AM I WEIRD?
 

I'd love to know if I'm the only sad person around who studiously keeps lists of every country (44)/United state (19)/airport (92) I've ever used. I also have a map with lines drawn showing every air/ferry route I've ever taken! I said in a previous posting that I'd like to be one of those people who get into the record books as having visited every country in the world! Do I qualify as a travel nerd?

Sad more than weird, really. <BR> <BR>What's the point in chasing some ludicrous, silly dream? <BR> <BR>Would you get into the record books? Surely someone has attempted and completed this.

Yes, you are weird.

Adam, Yeah, that's a bit off the wall, but, hey you aren't hurting anybody...(right?). <BR> <BR>Are you an Engineer? <BR> <BR>Kidding aside, Adam, I think is cool; you are officially a travel nut.

My grandson, age 5, decided to count and name all of the bison in Yellowstone. <BR>Unfortunately he did not make a written list, so I cannot greet them all by name when I go in a few days. But if I see Bruiser and Scruffy grazing near Old Faithful I am supposed to say "Hi" to them. I see similarities here. <BR> <BR>

Oh for heaven's sake, Inky, Adam's not sad or weird. If he enjoys that, let him do it in peace, without guilt or shame. I think lots of us travel fans keep lists, if only in our heads, of where we've been. How else could we respond so easily to some recent postings about travel histories? Adam just does it in a little, er, a lot, more detail. I hope you make it into the world records, Adam. Go for it.

You can cram it with walnuts, Kay <BR> <BR>Adam asked the question, didn't he?

Adam, I will admit that I have not put together a map, but I have thought it would be pretty cool to make one with stick pin flags and put it on the study wall. And yes, I have a mental list of airports, states, trains, etc. I do occasionally make written lists of places I have been. I have no idea why, but some people just like to make lists. My own personal goal is to see most countries in Europe and maybe 50 overall, picking ones that are particularly interesting or representative of the different areas of the world. Bob, I would keep my distance with a bison named Bruiser.

I think you have made a great goal for yourself. This will definitely keep your mind on travelling. You must always be taking notes on trips if you have kept a map of every air/ferry route you've ever taken. Keep on doing it if it makes you happy, but cut back if it becomes too much of a chore. Well, good luck at achieving your goal, and just consider yourself a modern-day explorer and forget what everyone else thinks. <BR>

Adam, <BR> <BR>You aren't weird...just detail oriented. <BR>I agree with Dan- some people just like to make lists. The map thing sounds pretty cool to me. I think alot of us around here qualify as 'travel nerds'. <BR> <BR>I have a confession: my boyfriend and I are Hard Rock Cafe fans (for those of you who don't already know that &lt;g&gt;). We bought a map of North America, hung it in the den, and put color coded push pins into each city that has a HRC. The color codes are one's he's been to, one's I've been to, one's we both have been to, and one's neither of us have been to. <BR>So, I guess that if you are voted weird, then so are we. <BR> <BR>

Count me in as a weird one! One day while playing with Windows 95 at work I was able to print out a map of the world in 8"x11". I computer "painted" the seas blue and continued to paint-in the countries of the world I had visited. After taking a look at it I realized I had only scratched the surface of world travel! I then taped it to a filing cabinet where no one could see and it became my little boost for the work day as I looked at it and dreamed of where I should go next!

Adam, <BR>My godfather, who lived and worked overseas as an engineer, has notebooks with maps recording his travels. Once I mentioned to him that I had read about a club of people who had visited 100+ countries, and asked how many he thought he'd visited. He replied, 'Well, one doesn't go just to count them.' (No, but I was still curious.) So, do I think he's weird? No, I'm quite fond of him but he is a lifelong bachelor AND an engineer, and it is bedeviling to have a conversation with him because he is so reticent. (What 50 years of living alone will do for you.) Do I think you're weird? No, and if I didn't have a husband and son to distract me, I'd probably have some habits similar to yours. (Am I weird? I keep saying so, but then who's to judge, really?) I like making lists, too. Call it a hobby. I can think of worse ones.

Being just a bit weird myself, I actually read stats, and what I do find just a teensy bit sad about yours is that you've only been in 19 US states. Of course, your address suggests you are not an American, in which case that's understandable, but still limited. The difference between Louisiana, Maine, Florida and Iowa is comparable to the differences among many nations and greater than, for example, the differences between some island nations. <BR> <BR>But lists and maps and charts are great markers. Think what we historians have been able to do with comparable scratchings of ancient Roman or even Renaissance travelers!

<BR>Adam, you're not weird or sad. I think it's great, but I wonder if you're focusing more on adding to your list than you are on enjoying, appreciating and respecting the places you visit. Make sure to stop and smell the roses, man.

Thanks to all of you. These have been the most enjoyable and interesting group of postings during my Fodor experience. <BR>And, Adam, you're not weird! (Anyone active Fodor reader/poster knows what real weird is!)

Hi Dan. I will be sure to give ALL bison a clear margin. What is sort of funny about it is that the bison were shedding hair when my grandson was there, so a lot of them looked scruffy. That will not be the case when I arrive. But Bruiser was a big one; my son has a picture of him. I plan to be extra careful if any thing like him is in my area. <BR>I am not about to do what one fellow did once. A rather large male bison was on the pathway leading to Castle Geyser. <BR>The fellow shoved the animal in an effort to make him move out of the way. <BR>And, Adam, I can find the spot on my map.

My stepfather has just such a map (sans the airports) and it is kept over the washer/dryer in the laundry room. Colored pins mark cities all over the world they've visited. They're still going places and he's just turned 85. This September it's Nova Scotia.

so take that inky!!!!!!

I keep track of where I have been and what I have seen but it's severely sad to keep a list of airport and ferry routes.

It's actually a form of Asperger's Syndrome, much like trainspotting. <BR>

I'm not sure what Asperger's is. Is that Glaswegian? Or does it describe someone given to casting aspersions? <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

I don't find it weird at all. Some people spend much of their time adding to their bird species list and even travel the world to do it. It's just an added dimension to an interest. <BR> <BR>I wish I had kept better travel records - I think it would be great to have noted ferry and air routes, plus prices. <BR> <BR>Whew, 19 states seems like a lot to me. <BR> <BR>PS. Loved the bison stories. <BR>