

Why we travel - ahuja_s
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/f6653b82-4023-11e5-9abe-5b335da3a90e.html#slide0

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quantisan
I've been traveling in Europe for 2 months now. Writing this in Gothenburg,
Sweden. Not taking the plane since I've arrived and have taken my leisurely
time across 8 countries serendipitously around Eastern Europe and Baltic. What
I've come to realize is that travel disrupts my notion of normal. As Alan Kay
puts it, "normal is just a construct".

Everything are different when you're traveling. From the obvious like language
and culture, to the subtle like where to buy fruits. I feel like a child again
when everything is new to be experimented.

That breaks down my usual routine and my expected notion of self completely. I
am more stimulated, creative, self reflective, and outgoing (as /u/Paul_S also
mentioned).

It's like when you move to a new team / school or fall in love with someone
new. The first few weeks/months is like a Wonderland.

~~~
nagrom
That's funny because I had the same feeling originally about there being no
normal. But, when I traveled more, I came to a completely different
conclusion. Maybe you will too?

I've travelled extensively over the last decade before settling down about a
year ago - I spent time in Europe (west and east), Russia, China, Japan,
Australia, Subsaharan Africa, the Amazon and North America. What I find
fascinating is that you can figuratively draw sets of what each culture cares
about. The intersection is, more-or-less, what it means to be human.

Obviously you need a significantly large sample size, but broadly speaking
everyone wants somewhere comfortable to sleep and family and trusted, non-
familial companions. Everyone wants what they consider to be good food
(although the definition of 'good' changes somewhat). Everyone wants to look
after their kids and have some sort of ritual to pass on knowledge culture and
usually possessions to their offspring. Most cultures have music and dancing
of some sort - both participatory and as entertainment. Every culture wants
what it considers impressive to be considered impressive by outsiders. Every
culture I've seen is more open to outsiders when they smile - I've learned to
smile, to use body language and to relax more in unfamiliar surroundings.

Once I started to see these commonalities, I realised what's unique about my
own culture - I started to understand myself better, and see myself more in
relation to the society in which I was embedded. I became kinder, and more
understanding of people seeming stupid or ill-educated; I became less tolerant
of people behaving aggressively or using status-hierarchies to dominate
others. And, like you, I became more creative and outgoing. I suggest keeping
a diary of your attitudes, if you can. Travel diaries are very cool :-)

~~~
Ollinson
I had a similar realization as you. Sort of a cultural "wherever you go, there
you are."

I do hate the elitist aspect of travel though. In a way it's sort of like
experimenting with drugs, you really can't have a say on the experience unless
you've actually done it.

I've had to be very careful about who I talk to about my travels because I've
noticed that even the kindest people can become apprehensive. They act like
I'm questioning their knowledge/experience/worth if they are less well-
traveled than me. If anyone has any tips for dealing with this please let me
know. Note that I'm already very sensitive to the subject and never bring it
up unless asked and even then keep the details to a minimum.

~~~
nagrom
There's a certain amount of one-upsmanship, and gotta-catch-'em-all to travel
discussions. I also find it very difficult to talk about things without coming
across as competitive. I have no idea how to fix that though! If I could, I
would :-)

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Paul_S
Perfect timing as I'm going on a holiday next week and I don't know what I
want to do yet.

I travel because my friends live around the country. I have no other good
reason. I have lots of bad reasons though. Foremost is that my attitude
changes once I no longer feel I'm at home. I don't know why that happens. I
wouldn't go to a cafe/pub during the day in my hometown but I feel free to do
so on my holidays. I chat people up, I meet strangers, I even hitch-hike.
There is NOTHING stopping me from doing all this here, yet I don't. As soon as
I get on a train and move a few dozen miles and I all my inhibitions are gone.

~~~
ahuja_s
I don't know what is better about traveling (specifically the leisurely kind)
- is it that there is some kind of comfort in escaping your daily life or is
it the new experiences you find in a new place with new people?

I know someone who goes from Singapore to Germany every year for pleasure. He
has done it for the past 8 years. It's his "favorite" destination. I guess for
someone like him absolute "newness" is less important but "escape" is more
important.

For others who live by the count of number of cities/countries/continents they
have "covered" traveling seems to be a mission in itself. They travel for
"newness".

I would say that a common answer to the "why" might be that we all like to
escape our lives at some point or the other. Traveling provides that along
with entertainment.

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ronjouch
The first few paragraphs strike a chord, but don't propose a lot of answers,
and the end is just a collection of destinations: _Why_ do we travel? (Am
talking about recreational travel, not business)

A friend of mine was mentioning incoming holidays, to which I asked an open _"
Anything planned?"_ question. In her answer there wasn't even the _mention_ of
planning to travel, it seemed such an evidence that she just started listing
potential destinations, to the point that I got a you're-such-a-party-pooper
look when I asked if she considered something else from traveling. This, and a
few other similar experiences with friends/colleagues who consume all their
time off traveling.

Of course, these are just a few data points, and maybe there's no
generalization to do (some people like to travel a lot, some less, fair
enough). Also, I traveled a fair share too and generally enjoyed & learned
from it, but so do I when I simply spend holidays staying in my hometown
reading, socializing/partying with friends, spending time with loved ones,
coding, gaming, and resting.

Now, focusing on the population subset that does feel this urge to always
travel, what are the most common "why" for this? Difficulty to "disconnect" if
still close to their daily routine? Pure habit? Social pressure? Fear of being
unable to find anything meaningful to do and end up disappointed about
themselves? Are globe-trotters simply better at feeling energized and reaping
benefits from travel that I do?

As an aside, will we start to see these travel binges less leniently (and
consider less fuel-y alternatives) when we start realizing their ecological
impact?

~~~
Excluse
Thank you for confirming that I'm not alone in my curiosity as to why people
feel the need to travel at every opportunity.

As a recent college graduate, I've watched a disproportionate number of my
peers (willing to say ~75+%) default to traveling as their #1 form of
recreation if given the opportunity. I guess I understand the college years
are a time for people to "find themselves" but I also cannot find a good,
common "why" for this fetishized trend of excessive travel.

~~~
manacit
I find this response to be rather strange, especially as someone who very much
enjoys traveling. It's (obviously) not something everybody thinks is fun or
worthwhile, but to conflate your peers' desire to see other parts of the world
with a 'fetishized trend' that is 'excessive' is very hyperbolic.

If I had to guess, I would say a disproportionate amount of your peers travel
during their college years because it's one of the few times that you are
adult enough to travel on your own and are capable of taking sustained periods
away from work/school, most people find themselves saddled with
responsibilities once they enter the workforce. That being said, plenty of
people continue to travel for their entire life, it's not something reserved
for college students.

I could give a myriad of reasons why I enjoy it, but I don't think it would be
helpful. Suffice it to say, I enjoy experiencing other
cultures/foods/geography/people/climates and find it refreshing to be away
from home for a period of time.

~~~
Excluse
I wish I could say that I overstated my claim but that's honestly what it
seems like to me.

I understand the desire to seek out novelty through exploration but from what
I've witnessed it looks like social media prevalence is a strong driving force
(for our generation at least).

The note about responsibilities during that time period strikes me as a valid
reason I suppose.

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jasonkester
I can never read travel writing. It just puts me into this manic state where I
glaze out and start thinking about getting back on the road. If I'm going to
find out about a place, the only way to do so is to go there.

So if you're asking why folks like me travel (75 countries, 3 laps around the
world, maybe 5 years total abroad and moving over the 10 years before I simply
moved overseas for good), the answer is that I've never even considered the
question before.

Ask an alcoholic why he likes alcohol. Ask your little cousin why he likes his
phone. It's the thing you arrange your life so that you can do. It's that
important. If you have to ask why, that's just a sign that it's not for you.

And that's fine.

~~~
ronjouch
Interesting. Were you raised by globetrotter parents, or is it a penchant that
developed over the years?

~~~
jasonkester
No. My folks did "vacations" of the standard 2-weeks-on-a-beach variety.
Usually without the kids. I didn't start traveling on my own until I was like
25.

That was a 3 week trip to Thailand. Then a couple years later I did 2 months
across Europe. Then a few years later 9 months across Africa and the Mideast,
but by then all hope of working a regular job with regular time off
expectations was lost.

The "how" is easily explained though. I program computers for a living. That's
the only skill I know of that pays more than four times what regular people
make, and is happy to dish it up in the form of 3 month contracts. It's the
ultimate enabler for the modern addicted traveler.

Add in the more recent trend toward remote work, and you can pretty much
travel as much as you like. As long as there's internet, everything works out.

------
Multiplayer
Alain is one of my favorite contemporary authors. Check out "The Art of
Travel" from 2002 for more in this vein. "The Architecture of Happiness" and
"The News" are also excellent.

Actually, everything I have read of his has been thought provoking and well
written.

~~~
shenanigoat
Agreed. I also really enjoyed Status Anxiety. For those who want to condense
the reading experience, here is a 2.5 hr documentary version
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1MqJPHxy6g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1MqJPHxy6g).

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simonebrunozzi
I fly about 105 times a year (I mean, 105 "legs", not 105 roundtrips), and
have been doing so for the past 7.5 years. I would say AMA, but... Not
joking... I am taking a flight in 2 hours. SFO to JFK. I don't say this to
beat my chest. Traveling for work, like this, is terrible in the long term. I
wish there was a better way.

~~~
alexashka
What do you do to overcome the toll it takes on your body?

~~~
simonebrunozzi
I tried many things. In essence, I try to eat healthy, and exercise in
moderation. The biggest though is trying to sleep properly as much as
possible. I found that when traveling too heavy for too long, it's hard to do
any of these three things above.

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switch007
I don't travel as much as I used to and I think it's mainly because I'm too
shy, and I feel more like a sightseer and less like a traveler that wants to
connect with each new place. I've come come back from trips and wished I had
been more adventerous in meeting new people; even places where I speak the
language.

Also, flying is a pain in economy. Flights are busier, more crammed and less
comfortable than 7/8+ years ago.

I'm glad I did a lot of traveling including living abroad when I was younger.
I still crave foreign culture, but I can seek that out at home through
language/cultural exchanges, hosting travelers, and of course movies/news/etc
online.

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rosser
It's so very timely for me that this showed up today. I'm on the first day of
a 3-4 month around-the-world trek, sitting in an airport between flights, and
this is exactly why I travel: to stretch myself; to step outside of my
habituated, and ultimately unconscious norms; to be available for all the
unexpected little gifts that life can shower you with if you just get the hell
out there and get in their way.

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ahuja_s
I remember when i got myself a bike in Singapore (cars are very expensive here
$100k+ for a Volkawagen Polo and most people take the bus, train or cabs), i
felt so happy because i gained a new degree of freedom. I could eat at new
places and see new things.

When i drive a car back home in India, i feel an even greater sense of freedom
because i can go farther.

Extrapolate to flights.

Maybe, the farther you can go to look for newness, the happier you feel.

------
ahuja_s
See here if you don't have FT subscription:
[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BymUSeJD4sLzTGdkaVVURkFab0k...](https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BymUSeJD4sLzTGdkaVVURkFab0k/view?usp=sharing)

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2015.

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Namrog84
Am I the only one who couldn't read the article? It only pointed me to some
registration pay wall. and when I did skip it brings me to the sites main page
and not the article? :(

~~~
ahuja_s
Here, try this. I put it on my Google drive for you:
[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BymUSeJD4sLzTGdkaVVURkFab0k...](https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BymUSeJD4sLzTGdkaVVURkFab0k/view?usp=sharing)

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Ace17
"The farther ones travels, the less one may know."

------
ilaksh
Most people don't travel because they can't. Traveling is a type of large-
scale consumption that re-affirms self-worth through wealth display.

~~~
Paul_S
What about people who travel cheaply. I went on a 3 week holiday last year (I
work full time) and it cost me 1200 pounds. OK, I might have spent a couple
hundred more to buy things like a backpack and boots since it was the first
time in my life I went on a holiday (not counting holidays with my parents
when I was a teenager) but I'm getting a lot of use out of them and plan to
get even more.

~~~
ilaksh
What percentage of the earth's population can afford to stop working or doing
anything constructive for 3 weeks and pay 1200 pounds?

~~~
Paul_S
In the UK, where I live, pretty much everyone (you get at least 20 days
holiday each year, usually more + bank holidays). Who else am I supposed to
exercise this "wealth display" over? Where does the earth's population come
into this. They are not my peers. Also I can't leave Europe because I have no
passport so even if you took the population of the country being visited into
account it would still impress no one. They can't know how long my holiday is,
all they see is a guy with a backpack, hitch-hiking or using public transport.
That would impress no one. Your idea of wealth is somewhat skewed.

