The Travelling Myth

Eve_Dublin · 29-06-2012 05:11PM

bhovaspack wrote: »

Agree with this. It's not actually that difficult to be original. If I put my underpants on my head and recite a decade of the rosary, I'm probably being original, but not having much fun, and nor am I expanding my horizons particularly either. And being in Australia is no doubt original for each person, since it will be the first time they have done it, regardless of whether lots of other people have done it.

Exactly. Although I'd argue it's almost impossible to be original nowadays...wearing your underpants and reciting the rosary is, like, soooo 2003? :rolleyes: Original schmiginal. When you're young, fun is where it's at and as you say, it's the first time they've experienced it, so it's a novelty for them.

That's not to say I condone those idiots who take it too far and smash up hostels etc. That ain't fun.

VEN · 29-06-2012 05:13PM

paying loads to go somewhere and look at somethings, take the photos etc? could never understand it when you can buy a book or use google earth. ya can't take it home with you. total waste of money.

Priori · 29-06-2012 05:21PM

Price of Turnips wrote: »

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

Seriously?

In that case, I'll go around telling people I'm the president!

kowloon · 29-06-2012 05:26PM

The problem I have with travelling is the travelling. I've been a few places but no longer have the patience to put up with the waiting to get there, even if I had the cash. I even try to get as much of the shopping done online.

I'll travel to see penguins but that's about it.

kowloon · 29-06-2012 05:30PM

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

They had fun though. I doubt they're trying to be original...just wanting to have some fun. I don't get this bitterness directed at young people wanting to go to Oz. Not my bag cos I'm in my early 30s but would've really appealed to me back then. Did the J1 when I was 21 purely for fun. No pretense about finding myself or experiencing a different culture...I wanted to work to get money to party in the sun. What I want from holidays and trips now is different but I'd never expect young people to want the same things as me. They won't have time like that again and they should enjoy it as much as they damn well can! That's what being young should be about! We'll be dead long enough.

Here in the decadent west you're not old. When your face looks like a weathered scrotum you may call yourself old.

OnTheCouch · 29-06-2012 05:40PM

Contrary to many on this thread, I actually tend to agree with most of what the OP is saying, as much of what they touched upon could apply to myself.

In my early 20s, I did the usual J1 holiday and after that even lived in the United States for a year. However, whereas travelling across the whole of North America would probably have sufficed for most people, for me this was only the start.

For the best part of the next decade, my life became a bid to travel, each destination being more exotic than the next. I would work for three or four months at a time in order to fund the next adventure and for obvious reasons never built up any continuity in my career. I was lucky in addition to have a flexible landlady who didn't mind renting out my room to other lodgers when I was away.

So, after having experienced places as diverse as Panama, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Morocco, Turkey, Bolivia and Thailand on these trips, what was I left with? Well, to acquiesce with many on here, for the most part they were great experiences, plus, given that I nearly always travelled alone, gave me a far greater confidence and self-assurance than I would have had had I stayed in Europe.

I won't lie either, I did appear to be becoming more popular, at least on a superficial level. By dint of having travelled extensively, by the law of averages I was going to have a few stories to tell and I enjoyed the attention this brought me. There were always dissenting voices mind you, along the lines of 'Is he just going to be reckless all his life?' or 'How will he ever end up getting married/buying a house?' I believed these people at the time to be boring, staid, with jealousy towards me masking a lack of desire to push themselves out of their comfort zone. In any case, I thought all the aforementioned things could be done later in life.

However, to return to the point of the OP, the sceptics were correct. In my early 30s now, I have not been able to find work since my contract ended last August, despite having applied for over 300 positions since this time. I have had to return home to live with my parents due to financial constraints and am barely self-sufficient.

Now I believe myself to be talented enough to hold down a full-time job so where does the problem lie? Disregarding the possibility my CV has a poor layout or the fact I don't follow enough jobs up via phone or email, one can only arrive at a overwhelming conclusion, my constant travelling denied me the chance of building up crucial professional experience.

In an employers' market, the fact that I am woefully short of experience for my age is a huge black mark against my name. I only wish now I had been a little more selective with my travelling, instead of wanting to turn my life into a never-ending bus ride.

So to conclude, travelling is a wonderful thing and can really develop a person in the right way. But going down the other extreme can also be very detrimental to a person's professional development.

Eve_Dublin · 29-06-2012 05:45PM

kowloon wrote: »

Here in the decadent west you're not old. When your face looks like a weathered scrotum you may call yourself old.

No I'm not old but getting absolutely ****faced every night and day and picking veg and sharing flat with 10 others really doesn't appeal to me anymore. Been there done that. Plus the hangovers are worse and I'm baloobas after a glass of wine :P

Eve_Dublin · 29-06-2012 05:52PM

OnTheCouch wrote: »

Contrary to many on this thread, I actually tend to agree with most of what the OP is saying, as much of what they touched upon could apply to myself.

In my early 20s, I did the usual J1 holiday and after that even lived in the United States for a year. However, whereas travelling across the whole of North America would probably have sufficed for most people, for me this was only the start.

For the best part of the next decade, my life became a bid to travel, each destination being more exotic than the next. I would work for three or four months at a time in order to fund the next adventure and for obvious reasons never built up any continuity in my career. I was lucky in addition to have a flexible landlady who didn't mind renting out my room to other lodgers when I was away.

So, after having experienced places as diverse as Panama, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Morocco, Turkey, Bolivia and Thailand on these trips, what was I left with? Well, to acquiesce with many on here, for the most part they were great experiences, plus, given that I nearly always travelled alone, gave me a far greater confidence and self-assurance than I would have had had I stayed in Europe.

I won't lie either, I did appear to be becoming more popular, at least on a superficial level. By dint of having travelled extensively, by the law of averages I was going to have a few stories to tell and I enjoyed the attention this brought me. There were always dissenting voices mind you, along the lines of 'Is he just going to be reckless all his life?' or 'How will he ever end up getting married/buying a house?' I believed these people at the time to be boring, staid, with jealousy towards me masking a lack of desire to push themselves out of their comfort zone. In any case, I thought all the aforementioned things could be done later in life.

However, to return to the point of the OP, the sceptics were correct. In my early 30s now, I have not been able to find work since my contract ended last August, despite having applied for over 300 positions since this time. I have had to return home to live with my parents due to financial constraints and am barely self-sufficient.

Now I believe myself to be talented enough to hold down a full-time job so where does the problem lie? Disregarding the possibility my CV has a poor layout or the fact I don't follow enough jobs up via phone or email, one can only arrive at a overwhelming conclusion, my constant travelling denied me the chance of building up crucial professional experience.

In an employers' market, the fact that I am woefully short of experience for my age is a huge black mark against my name. I only wish now I had been a little more selective with my travelling, instead of wanting to turn my life into a never-ending bus ride.

So to conclude, travelling is a wonderful thing and can really develop a person in the right way. But going down the other extreme can also be very detrimental to a person's professional development.

As you said at the end, you're an extreme case. I know only one other guy like you. Year older than me and managing a hostel in Germany now. I think he's off to Africa next. I don't think you can say your case is the average though and most people couldn't afford to do what you did. I for one, don't earn enough to save. Moving in with my boyfriend next month, so will hopefully be able to save a bit and head off again next somewhere for a few months. I think a couple of month stints here and there is no harm. If I was to do it again, I probably wouldn't have gone for 11 months but there you go.

gara · 29-06-2012 05:54PM

I don't get the allure of Australia at all -I've seen all the 'Oz' photos and heard so many 'Oz' stories and so far, the only single difference is 20 degrees celsius.

If you told these same people to pick fruit in Termonfeckin for ten hours a day, they'd laugh at you but apparently it's a 'life-changing experience' if you take out an enormous loan to do it in a Darwin desert!

These people are in d.e.n.i.a.l -there is nothing fun about picking fruit in any part of the world and a lot of these inflated 'Oz' stories are because people have invested so much time, hope and money that they don't want to look like idiots by admitting "actually, no this is sh1t" and wanting to save face is understandable

cloptrop · 29-06-2012 06:00PM

OnTheCouch wrote: »

Contrary to many on this thread, I actually tend to agree with most of what the OP is saying, as much of what they touched upon could apply to myself.

In my early 20s, I did the usual J1 holiday and after that even lived in the United States for a year. However, whereas travelling across the whole of North America would probably have sufficed for most people, for me this was only the start.

For the best part of the next decade, my life became a bid to travel, each destination being more exotic than the next. I would work for three or four months at a time in order to fund the next adventure and for obvious reasons never built up any continuity in my career. I was lucky in addition to have a flexible landlady who didn't mind renting out my room to other lodgers when I was away.

So, after having experienced places as diverse as Panama, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Morocco, Turkey, Bolivia and Thailand on these trips, what was I left with? Well, to acquiesce with many on here, for the most part they were great experiences, plus, given that I nearly always travelled alone, gave me a far greater confidence and self-assurance than I would have had had I stayed in Europe.

I won't lie either, I did appear to be becoming more popular, at least on a superficial level. By dint of having travelled extensively, by the law of averages I was going to have a few stories to tell and I enjoyed the attention this brought me. There were always dissenting voices mind you, along the lines of 'Is he just going to be reckless all his life?' or 'How will he ever end up getting married/buying a house?' I believed these people at the time to be boring, staid, with jealousy towards me masking a lack of desire to push themselves out of their comfort zone. In any case, I thought all the aforementioned things could be done later in life.

However, to return to the point of the OP, the sceptics were correct. In my early 30s now, I have not been able to find work since my contract ended last August, despite having applied for over 300 positions since this time. I have had to return home to live with my parents due to financial constraints and am barely self-sufficient.

Now I believe myself to be talented enough to hold down a full-time job so where does the problem lie? Disregarding the possibility my CV has a poor layout or the fact I don't follow enough jobs up via phone or email, one can only arrive at a overwhelming conclusion, my constant travelling denied me the chance of building up crucial professional experience.

In an employers' market, the fact that I am woefully short of experience for my age is a huge black mark against my name. I only wish now I had been a little more selective with my travelling, instead of wanting to turn my life into a never-ending bus ride.

So to conclude, travelling is a wonderful thing and can really develop a person in the right way. But going down the other extreme can also be very detrimental to a person's professional development.

See what I mean , they just go on and on and on about it.And the how many times has this thread had posts that started with "well I travelled" or " I did the J1 thing " . I dont care it is not important in my decision whether your point is valid or not. You people just cant wait to say it.

FizzleSticks · 29-06-2012 06:32PM

This post has been deleted.

Defiler Of The Coffin · 29-06-2012 06:36PM

I'm not really sure what the topic of this thread currently is but anyways....

Travelled Australia myself for a year. Don't really think it enlightened me that much but I did meet some great people and see some awe-inspiring sights. It gave me more confidence to do things on my own as well, I was definitely out of my comfort zone a lot of the time. Did meet a few Irish though who told me all about their drinking escapades and how they were over there just to get locked and all that sort of thing, got sick listening to it after a while. There may be a problem in certain places in Australia with drunken Irish troublemakers but the Aussies are well able to drink themselves, and there are plenty of other nationalities over there who like to drink heavily as well.

Travelling really is what you make of it. I have one friend who worked six months in a bar in Brisbane and then flew to Melbourne where he worked in another bar for six months. Barely travelled at all. But still he was happy with that and didn't give a damn what other people thought. At the other extreme I met a Dutch guy who had been travelling for years throughout all these exotic places, he even went to Afghanistan! Didn't believe him until he showed me the visa. There's no one 'correct' way to travel for anyone. Some people just don't care about other cultures or places. Grand!

Have to admit though I've never really come across the smug-know-it-all type who has travelled the world and is now a person of utmost culture. Maybe I just move in the wrong circles but most young people really do just go for the craic, hell I barely knew a thing about Australia before I went but because it was so far away and the friends were going I thought "yeah, why not?".

Each to their own...

Defiler Of The Coffin · 29-06-2012 06:44PM

gara wrote: »

If you told these same people to pick fruit in Termonfeckin for ten hours a day, they'd laugh at you but apparently it's a 'life-changing experience' if you take out an enormous loan to do it in a Darwin desert!

These people are in d.e.n.i.a.l -there is nothing fun about picking fruit in any part of the world and a lot of these inflated 'Oz' stories are because people have invested so much time, hope and money that they don't want to look like idiots by admitting "actually, no this is sh1t" and wanting to save face is understandable

You're missing the point. People don't go picking fruit in Australia for the job itself, they do it because it's casual work, easy enough to get a job in, lets you get money together fast, allows you to see parts of the country and in most cases qualifies you for a year extension on your visa.

I did it myself in Queensland for a few months. The job itself was tedious as hell but the pay wasn't bad and the craic used to be good in the hostel afterwards, at the weekends a gang of us used to go to beaches and other towns and generally have the craic. It's another way of meeting people and doing something you will never do again. Lifestyles in the countryside are different to the cities, most people didn't even bother with footwear in the town I stayed in.

Defiler Of The Coffin · 29-06-2012 06:46PM

Should this thread be merged with the "Hostel in Oz bans all Irish from staying there" thread?

af_thefragile · 29-06-2012 06:48PM

I'm always too broke to travel anywhere exotic or fancy...

I don't get how people manage to go "travelling around the world" for a couple of months, like where do the get the money for it when they're just students or just out of school/college with no job or anything.

Eve_Dublin · 29-06-2012 06:58PM

Are people focusing on Oz and NZ on purpose just to prove how unworthy travelling and what a waste of time travelling is? People travel to other places. Why does a young 21 year old represent me just because we both left the country? You can't put in the same boat like that. You'll find Irish in all corners of the world.

Is this a discussion on young people going to Australia or people travelling?

gara · 29-06-2012 07:10PM

Defiler Of The Coffin wrote: »

You're missing the point. People don't go picking fruit in Australia for the job itself, they do it because it's casual work, easy enough to get a job in, lets you get money together fast, allows you to see parts of the country and in most cases qualifies you for a year extension on your visa.

You're missing the point spectacularly if you think I believe the allure of fruit-picking is what brings people to Australia -obviously the grotty hostels and GAA jersey filled bars all feature too but personally, if I'm going to fork out thousands for a holiday, fruit-picking in a deserted field in the backarse of nowhere isn't exactly getting much bang for your buck. I can think of much better holidays to have with the cost that it entails to spend time picking fruit in the southern hemisphere

Defiler Of The Coffin wrote: »

I did it myself in Queensland for a few months. The job itself was tedious as hell but the pay wasn't bad and the craic used to be good in the hostel afterwards, at the weekends a gang of us used to go to beaches and other towns and generally have the craic. Most people didn't even bother with footwear in the town I stayed in.

See, this is precisely what I mean about people's inflated recollections of ridiculously menial events Down Under -'not bad' pay and a bit of 'craic' is the bloody least I'd expect if I'd spent my life savings to spend my day bunging blueberries in a basket -but then again, I wouldn't really find people not wearing shoes especially amazing either

average hero · 29-06-2012 07:11PM

A lot of it is 'Keeping up with the Jones'.

What annoys me is people who think they are well travelled just because they've gotten hammered in a different country. I try to pick up a few local words here and there when away and the lads always look at me like 'what's he up to?'.

Why I get annoyed at people who think they are 'open-minded' about travel or 'well-travelled' is that they will have gone to one of the following:

Spain: Leaving Cert holiday to get hammered.
Amsterdam/Eastern Europe: Stag weekend to get hammered.
USA: J1 (to get hammered)
Thailand: Beach parties, and to get hammered.
Australia: To get a job because this country is a failed state blah blah blah and to get hammered.

etc etc

A lot of it is to get hammered, and to keep up with the Joneses.

Funny that these same people will look at me like I have three heads when I tell them I am studying Russian and hope to teach English over there for a few months..!

Eve_Dublin · 29-06-2012 07:17PM

average hero wrote: »

A lot of it is 'Keeping up with the Jones'.

What annoys me is people who think they are well travelled just because they've gotten hammered in a different country. I try to pick up a few local words here and there when away and the lads always look at me like 'what's he up to?'.

Why I get annoyed at people who think they are 'open-minded' about travel or 'well-travelled' is that they will have gone to one of the following:

Spain: Leaving Cert holiday to get hammered.
Amsterdam/Eastern Europe: Stag weekend to get hammered.
USA: J1 (to get hammered)
Thailand: Beach parties, and to get hammered.
Australia: To get a job because this country is a failed state blah blah blah and to get hammered.

etc etc

A lot of it is to get hammered, and to keep up with the Joneses.

Funny that these same people will look at me like I have three heads when I tell them I am studying Russian and hope to teach English over there for a few months..!

Really? People who go on stags to Amsterdam would say they're "well travelled"? Huh! Wouldn't have thought so...that hasn't been my experience. Usually those people would say they've been to Amsterdam for a stag and got smashed...

By the way, tenner bets you'll end up getting hammered in Russia at some point! And got forbid, you might even have some fun!

Makes me laugh at how many people are so upset at how others choose to live their lives and spend their money. Why do you care so much?

gara · 29-06-2012 07:20PM

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

Makes me laugh at how many people are so upset at how others choose to live their lives and spend their money. Why do you care so much?

Why are you taking this thread personally?

Defiler Of The Coffin · 29-06-2012 07:33PM

gara wrote: »

You're missing the point spectacularly if you think I believe the allure of fruit-picking is what brings people to Australia -obviously the grotty hostels and GAA jersey filled bars all feature too but personally, if I'm going to fork out thousands for a holiday, fruit-picking in a deserted field in the backarse of nowhere isn't exactly getting much bang for your buck. I can think of much better holidays to have with the cost that it entails to spend time picking fruit in the southern hemisphere

Grotty hostels and GAA-jersey filled bars you say... how would you know since you've never been there? Maybe you've just got a chip on your shoulder because some are abroad enjoying themselves and you aren't. "Bang for your buck" indeed... you can't just throw money at something and expect everything to be perfect, travelling is what you make of it, some people can spend damn all and enjoy themselves and others can spend a fortune and still be miserable.

gara wrote: »

See, this is precisely what I mean about people's inflated recollections of ridiculously menial events Down Under -'not bad' pay and a bit of 'craic' is the bloody least I'd expect if I'd spent my life savings to spend my day bunging blueberries in a basket -but then again, I wouldn't really find people not wearing shoes especially amazing either

Maybe the exact same experiences for you would have been completely mind-blowing but then I tend to understate things sometimes. What you seem to be missing is that some people need to make money to continue their travelling, fruit-picking gives them a means to do so and also lets them experience another side of life. No-one in their right mind would travel just so they can fruit-pick.

You don't need to spend your life-savings either to travel, that's the whole point of working along the way, making it affordable.

Eve_Dublin · 29-06-2012 07:35PM

gara wrote: »

Why are you taking this thread personally?

You answer my question first.

Not taking any of it personally as I'm not a young backpacker in Australia and it's them that most of the venom is directed. I'm simply asking why people care so much what they do?

gara · 29-06-2012 07:49PM

Defiler Of The Coffin wrote: »

Maybe you've just got a chip on your shoulder because some are abroad enjoying themselves and you aren't. "Bang for your buck" indeed... you can't just throw money at something and expect everything to be perfect, travelling is what you make of it, some people can spend damn all and enjoy themselves and others can spend a fortune and still be miserable

Making silly assumptions that I must be somehow miserable with a 'chip on my shoulder' because I'm not arsing around Sydney is a ridiculous way to argue your point -I could be there right now with 50 of my friends if I wanted to be but my fundamental point is that I simply don't see the appeal.

Also, where did I insinuate that money was essential to having a happy holiday? But since plane tickets to Australia don't exactly come cheap then I'm simply saying I'd expect a little more than what you referred to as 'alright pay and a bit of craic' for the huge expense that it takes to fly there

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

You answer my question first.
Not taking any of it personally as I'm not a young backpacker in Australia and it's them that most of the venom is directed. I'm simply asking why people care so much what they do?

Very mature but I'll bite.. I don't think anyone is especially 'upset' Eve, I think they're just discussing different views about a topical issue on a discussion board

Eve_Dublin · 29-06-2012 07:52PM

gara wrote: »

Very mature but I'll bite.. I don't think anyone is especially 'upset' ver leaveEve, I think they're just discussing different views about a topical issue on a discussion board

Okey dokey.

Edit: Not necessarily you but there's some posters with quite strong views on this and I'm simply asking why they hold such strong views on this topic when it doesn't concern them.

In my experience, I've heard of a few people going over to Oz and coming back a week later. Wasn't for them but I also know of a huge amount of people trying to extend their visas because they love it so much. Can't be as bad as some people make out if young people continue to go there.

Defiler Of The Coffin · 29-06-2012 08:00PM

gara wrote: »

Making silly assumptions that I must be somehow miserable with a 'chip on my shoulder' because I'm not arsing around Sydney is a ridiculous way to argue your point -I could be there right now with 50 of my friends if I wanted to be but my fundamental point is that I simply don't see the appeal.

Also, where did I insinuate that money was essential to having a happy holiday? But since plane tickets to Australia don't exactly come cheap then I'm simply saying I'd expect a little more than what you referred to as 'alright pay and a bit of craic' for the huge expense that it takes to fly there

Fine, we get it, the whole "Australia thing" isn't for you. But then you could spend £1,000,000 to be flown to the moon and be disappointed because it's just a load of dust everywhere. The enjoyment you get from a place isn't pegged to the price you pay for getting there. You have to make it happen yourself.

What I referred to as 'alright pay and a bit of craic' did not comprise the whole holiday. You don't go there and have to "arse around Sydney" if you don't want to. If you want to well and good but there's a whole world there waiting to be discovered. You seem to think Australia is all about just wearing GAA shirts and drinking.

kowloon · 29-06-2012 08:40PM

Defiler Of The Coffin wrote: »

Fine, we get it, the whole "Australia thing" isn't for you. But then you could spend £1,000,000 to be flown to the moon and be disappointed because it's just a load of dust everywhere.

I have to admit, it was a bit of a disappointment.

VEN · 29-06-2012 09:08PM

gara wrote: »

If you told these same people to pick fruit in Termonfeckin for ten hours a day, they'd laugh at you but apparently it's a 'life-changing experience' if you take out an enormous loan to do it in a Darwin desert!

they'd tell you the drinking money is better down there.
make a lot o money but somehow come home with not a lot o money, great

average hero · 29-06-2012 10:31PM

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

Really? People who go on stags to Amsterdam would say they're "well travelled"? Huh! Wouldn't have thought so...that hasn't been my experience. Usually those people would say they've been to Amsterdam for a stag and got smashed...

By the way, tenner bets you'll end up getting hammered in Russia at some point! And got forbid, you might even have some fun!

Makes me laugh at how many people are so upset at how others choose to live their lives and spend their money. Why do you care so much?

You misinterpreted what I meant by the examples. What I was trying to illustrate was that people who go to destinations with the main activity being getting smashed, they don't gain all of the benefits of travelling to different countries and learning the culture IN MY OPINION ONLY.

And you would win that bet by the way, I will get hammered once or twice alright, but I will also endeavor to learn a few words, and enjoy the local culture which I don't think many young Irish students/people do when they travel abroad with friends!

Loads of people are just going to Australia with mates for a year, and in my opinion I would rather travel to somewhere with a completely different culture, language, and lifestyle to our own.

Don't get so heated about it, I was only stating MY OPINION

CiaranC · 30-06-2012 06:32AM

Look at all the bitter jobsworths. They cant stand that other people do more with their lives than them so they pretend everyone who travels just goes to Australia to drink. Pathetic.

leggo · 30-06-2012 08:55AM

CiaranC wrote: »

Look at all the bitter jobsworths. They cant stand that other people do more with their lives than them so they pretend everyone who travels just goes to Australia to drink. Pathetic.

I'm actually convinced now that you agree with the OP and you're pretending to be a troll for the other side to prove the point of how annoying some people who travel can be. There's no other way someone could be thick enough to call going on an extended holiday, 'doing more with your life'.

The Travelling Myth

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