People who have never left Ireland, EVER!

Teyla Emmagan

dirtyden wrote: »

Agreed I dont enlightenment is to be found on a shopping trip to New York.

Last place you'd find it in fact

Eric Cartman

I know a person in their mid 20s who has never even been to the UK, its not financial, just the idea of planes and ferrys frighten them.

blackwhite

starch4ser wrote: »

I know a few people from Dublin who've never been abroad outside of Dublin and they genuinely think that Dublin is one of the world's major cities.

FYP

ejmaztec

I don't reckon my grand-parents ever left Kerry, but all their kids did.

af_thefragile

stovelid wrote: »

Travel is for snobs and students. I can see anything I want on the TV.

Or Google Earth!!!

oppenheimer1

TreesAreCrowd wrote: »

Yeah, people who can't get €40 together to fly into mainland Europe have significantly larger issues with their lives than not being able to travel.

It costs considerably more than €40 to go to mainland Europe for a few days. I spent over £300 a couple of weeks ago for a weekend in London, and that was done on the cheap.


Young people at 19 years of age would have (or should have) been accompanied by an adult if they travelled at a younger age. The costs build up.

While no foreign travel may affect a young persons world view, I'd be more worried about the world view of a person who thinks that it is strange for a 19 year old to never have travelled.

IcedOut

I was born abroad :pac:

Inventive User Name

I'm 19, never been abroad either. We didn't have the money when I was younger. Saving all my pennies for college at the minute, so it's not going to happen any time soon. Ah well ..........

Aidric

Unless it's down to financial constraints I find it quite sad.

up for anything

starch4ser wrote: »

I know a few people from Dublin who've never been abroad and they genuinely think that Dublin is one of the world's major cities.

The Celtic Tiger has a lot to answer for. In my young days I knew loads of people who had never been outside of Ireland and didn't look like they ever would be. I knew a few people who had never been to Dublin.

What is more shocking to me is that I know so many people born and bred in Kilkenny who have never been to towns and villages within a 10 mile radius of Kilkenny. When I moved to a village outside the town nearly every real Kilkenny person asked me what it was like out there, whereas all the blow-ins knew exactly what it was like having taken the time out to visit the village and it's wonderful priory.

Rabies

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

Not everyone has the luxury of foreign holidays and at 19 while it may be unusual, I wouldn't consider it odd

Get off the recession train.

**** like that is ruining AH.

Air travel across europe has been very cheap since the mid 90's.
It still is.

There is no excuse for someone to not travel to even England. Take a ferry instead of flying.

It is odd and unusual that someone would not have traveled out of Ireland by the time they're 19-20.

You don't need to be rich or have a lot of money in the bank to go over seas for a weekend.

KeithAFC

Been to Scotland. Planning on going to Dixie.

kippy

Rabies wrote: »

Get off the recession train.

**** like that is ruining AH.

Air travel across europe has been very cheap since the mid 90's.
It still is.

There is no excuse for someone to not travel to even England. Take a ferry instead of flying.

It is odd and unusual that someone would not have traveled out of Ireland by the time they're 19-20.

You don't need to be rich or have a lot of money in the bank to go over seas for a weekend.

What are you basing that comment on?
(it being odd or unusual not to have left the country by the time you are 19/20)
I and many like me don't find that odd or unusual at all.

grindle

Rabies wrote: »

There is no excuse for someone to not travel to even England.

No excuse? For the Irish! WHAAAAAAAA?

:pac:

ProudDUB

Definitely don't think it is unusual for a 19 year old to have never been abroad. Not in this day and age. She is only a year out of school. She would have been reliant on others to take her abroad and pay for the trips for most of her life. If she comes from a poor background, or her parent(s) are in ill health that is a tall order. Then if she is an impoverished student scrimping and saving to put herself thru college, I can't really see any fun weekends away with the girls in NYC/London/Paris etc etc in her future.

oppenheimer1

Rabies wrote: »

Get off the recession train.

**** like that is ruining AH.

Air travel across europe has been very cheap since the mid 90's.
It still is.

There is no excuse for someone to not travel to even England. Take a ferry instead of flying.

It is odd and unusual that someone would not have traveled out of Ireland by the time they're 19-20.

You don't need to be rich or have a lot of money in the bank to go over seas for a weekend.

No it isn't odd, and it isn't recession talk either. At 19 that person is just out of school and is still very young. Depending on their parents they may not have had much freedom. Their parents also may not have had much money or desire for travel. Perhaps their parents have a farm or a large family which makes travel very impractical. There are many many reasons why someone so young hasn't ever been overseas.

And this notion about overseas travel being cheap is utter nonsense. The only thing that has come down in cost is flights and they're still pretty expensive if you have no means. As I said in an earlier post, I was in London a few weekends ago, I didn't go mad, yet the cost was over £300 for the few days.


Its unusual that someone wouldn't have been overseas at that age, but its certainly not odd.

hondasam

Rabies wrote: »

There is no excuse for someone to not travel to even England. Take a ferry instead of flying.

It is odd and unusual that someone would not have traveled out of Ireland by the time they're 19-20.

You don't need to be rich or have a lot of money in the bank to go over seas for a weekend.

Plenty of people have never travelled to the UK for one reason they don't want too.It's not odd or unusual at all depending on your circumstances.
Going away for a weekend is not that cheap when you factor in flights, spending money, hotels etc.

hondasam

hondasam wrote: »

Do you think you have missed out on anything?

I'm sure I have, but I'm not too pushed for the moment.

Jogathon

My 95 year old granduncle travelled everywhere with his wife for the last 60 years. I love to travel and I love showing him my holiday pics cos then he shows me his from 30 odd years before, the pyramids, ayers rock, niagera falls etc. It's so funny to compare the different eras. He's a total legend, with a brilliantly inclusive and informed personality.

I think that it is unusual that a 19 year old has never gone to Dublin but overseas travel is out for many families.

FinnLizzy

Some people seem to forget that people go abroad for other reasons aside from holidays.

I have a relative who moved to England because his dad was on parole in Ireland when he jumped across to England, and eventually he had to move over as well.

I recon he would have been a completely different person if he stayed in a village than in a working class suburb in England. And certainly less racist!

hondasam

Karsini wrote: »

I'm sure I have, but I'm not too pushed for the moment.

It's nice to travel and see other countries but it's not the end of the world if you don't either. Don't feel like you have missed out on something because it's not all great. I hope you get to travel if it's what you want.

Rabies

Rabies wrote: »

There is no excuse for someone to not travel to even England. Take a ferry instead of flying.

It is odd and unusual that someone would not have traveled out of Ireland by the time they're 19-20.

You say that like people have an obligation to travel.

Why?

Just because most 20 year olds have been abroad doesn't mean there's something wrong with a 20 year old who hasn't.

Agricola

hondasam wrote: »

It's nice to travel and see other countries but it's not the end of the world if you don't either. Don't feel like you have missed out on something because it's not all great. I hope you get to travel if it's what you want.

True. Something Ive noticed in myself is that in a matter of minutes after you've stood in front of the real life version of that picture postcard, you realize that the world is largely the same no matter where you go. People rushing around, noise, pollution, traffic etc etc. After a few days, you start to want to go back home!

KeithAFC wrote: »

Been to Scotland. Planning on going to Dixie.

Come visit us down South Keith. Broaden your horizons!

FinnLizzy

dirtyden wrote: »

I was asking you where have you been and how it affected your world view?

Your post seems to suggest that your world view is somehow more enlightened than the lady you posted about. I just wanted clarity on that.

Fair enough. I don't know the first one well, but from what the OH says about her, she's a bit of a bitch (women, eh?). But that's neither here nor there.

The second woman fits the description of many of the other examples. Old, farmer, and doesn't really have much concern for anything beyond what she's used to. She has pictures of Jesus and JFK in her house so you could say she's an Irish cliché. Lovely nonetheless.

I wouldn't say the worldview of someone who's traveled is more enlightened than their's, but depending on where they've traveled to, it's different. (Someone who hasn't traveled might think that French people are smelly and rude, but since I've been to France, and therefore KNOW that they're smelly and rude)

Xavi6

People that can't afford it (as in genuinely can't, not those who piss €100 up against the wall every Saturday night) fair enough.

People that have no ambition/desire to go overseas is very sad IMO.

Locker10a

TreesAreCrowd wrote: »

Yeah, people who can't get €40 together to fly into mainland Europe have significantly larger issues with their lives than not being able to travel.

Well a recent report has show ultra cheap air travel has not made travel accessable to the lower earning people it appears it would ! I dont have a link to the report sorry, but it was comparing the social classes who travel over the last 30 years and those who have the least economicly still fly the least and those with more disposable income fly more now than they ever did before. i.e cheap air travel allows richer people to fly more often as opposed to allowing pooer people go on holiday!

in relation to the topic yes i know one or two people who have never left the country! And never been on a plane! And there not ignorant or stupid when it comes to issues relating to abroad, thanks to TV i suppose but i intend to bring them on a plane sometime

saa

Sweet jesus, most people don't choose to stay usually they don't have the money and those who don't want to are usually old and happy enough.

I wasn't abroad until I was 20 and was not shocked by minor cultural differences..
Being brought places by your parents doesn't make you cultured or knowledgeable of the world, think two weeks in fuerteventura.. getting a burn, sippin on Lilt and gettin' cornrows.

The fact is going abroad doesn't matter if you stay in a holiday resort, you just have to be somewhat informed, open minded and not a gimp.

uch

I'm Dyslexic and thought that said "people who were never left handed"

:o

stoneill

Question is : Why did I come back?

Cedrus

FinnLizzy wrote: »

Do you know anyone who has never been abroad? (specifically Ireland). And does it affect their worldview?

It is a common myth that travel broadens the mind (or worldview), in fact most people who travel go to a finite destination for a limited period of time and believe that that is enough to know the country, people, culture, etc. The experiences of that brief visit are taken as representative of the country when really you would have to live for a number of years to experience different seasons, different lifestyles, get over bad experiences, get to know that good experiences aren't guaranteed, learn the language to really talk to people.

I worked with a guy who listed of half a dozen "exotic countries" he had been to, turned out he went to a Sandals resort for a fortnight in every place!?

While of course there are people who do go abroad and fully engage with everything, there are others who stay home and learn as much from books, TV, internet and talking to travellers.

I met a old man in West Cork a years ago and he asked me about where I had been, we talked for an hour about different places and I asked where he had travelled, he replied "I went to Bandon once".

I wandered out in the world for years
while you just stayed in your room
I saw the crescent
you saw the whole of the moon!
Mike Scott