The Travelling Myth

leggo · 28-06-2012 12:27PM #1

TLDR: When it comes to travelling the world, what is the line between making a beneficial life decision and just 'running away from your problems'?

There's a notion in Ireland, and elsewhere to be fair, that travelling the world is an essential part of everyone's development. That you are somehow mentally stumped if you haven't had a Christmas Day on the beach.

The collective 'life plan' for most Irish people goes, in varying order: go to school, start drinking, get a driver's licence, complete Leaving Cert, go to college, travel, come home, get a job, have a baby, get a mortgage, marry, retire, play with your grandchildren, then die.

Don't get me wrong, I like broadening my horizons so I have no problem with the idea, in theory. I remember, even when I was around 18, wrecking an ex's head on a holiday by booking us on a 3-day sight-seeing tour where we could see not one, but TWO, of the wonders of the world. I'm mad for a bit of history and there's nothing like standing in the spot of a historical event and imagining the events that have gone on there to give you a perspective of the broader scale of existence. All of a sudden your own daily drama seems to matter less as you get an idea of what life is really about.

In fact, I even plan on living abroad at some stage in the not-too-distant future. Part of me hopes that it doesn't come to that and that I can make it work in Ireland first, but I'm fortunate enough to have connections elsewhere that give me a great (and increasingly likely) Plan B to fall back on should that not happen. So I'm not anti-emigration either. Some of the most successful people I know made a fantastic life for themselves when they realised that Ireland just wasn't for them, and I get the same feeling myself quite regularly.

But, at the same time, I also see a lot of people just...running away. People who are otherwise unemployable due to past poor life decisions, lost and looking for direction in life. People who move halfway across the world and then do the exact same things as they did over here (i.e. get twisted drunk and act the idiot). The only difference is that they have their top off in the Facebook pics nowadays.

Similarly, nearly every person that I know and have met that is in their early/mid-30's and is still single, in a job that they hate and lacking direction in life, is a person who spent a large portion of their 20's travelling the world. They will bore you to tears with tales of how 'wild' those years were, and how much it benefited them, but what do they have to show for it? Indeed, it sounds increasingly as if they're trying to convince themselves, more than me, that these years benefited them when they speak of it.

So what is the line? When does travelling stop being productive and start being just 'killing time and getting a tan before you die'? What's the right way to use seeing the world as part of a productive life? Should every person, ideally, travel and see the world or could one be a happy, well-rounded individual having never left their own country?

davet82 · 28-06-2012 12:29PM

The problem is lifes too short

seamus · 28-06-2012 12:30PM

davet82 wrote: »

The problem is lifes too short

I disagree. There's lots of time. Just not enough bloody money.

o1s1n · 28-06-2012 12:33PM

leggo wrote: »

What's the right way to use seeing the world as part of a productive life?

Google Street View.

mikemac1 · 28-06-2012 12:34PM

No matter where you go you take yourself with you

davet82 · 28-06-2012 12:35PM

seamus wrote: »

I disagree. There's lots of time. Just not enough bloody money.

well yeah the money is a big factor too but i think time goes by too quickly for some then and not for others, its about figuring out what you want to do i guess asap, if that makes any sense :pac:

super_furry · 28-06-2012 12:38PM

There's nothing wrong with travelling and getting out there and exploring the world if you have the time and means to do so. However, most Irish people's notion of 'travelling' is to go to either Australia, New Zealand or the US for a year when they live with other Irish people, work with other Irish people and get drunk with other Irish people for that year. It's a sunnier version of dosing off college for many.

BraziliaNZ · 28-06-2012 12:42PM

super_furry wrote: »

most Irish people's notion of 'travelling' is to go to either Australia, New Zealand or the US for a year when they live with other Irish people, work with other Irish people and get drunk with other Irish people for that year. It's a sunnier version of dosing off college for many.

No it bloody isn't. A lot do yes but every nationality does that when they go abroad, and so what, let them to it if they're enjoying themselves. Just because all their friends aren't called Bruce and Sheila when they're living in Sydney doesn't make it any less worthy of a different experience.

leggo · 28-06-2012 12:44PM

super_furry wrote: »

There's nothing wrong with travelling and getting out there and exploring the world if you have the time and means to do so. However, most Irish people's notion of 'travelling' is to go to either Australia, New Zealand or the US for a year when they live with other Irish people, work with other Irish people and get drunk with other Irish people for that year. It's a sunnier version of dosing off college for many.

I'd agree with that. I guess, in that case, the question becomes: why are these people so ****ing pretentious about it, then? I write this following checking my Facebook (there's my first problem, says boards) and having my feed raped by people travelling putting up pictures and statuses that look no more beneficial to their overall life productivity than a trip down to 'Joe's Nightclub, Dungarvan' on a sunny Friday evening.

tok9 · 28-06-2012 12:47PM

I want to go travelling. Just after coming back from the euros and back in work now. It's grand but I wanted to travel before I left. Now I'm mad to go, just the idea of going to new places and meeting people is exciting!

Hopefully January...

leggo · 28-06-2012 12:47PM

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

No it bloody isn't. A lot do yes but every nationality does that when they go abroad, and so what, let them to it if they're enjoying themselves. Just because all their friends aren't called Bruce and Sheila when they're living in Sydney doesn't make it any less worthy of a different experience.

You either:

a) have never been cornered by these people and waffled to for an hour, non-stop, about "how you just can't understand what it's like until you're there"*.

or,

b) are one of these people.

* Nothing wrong with these stories if they are genuinely funny/interesting. But I have been drunk, and on a beach, before. And it wasn't that great. Sand caught between my toes for days after. A nuisance, if anything.

Scanlas The 2nd · 28-06-2012 12:52PM

What do people think about waiting until you retire to do your "travelling"?

frag420 · 28-06-2012 12:52PM

IM doing it arseways..............I did fook all with my 20's. Didnt really know what to do, got a degree but no work. Ended up working jobs that I was good at but did not like.

Now I am interning in a job and industry I like. I am trying to get a move to one of there offices abroad once my internship is over. Then build up my career and then in a few yrs il do what I should have done in my 20's and go travelling. see some of the world for a yr or two.

why now?? Well a few yrs ago I was freaking out about direction, where I was going career wise, why did I not travel when I could have done etc etc etc..................

Then a wise man said to me " Dont worry son, 30 is the new 18"!!

And I said "Thanks Dad"

So its never too late to go even if its for adventure, looking for something better. Even if it is to work abroad just do it. You may as well be working in a job you hate in a sunny country with hot chicks that in this miserable rain infested place!!

fishy fishy · 28-06-2012 12:54PM

leggo wrote: »

I'd agree with that. I guess, in that case, the question becomes: why are these people so ****ing pretentious about it, then? I write this following checking my Facebook (there's my first problem, says boards) and having my feed raped by people travelling putting up pictures and statuses that look no more beneficial to their overall life productivity than a trip down to 'Joe's Nightclub, Dungarvan' on a sunny Friday evening.

i find your posts quite patronizing to be honest.

You seem to think that you are the "all rounded person, who travels for the right reasons" as opposed to people that go away, enjoy their experience and have lots of fun.

You DO know that looking at the "wonders of the world" is what you are "supposed to do" it's not a big deal - they are tourist attractions - you just did what millions of others did - no different. what makes you decide what other peoples lives should be?

no offence - just commenting on what I have read.

Also, to answer your questions - you can travel the world and still be ignorant to everything but your own view, or you can stay in Ireland an have the most open mind that ever was.

donalg1 · 28-06-2012 12:59PM

I am sure there are plenty of people out there that have never left their own country and are happy not to have done so.

I for one enjoy travelling and am a bit regretful not having taken 6 months or a year off to travel a bit more. Although I still hope to see the places I have always wanted to see, its just that instead of seeing them all in a year I will go ever other year for a week here or two weeks there, and hopefully throughout the course of my life I will get to see them all.

I didnt ever understand how people kept telling me I should go with them to Australia or the US to work for a year or two I mean if I wanted to see these places I would go on a holiday and see more than I would if I was there working. Granted the weather would be better but you still wake up to an alarm clock every day and go to work same as you would here the only difference being here is home, and your friends and family are here too.

byronbay2 · 28-06-2012 01:00PM

I agree wholeheartedly with Leggo's last post. For a lot of "avid" travellers, the having-visited somewhere is more important than the visit itself. It ticks off another venue on the to-do list and adds a digit to their "I've visited X countries, you know". There is definitely an element of smugness and superiority to a lot of people who like to travel!

jester77 · 28-06-2012 01:02PM

You have a few options.

Easiest is get a job as a teacher where you have half the year off and can do lots of travelling. But that means putting up with a large group of kids for a few hours 5 days a week when you are at home, not for everyone!

Next is get a job where you get to travel a lot or has lots of travel perks. This is a great option, I used to work for a Lufthansa company and was able to travel anywhere Lufthansa flew on standby for just 10% of the actual price.

Or move to mainland Europe. There is so much to see and do and getting there is so easy compared to Ireland. Plus you get much better holiday allocation in EU countries, here in Germany 30 is the standard and I think France has even more.

leggo · 28-06-2012 01:05PM

fishy fishy wrote: »

i find your posts quite patronizing to be honest.

You seem to think that you are the "all rounded person, who travels for the right reasons" as opposed to people that go away, enjoy their experience and have lots of fun.

You DO know that looking at the "wonders of the world" is what you are "supposed to do" it's not a big deal - they are tourist attractions - you just did what millions of others did - no different. what makes you decide what other peoples lives should be?

no offence - just commenting on what I have read.

Also, to answer your questions - you can travel the world and still be ignorant to everything but your own view, or you can stay in Ireland an have the most open mind that ever was.

Em, you can't really use quotation marks when I haven't said what you're quoting. It's interesting to know that's how you read into it, though.

It's not me deciding what other people's lives should be. I'm honoured that you would give me such authority on the basis of one post (:p). The thread is a question: I'm stating my view (which I would be naturally predisposed to agree with...since it's my view), then throwing the subject open for discussion.

Alternatively, I could've just asked a question, then waited for people to go, "And what are your own thoughts, OP?" But I believe that's against the charter.

Sacred_git · 28-06-2012 01:06PM

travelling is epic!! Having travelled a lot of the world and met many people i would never have obviously net, experienced different cultures, the sheer wonder of different continents, is just fascinating, refreshing and for me makes me appreciate the world a whole lot more!

Living abroad is epic too if in an interesting place!

I say do it, i'll never stop!

SMASH THE UNIONS · 28-06-2012 01:07PM

OP sounds extremely bitter. Just go travelling like everyone else if you want to. Stop looking for justification from stangers on an internet forum.

leggo · 28-06-2012 01:12PM

SMASH THE UNIONS wrote: »

OP sounds extremely bitter. Just go travelling like everyone else if you want to. Stop looking for justification from stangers on an internet forum.

Huh? I have a visa to live in the States anytime I want, it's just a case of doing up the paperwork and paying the fees. If that were true, then there's really nothing stopping me...

But, of course, if I say anything that mightn't agree with your take on life, then it must be down to me being 'bitter'... :rolleyes:

Price of Turnips · 28-06-2012 01:18PM

The one thing i have noticed about myself travelling is,how your re-create yourself with strangers, the lies(white-lies) that you tell people you dont know, gives you a picture of who you really want people to see you as.
i think lies are good,IF you remember them and work on them coming true....for example- "What did you study in college?"
"Me, oh i mastered in Blah Blah blah"
once you keep it as a goal to complete some day

SMASH THE UNIONS · 28-06-2012 01:20PM

leggo wrote: »

Huh? I have a visa to live in the States anytime I want, it's just a case of doing up the paperwork and paying the fees. If that were true, then there's really nothing stopping me...

But, of course, if I say anything that mightn't agree with your take on life, then it must be down to me being 'bitter'... :rolleyes:

Yawn. You made us read a long, drawn-out OP that was more like a crappy monologue blog post, asking for our opinions. But the fact is you have your mind made up already. You even thanked Byronbay's post which denounced people who have travelled as "smug".

The psychologist in me says you are simply jealous of your friends who are having the time of their lives in Austrailia or the US. You aren't angry at the travellers themselves - you're angry that you have to listen to their stories of what an amzing time they had abroad and see their pictures. You try to convince yourself that you are making the right decision by wasting away your youth in rainy, depressing Ireland. You have the rest of your life to work. Go and travel now.

keithclancy · 28-06-2012 01:28PM

I moved 'abroad' back in 2007.

People at home still see me being on a jolly somewhere out foreign. :rolleyes:

For me when I go to Ireland its 'Going Traveling'

Elba101 · 28-06-2012 01:32PM

donalg1 wrote: »

I am sure there are plenty of people out there that have never left their own country and are happy not to have done so.

I for one enjoy travelling and am a bit regretful not having taken 6 months or a year off to travel a bit more. Although I still hope to see the places I have always wanted to see, its just that instead of seeing them all in a year I will go ever other year for a week here or two weeks there, and hopefully throughout the course of my life I will get to see them all.

I didnt ever understand how people kept telling me I should go with them to Australia or the US to work for a year or two I mean if I wanted to see these places I would go on a holiday and see more than I would if I was there working. Granted the weather would be better but you still wake up to an alarm clock every day and go to work same as you would here the only difference being here is home, and your friends and family are here too.

That is true. No matter what amazing country you travel to and work in you will fall into a routine. But, for me anyway, it was about much more. I up and left by myself and arrived in country where I didn't speak a word of the language and they had no English. Now I'm settled, can read and write and can speak enough of the language to get me out of trouble.

I could have come for a 2 week stint and gone on a tour with an English speaking guide and met English speaking tourists, but I decided to throw myself in the back arse of a developing country becasue I wanted to get out of my comfort zone. I do have a routine with work, but it seems a lot more worthwhile compared to the routine I had before in my old job/life.

I've a load of friends in Australia who want to drink their year away, and if they want to that then that's fine. Their decision and it looks like they are having the time of their lives! I know when I do finish travelling and look for a job I'll have a lot more to offer an employer then I did before I left.

SMASH THE UNIONS · 28-06-2012 01:35PM

Elba101 wrote: »

I know when I do finish travelling and look for a job I'll have a lot more to offer an employer then I did before I left.

So travelling is just another line on your CV so you can get that elusive wage-slave job in rainy Dublin? How about travelling for the experience of travelling?

pickarooney · 28-06-2012 01:37PM

I reckon I did most of my travelling in my mind when I was a kid reading books. I went to some mad places Ryanair don't fly to.

leggo · 28-06-2012 01:38PM

SMASH THE UNIONS wrote: »

Yawn. You made us read a long, drawn-out OP that was more like a crappy monologue blog post, asking for our opinions. But the fact is you have your mind made up already. You even thanked Byronbay's post which denounced people who have travelled as "smug".

The psychologist in me says you are simply jealous of your friends who are having the time of their lives in Austrailia or the US. You aren't angry at the travellers themselves - you're angry that you have to listen to their stories of what an amzing time they had abroad and see their pictures. You try to convince yourself that you are making the right decision by wasting away your youth in rainy, depressing Ireland. You have the rest of your life to work. Go and travel now.

And yet... why is it I imagine that you only become a psychologist behind your computer screen under the alias of 'SMASH THE UNIONS'? Could it be that your ingenious psychological evaluations are a tad basic and over-influenced by your own world views?

Psychologically-speaking, since you're the expert and all, could it be that people are simply irked by the inherent hypocrisy that goes into people moving away to 'broaden their horizons' and yet doing the exact same thing as they always did? Could it be that they don't like being condescended to about their own life decisions that they are otherwise happy with, because the person condescending is over-compensating for poor life decisions past?

Could it be that people thank posts that agree with their opinions but also add an interesting twist to them? Could it be that you could've pressed the back button and I didn't, in fact, force you under duress to read this topic?

Psychology is a complex study. It's best practised in college and not through the Interweb.

Elba101 · 28-06-2012 01:40PM

SMASH THE UNIONS wrote: »

So travelling is just another line on your CV so you can get that elusive wage-slave job in rainy Dublin? How about travelling for the experience of travelling?

Nope. I am experiencing it! It's not another line on my CV, but what I gained from it will be.

leggo · 28-06-2012 01:44PM

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

What do people think about waiting until you retire to do your "travelling"?

This, to me, would be the right way to do it. When you've lived your life, done the hard work and earned the right to a break until you check out. That'd be the best way for me anyway.

Don't get me wrong, I've no problem with people going away to 'find themselves'. I've been lucky enough that I found what I wanted to do and have some kind of road map towards it, others have to go on that journey at a separate time. I always say, "Judge me when I'm done," and I like to give people that option too, you can take a snapshot of people's lives at any low stage and use it for your worth.

Again, it's the condescension, smugness and hypocrisy about it all that I dislike. They needed to find themselves. I didn't. Don't talk to me as if I'm the one who's missing out.

SMASH THE UNIONS · 28-06-2012 01:48PM

leggo wrote: »

Psychologically-speaking, since you're the expert and all, could it be that people are simply irked by the inherent hypocrisy that goes into people moving away to 'broaden their horizons' and yet doing the exact same thing as they always did?

First off, what are you on about? If this subject is too personal or emotive for you to discuss rationally, then maybe you should reconsider contributing. Every post you make reeks with bitterness.

You start off by making some false assumptions. Who says everybody who travels abroad does the same things they do back home? Last time I checked, you can't hike the Inca trail in Ireland. Or swim with the sharks in the Pacific Ocean. Or go white water rafting down the Colorado river.

The Travelling Myth

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