Why we travel?
Outline
- Your travels
- Why travel?
- Why travel top 10
- Why should young people travel?
- Why don't Americans travel?
- Self-imposed Isolation
- Long way Round / Long Way Down review
- A geographer's perspective
Your travels
Describe where you have traveled and what brought you to these places. What was the motivation for the trips?
I have only left the continental United Sates once. My husband and I visited Ocho Rios, Jamaica for our honeymoon. We chose this location for the scenery,
weather, and all-inclusive resorts.
We wanted to go somewhere that was warm, considering we live in a place
that can get really cold. We also loved the idea of beaches and
oceans. Ocho
Rios is a very romantic and secluded location on the island of Jamaica, so we
thought it would be the perfect place for a honeymoon. Another bonus of this vacation was the
price tag. It was super affordable,
and the resort was all-inclusive, so we ate, drank, and played for 6 days for
one price.
Other than that, I have visited lots of states in the United States, mostly
to visit family. One of my favorite
vacations was to Kohler, Wisconsin.
I know Wisconsin doesn’t sound like the trip of a lifetime, but it
was one of the best vacations I’ve ever taken. My husband and I took this trip for our
5-year anniversary. We started our
trip in Chicago since it was on the way.
We stayed overnight and did the touristy thing. We did the river walk and took a boat
tour of the city. That night we
went to a Michelin star restaurant and ate until we could no longer move. It is still to this day the best meal I
have ever had. We then set our
sights on Kohler. We both love to
golf, and Kohler is home to some of the best golf courses in America. We lived like rich folk for a couple of
days and it was glorious. Once we
left there, we went to the Wisconsin Dells and stayed at a water resort. We felt a little guilty staying at this
place without the kids, but figured we deserved to be the children we are at
heart without having to lug two people and all their baggage around.
Why travel?
How does Huberman (Why Travel?) explain to her friends in Maine why she travels? Comment on some of the experiences she describes, and what she sees as the ultimate reason for travel.
She explains her reason for traveling as a way of being exposed to new ways
of doing and seeing things and says that traveling will be good for her. By the end of her travels, she realizes that
she was not traveling only to see the sights, but rather to gain insight on how
the rest of the world worked. She
gained wisdom of other cultures and was better able to understand what other
people experienced in their everyday lives. She saw it as a way to
see familiar things from a new perspective.
Why travel top ten
From the list of ten reasons, pick three that would be the most important to you and explain why.
Tolerance: traveling would help me be
more understanding and learn more about other cultures. I’m of the philosophy that you
should be able to do anything you want as long as it
doesn’t harm others. I feel
like I am tolerant, but uneducated on the things that go on in other cultures.
Gratitude: I think traveling would
help me to appreciate the little things in life more. Other places in the world do not have
the freedoms that I have, especially since I am a woman. I feel like I can take the things about
my life and what I have for granted and being exposed to other cultures might
help me appreciate what I have more.
Confidence and Independence: even though I am 30 years
old and have a family of my own, I sometimes get anxiety when thinking about
going to a place that does not have the same ideas as myself. Will I do something wrong or offensive
that I think is completely normal here in America? Will I get lost, raped, kidnapped,
or murdered? Being successful in travel will help me build confidence that the
world is not out to get me while going abroad.
Why should young people travel?
Comment on Peterson's arguments for why young people should travel. What are the six reasons and can you think of more?
I think Peterson raises great arguments for why young people should
travel. I traveled around the U.S.
when I was young, but never abroad, and I wish that I would have. Not because I am unhappy with my life,
but because I think and experience like that could only enhance the life I am
living today. Her 6 reasons
are…
1. getting
out of your comfort zone
2. build
confidence
3. development
of cultural sensitivity
4. adapting
to globalization
5. immersion
in a second or third language
6. unlimited
opportunities to network
Why don't Americans travel?
What are some reasons why Americans don't travel.
The author of this article listed many reasons why Americans don’t
travel abroad. The first point she
makes is about geographical and cultural diversity. America is a large piece of land with
many different geographies and ecosystems.
Many people make the argument that there is so much to do within the
U.S. that making a trip outside seems redundant. With the different geographies and
ecosystems also comes a variety of different cultures. The melting pot as some reference
it. While this is true that there
are many different cultures present in America it does not compare to the
source.
The next reason is how immersed Americans are in work. So many people are basically living to
work in America that finding time away from the job seems impossible. Even if you are fortunate to have a job
that offers paid vacations, most people work so hard that the thought of
traveling is exhausting. Not to
mention the people who do not get paid vacation and are living paycheck to
paycheck. These people just do not
have the resources to afford a vacation on any given day. They have to
take time to save up enough and then hope that they will still have a job when
they return.
Ignorance and skepticism make the list as well. There is a lot of misinformation about
the way other cultures operate. A
lot of people feel eerie going to another country when they have heard negative
things. Most of it is just a
misunderstanding or lack of motivation to discover the truth.
Self-imposed
Isolation?
Each of us lives in varying degrees of isolation from the rest of the world. This isolation is both happenstance and self-imposed. If we are born in an isolated part of the world with few opportunities to travel, we will likely lead an isolated existence. Self-imposed isolation occurs when have many opportunities to see other parts of the world but choose to spend our time and resources in one tiny area. We isolate ourselves because we are afraid or uncomfortable in other parts of the world.
Describe the lives of some people you know and how they engage in self-imposed isolation.
My mom is the person who popped in my head first. In my entire life she has gone on
vacation once. This was very
recent, and I truly think that she had a sudden realization when my dad died. I think she understood how short life is
and that she was wasting it sitting around her house in a small rural Nebraska
town, just going to work and coming home to the dog.
Another person that came to mind was me. Sure, I have traveled, but the only
reason is because of my husband. He
is the one who pushes me to get out of my comfort zone. I am a frugal person, so the thought of
spending money on something other than necessities and kids’ college
funds terrifies me. He is the one
who wants to go places and do things, and I would rather stay at home most of
the time. I eventually come around
to the idea and have a great time, but if it was just me, I would not think
about traveling.
Passports
Maps of passport ownership in US by state have been used in different ways. Do a Google Image search and include one of these maps below. Discuss the distribution. What does passport ownership indicate?
Passport ownership indicates that a person is capable of traveling outside of the United States.
Submitted by Jennie Pipes on 1/24/2020.