As an American I have never traveled. Heck Ive never been more than 50 miles outside of my hometown and I never had a reason to because where I live i have access to pretty much everything I need. *Not to mention having a job where I get 0 vacation time or personal time off unless its a doctor approved note* Thanks to the internet and reading other people's stories and looking at their photos why is it worth traveling? Isn't it good enough to experience the world through another person's eyes?

Sure I would love to go to Europe, Africa, South America heck even a quick trip to Indiana or Wisconsin would suffice, but whats the point? Im just going to wind up back in the same shithole I came from anyways.

Uhhh...the point would be to enjoy yourself? Maybe you would benefit more from therapy than a vacation.

I love traveling, it's important to expand your horizons and see the world from different perspectives.

Yeah, ignore all of this.

I used to love to travel abroad but the last few years has seen a huge proliferation of the selfie-obsessed, Facebook culture. Now it seems like no matter where you go, people have their heads in their phones. Random conversations with locals and other travelers seems to be dying off.

With regard to being treated poorly abroad, that hasn't been my experience. Frankly I've seen more problems just walking down the street in Chicago or St Louis.

Wow!

This post makes me pretty sad!

Life is to be lived! Our world and its people are beautiful! See! Taste! Experience! Dive in! You won't regret it!

Uhh...have you traveled anywhere? I've traveled all over for modeling & fun. I've been to various areas in the UK, the Caribbean & South America. Only once did I have someone be a dick to me but it was because I was a tourist and couldn't figure out the damn tube system in London and was apparently in some guys way.

Overall people were very nice even in Trinidad which has the 2nd highest crime rate in the Caribbean. As long as you act nice and not like a know-it-all asshole then people will treat you nicely. By far some of the nicest people I ever meet were in Trinidad, they were really nice about putting up with my stupid questions, I probably did seem like a typical ignorant American to them but they were still nice & helpful. And I'm referring to people on the street, not people I was paying for any kind of service.

To the original post: I generally disagree with the idea that you end up in the same place you started in. There are different buildings, lakes, rivers, mountains, museums, people, etc. I've traveled within the US and abroad, to large cities as well as small towns. The amazing cool experiences I've had far outweigh the bad ones. I've been respectful of the natives and I've been treated well in return. So, yes, I think travel is worth the effort.

I'm going to revise my original reply and say that PiedFolfy, at least, should probably not travel.

I have traveled quite a bit overseas and throughout the US and I can say that no place is really the same. If all you want to do is stay in your hotel then you can just stay home, but as someone who takes advantage of regional differences and the outdoors America has a lot to offer. I grew up in the north woods of Wisconsin, where winters are cold enough to freeze waterfalls solid, the deserts and mountains I have traveled to are so different than what I knew. Of course there is also the food. Honestly one of my favorite ways to experience the slight difference in all cultures (even in the same country). Find something you like (food, outdoors, cities, mud) and go where you feel like you would find something new.

Just as long as the airplane doesn't stop, like, halfway, I suppose it is.

Sure, of course, I rage relentlessly about the stupidity of the (voting) population in the United States. That's because that is where I physically am. But I absolutely would be raging relentlesssly against the stupidity of the (voting) population in ANY nation.
Sadly, I would be under MUCH greater danger for publicly raging in a nation like Saudi Arabia or North Korea. That is why I ALSO rage against these nations from the OUTside & why we need people to rage against these regimes from the outside.

Most important: there exist a large diversity of issues to rage about,
most of which have nothing whatsoever to do with national identity politics.
e.g. getting governments to disclose what they know about UFOs,
yet also getting people from all parts in the world to think critically
(maybe the whole UFO thing is complete bullshit ? - but, see? that's the POINT -
to get people to examine evidence first, then make conclusion.
And teaching critical thinking/skepticism to everyone on the planet,
especially applying it to politics/war: "Did leader X of nation Y order this attack on this date & location?"

So, issues related to national divisions are just a small part of things humans have to worry about. So, I do NOT think anyone cares, positively nor negatively,
that you're an American.

My world travels consist of:

#1. 2 trips to Canada when I was very young, maybe 4 or 5, in 1968 & 1969.
We went camping as a family in Canada, just north of the US border,
and I recall my father brought a little antenna tv with us so we could watch
Neil Armstrong land on the moon. (YES, IDIOT MOONLANDING DENIERS - IT WAS REAL!). I have no other memories of the trip.

And one trip into Vancouver, British Colombia in summer 1986 for the World's Fair.
And a trip through Toronto & along the St Lawrence River.

And finally New Year's Eve to January 4 in Montreal 2006-2007,
to test out my French-speaking skills I learned that year & to see if I could
survive in Montreal at the coldest & darkest time of the year.

#2. When I was either somewhere between 3 & 7, our family visited San Diego, CA. The one & only time I set foot across the US-Mexican into Tijuana for a few hours. My vague memory of this event: it was tremendously hot & there
were a lot of pinatas hanging around.

#3. 7.5 weeks in summer 1985: Moscow, USSR for 7 weeks & Leningrad for 4 days. Was with a group of 100 American citizens.

I saw nobody hating me or us there. In the afternoon, after our morning Russian language lessons, which were held in our hotel rooms, because the Pushkin Institute, where we were originally scheduled to hold classes, was under,
renovations, we were free to roam Moscow.
I got to wait in line for 3 hours to spend 30 seconds to gaze upon the lifeless corpse of Vladimir Lenin in Red Square.

And, while I have no regrets that I went & am grateful I got the opportunity, frankly, it would not have changed my life if I had not gone. Frankly, when I think back on this trip,all I think of is - geez, I burned up a lot of fossil fuels just to drag my ass over this planet. That is pretty much my major concern today.

I appreciate the family vacations my father & mother arranged for us kids to California, to Tennessee, to Chicago, to the midWest, to Colorado,
to North Dakota (got to see Mt Rushmore).
I was very lucky to have the greatest breeders/parents in the world.
I was very lucky that they were lucky enough, born when & where they were
& not in abject poverty, to take us kids to these places.

I really really am tempted to say "my generation" fucked things up for you,
for you younger people, that we consumed most of the physical resources,
burned up far more than our fair share of fossil fuels, created bigger than our fair carbon footprint, to make our lifestyles easy & comfortable & fun, but now YOU guys have to live a spartan life of no travel & no fun.

But, logic & reductionistic thinking will not allow me to blame "my generation"
any more than I blame "society", since only individuals are responsible
for things. And, certainly, there exist plenty of old people on this planet
who did very little to no traveling - e.g. either because they're in prison,
or because they - like Ralph Nader - have fought individually & done what they could to get their leaders to make energy & transportation carbon neutral & high-tech & sustainable by now. So, I do NOT wish to blame them.

So, while I do not think there exists sufficiently many persons in other nations who hate Americans for you to not go, burning into the world's preciously small supply of safely burnable carbon (carbontracker.org, Jeremy Leggett) concerns me the most. I know - the problem is that individuals have no power, no control, over their leaders' & governments' decisions - oh, EXCEPT in that ONE INCREDIBLY RARE & PRECIOUS SINGULAR time that they're in the voting booth - & then 99.9% of human populations, anywhere on earth, go fuck up their one golden opportunity every year.

I know MY answer is "no". Just as long as you don't feel jealous or cheated, as I implied earlier, that older generations got to have THEIR fun, why can't I?

But, it's also - do you want to suffer the risk of the TSA or whatever equivalent travel authorities in other nations holding you hostage?
THAT would be my greatest fear: the AUTHORITIES in any nation acting capriciously. Not "random attacks" from America-hating citizens.

Yeah, my answer is a firm "no".

I get the impression that most people on this forum are either British or American.

Britain is a small country. It's near a lot of other countries. Most of those countries speak other languages to each other; many have very different terrains and weather. It's cheap to get to other countries. Hell, you can get to the next continent by two trains and a boat (or two boats and a train, depending which way you go). One international flight will take you skiiing, another will take you to the desert.

America is a big country. It's not quite as close to quite so many other countries, and the ones closest speak either the same language as is officially spoken in America, or a language which is so widely spoken in America that many people think it ought to be an official language as well. And America is so big that it contains very different terrains and weather. One domestic flight will take you skiing, another will take you to the desert.

I simply can't see that most Americans can justify the expense of international travel to the same extent we can in Europe. The same cost for mile as would get you from the UK to somewhere foreign would only take you from one part of America to another part of America. Furthermore, let's not kid ourselves, most British people who travel abroad aren't going to 'experience' a foreign culture, they're going to experience a swimming pool or a beach with foreign hotel food that's not as good as a French/Italian/Whatever restaurant in Britain. And we already have museums with stuff from overseas; and nowadays we even have the opportunity to experience continental-style supermarkets like Aldi (seriously, I've been to supermarkets on the continent. For good or ill, they just don't look like Tesco.)

There's a lot to be said for spreading your wings and experiencing something new, but as much that nowadays we have the greater opportunity to do so we also have a greater opportunity to learn something of the world from an armchair.

If you can't afford the money or time, don't feel that you've done something wrong by missing out. And if the language is a problem, there's always the choice of going on guided excursions where everything is already arranged for you.

And if the worst comes to the worst, visit Europe, and deflect any winge-ing about Donald Trump with reference to the fact that the EU is in just as much trouble...

Wow. I really wish someone didn't tell me to come read this thread. You are the reason anyone would ever hate Americans. Not that anyone I've met on my travels does hate all Americans... because they haven't been these bigoted assholes you think they are. Your commentary on the world is nothing but a mirrored reflection on how you feel about yourself. As for Africans and South Americans... what are you talking about you nut job? Beautiful wonderful humans in both places. Your dehumanizing those who are culturally different to you is appalling and terrifying on so many levels.

Please anyone reading this douchebags comments do NOT judge Americans by this guy. We are NOT like this dude. He makes the Statue of Liberty cry tears of blood. What a jerk off. :ahahah:

Hahahahahhaha!!! Yes to this! In fact he shouldn't leave the house! I feel safer knowing that hate is walled in.

Travel doesn't have to be super expensive. I do it all the time with no money. Couch surfing is awesome and you meet locals that can keep you away from tourist traps and show you real culture and the day to day life of locals. I don't think I've ever left a place without a new outlook on life. Or at least a greater understanding of why people do different things in different ways and it's totally ok. Travel is awesome yall! Haha

As someone who has been all over 4 continents extensively, and that includes several "third world countries" and countries that are now producing massive amounts of refugees, I suspect that Pied Folly gets the flack he does because of the attitude he has. Just look at the nice phrase he used to describe a Canadian who was unpleasant to him.

Once, in a Middle Eastern country, people asked me if I was an American, I said yes. They all came up and actually hugged me and thanked me for all America does (did, I guess, it's been a while). That was just before someone asked if I personally knew Michael Jackson.

Sure, in decades of travel I've been shot at a few times, but it wasn't simply a "foreigner" issue. I find it is common among military people especially to think the world hates the US. I've had conversations with people who seem nearly surprised they weren't warmly welcomed while walking through neighborhoods in full battle gear. How would you react to foreign troops patrolling your own block? I suspect you wouldn't enjoy it.

To the OP: yes, you should travel. As far away as you can. Do your best to be polite and respect the culture. Keep an open mind. The rewards of perspective, both on other cultures and your own, are well worth it.

I hate this extreme arrogance from travelers & multiculturalists, pretending that only humans matter & that crap like culture, tradition, nationalism are more important than basic fairness - what we call human rights, or, more generally (since humans are animals): animal rights.
The only rights that CAN exist are for individuals. What you physically do in public, not on somebody's private property, should not matter to them.

I'm not sure where you are going with this. No one is hating on animals. In fact seeing different species in their natural habitats is another really cool reason to travel! Haha. Way better than shitty zoos. What's arrogant about saying it's a good idea to be respectful of people and how they live? I'm so confused.

Fixed!

My point is that Folfy has a point.

1. So fucking what if my attitude is an "American" perspective?
The concept of "respect" is such unfalsifiable bullshit. Therefore, the conept of "disrespect" is meaningless, too. Non-Americans come to the USA all the time & don't worry about "respecting" the culture (whatever that means). They have NO problems protesting & expressing criticisms of Americans ("Americans are too fat" etc)
So, anybody from any country should be allowed to go to any other country
& criticize that country WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT BEING IMPRISONED.

You just advocated, you seem to think it is JUSTIFIED imprisoning people
for doing something that does not initiate force upon someone else's private
property.

I'm even more confused now.

Some mutual respect happening on this mornings travels haha!

I'm saying: all these idiots who preach about all the meaningless unfalsifiable unquantifiable abstract "value" of "traveling other places, enriching oneself with
other cultures", etc - all that bullshit
NEVER EVER have the brains to even CONCEIVE of visiting all the prisons
in the world & all the gulags/death camps/ factory farms etc etc.
If one were to really want to OBJECTIVELY learn about the world, other cultures, etc one would go to all THESE places, too.

Yeah - in college I used to think I was doing some "good" by getting "culturally
enriched" visiting the Soviet Union (which I did for one summer, 1985, and I am
very happy I did), But, I know now, that that ALL that cultural enrichment is
just entertainment for ME, just entertainment to make ME feel good.

AGAIN - nothing fundamentally inherently wrong with that.
I am NOT ashamed that I went.
But, I knew (well, I much more STRONGLY NOW know) NEVER to pretend that I was doing any good for the world by meeting other people with these
interactions.

The incrementally additional fossil fuels I burned up, my carbon footprint,
had a greater negative impact (albeit, incredibly small) than any abstract
unquantifiable unfalsifiable "cultural enrichment".

Did you see that cute squirrel?

The OP no longer has an account, so presumably he's visiting overseas. Good work everybody.


I do know how to define respect and I have visited a foreign prison. I haven't considered visiting all of them, though. Do I still get a cookie?

I think sovereign nations are allowed to have their own laws that don't match what we allow in America. Who are you to tell another nation that they can't have such laws? Even if you felt that you were the great and powerful OZ and made the rules for everybody, how would you enforce that, as a visitor?

The USA has more people in jail than any other country, so the idea that we are somehow more "free" has some falsifiable evidence against it. Sure you can criticize the government, but don't get caught with weed, and don't dance at the Jefferson memorial. http://abcnews.go.com/US/park-police-investigate-arrests-dancing-jefferson-memorial/story?id=13720498

Did y'all see the adorable squirrel though?!?!

How'd it taste?

Not sure about all of us, but I saw the squirrel. Not the only cute thing in the photo, though.