to North Korea in small bags and add it to every local dish. Not my business, lol.
Yes, everyone can travel they way they want, just like you can drink a glass of expensive wine with a piece of chocolate in your mouth (or add Sprite to it to make it sweeter), no one can force you not to, but don't blame those who say it is the wrong way to do things.
lieqiang I completely agree. I wouldn't go point at a single person here. Partly is because I have just started looking at this forum. The other part is I hate to shine the light on someone (the old stone and glass houses).
We have done a lot of travel on our own but they were easy set ups. When you start looking at countries where you have never been and there is a language barrier it makes for a more difficult situation. I am in the process of beginning travel into retirement. We have not done much outside the US so I started on the internet and in particular looking at agents. I know that a person can find deals on their own and create great trips. But sometimes they just don't work out.
I might not use an agency or I might. The hardest part I have is getting the wife to stick with one thought. One day she is thinking Hawaii the next it is the glaciers in Argentina. LOL talk about extremes.
Yes, everyone can travel they way they want, just like you can drink a glass of expensive wine with a piece of chocolate in your mouth (or add Sprite to it to make it sweeter), no one can force you not to, but don't blame those who say it is the wrong way to do things.
Mod cut. What is right for you is wrong for someone else, and vice versa.
Last edited by PJSaturn; 12-05-2016 at 03:08 PM..
Reason: Off-topic comment.
People have a right to travel in any matter they see fit. However, I do think some people travel so much, they overlook all the wonderful things to see right in their own backyard!
Good post. If a person is having a good time on a trip, they are travelling the "right" way.
One of my favorite stories about traveling is when I was in Italy for about 3 weeks. We enjoyed lots of the local cuisine, but one night we decided we wanted a break from it, and went to a Chinese restaurant. The only specific dish I recall was zuppe di wonton. :-) And that we should have been prepared to see Chinese waiters speaking Italian, but it seemed very surreal at the time.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
