The Travelling Myth

fishy fishy · 28-06-2012 03:38PM

leggo wrote: »

Nice try. But what if Roger was making headway after years of groundwork in his dream job, earning decent money and didn't need to give it all up for the sake of a tan, as he had actual workable options worth exploring at home?

Travelling might work for someone who was still trying to find their way, everyone has to somehow, but it mightn't work for others. I have that respect for people who do so. Your one-way view of life (that 'Roger' needs to travel or is less of a person) doesn't seem to, and that ultimately hampers your argument.

well if roger was that happy, why would be be bragging that he has an amerian visa on hand - if roger is so content, let him give his visa back so that the INS can give it to somebody else. Or could it be that Roger hasn't a clue what he is doing and is jealous of those that have got the gumption to get up and head off.

Ellis Dee · 28-06-2012 03:41PM

There was probably never as much truth to the adage "travel broadens the mind" as many believed, but there was a lot more truth to it in the past than there is now. That is because getting to and being in faraway places exposed people to so many things that were completely new to them - sights, sounds, tastes, smells, languages, dress styles, architecture, the list is endless. And that inevitably opened their eyes and forced them to think, with a fruitful outcome in some cases.:)

Today, travel is so much easier for one thing. The last time I was in India, it took 6 hours and 20 minutes to get from the intense cold of the Helsinki winter to a Delhi with a temperature close to 30 degrees. How long would it have taken a century ago?:D

Add to that the vast range of media and information to which almost everyone has easy and inexpensive access, the foreign foods and spices that can be bought in most good shops, the ethnic restaurants and even the immigrants that have come to Europe and brought their rich and diverse cultures with them, all of which means that most everyone with an interest in things beyond their own horizon can "travel" all over the world without ever leaving their own home.:cool:

But if people don't want to broaden their minds, no amount of actual travel, no millions of air miles, no number of exotic beaches and no number of exotic massages with happy endings will change them in any essential way.;)

leggo · 28-06-2012 03:50PM

fishy fishy wrote: »

well if roger was that happy, why would be be bragging that he has an amerian visa on hand - if roger is so content, let him give his visa back so that the INS can give it to somebody else. Or could it be that Roger hasn't a clue what he is doing and is jealous of those that have got the gumption to get up and head off.

Where am I bragging? I'm simply making a point that not travelling isn't always down to lack of options. Thanks to luck and nothing else, I have a good Plan B. So that blows that argument out of the water.

Sometimes, believe it or not, people make different choices to you. And those choices can be good ones sometimes too. That's the smugness that I speak of: the assumption that your way is the only way. I just asked a question. Your reaction to it suggests this question being asked makes you very uncomfortable...

Naid23 · 28-06-2012 03:52PM

Whole thing is personal choice, some people go just to do exactly what they do here but in a warmer climate and are perfectly happy with that and others want more out of travelling. I would be the latter - heading off to Asia for a few months in April next year,not into the whole idea of working in Australia etc but will prob do it for the experience.

I've known people who go to Oz/US/Canada and do nothing but work, drink, sleep and repeat and have been perfectly happy about it and others who absolutely hate it.

Its all about the experience and what your happy to get out of it IMO.

tok9 · 28-06-2012 03:54PM

This argument seems to be going no where.

I've talked to a good few people who have gone travelling and I've never got the sense that they have thought I've wasted my time by not going travelling.

Also both of my sisters have travelled and have come back to great jobs.

I don't get why the reason for travelling is either to run away from your problems or to improve yourself. Can people not just go and enjoy themselves?

fishy fishy · 28-06-2012 03:59PM

leggo wrote: »

Where am I bragging? I'm simply making a point that not travelling isn't always down to lack of options. Thanks to luck and nothing else, I have a good Plan B. So that blows that argument out of the water.

Sometimes, believe it or not, people make different choices to you. And those choices can be good ones sometimes too. That's the smugness that I speak of: the assumption that your way is the only way. I just asked a question. Your reaction to it suggests this question being asked makes you very uncomfortable...

you seem to be a very mixed up person in relation to making decisions and opinions. I don't think you actually understand yourself what your life pattern is - you seem put down anyone traveling and having fun as a waster as opposed to you and how "sensible" you are.

As I say if you were that content you wouldn't be walking around with a us visa in your pocket.

You need a bit of experience in life - instead of putting others down to big yourself up - use the visa - yes. its only america - the easiest place you can go, but it's a start.

start living, not judging.

leggo · 28-06-2012 04:05PM

I'm sorry fishy, it's so difficult to take your opinion seriously when you make so many laughably wrong assumptions about my personal life. The visa is in my pocket now, is it? My parents are discouraging me from moving, are they? It's sensible to leave a burgeoning career to see the sun, is it?

The ratio of intelligent replies, both for and against the OP, is picking up now so let's leave others to discuss it, shall we?

Jester252 · 28-06-2012 04:13PM

I would love to a job where I have to travel

I am pie · 28-06-2012 04:22PM

I'v decided to travel more often on the basis that it statistically reduces the chances that I might ever have to have any sort of real world interaction with the OP, or see them in person, or be in the same square mile as them somewhere in Ireland anytime, ever.

Celebrate travellers, you too are drastically reducing your chances of a chance encounter of the unpleasant kind !

Elba101 · 28-06-2012 04:25PM

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

Outside of Australia, where does this phenomenon happen that you all bang on about here?

Anywhere you want!

fishy fishy · 28-06-2012 04:27PM

leggo wrote: »

I'm sorry fishy, it's so difficult to take your opinion seriously when you make so many laughably wrong assumptions about my personal life. The visa is in my pocket now, is it? My parents are discouraging me from moving, are they? It's sensible to leave a burgeoning career to see the sun, is it?

The ratio of intelligent replies, both for and against the OP, is picking up now so let's leave others to discuss it, shall we?

Thats exactly what you are doing to everybody that doesn't "fit" your opinion, including your friends that you sit with when they share their stories with you.

I also notice you don't answer the posts that you cannot answer i.e. the ones in which on contradict yourself and it is pointed out to you - you seem to ignore those ones.

Give it up - you've been outed. Get rid of the bitterness and move on.

validusername1 · 29-06-2012 12:57AM

I want to go travelling for a few years after I finish college and save a bit of money. There's nothing wrong with that.. I just think there's so much more out there for me to see and experience.. Ireland is nice and all but it's not exciting to me 'cause it's where I've always been. Just because a lot of people have the same thoughts doesn't mean it's not worthwhile doing it.

ArtSmart · 29-06-2012 01:06AM

RE OP.

Interesting post

most folk assume travelling is automatically a good thing, but like most things, it depends on how you do it.

travelling because of a job or with a job (engineering, construction, nursing, etc) is the best of all worlds - if you are working for a recognised international company or a first world country and hence your skills gained are recognised here.

other that that, ye gotta be careful - easy to let six or seven years slip by mucking around at bar work or similar with nothing to show for it except 'memories'. and then having to claw your way back into the home turf world of work.

but a year? or two? (max) between the ages of 18-30. all good.

Edit, just to add. travelling can be very addictive, because everything - sensation, experiences, daily activity, etc, is heightened more than at home, because it's new. So settling back into the 'mundane' is tough. and so one ends up continuing to travel - til the bones start to ache a little and ur fellow travellers are ten yrs younger, and years have gone by!. so, be careful!

Jesus Wept · 29-06-2012 02:18AM

There aren't many places you can go now without bumping into either someone you know or someone in a GAA shirt. Travelling was best when the masses couldn't afford it.

hatrickpatrick · 29-06-2012 02:33AM

What's the big issue against living for the moment?
Not everything one does in life has to be building towards a future goal, sometimes it's about enjoying life here and now. God forbid, but no one can ever know how much more of it they have to enjoy.

Why do so many people here disregard the concept of an experience just for the sake of the experience?
I went to Thailand last summer for almost 3 months, did a lot of partying, saw a lot of amazing places, met a lot of incredible people, and had a lot of experiences which I could only have dreamed of beforehand - tubing in Laos, visiting an island entirely inhabited by monkeys (literally), going on a safari in an incredible nature reserve, going to a Full Moon Party in Koh Phanang, boating around some of the most exotic seafronts imaginable, and so many others - all of these are epic memories which will stay with me for life. So what if the trip didn't have a "purpose" beyond the trip itself?

Not everything you do in life has to be part of some kind of long term master plan. That works for some people, but not for everyone. Don't hate on those who want to walk a different path purely for the sake of it.

hatrickpatrick · 29-06-2012 02:35AM

Oh, and to directly answer the OP:

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

What if it's simply about enjoying life?

Cherryfizz · 29-06-2012 03:21AM

leggo wrote: »

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'?

I lived abroad, it was just something I wanted to do. I met only one other Irish person when I was away! Travel is not all about getting wasted and tanning yourself. I have never gone on about my time away. Personally for me, I feel how do you know something is for you if you have nothing to compare it to! I made some good friends that I am still in contact with and really enjoyed my time away. I am quite happy living in Ireland now, obviously I wish things were better economically. Different strokes for different folks, I dont care if someone stayed in Ireland their whole life or went travelling! People are content doing different things! One man's poison is another man's cure!

BillyMitchel · 29-06-2012 03:52AM

Ok my 2euros worth.

What was to be gained by traveling. Ok from my late teens to 21 I was one of these people with no direction so I packed my bags and off to the oul u.s of a for 6 months and then on to Australia fo a yearr. Great craic, amazing experiences and came across some of the nicest people I've ever met. In a way sorted my head out and said to myself "billy go home and go to college" so off I toddled home and got into a decent university and done quite well by getting a 2.1 in a pretty good field. I worked in that industry for the duration of my contract which was 8 months. Then I found myself pushing 30 and in the middle of a recession with very little chance if employment.

So i dusted down the oul reliable backpack and off I went to teach in a little country called Korea. The year flew by amazing time and yes OP I was pretty drunk on Soju 7 nights a week with my new Korean, American, British, Irish etc etc buddies.

My year was coming to an end and I knew I had to go home for some family events. I arrive back in freezing little Ireland on the scrap heap again but my mind is working over-time. I knew I was good at this teaching game so I started helping out with kids. My old degree was boring I didn't want that anymore so now I'm now about to start working with disadvantaged youths and little primary school kids who have some difficulty learning. I plan on doing this for a year before I go over to Africa to work with some street kids with an oul buddy of mine.

I now have serious direction in life and if it was not for traveling I serious doubt I would have that direction. Obviously I can't speak for everyone but I think my little story can answer some of your questions.

Travel when you retire?! Get a grip! That's grandchildren time. You would not be able to do half the things when your 65 than what you could do in your 20's.

Two questions OP

1. Like many people I know they took a career break for a year. Could you not do the same? try it!

2. What kind of friend are you? Thank god you're not mine! When I traveled or came home it was my friends asking me to put up photos and call them with stories. Sure when I came home from Korea they had a party so they could listen to my stories all ****ing night until the early morn and you moan about giving an hour of your life!

On the lighter side of life I'd never thought I'd agree with someone who calls themselves Smash The Union but hey we live and learn

Scanlas The 2nd · 29-06-2012 07:12AM

BillyMitchel wrote: »

Ok my 2euros worth.

What was to be gained by traveling. Ok from my late teens to 21 I was one of these people with no direction so I packed my bags and off to the oul u.s of a for 6 months and then on to Australia fo a yearr. Great craic, amazing experiences and came across some of the nicest people I've ever met. In a way sorted my head out and said to myself "billy go home and go to college" so off I toddled home and got into a decent university and done quite well by getting a 2.1 in a pretty good field. I worked in that industry for the duration of my contract which was 8 months. Then I found myself pushing 30 and in the middle of a recession with very little chance if employment.

So i dusted down the oul reliable backpack and off I went to teach in a little country called Korea. The year flew by amazing time and yes OP I was pretty drunk on Soju 7 nights a week with my new Korean, American, British, Irish etc etc buddies.

My year was coming to an end and I knew I had to go home for some family events. I arrive back in freezing little Ireland on the scrap heap again but my mind is working over-time. I knew I was good at this teaching game so I started helping out with kids. My old degree was boring I didn't want that anymore so now I'm now about to start working with disadvantaged youths and little primary school kids who have some difficulty learning. I plan on doing this for a year before I go over to Africa to work with some street kids with an oul buddy of mine.

I now have serious direction in life and if it was not for traveling I serious doubt I would have that direction. Obviously I can't speak for everyone but I think my little story can answer some of your questions.

Travel when you retire?! Get a grip! That's grandchildren time. You would not be able to do half the things when your 65 than what you could do in your 20's.

Two questions OP

1. Like many people I know they took a career break for a year. Could you not do the same? try it!

2. What kind of friend are you? Thank god you're not mine! When I traveled or came home it was my friends asking me to put up photos and call them with stories. Sure when I came home from Korea they had a party so they could listen to my stories all ****ing night until the early morn and you moan about giving an hour of your life!

On the lighter side of life I'd never thought I'd agree with someone who calls themselves Smash The Union but hey we live and learn

What can't you do that's so great at 65 that you can do in your 20's?

My aunt and uncle are retired in Late fifties and they travel all over the world together.

Lyaiera · 29-06-2012 07:45AM

fishy fishy wrote: »

You need a bit of experience in life - instead of putting others down to big yourself up - use the visa - yes. its only america - the easiest place you can go, but it's a start.

I understand what you're saying Fishy, in fact I understand what both sides are saying in this argument but what you've twice alluded to (at least) about America seems a bit immature. You seem to be saying America is easy-mode for finding out about new cultures and a new place. What we see from most media we get from America is only a very tiny part of the country. It's far more complex than that. The idea that any person could come to terms with the diversity and intricacy of that country in their lifetime is laughable, let alone most people from Ireland who go there.

And that's my point. I travelled a lot as a child and teenager, my parents brought me all over the world. I haven't been able to afford to travel the world since I became an adult and had to start paying my own way. The furthest afield I've been has been Belfast. And while sometimes I lament that I don't feel hard done by. I'm just barely coming to understand my own city. There's such a broad array of things to learn about a place: the art, the sport, the night life, the iconic places, the little known places, the home-comfort places, the yearly events, the politics, the tourist attractions, the hobbies people practice, the professions people are in, the friends you can make, the sex you can have, the bars, cafes and restaurants people go to and most importantly for me: the immigrants to the city.

I get involved in a fair amount of things (and a fair amount of going out) and I'm always amazed by the diversity of things I run into. Obviously, pubs are hugely important to Ireland and there are certain pubs I can go to where 75% of the time I will get talking to someone I have never met before and will have a really interesting conversation with them. It can be about all kinds of things: they could be telling me about the exotic and extravagent things they got up to when travelling the world as a personal trainer to an A-List Hollywood actress, or they could be telling me about how it's their only night off from minding their incredibly ill non-identical twins. There's so much to learn about and from any particular place.

I don't need to travel to experience new and interesting things: I just need to open my eyes, ears, mind and heart. And that's not even to say I don't want to travel and experience even more amazing things, I just don't have to do so. I have so little understanding of what's around me at the moment I could spend my lifetime in Ireland and still be left with new and interesting things to learn about this country and myself.

And that's what I took from the OP. Some people travel the world without seeing anything different and some people stay in one place and are constantly learning. It's not the travelling that's the cause of this, it's the person. However, I am also certain that for a lot of people travelling does broaden their horizons, it's the metaphorical kick-up-the-arse that forces people to open their minds to an amazing world.

Really, each to their own. I'd love to travel the world, I'd equally love to get to know Ireland better. I'm sure I'll do both in time.

keithclancy · 29-06-2012 08:32AM

Whenever I go to pick someone up at Schiphol (Amsterdam) Airport and go outside to have a ciggie while waiting.

Tracksuit wearing skanger: SARRY BUD YA HAVE A LOIT ?
Me: No Problem
Him: AH JAYSUS BUD YA FROM AIRLAND .. DEAADLY BUZZ, HERE FOR DA SMOKE ARE YA ?
Me: Nah I live here.
Him: ahaha deadly .. yeh must have baaaaagggggs ah da stuff.
Me: Nah I don't smoke weed.
Him: Wha?!?!

^^^ This
If I hear this shít anymore I'm going to start using a German Accent that I learned from the Terminator movies.

Although you could replace 'smoke' with 'cheap drink'

I tend to stay away from Irish bars, because their usually the mankiest bars with the worst toilets (I have a thing about toilets, if I need to take a dump, I'll go home rather than squat)

Other than that travelling is great, I went to Galway a few times, Clare, even Dingle.... mad stuff .. they had this crazy accent.

Eve_Dublin · 29-06-2012 08:41AM

leggo wrote: »

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.

I don't know anyone who's ever actually said they're off to travel to "find themselves". If they did, I'd presume they were an idiot. I've met very few people who fit that description on my travels.

I'm not going to pretend the travelling I did changed me in anyway. I went on my own for 11 months to South America and it made me more independent and able to spend more time on my own and become less reliant on people...although I was always that way to some degree hence why I went on my own in the first place.

Why travel? One word: fun. MOre than anything else, I had a LOT of fun and saw some beautiful places and met some great people. Chiched as it sounds but that's what I got out of it. Many people say this and I wouldn't presume they're lying. There's a reason so many people do it and love it. It's not in anyway overrated.

I didn't bore people with my stories, mainly because they weren't interested but that's alright. I put up photos on Facebook when I travelled for my family to see what I was up to. NO smugness involved. I didn't feel superior, just lucky. People like that exist alright but they're few and fair between. People aren't automatically **** just cos they travel. MOst people I met wanted to enjoy themselves and nothing more.

I've lived in a few different countries,have been here in Spain almost 3 years and yes, I have a job, pay my bills, clean my flat blah dee blah but right now I'm facing my bedroom window with the sun pouring through the window. Tomorrow I'm going to the pool, bbq Sunday, next weekend I've got a pool party. The weekend will be spent walking in the sun, drinking beers outside and I might even head up to the mountains for a hike. I've one Irish friend here, the rest are foreign. I speak the lingo and slowly integrating into Spanish life.

I meet Spanish people everyday with their own customs and ways of doing things and their own interests and outlooks. My fella is Spanish and adapting to him and how his family do things is very different to home and it's a new experience and interesting because it is. Yes, a lot of my life is routine as it might be at home (I can't live on thin air, in fairness) but it's a different context so it's automatically a different experience.

Don't discount it unless you've tried it. We're not all smug tosspots who do it just for the sake of it. In fact, I'd say most aren't. I won't go home for another while yet....perhaps never. Who knows. Novelty is fun and that's the appeal for me tbh.

keithclancy · 29-06-2012 08:55AM

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

I didn't bore people with my stories, mainly because they weren't interested but that's alright. I put up photos on Facebook when I travelled for my family to see what I was up to. NO smugness involved. I didn't feel superior, just lucky. People like that exist alright but they're few and fair between. People aren't automatically **** just cos they travel. MOst people I met wanted to enjoy themselves and nothing more.

How do you know ... usually the people that bore people with drivel never know their doing it.

Sure I was raving on about a speed camera there the other day, everyone loved it... or did they. :pac::pac::pac::pac:

Eve_Dublin · 29-06-2012 09:13AM

keithclancy wrote: »

How do you know ... usually the people that bore people with drivel never know their doing it.

Sure I was raving on about a speed camera there the other day, everyone loved it... or did they. :pac::pac::pac::pac:

What's your question? How do I know what?

fishy fishy · 29-06-2012 09:22AM

Lyaiera wrote: »

I understand what you're saying Fishy, in fact I understand what both sides are saying in this argument but what you've twice alluded to (at least) about America seems a bit immature. You seem to be saying America is easy-mode for finding out about new cultures and a new place. What we see from most media we get from America is only a very tiny part of the country. It's far more complex than that. The idea that any person could come to terms with the diversity and intricacy of that country in their lifetime is laughable, let alone most people from Ireland who go there.

And that's my point. I travelled a lot as a child and teenager, my parents brought me all over the world. I haven't been able to afford to travel the world since I became an adult and had to start paying my own way. The furthest afield I've been has been Belfast. And while sometimes I lament that I don't feel hard done by. I'm just barely coming to understand my own city. There's such a broad array of things to learn about a place: the art, the sport, the night life, the iconic places, the little known places, the home-comfort places, the yearly events, the politics, the tourist attractions, the hobbies people practice, the professions people are in, the friends you can make, the sex you can have, the bars, cafes and restaurants people go to and most importantly for me: the immigrants to the city.

I get involved in a fair amount of things (and a fair amount of going out) and I'm always amazed by the diversity of things I run into. Obviously, pubs are hugely important to Ireland and there are certain pubs I can go to where 75% of the time I will get talking to someone I have never met before and will have a really interesting conversation with them. It can be about all kinds of things: they could be telling me about the exotic and extravagent things they got up to when travelling the world as a personal trainer to an A-List Hollywood actress, or they could be telling me about how it's their only night off from minding their incredibly ill non-identical twins. There's so much to learn about and from any particular place.

I don't need to travel to experience new and interesting things: I just need to open my eyes, ears, mind and heart. And that's not even to say I don't want to travel and experience even more amazing things, I just don't have to do so. I have so little understanding of what's around me at the moment I could spend my lifetime in Ireland and still be left with new and interesting things to learn about this country and myself.

And that's what I took from the OP. Some people travel the world without seeing anything different and some people stay in one place and are constantly learning. It's not the travelling that's the cause of this, it's the person. However, I am also certain that for a lot of people travelling does broaden their horizons, it's the metaphorical kick-up-the-arse that forces people to open their minds to an amazing world.

Really, each to their own. I'd love to travel the world, I'd equally love to get to know Ireland better. I'm sure I'll do both in time.

no probs Lyaiera, but I've spend well over a decade living in various places across the States so I know the "diversities" you talk about - don't worry, I am not basing my posts on going to Boston or New York - places that I have actually spent the least amount of time in while in USA. I do believe (from traveling to different countries) that the USA IS the easiest option when leaving Ireland.

the OP however, seems to think that unless things are done his way, everyone is a waster.

keithclancy · 29-06-2012 09:33AM

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

What's your question? How do I know what?

I've lived in a few different countries,have been here in Spain almost 3 years and yes, I have a job, pay my bills, clean my flat blah dee blah but right now I'm facing my bedroom window with the sun pouring through the window. Tomorrow I'm going to the pool, bbq Sunday, next weekend I've got a pool party. The weekend will be spent walking in the sun, drinking beers outside and I might even head up to the mountains for a hike. I've one Irish friend here, the rest are foreign. I speak the lingo and slowly integrating into Spanish life.

If you were telling me this in Ireland, I'd say "Oh wow that sounds great"
I'd be thinking something else though.

My question is, how do you know what other people think ?
People that bore other people never know their doing it.

BillyMitchel · 29-06-2012 09:44AM

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

BillyMitchel wrote: »

Ok my 2euros worth.

What was to be gained by traveling. Ok from my late teens to 21 I was one of these people with no direction so I packed my bags and off to the oul u.s of a for 6 months and then on to Australia fo a yearr. Great craic, amazing experiences and came across some of the nicest people I've ever met. In a way sorted my head out and said to myself "billy go home and go to college" so off I toddled home and got into a decent university and done quite well by getting a 2.1 in a pretty good field. I worked in that industry for the duration of my contract which was 8 months. Then I found myself pushing 30 and in the middle of a recession with very little chance if employment.

So i dusted down the oul reliable backpack and off I went to teach in a little country called Korea. The year flew by amazing time and yes OP I was pretty drunk on Soju 7 nights a week with my new Korean, American, British, Irish etc etc buddies.

My year was coming to an end and I knew I had to go home for some family events. I arrive back in freezing little Ireland on the scrap heap again but my mind is working over-time. I knew I was good at this teaching game so I started helping out with kids. My old degree was boring I didn't want that anymore so now I'm now about to start working with disadvantaged youths and little primary school kids who have some difficulty learning. I plan on doing this for a year before I go over to Africa to work with some street kids with an oul buddy of mine.

I now have serious direction in life and if it was not for traveling I serious doubt I would have that direction. Obviously I can't speak for everyone but I think my little story can answer some of your questions.

Travel when you retire?! Get a grip! That's grandchildren time. You would not be able to do half the things when your 65 than what you could do in your 20's.

Two questions OP

1. Like many people I know they took a career break for a year. Could you not do the same? try it!

2. What kind of friend are you? Thank god you're not mine! When I traveled or came home it was my friends asking me to put up photos and call them with stories. Sure when I came home from Korea they had a party so they could listen to my stories all ****ing night until the early morn and you moan about giving an hour of your life!

On the lighter side of life I'd never thought I'd agree with someone who calls themselves Smash The Union but hey we live and learn

What can't you do that's so great at 65 that you can do in your 20's?

My aunt and uncle are retired in Late fifties and they travel all over the world together.

The majority of people just wouldn't be in the same condition that they were in 40 years ago.

When you say travel to you mean holidays that last a few weeks or are they gone for a months or years or what?

Scanlas The 2nd · 29-06-2012 09:54AM

BillyMitchel wrote: »

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

BillyMitchel wrote: »

Ok my 2euros worth.

What was to be gained by traveling. Ok from my late teens to 21 I was one of these people with no direction so I packed my bags and off to the oul u.s of a for 6 months and then on to Australia fo a yearr. Great craic, amazing experiences and came across some of the nicest people I've ever met. In a way sorted my head out and said to myself "billy go home and go to college" so off I toddled home and got into a decent university and done quite well by getting a 2.1 in a pretty good field. I worked in that industry for the duration of my contract which was 8 months. Then I found myself pushing 30 and in the middle of a recession with very little chance if employment.

So i dusted down the oul reliable backpack and off I went to teach in a little country called Korea. The year flew by amazing time and yes OP I was pretty drunk on Soju 7 nights a week with my new Korean, American, British, Irish etc etc buddies.

My year was coming to an end and I knew I had to go home for some family events. I arrive back in freezing little Ireland on the scrap heap again but my mind is working over-time. I knew I was good at this teaching game so I started helping out with kids. My old degree was boring I didn't want that anymore so now I'm now about to start working with disadvantaged youths and little primary school kids who have some difficulty learning. I plan on doing this for a year before I go over to Africa to work with some street kids with an oul buddy of mine.

I now have serious direction in life and if it was not for traveling I serious doubt I would have that direction. Obviously I can't speak for everyone but I think my little story can answer some of your questions.

Travel when you retire?! Get a grip! That's grandchildren time. You would not be able to do half the things when your 65 than what you could do in your 20's.

Two questions OP

1. Like many people I know they took a career break for a year. Could you not do the same? try it!

2. What kind of friend are you? Thank god you're not mine! When I traveled or came home it was my friends asking me to put up photos and call them with stories. Sure when I came home from Korea they had a party so they could listen to my stories all ****ing night until the early morn and you moan about giving an hour of your life!

On the lighter side of life I'd never thought I'd agree with someone who calls themselves Smash The Union but hey we live and learn

What can't you do that's so great at 65 that you can do in your 20's?

My aunt and uncle are retired in Late fifties and they travel all over the world together.

The majority of people just wouldn't be in the same condition that they were in 40 years ago.

When you say travel to you mean holidays that last a few weeks or are they gone for a months or years or what?

Well my aunt and uncle travel for a few months at a time from country to country.

Unless you are in bad health at that age I don't see why you can't do it. Eat well, get excercise 8 hours sleep and dont't get pissed every night and it shouldn't be a problem.

leggo · 29-06-2012 10:56AM

Glad to see this has come full circle and turned into an interesting discussion again.

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

What's the big issue against living for the moment?
Not everything one does in life has to be building towards a future goal, sometimes it's about enjoying life here and now. God forbid, but no one can ever know how much more of it they have to enjoy.

Why do so many people here disregard the concept of an experience just for the sake of the experience?

People seem to have taken offence to my OP, there's no issue with it just because I haven't chosen it for myself. I've stated repeatedly that I respect people's right to both choose what they do with their own lives and am in no way against travelling.

To question something is not to necessarily 'hate' on it, or disregard it, though.

BillyMitchel wrote: »

Two questions OP

1. Like many people I know they took a career break for a year. Could you not do the same? try it!

2. What kind of friend are you? Thank god you're not mine! When I traveled or came home it was my friends asking me to put up photos and call them with stories. Sure when I came home from Korea they had a party so they could listen to my stories all ****ing night until the early morn and you moan about giving an hour of your life!

1. Like I said, I've no will at the moment to do anything like that. I respect that some people did feel the need to try it, but just because they did doesn't mean that I do.

2. People do say a lot of stuff, though. How do you know they weren't asleep on the other end of the phone or went away to make a cuppa tea while you talked for an hour? :P

I've no problem listening to anything interesting for an hour...but then slowly the subtle patronising and life advice ("You've got to try it," "Wow, I was happy for you until you started telling me how to run my life...") starts creeping in and I switch off and feel like I've wasted my time. Sure you even suggested that I should try it myself in your own post! It's like a reflex for all those who have travelled to then preach about it!

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

I don't know anyone who's ever actually said they're off to travel to "find themselves". If they did, I'd presume they were an idiot. I've met very few people who fit that description on my travels.

The phrase 'find yourself' is a bit deliberately facetious, to illustrate a point (it's calling a spade a spade tbh).

But 90% of people that I know who've gone travelling have done so because of lack of options. They need to figure out what they want after finishing their degree, want one last 'adventure' before they start 'real life', are going because their friends are and it sounds like a bit of craic, or simply need the work, and so on. Nothing wrong with those, don't get me wrong I'm not knocking it in any way, but all are a means of 'finding yourself'. You could also call it 'experience for the sake of it experience', a phrase which has popped up on numerous occasions in this very thread. People filling a hole, a void in their lives.

Again, I am NOT knocking this, but if you're already having crazy experiences every day at home why do you need to go halfway across the world? If you already know what you want to do and need to get working on that ASAP to both get experience and try get a foothold, then you're wasting time by travelling, no? I'll remind you that that phrase was brought up in the context of people insisting to me that I needed to pack my bags now, else I was somehow missing out on life (as if I've never left the country before as is :pac:). And that also ties in with the absolute smugness that I hate that returns home with an awful lot of these people, who gained nothing from travelling but a stick they think they can beat others with.

SMASH THE UNIONS · 29-06-2012 11:08AM

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

I didn't bore people with my stories, mainly because they weren't interested but that's alright. I put up photos on Facebook when I travelled for my family to see what I was up to. NO smugness involved. I didn't feel superior, just lucky. People like that exist alright but they're few and fair between. People aren't automatically **** just cos they travel. Most people I met wanted to enjoy themselves and nothing more.

For me, this is the crux of the matter. I say live and let live. If people want to travel to enjoy themselves, go ahead. The OP has the self-centred view that people only travel to make him jealous. Yes he actually said this. Those millions of travellers worldwide are only doing it to make a little internet warrior in Ireland jealous.

I know the OP's type. When a friend returns to Ireland after a year of travelling, first question they ask: "so what are you going to do now?" They want to see the traveller fail. They want to hear that they have no job, have to move back in with the parents, and sign onto the dole. The bitterness and begrudgery shines through at every opportunity.

My advice is travel while you're young. The idea of a penisoner back-packing across Australia is ridiculous. Most hostels will not take in travellers over 30 years of age. They'll tell you to pay for a hotel room, ya tight git, and stop perving on the young ones. Anybody who doesn't spend at least a few months abroad before the hit 30 has wasted their youth. There is nothing more boring than someone who finishes school, goes straight into college, graduates, then gets a job, and dies. Why choose to live an average, mundane life? Experience something new. There is a whole world out there beyond this little rock on the periphery of Europe. You don't know what you're missing out on till you've been there.

The Travelling Myth

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