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I can't see why so many people look down on traveling. I do not tell people unless asked (it is not part of my identity) but I traveled my fair share and it cha

by mxmbrb 3y ago

I can't see why so many people look down on traveling. I do not tell people unless asked (it is not part of my identity) but I traveled my fair share and it changed me a lot. The food I eat (the better half of my diet), the way I drive, my values for a fulfilled life, my willingnes to accept risks in life, appreciation and compassion for regions and many things more. Traveling is what you make out of it. If they walk it like dinsneyland polishing their instagram, travelling isn't the issue, it is people. But then, isn't it allways?

pydry 3y ago
It's treated in a very similar way to many other status-linked luxuries which used to be the preserve of the upper classes and then spread to the masses through commodification. Theres probably a name for it. If there isnt there should be. Burberryfication? A lot of people who do travel I don't think actually enjoy it much but feel compelled to engage in status games. Meanwhile the upper classes and aspiring upper classes understand that it doesn't give them status any more. This becomes "a lack of meaning" because it's well understood among the upper classes that directly gatekeeping status is vulgar.
- shadow_broker 3y ago
  I think you're getting at why I struggle to share in people's excitement when they say they 'love to travel', is that to some extent, it feels like an obligation at a certain income level, and when I say I didn't really travel this year, people are surprised. Obviously I'm biased to my own experience, but I feel like I ended up having more to say about the experiences in state parks near me than some folks did about their island trips where they just sat on a beach and drank all day (which is totally fine to enjoy if that's your thing!). It just felt to me like throwing the yeah just got back from the Bahamas again was meant to carry more weight in conversation that what people actually did there or why they went, and that's diluted the meaning of 'travel' to me since I've become an adult.
- pessimizer 3y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Tour https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Tour
- vpastore 3y ago
  [dead]
ramraj07 3y ago
Do you really need to travel to China to get an appreciation for Chinese food? That’s kinda the point the author makes.
- mxmbrb 3y ago
  But we are not rational machines. There is a difference in emotion and depth to buying a cookbook, or randomly stumbling upon a dish you (maybe unexpectedly) like and take the ideas of it home with you. One (of many) example of mine is british breakfast tea.
- probably_wrong 3y ago
  Since you mention China specifically: I was in Beijing once. On my first day there I walked into a random restaurant and was given a vacuum-sealed package full of stuff I couldn't recognize. There were multiple spoons, a teapot (I think), a small plate... far from the chopsticks I was expecting. I eventually had to accept that I had no idea how to eat "Chinese style" and resigned myself to being "that guy" who eats straight out of the serving spoon. I gained a new appreciation that day for what "different culture" truly means, and has made me more tolerant to those who break social rules without malice. I knew all of that before, but that moment really helped me grok the concept. To put it in algorithmic terms (this is HN after all): one could be stuck in a local maximum and not known it, and making a small jump in a completely random direction might be exactly what's needed to get out of there.
- whywhywhywhy 3y ago
  This is a terrible example because that’s one cuisine where the western experience and the China experience are significantly different. I’m talking even authentic restaurants not Panda Express.
- FpUser 3y ago
  I don't need to have a "need". Want alone is enough. We did not "need" to do shit since we were wandering around gathering food some bazillion years ago.
  - 3y ago
civilitty 3y ago
> the way I drive I too realized just how pointless signs and driving laws were on my travels.

by mxmbrb 3y ago

pydry 3y ago

It's treated in a very similar way to many other status-linked luxuries which used to be the preserve of the upper classes and then spread to the masses through commodification. Theres probably a name for it. If there isnt there should be. Burberryfication? A lot of people who do travel I don't think actually enjoy it much but feel compelled to engage in status games. Meanwhile the upper classes and aspiring upper classes understand that it doesn't give them status any more. This becomes "a lack of meaning" because it's well understood among the upper classes that directly gatekeeping status is vulgar.

shadow_broker 3y ago
I think you're getting at why I struggle to share in people's excitement when they say they 'love to travel', is that to some extent, it feels like an obligation at a certain income level, and when I say I didn't really travel this year, people are surprised. Obviously I'm biased to my own experience, but I feel like I ended up having more to say about the experiences in state parks near me than some folks did about their island trips where they just sat on a beach and drank all day (which is totally fine to enjoy if that's your thing!). It just felt to me like throwing the yeah just got back from the Bahamas again was meant to carry more weight in conversation that what people actually did there or why they went, and that's diluted the meaning of 'travel' to me since I've become an adult.
pessimizer 3y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Tour https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Tour
vpastore 3y ago
[dead]

ramraj07 3y ago

Do you really need to travel to China to get an appreciation for Chinese food? That’s kinda the point the author makes.

mxmbrb 3y ago
But we are not rational machines. There is a difference in emotion and depth to buying a cookbook, or randomly stumbling upon a dish you (maybe unexpectedly) like and take the ideas of it home with you. One (of many) example of mine is british breakfast tea.
probably_wrong 3y ago
Since you mention China specifically: I was in Beijing once. On my first day there I walked into a random restaurant and was given a vacuum-sealed package full of stuff I couldn't recognize. There were multiple spoons, a teapot (I think), a small plate... far from the chopsticks I was expecting. I eventually had to accept that I had no idea how to eat "Chinese style" and resigned myself to being "that guy" who eats straight out of the serving spoon. I gained a new appreciation that day for what "different culture" truly means, and has made me more tolerant to those who break social rules without malice. I knew all of that before, but that moment really helped me grok the concept. To put it in algorithmic terms (this is HN after all): one could be stuck in a local maximum and not known it, and making a small jump in a completely random direction might be exactly what's needed to get out of there.
whywhywhywhy 3y ago
This is a terrible example because that’s one cuisine where the western experience and the China experience are significantly different. I’m talking even authentic restaurants not Panda Express.
FpUser 3y ago
I don't need to have a "need". Want alone is enough. We did not "need" to do shit since we were wandering around gathering food some bazillion years ago.
- 3y ago

civilitty 3y ago

> the way I drive I too realized just how pointless signs and driving laws were on my travels.