Travel is an essential part of growth into a mature, well-rounded adult

coinop

When I was a teenager, the idea of "experience" was aggressively pushed onto me. The only way I could grow up and enjoy life, I was taught, was to get a lot of experience. It would make me a mature, responsible adult. I went on to rack up a lifetimes’ worth of experience all around the world, and now that I look back at it all, I see that it was a waste.

In 2007, I backpacked for six months through South America. I started in Ecuador and snaked my way through half of the continent, eventually ending up in Rio de Janeiro to celebrate Carnival. During that trip, I met hundreds of people and saw countless exotic sights. I drank in dank bars and had deep conversations with dozens of Australians about nothing. I went through six years of experience in only six months. Where is that experience now? How does it help me today outside of the specific task of taking a road trip?

Spare me the meaningless platitudes like "travel helps broaden your horizons". It's fun while you're in the moment, like playing a videogame, but where are the life-changing revelations I was supposed to receive?

Smee_Again

Generally it makes people more tolerant at least, imagine what you’d be like without that experience.

enricoh

U didn't score enough brazilian chicks. That's the main problem!

RobertKK

It might make one realise, people everywhere are mostly the same as people elsewhere, and there is no us and them on this planet.

coinop

RobertKK wrote: »

It might make one realise, people everywhere are mostly the same as people elsewhere, and there is no us and them on this planet.

This is some hippy, dope-smoking, let's all hold in a circle and sing kumbaya, clichéd nonsense. I, as a Western male, hold vastly different beliefs to a bearded jihadi living in cave in Afghanistan or a Congolese pygmy shoving a bone through his nose in the jungle. We value different things and of course you can't ignore IQ differences between populations.

McGinniesta

Our travelling days are over. We'll need vaccines dripping out of our arseholes before we can think about getting on a plane.

coinop

coinop wrote: »

This is some hippy, dope-smoking, let's all hold in a circle and sing kumbaya, clichéd nonsense. I, as a Western male, hold vastly different beliefs to a bearded jihadi living in cave in Afghanistan or a Congolese pygmy shoving a bone through his nose in the jungle. We value different things and of course you can't ignore IQ differences between populations.

Plenty of thick gobsh1tes everywhere, as demonstrated by the above.

Smee_Again

coinop wrote: »

This is some hippy, dope-smoking, let's all hold in a circle and sing kumbaya, clichéd nonsense. I, as a Western male, hold vastly different beliefs to a bearded jihadi living in cave in Afghanistan or a Congolese pygmy shoving a bone through his nose in the jungle. We value different things and of course you can't ignore IQ differences between populations.

Some people can travel for just a few weeks or months and come back a more enlighten person, others could spend a lifetime travelling the world and still come back the same pig ignorant hick they’d always been.

I wonder where you fit on the scale?

coinop

Smee_Again wrote: »

Some people can travel for just a few weeks or months and come back a more enlighten person

Can you elaborate and go into specifics?

Padre_Pio

coinop wrote: »

Can you elaborate and go into specifics?

What do you want? You saw some stuff, had some experiences, what did you expect to happen?

coinop

Padre_Pio wrote: »

What do you want? You saw some stuff, had some experiences, what did you expect to happen?

Poster above said he was "enlightened" by traveling. I'm asking him to explain what he means.

Andrewf20

coinop wrote: »

When I was a teenager, the idea of "experience" was aggressively pushed onto me. The only way I could grow up and enjoy life, I was taught, was to get a lot of experience. It would make me a mature, responsible adult. I went on to rack up a lifetimes’ worth of experience all around the world, and now that I look back at it all, I see that it was a waste.

In 2007, I backpacked for six months through South America. I started in Ecuador and snaked my way through half of the continent, eventually ending up in Rio de Janeiro to celebrate Carnival. During that trip, I met hundreds of people and saw countless exotic sights. I drank in dank bars and had deep conversations with dozens of Australians about nothing. I went through six years of experience in only six months. Where is that experience now? How does it help me today outside of the specific task of taking a road trip?

Spare me the meaningless platitudes like "travel helps broaden your horizons". It's fun while you're in the moment, like playing a videogame, but where are the life-changing revelations I was supposed to receive?

Not sure its essential but I found it very beneficial. Made me appreciate how good we have it in Ireland in general. It made me happier and moan less about my 1st world problems. It also made me spend less after seeing how other people were happy with much less than me.

The weather here isnt too bad overall either. Ill take a cold winter over crippling humidity in Asia for example.

Big travel also provides an opportunity to see and do amazing things. Torres del Paine in Patagonia blew me away. The experience of doing it stays with me to this day as one of the best adventures ive ever done. I have also taken on some physical challenges which were brilliant once you achieve the goal at hand. Summit ascents etc.

Travel also cemented the idea that for me contentment in life comes more from experience that material possessions and that has created a path in life to an extent. Rather than blowing 6k on a fitted Kitchen, id rather go and spend it hiking around some funky part of the world.

touts

Not necessarily. When some lad in a pub joins a conversation and throws in a random line like "When I was backpacking I always avoided the tourist areas and looked to experience the real lives of the local people in places like North Eastern Mongolia and inner central Peru" you know he's an asshole and no amount of travel can round that off.

eviltwin

One thing I noticed when my daughter lived abroad was how more mature and self reliant she became. I suppose you have to when calling mammy and daddy every time you're in a spot of bother is no longer an option.

johnnyskeleton

coinop wrote: »

Spare me the meaningless platitudes like "travel helps broaden your horizons". It's fun while you're in the moment, like playing a videogame, but where are the life-changing revelations I was supposed to receive?

Much like medicines, exercise etc, travel affects different people in different ways. Some people get life changing revelations, but others don't.

Travel doesn't suit you, therefore you are better off staying at home and not venturing forth. Don't worry about it.

Sam Hain

coinop wrote: »

Spare me the meaningless platitudes like "travel helps broaden your horizons". It's fun while you're in the moment, like playing a videogame, but where are the life-changing revelations I was supposed to receive?

You're ****ing spot on.

Dunfyy

You did not travel first class. You probably stayed in hostels and ate street food
And hanging around australians who were drunk all day and not knowing the language
You failed in traveling
That's why you did not learn

coinop

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

Some people get life changing revelations...

Such as?

EmmetSpiceland

No need to go anywhere these days. If you want to see Rome just hop on to Google “street view”. Same goes for most other places.

Waste of time and money doing it the “old fashioned” way. And, a big plus is that you don’t have to deal with any of the unsavoury “locals”.

Chris_5339762

Its an experience. Its something you do to break the monotony of the 9 - 5. And if you can do it for six months to a year before you get responsibilities (a job with limited leave, a partner, kids, the need to look after elderly relatives etc) then go for it. Cos when any of those things hit, you can never do it again.

Smee_Again

coinop wrote: »

Poster above said he was "enlightened" by traveling. I'm asking him to explain what he means.

No I didn’t, I never said that. You don’t read too well.

Are you from a low IQ country?

Sam Hain

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Its an experience. Its something you do to break the monotony of the 9 - 5. And if you can do it for six months to a year before you get responsibilities (a job with limited leave, a partner, kids, the need to look after elderly relatives etc) then go for it. Cos when any of those things hit, you can never do it again.

Yawn.

Aongus Von Bismarck

I've been lucky enough to have travelled extensively both with work and for leisure. Indeed I ticked off my final continent last year with an amazing holiday to Patagonia and Antarctica. You really do get an appreciation for different cultures, local customs, regional food and so on and so forth. Night much of a fine-dining scene at the South Pole though!

Some people don't like to travel, and that is ok. It's the people who seem to get irritated when you tell them you've been to 72 countries who you'd feel sorry for. There's a lot of them on this website tbh. Lads living in BallyGoBackwards, work on an assembly line in some medical device company, and married a woman who looks like a fat Martina Navratilova. Their own lives are so lacking in excitement, difference, and adventure that they take out their jealousy and frustrations on people who enjoy the finer things in life.

coinop

Smee_Again wrote: »

Are you from a low IQ country?

What are the low IQ countries?

elperello

Travel can help someone become a mature well rounded adult but a lot depends on the individual's outlook on life.

It is certainly not essential.

timetogo1

McGinniesta wrote: »

Our travelling days are over. We'll need vaccines dripping out of our arseholes before we can think about getting on a plane.

That was always the way. If you're going to nearly any country there are vaccines you need.

Sam Hain

eviltwin wrote: »

One thing I noticed when my daughter lived abroad was how more mature and self reliant she became. I suppose you have to when calling mammy and daddy every time you're in a spot of bother is no longer an option.

Living and working abroad is far more rewarding than travelling or backpacking or taking a year off.

Smee_Again

coinop wrote: »

What are the low IQ countries?

I’ve no idea.

You mentioned populations, populations of what if not countries?

coinop

Smee_Again wrote: »

I’ve no idea.

You mentioned populations, populations of what if not countries?

I mentioned low IQ populations. You mentioned low IQ countries. A region of the world can have several different populations living within it.
What are the low IQ countries?

Wanderer2010

Its great to round you out a bit as a human being, it gives you a glimpse of a life outside your tiny little head and you appreciate we share the world with a multitude of different people with different viewpoints, religions, culinary tastes and social norms. Its not going to drastically change your core personality, which generally stays the same your entire life.
It also depends where you go. The amount of lads i know who came back from a "life changing" year or two in Australia, and not only are they the exact same people afterwards but some of their existing prejudices and attitudes are actually strengthened. And this is because they went to live in a house full of other Irish lads...working day and night with other Irish lads and you guessed it, drinking in Irish pubs every weekend with Irish lads. So no chance to get exposed to enough locals or native people which may have given them some life lessons.

Andrewf20

Sam Hain wrote: »

Living and working abroad is far more rewarding than travelling or backpacking or taking a year off.

That depends on alot of variables. Working abroad generally has you are tied to a working and living location I found but travel gives more freedom to go where you want.

Travel is great if you like it and ****e if you don’t. The former tend to think their way is the only correct one though.

Nigel Fairservice

I wouldn’t call travel essential to becoming a well rounded adult but it can supplement it. Some people will take more from it than others. Growing up in Ireland I hated the place, couldn’t wait to leave. Then I did the first chance I got. I spent time living in 2 countries and visited 43 others. One of the biggest things I took away from it was realising we don’t have it so bad here in Ireland.

johnnyskeleton

coinop wrote: »

Such as?

Dont worry about it. Its not for you

Mr_Muffin

It can help young adults become more independent and depending on the country, show that Ireland is a decent country compared to most. Wouldn't call it essential though.

coinop

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

Dont worry about it. Its not for you

What's not for me?

Louis Friend

Travel does broaden one’s horizons and makes ill-thought out nonsense like Brexit less likely

Thelonious Monk

I am ridiculously privileged enough to have been all over and lived in different countries but the way people go on about it I find annoying.
On internet dating it actually puts me off women when they start banging on about how travelling is their whole reason to be here and blah blah.
I mean we all love going on holidays but just shut up about it. I'm sure blokes go on the same.
It's great to experience different cultures and I know people who were pretty close minded and didn't know much outside their tiny world in Northside Dublin and getting out and about in the world did them the world of good.
But you don't have to travel to be open minded or a "well rounded adult". If that were the case we wouldn't have had any decent adults before we could get working holiday visas and cheap flights and the likes.

Thelonious Monk

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

The amount of lads i know who came back from a "life changing" year or two in Australia, and not only are they the exact same people afterwards but some of their existing prejudices and attitudes are actually strengthened. And this is because they went to live in a house full of other Irish lads...working day and night with other Irish lads and you guessed it, drinking in Irish pubs every weekend with Irish lads. So no chance to get exposed to enough locals or native people which may have given them some life lessons.

Well it probably is life changing for a lot of people regardless of what they did, as it was totally different to how their life had been before.
Anyway your locals in Australia are basically Irish/Brits in the sun, they're not going to gain that much by talking to a few Ockers down the local legion.

chrissb8

I don't think travelling gives you those 'life-changing' experiences that are going to effectively turn you into someone different. But certainly being the stranger in another country gives you a perspective of what it's like to be an 'outsider'. That you don't know the language, the customs and are slightly jarred being among a new environment. To give you more tolerance in future to those who come to visit/live in your home country.

I've known many who have travelled and honestly, they're all much the same people as they were before. They just met English speaking travellers like themselves and stuck with them mostly, doing the drinking, sightseeing etc.

The people who I've seen having a marked change is those who have gone and lived in another country. It's one thing to go for fun for a few weeks/months but another thing to make a life somewhere else. I wouldn't include the Uk in that though to be fair, I'm talking about a whole new language/climate/worklife.

Mongfinder General

coinop wrote: »

I mentioned low IQ populations. You mentioned low IQ countries. A region of the world can have several different populations living within it.
What are the low IQ countries?

https://www.healthline.com/health/average-iq

A lot of these seem to be in Africa.

Thelonious Monk

Also there seems to be more people who bang on about Irish people going to Australia and drinking with other Irish people than there are Irish people who go to Australia to drink with other Irish people

RWCNT

Definitely not essential to becoming a mature, well-rounded adult - always found that mentality very snobby and irritating. I went to University with a lot of rich kids who were big on this thinking - they'd been all over the place on Mommy & Daddy's money but were among the most vacuous people I've ever met.

Personally, I love travelling. It's great fun exploring new places and observing or participating in different cultures.

jackboy

I think there was a lot more to be learned from travelling in the past when Ireland was more insular and the internet was not as much of a thing.

Ireland is now full of other cultures and any small town will have people from countries all over the world.

We know though, people in their early 20’s mostly go travelling to have an extended piss up and hopefully score many times. The cultural experience is generally secondary to that.

riclad

travel helps you connect with people, understand how others live, it seems before we had the boom, most irish people would work in england or america for some time .
the benefits of travel can be exaggerated .
eg go to paris,its very expensive, most people do not want to speak to you ,
unless you speak french.real life is not like the movies.
you can go to a pub in any country and mostly end up meeting people like yourself or idiots.
i dont think its essential to travel to be well rounded.
no more than if you want to be fit you have go to a gym.
You can exercise by walking and cycling.
Most americans do not have a passport, they never travel outside america.

Spanish Eyes

Travel is great, but is mostly used as a boast to others about the parts of the World visited.

No one cares.

85603

coinop wrote: »

When I was a teenager, the idea of "experience" was aggressively pushed onto me. The only way I could grow up and enjoy life, I was taught, was to get a lot of experience. It would make me a mature, responsible adult. I went on to rack up a lifetimes’ worth of experience all around the world, and now that I look back at it all, I see that it was a waste.

In 2007, I backpacked for six months through South America. I started in Ecuador and snaked my way through half of the continent, eventually ending up in Rio de Janeiro to celebrate Carnival. During that trip, I met hundreds of people and saw countless exotic sights. I drank in dank bars and had deep conversations with dozens of Australians about nothing. I went through six years of experience in only six months. Where is that experience now? How does it help me today outside of the specific task of taking a road trip?

Spare me the meaningless platitudes like "travel helps broaden your horizons". It's fun while you're in the moment, like playing a videogame, but where are the life-changing revelations I was supposed to receive?

You know never to go to the Mexican donkey show again.
See you did learn something.

sameoldname

coinop wrote: »

When I was a teenager, the idea of "experience" was aggressively pushed onto me. The only way I could grow up and enjoy life, I was taught, was to get a lot of experience. It would make me a mature, responsible adult. I went on to rack up a lifetimes’ worth of experience all around the world, and now that I look back at it all, I see that it was a waste.

In 2007, I backpacked for six months through South America. I started in Ecuador and snaked my way through half of the continent, eventually ending up in Rio de Janeiro to celebrate Carnival. During that trip, I met hundreds of people and saw countless exotic sights. I drank in dank bars and had deep conversations with dozens of Australians about nothing. I went through six years of experience in only six months. Where is that experience now? How does it help me today outside of the specific task of taking a road trip?

Spare me the meaningless platitudes like "travel helps broaden your horizons". It's fun while you're in the moment, like playing a videogame, but where are the life-changing revelations I was supposed to receive?

Based off your post history on boards you already know everything OP so how could you possibly have any revelations?

Doctor Roast

I found myself, on the banana pancake trail in Asia, still have the singha t-shirt

Potential-Monke

jackboy wrote: »

I think there was a lot more to be learned from travelling in the past when Ireland was more insular and the internet was not as much of a thing.

This. Years ago, because of the lack of affordable travel and internet, travelling was a way to get an idea of the world and other experiences. But if you still need to travel to another country to experience this, then I feel sorry for you. The world is literally at our fingertips.

There was a time I would have liked to travel, but the internet has shown me that these places are usually far worse when you remove the veneer of advertising to people outside the country that is being advertised. Take Abu Dhabi and Dubai for example. Thousands of people go there, even though it's part of the UAE and their Sharia laws, relaxed for the most part for the foreigners, hiding the fact that it's still a backwards, religious run country. It's like going to visit North Korea and saying it's a lovely country but all the poverty and state sanctions.

I don't understand people who willing give money to the governments of these countries. And then have the gall to say it's a great country because of their diluted experience of the good parts of it.

Similarily I don't understand people who take on holidays or treks into dangerous places, ie: climbing mountains or travelling through jungles or deserts... It's like ye are trying to kill yourselves all in the name of a thrill. Madness imo.

Thelonious Monk

We're all giving money to Arab states for oil whether you like it or not