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.

Oh Suze, let's regroup and make friends.

I wasn't being entirely joking. I do tend to look down on someone who would choose to buy a Lexus even if it means they'll die without seeing Paris. Maybe that's wrong of me, but it's honest. Smacks of materialism to me, and I'm a bit of an aging hippie, I must admit.

But pity and contempt are strong words. I probably chose them because Medea tells the Corinthian woman that she won't be pitied as "pity and contempt are twin-born." I recently taught that play, and it was on my mind:)

The percentage of U.S. citizens with passports appears to be a shade above 20 percent. I know plenty of people who don't do much traveling and they are often people with different priorities in their lives. I'm not much into having lots of things, but about having experiences. For me, international travel takes me out of my everyday element and is incredibly stimulating. It makes me feel better about my life and it is an important element. I'm very conscious of the fact that factors can enter into a person's life that make such experiences difficult to have. I want to enjoy the opportunities I have while they are before me; not regret it later if circumstances change.

Other people draw their satisfaction in other ways -- or maybe they don't. But for whatever reason, many just don't seem to need the same level of excitement and diversity in their existence as I do to stay interested.

Suze, with your father it's totally understandable. I'd want to lounge in my pajamas at home all day if I were he!

ok then- let's start over because it sounds like we are on the same side but words got in the way (oh god now you have me quoting bad pop lyrics!)

i don't know anyone who drives a Lexus all my friends love to travel, so i was having trouble seeing the point of your post in the first place, is all.

Well, we never traveled because we had show dogs...and I just didn't want to leave them here in a kennel. We are trying to make up for it now...in our 70s. . I really wanted to travel but my dogs came first.

Also frankly, I know people who are just too lazy to figure out where they want to go. Let's face it, the way we travel on this board takes work and intelligence to get ready...not everyone is willing to invest that kind of time and energy.

Some people will reach really far to make themselves feel superior to others.

It's one of the ways bigotry, prejudice, and stereotyping are perpetuated.

When someone doesn't like the same things I like, it doesn't establish that they are somehow inferior to me.

Chacon à son gout

My husband doesn't like to travel, so what? Just his interests are different from mine, this doesn't make him any better or worse as a person.

If you think they deserve some pity, think in reverse: they think you deserve it!

Vive la difference :)) And let them stay at home so Europe doesn't get as crowded :))

My parents are both non-travelers. Well, they were until I made it so that being my parent meant traveling to see me. And I do not insist on it. I come home quite a bit, but I know how to get their curiosity going and they take the bait.

My mother is pretty much what Guy described in the first post. Her idea of what is fun and interesting does not involve leaving the country or oftentimes even the home.

It is funny because the only travel I did as a child (age 0-17) was to visit my grandparents in Oklahoma, fly to Minnesota each summer for a month of camp, and 1 trip to Disney World. Oh! And travel for regional/state/national orchestras, but those consisted of lots of rehearsing and very little seeing. Anyways, I was a happy kid.

My mother, on the other hand, traveled extensively as a child (in the US), taking 2 month-long car trips with my grandmother and neighbors and visiting pretty much everything. But, when given the chance to go to boarding school in Lausanne, Switzerland, she said "no. I want to stay right here in rural Oklahoma." And stay she did. It is how she is wired. And she is actually one of the most open-minded people I know.

Claire

loisco--I totally understand. My dog is the only reason I don't travel more. I can't bare to be away from him for more than 10 days. Luckily, he has a "grandmother" who is willing to take him when I'm away.

my pettest of pet peeves is people who believe they are superior to others... i feel a mixture of pity and contempt for their intolerant and hysterical points of view.

Despite all the hostility, this post brings up a really interesting point. My husband never caught the travel bug -- he wouldn't mind spending every vacation at the Jersey shore. Meanwhile, I have a six-foot world map in my office and I'm constantly coming up with new places to add to my dream-vacay list. He tags along on our trips and usually loves it, but he just doesn't have an ounce of inherent wanderlust.

It's just, as other posters said, different strokes. Given $30,000, some people want to buy a Lexus. I'd rather keep my '94 Escort and take a world cruise. My husband would buy a milling machine and reinvent the wheel. I think my pick is the best, but that's only because it's MY pick ;)

It's like the classic SAT problem -- if some people stay home because they're close-minded, does that mean everyone who stays home is close-minded? I doubt it.

Travel is SUPPOSED to broaden the mind, which SHOULD, in my mind, result in being less judgemental of others.

I don’t think it is fair or accurate to assume that those who do not travel do so in order to spend their money on fast cars and mink coats. I know lots of terribly interesting people who don’t travel much, but are extraordinary well-read, intelligent and fascinating company. I also know people who travel a lot, see Paris regularly, and are boring pompous farts who have improved little from the experience.

To each his own, as Muckey said, and thank the Gods for that.

While I heartily enjoy traveling I don't see how it makes me a better person than my friends who devote all their spare time and/or funds to the pursuits they enjoy, be it community theater, participating in chess tournements or just staying home curled up with a good book.

And I fear that it makes me a considerably less of a good person than other friends who devote all their time, spare cash and emotional energy to helping the poor thru a food bank, volunteering at an AIDS hospice or acting as advocates for abused children.

Living, as I do, in a glass house, I do my best to avoid throwing stones.

I honestly wish I believed that leaving the country automatically brought wisdom and tolerance.

ah, Intrepid, if only it were that easy (imagine the headlines, mandatory passports bring world peace)

As long as a person has a genuine interest in <i>something</i>, then I have no real interest in changing their minds.

As much as I'd like to give myself a big pat on the back for picking the &quot;right&quot; area of interest, I can't honestly say I contribute more to the well being of the world than someone who is into investments, improving shareware code, riding horses or whatever.

Personally, I'm sort of glad I don't have to compete for plane space with the billions of non-travelers. Can't say that I see any reason for pity, except for those that have no choices. Let's make that sympathy. And contempt? Wow, I hope not. Holding others in contempt for simple choices that don't involve horrors against man or beast has just never even occurred to me. Feel lucky to be able to travel, luckier still not to be worried about what other people are doing.

I had a similar conversation with my young niece the other day, who asked why I was going on another trip, and why didn't her family go? I pointed out that some people had different prioroties...some like big houses or cars, some liked to have season tickets to sporting events, some spent their money on things like tuition and such for their kids :) That everyone had different interests; mine was to travel, so I was willing to spend my discretionary funds on travel (not having kids certainly makes that easier!) She asked when she could go to Europe...my stock answer, when you have a job and save enough money to go! Most of my friends don't care to travel the way I do, but I certainly don't pity them!!

Anne

I agree that contact with people from different cultures (or getting out of one's comfort zone) can widen or deepen one's view of the world and be a life-changing experience, and I worry about individuals with parochial attitudes (and I don't think it judgmental to point out that parochial attitudes can have negative ethical and political results). Unfortunately, I don't think travel is always the way to guarantee increased understanding. For example, I've known women whose idea of travel consists of the semi-annual shopping trip to Paris - I think they would have a more broadening experience if they spent a few hours at their local Walmart! Or a woman who once said that she had much more to say to a colleague in the Czech Republic than she did to someone who lived in a particular neighborhood in our town (an area dominated by Mexicans and Mexican-Americans). In that case a visit to the Czech Republic would probably not entail &quot;leaving her country,&quot; as Guy18 initially suggested. In fact, I can go all over the world, from conference to conference, and even though I've left my country I've not left my (dis)comfort zone - at all.

The problem is that for every stick-in-the-mud or cruise ship passenger I might sneer at, there's someone else pitying me because I don't plan to hike through the Golden Triangle or backpack through the Horn of Africa.

Whatever my head tells me, though, who wouldn't take the opportunity to feel superior to the guided-tour brigade (and no, we don't mention that tour we took in Indochina) while dismissing the hikers as a bunch of hairy-legged vegetarian masochistic cranks? I hope my brother-in-law isn't reading this.

My head also tells me that there's no real point in pitying the stay-at-homes, because their instincts are probably right - they just wouldn't like having to deal with foreign cultures, especially the untidier ones. Why should they inflict (expensive) pain on themselves?

Actually, I know very few people who can afford to travel overseas and haven't, even if it's just a Pacific Islands cruise or a week in Bali. New Zealand doesn't count, though.

why doesn't new zealand count? i am fairly untraveled and that would be one of my top destinations.