Non-Travelers
 

What is it that makes non-travelers tick? I'm not talking about people without the funds to travel. I'm talking about people with big houses, luxury cars, dinners in expensive restaurants, the finest clothes, but who have never left their country! It's hard to not have some pity/contempt for them, isn't it?

each to their own I guess....


Muck

"Ignorance is bliss..." for some.

And of course Caribbean cruises in which the ports of call are all but irrelevant and all-inclusive Bahamian beach resorts do NOT count as leaving the country! (Or the USA, at least.)

I think in some cases it may be a fear of looking foolish in unfamiliar situations. During the 13 years I worked for airlines, my parents could have gone around the world First Class for a $5 upgrade fee, yet they never got further than Hawaii. Once.

I asked my mother what the problem was, and she mumbled something about the likelihood of being taken advantage of by "foreigners." I always thought that a rather odd attitude, since her husband was born in Greece!

(Or perhaps she knew whereof she spoke :)))

Some people have a very narrow comfort zone. I know so many people that won't even think about leaving the U.S. because they don't speak the language,they might not like the food, etc. I feel sorry for people that let fear keep them from experience the world and all it has to offer.

Non travelers don't travel for a reason and travelers travel for a reason - both are valid - what are non-travelers doing whilst travelers are traveling? Perhaps something that pleases them even more than traveling would or even more than traveling pleases travelers. And traveling need not be going abroad or far away - it may be discovering parts of your hometown you've never seen.
Let's not be too judgmental here - travel is great but let's not feel superior as the tone i'm picking up here. As MuckyMuck said "each to their own".

Well, sometimes there is a lot to see in one's own country. I have a co-worker who has visited every state except Vermont, so you know where her next trip is going to be (who knows why she saved Vermont for last - that's just how it worked out). I suppose one could ask "how can anyone visit a foreign country when they haven't even fully explored their own?"

Or, maybe it's too far for people to comfortably travel. If I had claustrophobia, for example, I would find it difficult to travel far distances.

I certainly would not hold "pity" or "contempt" for others who have different tastes from my own. You would think traveling would encourage tolerance of differences, but that is not apparent in the original post, is it?

It does strike me as odd that someone who has been blessed with financial advantages in life would choose not to travel. What is it? Lack of curiosity? Laziness? Arrogance? I have to say that I never really thought about this issue until I realized that one of the reasons why Bush is such a miserable president is that he has no interest in other lands, that he never traveled beyond Mexico (conveniently adjacent to Texas) until he assumed office. And then, and only then, did he travel to fulfill the obligations of office. We’ve seen the sad results of his parochial view of the world.

Travel, wherever you choose to go, gives you a greater understanding of people beyond your familiar group, puts you in touch with ideas and viewpoints that may not agree with your own but that can spark thinking and empathy.

I have friends who have absolutely no interest traveling anywhere, with the exception of maybe Florida. My parents like to travel but are nervous at the prospect of leaving the midwest, let alone the country, so they never consider it. I personally don't get either case, but to each their own.

I believe that W did travel abroad to Europe as a child and later so i think what you say about W may be inaccurate - in that aspect -i agree however with your assessment of his performance. He does have an interest in Iraq however.

no cause for pity or contempt, in my opinion, some people simply prefer to stay home. if i didn't find traveling fun and exciting, i wouldn't do it either.

it does not have any connection necessarily to big houses, luxury cars, yada yada...

Perhaps non-travelers dislike or refuse to waste their 'lifetime' doing nothing for hours and days. One theory holds that traveling is an escape from boredom. Since only some 10/11% of American hold valid passports it would seem that traveling is not a major activity of the majority.

PalQ--You're very charitable, but parts of my town that I have never seen would still be somehow connected to a strip mall.

Jolie--We're very literal-minded, aren't we? Of course medical, or quasi-medical conditions, are good excuses not to travel long distances.

Intolerant? I certainly didn't suggest public floggings. But I think it's honest to say non-travelers must not have a great deal of curiosity or a desire to experience other cultures. Seems very strange to me. Guess that makes me intolerant.

Guy18 -
I normally don't jump all over people and label them "intolerant" or otherwise, so if you are offended, then I apologize for being mean. But please re-read your post. You used the words "pity" and "contempt" to describe your feelings for people who don't travel beyond their own country. Those are pretty strong words to put down others, when we can only speculate as to their reasons.

Why don't you mind your own business? Why does this concern you? I'm not one to question what other people do or don't want to do with their lives, as long as they aren't hurtin' anybody.

I have to wonder, what's it to you Guy what these people choose to do? You have managed to lump a huge pile of preconception into one small paragraph of a post and secondary reply.

Pity? Contempt? And yes your question appears totally intolerant, and pointless to boot.

Jolie--I do accept your apology. That's very sweet of you. (Sincere, not sarcastic) To respond to your last post, I believed that I was asking a provocative and tongue-in-cheek question that is appropriate for others who enjoy traveling. I assure you I have friends and family who are quite dear to me, and they have never left the country. Many of them are afraid of any number of things (they've explained this to me) and I do feel a little sorry for them because of it. Pity and contempt are strong words, I agree, much stronger than my actual feelings.

As for the other person's hysterical response, now that may be where real pity and contempt come in...

I have a slightly different response that has nothing to do with being outside the comfort zone or language barriers or any of that. When I have discussed this with friends and family of mine who choose the big houses and fancy cars and other luxuries as opposed to travel, I seem to hear mostly that they don't view travel as something they can hold on to or "keep". For example, a new truck is something they can enjoy every day, is a material object, and they could sell if they so chose. Travel is to them a waste of money because there is no material gain from it. This is what I have heard. It's not my opinion, to be sure (for example, when I needed a new car, I bought a Toyota Echo, literally the cheapest and best gas-economy car I could find, with zero options!) Others believe that travel is a luxury they can only afford AFTER having the biggest house, the best car. They don't see it as something attainable because they aren't willing to sacrifice those other things being top of the line.

"hysterical"???

you throw around strong words much more than fits the circumstance.

i guess you thought your original post was funny, i thought you were being serious. it's hard to get people's tone and intent over the internet sometimes.

But to your orginal question I was thinking of my father who traveled extensively internationally during his business career (years and years back and forth to the middle east, asia, europe, etc.)... to him in retirement foreign travel is simply not his idea of a great vacation.